[navpreet318]

I chose a Petrol Thar for

1. Performance. It's a brick but what a way in which it moves. Those pedal to the metal acceleration runs give big Grin everytime.

2. I am still uncomfortable with that whole exhaust system of the deisel. This is my daily drive and the sheer complexity of that system and reports of issues all over the world make me uncomfortable.

3. Silence. That thing is simply amazing at Silence. It is a feature. Having had deisel SUVs throughout my driving life, this Silence is a welcome change.

Oh and did I tell you about the stomping pedal to the metal acceleration!!! This is a new manner in which a brick like shape moves!!!

[AbhijitRay]

Originally Posted by Big Smoke

1 question to all petrol Thar owners: What was the biggest influencing factor to buy the petrol variant over the diesel variant?

I've not yet taken a test drive of the Thar, but would love to know about the real owners' perspective.

Thanks in advance.

I went in for a Petrol Thar because

1. Loved the performance, acceleration when needed does not leave you asking for more specially when you need to overtake.

2. Noise level inside the cabin is negligible. At times during engine idel missed out the engine is on. Taken Thar to the next level.

3. Running not very high.

4. Did hear of DEF related issues & startup issue in extreme cold

5. Staying in NCR Petrol made more sense.

[Big Smoke]

Originally Posted by Cavityavenger

2. I found the petrol engine to be quieter, more responsive than the diesel.

Originally Posted by cool_dube

While I do not have one yet, my Thar will be a petrol for sure, whenever I buy it. Reasons:

• Performance of the mStallion unit is B L I S T E R I N G, compared to the mHawk. I say this, having test-driven petrol and diesel Thar's back to back over a good 20 km. Check out some of the reviews of the petrol Thar on Youtube.
• Refinement is amazing, compared to the diesel. Absolutely no engine noise inside the cabin, even with the A/C off. Feels like driving an EV on the run.
• Avoidance of DEF/AdBlue refills every xxx kms! I have a BS6 diesel, and believe me, it is a constantly niggling thought at the back of my mind

Originally Posted by navpreet318

I chose a Petrol Thar for

1. Performance. It's a brick but what a way in which it moves. Those pedal to the metal acceleration runs give big Grin everytime.

2. I am still uncomfortable with that whole exhaust system of the deisel. This is my daily drive and the sheer complexity of that system and reports of issues all over the world make me uncomfortable.

3. Silence. That thing is simply amazing at Silence. It is a feature. Having had deisel SUVs throughout my driving life, this Silence is a welcome change.

Oh and did I tell you about the stomping pedal to the metal acceleration!!! This is a new manner in which a brick like shape moves!!!

Originally Posted by AbhijitRay

I went in for a Petrol Thar because

1. Loved the performance, acceleration when needed does not leave you asking for more specially when you need to overtake.

2. Noise level inside the cabin is negligible. At times during engine idel missed out the engine is on. Taken Thar to the next level.

3. Running not very high.

4. Did hear of DEF related issues & startup issue in extreme cold

Thanks for your brisk reply guys.

As I can infer from all the replies to my question, the broadly common reasons are-

1. The superior performance of the Petrol motor: No surprises there. Everyone says that the diesel is good, but the petrol is excellent.
2. Superior refinement: Another attribute of the superior & sophisticated petrol engine. The Thar (convertible) as it is has poor NVH, and the petrol motor would be a bliss.
3. Avoiding DEF: That's just another thing less to worry about, always welcome Even I presently have a diesel BS6 SUV at home, and I would anyday opt for not having to worry about DEF level.

It seems that Mahindra has indeed done a terrific job with the petrol motor. It seems to be an actual delight. But as always, there's a chink in its armour (2 actually)-

• The low FE combined with higher cost of Petrol: The Thar petrol is an expensive machine to run, there's no two ways about it. I firmly believe that the comparitively lower cost of service (I think it is lower than the diesel, or is it not?) and excluding the cost of DEF won't make up the difference in running cost. Buying an expensive car is one thing, but repeatedly draining your pocket to enjoy it is another different ball game altogether. If you'll excuse yourself from worrying about the DEF level, you'll invite worrying about the FE & fuel tank level all the time. We all know, petrol isn't going to get cheaper.
  
