Team-BHP - Review: 1st-gen Mahindra Thar (2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by carrot_eater (Post 2319959)

Well - I thought I'll post this real story that happened with me today to convince that Thar is the vehicle that I need to buy.

As quite a few would be aware that it has rained quite a bit in Bangalore today. I normally take a small road to avoid a few traffic signals and today while coming back from office - I found the normal road blocked because some truck got stuck there and I was asked to take a small detour on a mud road along a lake. I got on to that kaccha road by the lake and a few meters on the road - to give way to an car coming in the opposite direction, I just got a little off the narrow mud path and I found my Zen stuck. I mean the front wheels started spinning and before I could realize I was properly stuck, one wheel almost half dug up in the mud.

I got out and tried pushing the car,,but it did move, It was dark and this is the pic I could take - though it really doesn't show the stuck tyre. I tried removing the mud around the tyres with my hand and well - less said about how my shirt and hands looked - the better it is.

I waited for 20 mins for someone to pass by and then a sumo came up but the folks inside refused to help..saying they were in a hurry and it ws too dark - advised me to leave the car walk up to the main road and take a rik. There I was, at 9:30 Pm on a Kaccha road - raining and hardly anybody passing by.

Few anxious minutes more (like 20 more minutes) and a then a group laborers were passing by and I had to beg them for help and well three of them pushed and I got out of the situation. I reversed and took the main road to home. While I was driving back , I looked at my shoes and thought If only I had the 4X4, I would have been out on my own. I was glad I was not with my family or that would complicate matters further..

I have actually booked the Thar and I am waiting for the Delivery (I am told 4-5 months) and today's experience leave no doubt that - Jeep is what I need to drive - ALWAYS.

Dear carrot_eater.

Sorry to hear about your experience yesterday with your Zen being stuck in mud and all. It is also heartening to know that you have booked a Thar. You won't regret it one bit. It is a wonderful vehicle to drive and I can assure you of devine driving pleasure once you get your hands on the Thar.
Happy motoring clap:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaggu (Post 2319998)

First of all congratulations.

Not to discourage you but this would be the last logical reason for me to buy a jeep. In my experience with motor cars, i have got stuck just once. It was a wrong call at a beach. This is in last 20 years or so, just once. Am quite sure that you also would have had this freak incident maybe 2, maybe 5 times in your driving lifetime?? Now for this should you or me buy a Thar?

From your picture i see a zen being your current vehicle. Hope you have some clue as to what living with a soft top 4x4 is (forget M&M), its a very different world out there!! And since you mentioned family also, hope you have some idea as to what you are getting into by moving into a bare bone agriculture set up in comfort from a car like zen (again remove Thar name, am referring to any bare bone basic 4x4). Trust me i have used both for many years and a real life experience in a 4x4 vehicle (IFS or not, AC or not) is no where close to a hatch like zen.

I were you i would blindly go pick up a fiesta diesel right now, great VFM and superb discounts.

Appreciate what you have mentioned - however - I have been looking for a Jeep for the last two years and waiting for the Thar for a at least 2 years now. Yesterday's incident only added more to my conviction. I took the pics only to post here about the incident. In the rainy season - out of EGL and onto to the Indra nagar fly over - you always have lots of cars piled up because the water level is high enough to stall many cars there.

Anyway - When the first lot of Thars came up in Dec / Jan. I had taken a test drive and was happy with that- I couldn't book it as I was traveling and came back to find the booking was closed. I got a call that booking was opened subsequently and have booked one towards March end.

One thing is a must have for me is the AC - I can't end up in office with the back of shirt drenched in sweat...Which I hope will be resolved completely before I get my Thar delivered.

For weekend shopping - my wife uses an i10 which can be used for the secure top..

Not sure if it is the Jeep Bug..but its been there for a while with me. Honestly I have driven a MM540 only once for maybe 3-4 mks max and have never ever driven a car/jeep with has a 4X4..but then there is always the first time...

Janjua - thanks for that..I am hoping you will find the time to post the pics of your speaker setups.

Cheers
Carrot

Quote:

Originally Posted by star_aqua (Post 2319963)

Now there is some jugaad work that needs to be done on a brand new vehicle in order to fit the condenser.

There is no jugaad work here, both deflector boxes are different. If drilling holes and making slots is considered jugaad, I fail to comprehend what you guys do:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai (Post 2320021)

Usually, KISS principle stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid! But I like your variation, and the confession.:)

Thanks for enlightening!

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Originally Posted by star_aqua (Post 2320048)

recently i am not using it for my daily use, just because of only one reason that the window of the rear door is broken.

:uncontrol, what happened?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parm (Post 2320057)

i still havent got a simple answer to my simple question!

Q: has the first production lot of Thar CRDe has been sold out and the second production lot begun?

First lot disappeared in January 1st week, I think it is April now.

Spike

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaggu (Post 2320054)

I really did not understand this ^^. GV experience with Thar, GV is a hard top luxury soft roader in Indian market, isn't it? Or did you mean GV getting stuck in the beach?

Before I bought my Jeep, I had the Santro and GV. When I considered buying a Jeep, lots of people discouraged me saying I can't deal with a Jeep after experiencing GV. Now a Zen owner wants to buy a Jeep, how do we know he can't deal with it? At least he is buying a brand new one unlike me.

