[84.monsoon]

I booked with the dealer on October 6th. Initially the CPD was December 21 and got moved to Jan 2nd about a month ago. It actually arrived a couple of days earlier than the final CPD communicated. So looks like Mahindra are under-promising and over-delivering a bit when it comes to dates.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Here goes videos are fwd via whatsapp
http://Youtu.be/yovgYsGFNz0

A lot of folks may not be able to make out anything special about the videos but the angle of the second video should be proof enough of the new Thar's capability.

Camera never does justice to steep inclines or declines but when the incline looks so steep on camera I can only imagine how steep it actually would be. And the Thar nailing the climb so effortlessly is indeed impressive!

Seen quite a few videos of the new Thar from my local Off-road group and its super impressive when it comes to off-roading, lockable diff, traction control has taken the Thar to a whole different level!

I personally feel its going to affect the Isuzu V-Cross's sales the max because most of the V-Cross owners were those who were looking for an affordable yet reliable off-roader but the old Thar was way too crude, Fortuner & Endeavour too expensive and Scorpio/Safari not too capable.

[highwaypatrol]

As long as V-cross comes fitted with a leafspring at the rear, no one should consider it as its a crime by Isuzu to give the basic modern suspension (Independent) to its truck for the price which they sell it in Indian market.

[jkrishnakj]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

I booked with the dealer on October 6th. Initially the CPD was December 21 and got moved to Jan 2nd about a month ago.l.

Not bad at all for you. I booked on 4th October and my CPD was 21st Jan. This has now moved to first week Feb, and I get to know after I keep doing courtesy calls for updates. Apparently, the VIP (ie film stars and politicians) manage to pull some strings. That’s what I’m told.

Nothing much to do other than wait for the dealer to do some comms. Lets see if I also get lucky with an earlier delivery.

[Pancham]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Not bad at all for you. I booked on 4th October and my CPD was 21st Jan. This has now moved to first week Feb, and I get to know after I keep doing courtesy calls for updates. Apparently, the VIP (ie film stars and politicians) manage to pull some strings. That’s what I’m told.

Nothing much to do other than wait for the dealer to do some comms. Lets see if I also get lucky with an earlier delivery.

Not just VIPs - anyone willing to pay up immediately can get preference in case of any booking cancellations. Contrary to what my initial sense was which indicated that Mahindra was monitoring the overall booking and delivery process, it seems they have given a free hand to the dealers to 'deal' with the customers' bookings. So, essentially, dealers can do whatever they want (if they want) with their respective bookings. I am not saying they are doing it, but if they want they can.

Meanwhile, my CPD has not changed (yet). It is still 24 Aug 21.

[Mortis]

I finally got to see the new Thar from up close today. Overall both the interior and exterior look good overall except for a few things.

1) The outer door handles seem to be made of cheap plastic
2) The 4X4 badge looks weird in terms of font as well as the size
3) The hardtop and it's fitting looks like utter crap, there's no other way to put it. The plastic quality and finishing is bad, too many sections, bad uneven sealing and fit, even the gasket near the windshield looked badly fitted. It's going to be a leaky boy once it's aged a couple of years

[Capt.Arun]

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

With just 20k price difference between Petrol auto and Diesel auto, the question of how many KM you'll clock per year to justify a Diesel purchase goes out of the window with the Thar.

With a Diesel, you'll get a proven engine, and longer range for each tankful of Diesel. With the Petrol, you'll get a wee bit better refinement - when you're standing out, in front of the Thar. Inside, people have asked me if mine is a Petrol or Diesel, in spite of mine being a convertible top. And not that it's a factor, a Diesel Thar will also have a better demand and resale value!

Reiterating -




I know this puts you in a bit of a quandry, but then think it through especially because it's a once-in-a-while buy for you

Hey ph03n!x

All valid points in favor of the diesel no doubt. Frankly the tank range isn't a point of concern for me as the car will neither do long hauls off the beaten track nor will it be used as a serious off roader in all honesty.
The only trails that the Thar will have to conquer are the WRC stages in R.S Puram and Sai Baba colony where the roads have been torn up in the name of laying fresh water pipes and power cables.
Regarding the FE, its a given that any petrol SUV will return close to 9-10kmpl (eg, Compass AT, Tiguan AllSpace et all).

On the bright side I'm sure the petrol should be a hoot to drive!

Picture this, your Diesel AT CT in black and my Petrol AT HT also in black would make for one menacing entourage!

