[CEF_Beasts]

Excellent review as always!

An Open-top jeep has always been a favourite of my dad, but the access to the rear seats was a deal-breaker for my father and me as well. Space for just 2 in the rear seats was not a problem for us, it was just that the car is very high off the ground and ingress-egress was really difficult. If the front seat would have moved a little further I feel the problem can be solved.

The THAR was never about features it was always about its character so in no way do I miss the features (except the reversing camera which is available as an accessory). Even-though I love the car to bits (especially the convertible version) I will have to remove it from my shortlist for now, I am just waiting for the Thar 5 door!

Hope to read some excellent ownership reports of fellow BHPians from November 2 onwards.

[airbus]

Great review as always Aditya and GTO

The following two are my biggest concerns in opting for the new Thar. Let's see if Mahindra has a plan for a 4 doors variant.

Originally Posted by Aditya

• Very bumpy ride quality. The Thar is never settled, no matter what the road or speed
• Impractical due to the 2-doors, 4 seats (not 5) & difficult access to the back seat

[PrideRed]

I want to point out that while Mahindra has placed the new Thar very well for urban dwellers, they have committed a mistake by not targeting the rural customers. A big hunk of Thar sales used to come from DI, which used to retail for 7-8lacs on road. There were a lot of buyers of CRDe too from rural areas and now its an expensive affair with starting price of 13lacs. While a big chunk of urban customers would jump in, a lot of rural customers will think twice, not only because of the price point but even the utility factor has taken a hit to certain extent. Hoping the new unit proves more reliable.

[Pkumarblore]

Great review. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I have one question to this great forum. Will appreciate a lot if readers could pitch in with their thoughts/opinion.

While I have always liked the old school Jeeps, spent a lot of my childhood in my Dad's Official Mahindra Jeeps, I had always wanted to own one. But given its impractical usage in day to day normal life with a family, never had the courage to buy one even as the 2nd car. Now that I have other cars for my regular purposes, I am seriously giving it thought of buying the new 2020 Thar.

But I don't want to plonk 17 big ones for a third car in the family. I see that for my requirement, the base petrol AX MT at about 12 lacs on-road suits me. I don't need the diesel since I wouldn't do regular highway trips, I don't the AT simply because I need the MT(my other 2 vehicles are AT), and I can sacrifice all the creature comforts. All I need is basic safety features, AC, Power steering and 4WD which are available in the Petrol AX MT. A few other essentials like the rear view camera can be fitted later on. And I simply drool over the 16 inch white steel wheels with off-road tyres. They look raw and mean to me. Should also drive smoother compared to its 18 inch alloy siblings.

Will I go wrong with my decision or will I repent it later in future by not buying a higher spec variant or the diesel. The usage would be just for some fun drives into the Ghats and weekend city drives. I am awaiting the TD from Anant cars.

Thanks in advance.

[Sran]

For me this Thar is not the successor of CJ 340-CJ3B-Classic-Thar(1&2). This is a different product. A product of its time and demand. It may succeed in delivering the present demand but it's not Thar. How are people who are into jungle safaris and shooting venture into this? Off roading is now a sport sans soul. People want off roaders for different reasons but present crowd is more into valley riding rather than utilising it.

I think Mahindra is chasing Wrangler and urban customers and will definitely gain more customers, which makes a proper business sense. Maybe someday some of us will also become audiophile and a.c needy and will appreciate the new "Thar" till then Cj's and classic's will remain the one.

@GTO, I thought you were going to go after the Ambassador owners' record.

[jkrishnakj]

And, here it comes. What a lovely review.

I am a sucker to the jeep looks since childhood and can't wait to own one. The 'Thar' tugs you at a level far different from any. I can't even remember some of the negatives that i read in the review. Such is my bias.

For someone who is in the very late 40's, i did not think twice about the pricing to own one. If not now, then, when ? It may not be the most appropriate 'desire' item to spend money on, but I certainly know that I will enjoy the drives and the once in a while off-roads. Having spent decades in worrying about the next EMI, the roof above the head, the education of the child and so on so forth for so long, this is one thing that I clearly decided that it will be for 'us' - my wife and I. She is more sold on this than I can imagine.

Having already booked the LX Diesel HT AT, I simply can't wait for the delivery.

I am now eagerly waiting for the review of the off-roading capabilities

[norhog]

Lovely SUV and a lovely review.
But seems too early in its life to catch rust.
Points of rust noticed.
1. Front Skid plate.
2. Ad Blue Tank Guard at the rear.
3. The picture showing the OBD port, the metal exposed seems to have rust.

Can the reviewers confirm if it is rust of reddish mud splashed/smeared there.?

Also, is there any information if this "jeep" uses a galvanized steel body?

Thank you.

[AVL500]

Excellent 5 * rated review.