• The reliability of petrol motor is definitely not as much as the diesel motor. Mahindra's 2.2l m-Hawk has been in service for almost 2 decades now (AFAIK, could be more), and they surely have been proactive enough to tune that engine to a very sweet spot. It's proven track record of running for lakhs and lakhs of kilometres instils a confidence of a level which can't be replicated by the petrol motor anytime soon. Also, the turbo petrol motor is more complex than the diesel one, and sadly, turbo petrol motors don't have a strong history of being reliable and ever-lasting.

Choosing between the petrol and diesel Thar is not a case of heart vs mind, it's a case of heart vs heart. It really pushes you to actually delve down yourself, understand yourself to truly come up with a conclusion.

My initial plan was to get a diesel Thar and after sometime, get a switchable remap & a free flow exhaust: to match the petrol motor in performance while retaining good FE along with lower price of diesel. But the combined cost of the same would turn out to be much more than the petrol Thar, thus cancelling out any possible money I could've saved in fuel costs over the petrol. For me, money spent in running the car is a strong thing to consider.
Now I'm in a difficult spot again.

I plan to buy the car in 2022, around June. It's definitely going to be a difficult choice then. Maybe things would be different by then and I would have a clearer picture as to which engine to choose.

Thanks for reading.

[Pancham]

Originally Posted by Big Smoke

My initial plan was to get a diesel Thar and after sometime, get a switchable remap & a free flow exhaust: to match the petrol motor in performance while retaining good FE along with lower price of diesel. But the combined cost of the same would turn out to be much more than the petrol Thar, thus cancelling out any possible money I could've saved in fuel costs over the petrol. For me, money spent in running the car is a strong thing to consider.
Now I'm in a difficult spot again.

If you are worried about the FE you should definitely go for the diesel. I drove the petrol and loved it. Its like you are driving some luxury SUV given the NVH levels. But that where it ends sadly. Thar is meant to be driven and will be your first pick for any adventure trip in the mountains and that is where it will pinch you. With an FE of 7kmpl (if driven the way you like), a mere 1500Km round trip will cost you an eye watering INR 22,500. In the diesel? little more than half of that.

Frankly, for a Thar (in my view), petrol makes no sense at all, unless you are driving 500kms a month.

P.S: Now, this logic does not apply to people who are willing to spend that much on fuel.

Originally Posted by Big Smoke

I plan to buy the car in 2022, around June.

Then you should book now.

[Big Smoke]

Originally Posted by Pancham

If you are worried about the FE you should definitely go for the diesel. I drove the petrol and loved it. Its like you are driving some luxury SUV given the NVH levels. But that where it ends sadly. Thar is meant to be driven and will be your first pick for any adventure trip in the mountains and that is where it will pinch you. With an FE of 7kmpl (if driven the way you like), a mere 1500Km round trip will cost you an eye watering INR 22,500. In the diesel? little more than half of that.

Frankly, for a Thar (in my view), petrol makes no sense at all, unless you are driving 500kms a month.

Thanks for your inputs.

I'm just a prospective buyer aiming to get the best of both worlds from the Thar: strong acceleration when I need & good fuel economy with cheaper diesel. Both my current cars, a Harrier BS6 & a Ford Aspire diesel, deliver precisely that. In the city, the Harrier is driven almost always in the economy mode and it delivers a respectable FE of 14 kmpl. The Aspire delivers more than 18 kmpl in the city, but it's not driven very sedately by both my drivers and myself. And both cars deliver pretty good performance, the Harrier having an even faster 0-100 kmph acceleration time than the Aspire, which as we all know, is a fast car in itself.

So now that you get the thing I'm looking forward to, you can guess that the Thar is a difficult proposition to handle. Having a petrol would add variety to my garage, but not at the expense of draining my pocket constantly. And my cars are driven regularly, they're not garage queens.

Presently, my cars are used daily, deliver strong performance and good mileage and are reasonably cheap to run. I want the same in the Thar. Now which one suits better is the dilemma.

Thanks.