[Capt.Arun]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Petrol all the way, new M&M engines are very nice and reliable. Packs a punch compared to the diesel as told by fellow mods. The FE is absolutely ok considering the low running. FYI I often scratch my head when folks speak about 8-9 Kmpl of Thar petrol, coz even Santro AT gives only that much. You want to know what a real guzzler is, check a 2.4 Liter Grand Vitar AT

That was my actual thought process when I had my bookings swapped to the petrol version. To be honest, I didn't get that 'fuzzy feeling' after test driving the diesel manual and this thought kept lurking in the back of my mind.
Before I drove the diesel manual, I didn't have huge expectations with respect to performance as its obviously a Thar. But somehow I found it not to be as engaging as one would like.

Originally Posted by Vinod_nair

A good option, the M Stalion AT, with your limited useage when you're away.

A novelty around your coffee table/ bar talk buddies.

That's what it will serve as actually! A novelty, a thing of excitement and fun.

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by Capt.Arun

Before I drove the diesel manual, I didn't have huge expectations with respect to performance as its obviously a Thar. But somehow I found it not to be as engaging as one would like..

Did you try the diesel auto? It is said to be quite a nice box, holds on gears well and is actually slightly faster to 100 than the manual based on all the comparison tests out there.

Also remember the Diesel is probably at its lowest possible state of tune at 130 HP/300NM in the Thar. The same engine and gearbox will probably see around a 170 HP/380NM tune in XUV 500 and the upcoming Scorpio, based on media reports I saw. So it should be fairly easy to get an aftermarket tune on the Thar which bumps up the power and torque to well above the level of the stock petrol Thar. Of course, it is another matter if one really can use that much power safely in a high riding vehicle with a short wheelbase.

[for_cars1]

I got to see a Rocky Beige Thar on the road today.

Its been my favourite colour, however it didn't look impressive in flesh and blood, expecially with that grill. The green looked slimy and dull. Reminded me of Shrek.

I'll need to see more of these Rocky Beige shades before coming to any conclusions. I'm more inclined to like darker colours now Galaxy grey or Napoli Black.

[Venkatesh]

Mahindra Thar wishes Happy New year

Throttle into 2021 and exhaust the limits of every terrain.



Link

[Jacko]

CPD in August 21, gosh thats too far. When did you book?

I booked on 11th November (Bombay) and got a email that delivery sometime in early May.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by Capt.Arun

On the bright side I'm sure the petrol should be a hoot to drive!

It sure should. Good choice, I must say, given your usage.

BTW, has anyone here tried his/her hands on the petrol MT? Would love some feedback on the same, especially with regards to low-end torque.

[phkr19]

We had booked the Thar( LX, Diesel AT, Grey, Hard Top) on 15th Oct 2020 with Sireesh Auto here in Bangalore and the initial Customer Promise Date was 27th March 2021 and that was moved further by additional 3 weeks.

As fate would have it, the Sales Associate with whom we booked the car had left the dealership which we discovered 2 weeks ago after calling the showroom since the calls to the SA weren't going through.

Now upon coordinating with another SA (team lead) for the delivery, he is saying the deliveries might happen earlier than expected(to be taken with a pinch of salt) as the production is being ramped up from last week of December.

Upon having a friendly banter with him around the possibilities of VIP influences taking precedence to regular bookings, he said they've around 600 odd bookings for Thar and around 40 letters from a VIP (showroom owner is a politician so his circle of friends) and there is some precedence given to them as well. Now how the regular orders are dealt with in these cases I did not probe.

I believe M&M should've handled the end-to-end (booking to delivery) processing, this hybrid approach(online + offline) leaves gaps for dealers to play around with bookings.

For now it's just reading updates on Thar from fellow Bhpians.

[GTO]

I saw these stats on the FJ Cruiser's wiki page and remembered the Thar. See the sales collapse after the initial two years.



In the first year, the Toyota FJ Cruiser also had a long waiting period, with some dealers selling for above markup. But what really counts is how sustainable the early volumes are. It is with some cars, but rarely ever with niche vehicles.

Mahindra did the right thing by their original plan of 2000 units / month, and then increasing it to 3000 / month. By any projections, that by itself is a lot for a 2-door niche vehicle with a premium price tag in a Covid year.

One cannot simply commit to any higher production volumes and after 2 years, be left with excess capacity (like Toyota above). That said, Mahindra should have communicated things better to its customers.

When the 4-door Thar comes - and if it has better ride quality & high speed manners - I think the 2 & 4 door together could easily manage 4000 units / month. Sales will be majorly in the 4-door's favour, even from enthusiasts. India thrives on practicality.