Well - quite a few have mentioned about Mahindra;s soft top - I was just digging up my pictures archive and found how M&M Jeeps are used in the rural areas..These are a few year old pics when I was amazed how many could fit and travel in a Jeep.

I have no idea if the braking design parameters / Load bearing characteristics are considered by M&M - knowing how their Jeeps are used. You know it is one thing to test a jeep braking with 10 people inside and quite another to use it in real life with 25 people hanging all over the jeep.

NO - this is not a Fevicol ad. I have seen this and clicked myself. These are from my road trips a few years back..

I mean - If the Jeeps can survive this kind of abuse over long years with no/minimal service - with some care and the modern technology machines should be much much better..right?

And w.r.t to soft top - well people are sitting on top there and posing for pics..and this must be happening day in day out..people sitting on the jeep SOFT tops are traveling and yet the soft top survives...or atleast seem to..

And kudos to the drivers who manage to stop these Jeeps - and it amazes me how they do it.with worn out brake pads....I think perfection of manual ABS...

Quote:

Originally Posted by carrot_eater (Post 2319959)

I have actually booked the Thar and I am waiting for the Delivery (I am told 4-5 months) and today's experience leave no doubt that - Jeep is what I need to drive - ALWAYS.

Congrats carrot_eater on booking the Thar and hope you get it soon. Irrespective of your reason to buy it, the decision is good and you will enjoy it.
Right now, Thar owners are a part of the product development team too, with all the inputs pouring in. Add-on, free from Mahindra:D.

DBji

Loved the two detailed posts (first 1 about the soft top, and the second one about the AC), while the one about the soft top does assure one the a fair bit of engineering much beyond a local garage has gone into the Thar - atleast in certain / many aspects, the second one about the AC does not really clarify / help sufficently.

Let me explain, the AC fitment details indicates that it is a reasonably complex process though a lot of provision have been made at the company end, and that there is a lot that can go wrong if done by the wrong hands. One still does not get a clear indication on the pricing either. Also the procedure is still not detailed enough/ dummy proof and pictures with depicitions would have helped. (But it is indeed nice and fair that atleast the provided info has been given out.)

Ideally if M&M could work out a clear Dealer Sale Price (assuming that this is not possible in the current models from the company end.) it would help many interested buyers.

Some how though HT does seem that important for the Thar (inspite of lockability factor), the AC is essential and a lot of feedback towards that would be coming in the next two months with the heat wave coming in.

There have been a lot of posts about AC coming in at the present price points itself included in the deal. I guess we need to be realistic that this will not happen and has actually never happened for any manufacturer that one gets such a substantial upgrade FOC post purchase. The best buyers can hope for is to buy a dealer sold AC with a minimum of 2 years warranty for both the installation and the materials used.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai (Post 2320153)

I was assuming he is booking Thar as his only and primary mode of transportation which includes family commute. Hope you can identify with it. Atleast a factory AC Thar would compensate a bit for the front passengers. :)

Anyways carrot eater: ATVB and do post a report once you start the ownershop review :)

EDIT: Spike any response to my doubts about wiring set up for AC?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR (Post 2320147)

There is no jugaad work here, both deflector boxes are different. If drilling holes and making slots is considered jugaad, I fail to comprehend what you guys do:D

what happened?

i broke the sliding window while replacing the window channel :( not finding time to fix it.

Spikey we do jugaad because we can't fabricate anything as per our specification.
i know the deflector box is different now on, in the THARs which come after you guys tried installing the AC. for the existing THARs the deflector box will be replaced eh? the "detailed" AC installation post did not tell anything about this. in such case why do we need to bother about the clearances for condenser and intercooler?
ok so will the THAR owners be charged for this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by star_aqua (Post 2320377)

Spikey we do jugaad because we can't fabricate anything as per our specification.

Ok.

Quote:

for the existing THARs the deflector box will be replaced eh? the "detailed" AC installation post did not tell anything about this.

It depends, if the customer wants to modify the existing setup he can still do it, if he wants a brand new deflector box he has this option too, both choices are open. For the first route a good fabricator is required, for the 2nd, it is a bolt on job.

Quote:

in such case why do we need to bother about the clearances for condenser and intercooler?

Working clearances are required. :)

Quote:

ok so will the THAR owners be charged for this?

Although both of us know the answer, I think I am not the right guy to answer this.

Spike:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by carrot_eater (Post 2320165)

Well - These are a few year old pics when I was amazed how many could fit and travel in a Jeep. NO - this is not a Fevicol ad. I have seen this and clicked myself. These are from my road trips a few years back.

Dear Carrot Eater - I have seen 56 people in a Mahindra Commander 650DI vehicle in Gujarat. Only 3 were children. You can see a mass of people moving on the road. You cannot see the vehicle. You don't know which fellow on the front seat is actually driving. It is unbelieveable but true.

THIS HAPPENS ONLY IN INDIA. JAI HO! :D.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Quote:

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM (Post 2320767)

Frankly M&M should not be bothered on how people abuse their vehicle.

One thing for sure: 25 people on a vehicle and a collision you can surely predict 10 critical injuries.
please: Dont need to be a nostradamus for the same.