[Capt.Arun]

Originally Posted by Pancham

If you are worried about the FE you should definitely go for the diesel. I drove the petrol and loved it. Its like you are driving some luxury SUV given the NVH levels. But that where it ends sadly. Thar is meant to be driven and will be your first pick for any adventure trip in the mountains and that is where it will pinch you. With an FE of 7kmpl (if driven the way you like), a mere 1500Km round trip will cost you an eye watering INR 22,500. In the diesel? little more than half of that.

Frankly, for a Thar (in my view), petrol makes no sense at all, unless you are driving 500kms a month.

P.S: Now, this logic does not apply to people who are willing to spend that much on fuel.


Then you should book now.

Hey Pancham

On becoming a recent petrol thar owner, I completely agree with you.
500 to 700km a month would be ideal for a petrol thar.
If running costs is the primary deciding factor then diesel is the way to go.

Brgds
Capt.Arun

[ishlinea7260]

How strictly is Mahindra following the bookings?

I have heard multiple instances of people who have not pre booked the Thar have taken delivery after paying over and above the ex showroom price from the dealership itself.

And no am not talking about accessories but cold hard cash.

One example is from Punjab and other from MP

[Big Smoke]

Originally Posted by ishlinea7260

How strictly is Mahindra following the bookings?

I have heard multiple instances of people who have not pre booked the Thar have taken delivery after paying over and above the ex showroom price from the dealership itself.

And no am not talking about accessories but cold hard cash.

One example is from Punjab and other from MP

There are quite a few dealers pan India who are giving cars almost instantly, or in a very short span of time, to customers who are paying a premium.

In Punjab itself, I know 2 used car dealers who have listed the new Thar at 20 lakhs (don't know if it's ex-showroom or on-road). They'll deliver the car in 1-2 months, depending on availability. The extra profit would be shared by the used car dealer and the new car dealer. This is one of the reasons why some customers' delivery date is being constantly pushed.

But this practice is not widespread. Mahindra is actually trying its best to keep the delivery date in check. But obviously, dealers have found a way around it. That's why not many dealers are engaging in this practice. There's a certain amount of risk they're taking in order to earn even higher profits. I've heard SAs threatening potential customers saying there's people waiting to pay extra 2 lakh Rupees in liquid cash to get their hand on a Thar ASAP.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

Checking in on this point - can you elaborate more, incl. your current vehicle, usage (city/ highway %) and its DEF usage?

I am referring to my Ford Endeavour 2.0 which has an 18 lit DEF tank. I use it strictly for touring and get a range of about 8000-9000 km on a tankful of AdBlue, depending on the terrain. Other than the "range anxiety", the system in itself is an additional point of failure in my opinion, irrespective of the vehicle/manufacturer, given its complexity in general.

Originally Posted by Big Smoke

The Thar petrol is an expensive machine to run, there's no two ways about it.

Originally Posted by Pancham

If you are worried about the FE you should definitely go for the diesel.

Could not agree more on the above. If your running is anything above 500-700 km a month, a petrol Thar is bound to burn a BIG hole in your pocket. And the Thar begs to be driven, given the addictive vehicle that it is

Another aspect related to lower FE is the range one gets on a tankful - could be a challenge in remote terrains like Ladakh, etc. where fuel stations are not that frequent to come by.

Originally Posted by Big Smoke

The reliability of petrol motor is definitely not as much as the diesel motor

I'd reword that as "reliability of the petrol motor is yet to be proven"

Originally Posted by Pancham

Then you should book now.

Agreed. I was trying a few mock bookings on the website to get a ballpark on "official" delivery timelines and here is what I got:

• LX Petrol AT CT (my preferred variant): 28-29 weeks
• LX Diesel AT HT (most popular variant): 49-50 weeks

[AbhijitRay]

Originally Posted by ishlinea7260

How strictly is Mahindra following the bookings?

I have heard multiple instances of people who have not pre booked the Thar have taken delivery after paying over and above the ex showroom price from the dealership itself.

And no am not talking about accessories but cold hard cash.