Personally speaking, I will discount all the "Cons" given its a proper 4x4 offroader. If anyone has gone through the threads on previous Thar ( I have done that many times over when I was in decision making process - Gypsy vs Thar ), the primary point which came up were mostly about absence of Safety features, Interiors, Factory fitted Hardtop and nobody ever marked it down on its offroad performance which of course is its forte. Now with this new Thar, Mahindra has taken care of most of those points to a great extent, obviously they have charged a premium for all those value adds and some which includes me will find it over priced. But besides that, this new Thar is definitely a much more desirable proposition now and I really hope it does well and gives other manufactures including Maruti some motivation to get something in competition .

[amol4184]

This will be most popular review for a long time. I have never waited so much for any other car's review. Great stuff! I will also hope that AX range is covered when the MT review is out.
Slightly bummed that even after all these improvements and factory HT this isn't going to be a long distance vehicle even for just 2 people and their luggage.

[justwheels]

Least to say, Tbhp rules when it comes to unbiased reviews. Thanks for the most sought after review in current times. Well deserved 5 stars.

Originally Posted by Reinhard

When a car strikes the key chord one just doesn't care about any potential issues. And Thar probably strikes most chords for most out there! For example - I did NOT read the "Dislikes" list at all. Its a Jeep. The charm is such that even shortcomings are something to boast about.

Very true, and that's the chord that Thar has struck. I too was tempted to skip the dislikes section as once you make up your mind to buy such a vehicle, issues become features and compromises become change of lifestyle.

Though an extra few inches of luggage space and extra few inches of back seat ingress space would have been an icing on the cake.

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

......If not now, then, when ? It may not be the most appropriate 'desire' item to spend money on, but I certainly know that I will enjoy the drives and the once in a while off-roads.

Having already booked the LX Diesel HT AT, I simply can't wait for the delivery.

That sums it all, if not now, then, when? Congrats on your booking. I have done the same, waiting game on.

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by justwheels

"Issues become features and compromises become change of lifestyle."

"That sums it all, if not now, then, when"

All nice Quotes only..

Only at the cost of some 17.5 Lakhs is the worry part for the fence sitters (I'm one..)

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by Aditya

The single time that the Thar is settled & flat is when it’s standing in one place .

This had me.

I use XUV and find its ride pretty unsettling. Normally 85% of the time, I'm alone on the ride and thus was actively considering Thar, on a later stage for my personal use. But hearing above, my hope crashed.

As GTO mentioned, would downsizing the tyre to 245/75 R16 improve ride quality??

[sumeethaldankar]

The wonder of this car is that inspite of it being a 2 door it has garnered so much enthusiasm among the common people. This will more of a life style vehicle and will be a second car for most people who will be buying it and will be a dream for many. Get a nice compact car for daily drive and for the weekend unwind yourself in one of these. Glad to see the car is more modern and city drive friendly and not just for off-roading. The Royal Enfield Bullet of 4 wheelers .

[BlackPearl]

A brilliant review of the new Thar @Aditya, went through all of it at one go and rated a well deserved 5 Stars. I can't wait to drive one. Hopefully I will be able to go to India by next March and have a go. As you have mentioned, I really don't understand why Mahindra could not have added a bit of length to the Thar. It would have looked more proportional from the side in addition to the extra luggage space.

I hope Mahindra will get a lot more success with the new Thar compared to the previous one, but I am a bit apprehensive after hearing feedback from a few potential owners, most pertinent being the bumpy ride and lack of luggage space. None of these are a problem for me though

[soumobakshi]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Driving the Thar 2.0L Turbo-Petrol AT

Mileage & Fuel Economy

The Petrol AT is a guzzler in the city! Factors like the weight + power + torque converter AT make us believe you should expect 6 – 8 km/l tops in the city (lower if you drive hard). Consumption on the highway remains high (9 – 11 km/l) if you constantly drive at 110 – 120 km/h. Be sure to get a full tank of petrol before you venture off the road in 4x4 mode. IMHO, the Petrol should have gotten an "ECO" mode for when owners just want to cruise with a light foot. Mahindra shared the ARAI rating of just the Diesel MT (15.2 kmpl), but not for any other variant (just like they refuse to share the kerb weight). What's to hide, Mahindra?

The diesel offers more acceptable fuel economy, as most Mahindra diesel UVs do. In any kind of situation - be it the city, highway or offroading - the diesel will deliver FE that's 2.5 - 5 km/l higher than the petrol.

[.

A great review and looks like my decision to book the Diesel AT Hard Top is making more sense now. Since I booked it without taking a test drive, I was apprehensive about the AT great box but looks like it's sorted and the only question that keeps coming back is how frugal will it be for City and Highway cruising vis-a-vis the MT box? Expecting double digit City mileage is reasonable I am guessing. Any pointers from you?