One example is from Punjab and other from MP

My experience was good with the dealer. Had booked a diesel HT AT in Nov 2020 with a CPD of Aug 2021. This kept moving between Jul & Aug 2021. One fine day in April got a call from my dealer that a Thar was available due to customer cancellation in case I was interested. As luck would have it at that time I was down with covid. Told the dealer due to the current situation was not in a position to go forward.
Post my recovery thought of getting in touch with the dealer and called him to check if any was available. Luck favoured me and a couple of Petrol AT’s were available along with diesel. Was tempted to check out on the petrol as i did not get a chance to test drive a petrol AT earlier. After the test drive finalised on the Petrol AT HT in black. Dealer had to get the approval from Mahindra to make a switch as the type opted was different from the booking. This took almost a weeks time.
Finally got the delivery date confirmation of June and followed up on getting the price as per the oct / Nov prices as my online booking was of 30th Nov. No pressure from the dealer to take any accessories or insurance from the dealership nor any premium asked for.
My experience was good with the dealership and moving from my Altis to Petrol Thar was good experience. Loving the Thar experience as the switch was a hearts decision.

[navpreet318]

Well. Seems as luck would have it there is an issue with my Thar.
Took it for some light offroading a couple of days back.
Used 4x4 high as well as low. And since I have been used to part time 4x4s for a long long time, engaged and disengaged it properly and timely in the correct kind of terrain as well.

Now I felt the steering to behave a bit weirdly in the past few days. When I take it out of my parking in the morning, the tires squeak loundly and feel as it they're skipping and sliding.
So now it feels as if the front solenoid controlled hub locks are still locked, despite the car being is 2wd mode.
Tried the forward reverse method by engaging and disengaging the 4wd but to no avail.
So have had a discussion with the dealer and am taking it there tomorrow morning to have it checked.
Hopefully it'll just be a stuck solenoid actuator or a loose solenoid connection. Fingers crossed and hoping that there isn't damage to the front drivetrain.

Will update once I'm back tomorrow after getting it checked.

[abhikb]

Originally Posted by navpreet318

Now I felt the steering to behave a bit weirdly in the past few days. When I take it out of my parking in the morning, the tires squeak loundly and feel as it they're skipping and sliding.
So now it feels as if the front solenoid controlled hub locks are still locked, despite the car being is 2wd mode.

Yours is MT or AT? a known friend of mine is experiencing similar issue but when engaging from N to D, D to N, N to R shifts.

Do update on your findings and solution

[heydj]

I am thinking of getting Thar and have few queries.

Is Petrol AT better or Diesel AT?

I drive only 1-2 times per week for 100 kms so is manual better or AT?

I dont offroad and only need this for looks. So to go for Hard top or soft top?


Which color? Black/Red/ Aquamarine? From perspective of scratches.

Dealer is saying can deliver Petrol AT within 5 months. Is he telling truth?

[navpreet318]

Originally Posted by abhikb

Yours is MT or AT? a known friend of mine is experiencing similar issue but when engaging from N to D, D to N, N to R shifts.

Do update on your findings and solution

Mine is a Petrol AT.
The N(neutral) too has started behaving weirdly.
N should be free and the vehicle should roll, but the vehicle behaves as if it is in P (Park) and stuck or braked.
Anyways, hoping that it will be resolved today by these guys.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by heydj

Is Petrol AT better or Diesel AT?

We have two petrol AT's in the family. Both hard top. We get about 7.7 to 8.5 kmpl in the mountains, so I am sure in the plains rural settings, you will get a slightly better mileage. Since your usage is limited, please go with Petrol, it is a fun car to drive and you don't have to deal with the inherent complexities and additional sensors of a diesel engine.

Originally Posted by heydj

So to go for Hard top or soft top?

One of the Thar's in the family is a Hart Top the other the Soft Top convertible. The soft top convertible is really fun to drive, but the catch is that it is a royal pain to open and close the convertible top, so we just built an extra garage and brought a car cover, so the convertible top is mostly down now. If you can do this, I suggest the soft to for more fun and hair in the wind driving. The HT is more practical, so it's your personal choice.

Originally Posted by heydj

Which color? Black/Red/ Aquamarine? From perspective of scratches.

The darker the color the more the scratches will be visible. But since the Thar doesn't really have any light colors, not many options in this regard.

Originally Posted by heydj

Dealer is saying can deliver Petrol AT within 5 months. Is he telling truth?

My friend who owns a dealership said 10 to 12 months. So, I think this chap is fibbing to get your booking. Unless Mahindra is able to ramp up sourcing of parts from vendors, 5 months is doubtful.