[JayKis]

My primary use of a vehicle is only on the weekends or long trips since i use either of my bikes ( a bullet and a ninja 250r) to commute to office irrespective of rain, shine or pain!

The weekend use would be to make a trip onroad with moderate offroads and to take my wife shopping/to a cinema/buy groceries.

Once in a while expect some folks to come visit me and i should take them around on a pune darshan and some places nearby.

I am in the market for a car (its a requirement for my wife)

My budget is around 8-9 lacs and i stretched it to book an ecoboost ecosport for 9.63 which has zoomed to 10.2! Now am having second thoughts on this one as i think its sufficient to buy a thar and do some major upgrades.

My choices for a good ground clearance car are
1) Fiat Punto 90bhp diesel with 195mm (around 8.5)
2) Renault duster 85 bhp (its currently beyond budget at 13.1)
3) Mahindra Thar (8.25 + upgrades)
4) Ecosport Ecoboost (10.23)

Of these the Thar is the one which tugs at my heart the most and since i own a bullet, i am a Niggler (can leave with a lil bit of niggles but not major)

For making the Thar ride comfortable, i think i would need to do the following things
1) An upgradation of upholstery
2) Forward facing rear seats of an innova probably
3) A Hard top
4) Composite leaf springs
5) Brake upgrade

Please advice on how the Thar would compare against its competition. I know this is a strange comparison

[amrisharm]

Well, a classic case of Heart (Thar) Vs Head (Rest of your choices). A friend of mine was in a similar situation as you and he opted for the mid range diesel EcoSport for the following reasons:

1) Rear seat. Though can be customized to be very comfortable, the seat has to be set quite high due the the wheel arches inside thus view from the rear is awkward.

2) Access to the rear seats will be a bit difficult for family members whether you build an access from the back door or passenger door. More so for saree clad persons.

3) Once front facing rear seats are placed, luggage space becomes tight at the back. Though it will still be enough for short trips, it maybe a little short for long trips.

So in the end, my friend decided against the Thar due to questions over entry and exit of rear passengers and also due to a restricted luggage space once the front facing rear seats are place.

Since you are considering cars worth over 10 Lakhs, maybe a Mahindra Scorpio LX 4x4 can also be considered. My friend really wanted that one as it offered 4x4 with the space and comfort of a 4 door scorpio but his budget could not be stretched that far. It retails for just over 11 Lakhs in W.B.

just giving you an idea of the thought process my friend went through, ultimately it is you who has to decide whats best for you . Good luck with it

[bblost]

Originally Posted by JayKis

The weekend use would be to make a trip onroad with moderate offroads and to take my wife shopping/to a cinema/buy groceries.
...
Please advice on how the Thar would compare against its competition. I know this is a strange comparison

So do you have no kids and not planning on the same?

The Thar is extremely unsafe for kids. There is NO way you can fit a child seat into it. The edges are all quite sharp and their fitting quality pathetic.

While an adult can get away with a minor injury, most children under the age to 5 will not survive a loss of more than 200 ml of blood.

I would strongly vote against the Thar as a primary family vehicle.

[AdiSinghV12]

I would suggest you go with Ecosport or the Duster. The Thar can be a good beaters car but not a primary one when you have a family to take care off. No doubt it's a classic Jeep and a good off roader but just not fit for a 'primary car'.

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by JayKis

I am in the market for a car (its a requirement for my wife)

Of these the Thar is the one which tugs at my heart the most and since i own a bullet, i am a Niggler (can leave with a lil bit of niggles but not major)

Please advice on how the Thar would compare against its competition. I know this is a strange comparison

I'd suggest you stay away from the Thar since your requirements don't really point towards the need for a jeep. Moreover if it's going to be your wife's requirement then it better be good.

You'll be more than happy with the small SUVs or a nice hatch.

1) An upgradation of upholstery - won't make it anywhere close to a car
2) Forward facing rear seats of an innova probably - been there, done that. Don't even try!
3) A Hard top - if you're ready to still have water inside the cabin on some days spoiling your upgraded upholstery.
4) Composite leaf springs - more roll over characteristic. Comfort at a cost!
5) Brake upgrade - doesn't improve safety and will still be the most risky car

Pls understand that the thar is no SUV. It can't be a safe highway cruiser, neither a comfortable 5 seated and definitely not a weekend shopping car since you'll end up carrying all the bags everywhere you go. It can serve you well if you're primary needs are taken care of and this is a second car. Even though the 4x4 can take you most places offroad, it does not take bad roads well and people will not enjoy the drive.

This is just my view based on your requirement description. I do own a Thar and am happy with it even though i had my jeep at the service center for more than 3 weeks recently. I bought it primarily as an offroad vehicle but have also used it on highways to get to the event locations. Overall it still ticks all boxes for me since I was neither looking for a hatch nor an SUV but a better jeep.

If you think the Thar is a cheaper deal amongst your choices, you will be surprised.

Choice is yours, decide carefully!

[cpbopanna]

Originally Posted by amolpol

If you think the Thar is a cheaper deal amongst your choices, you will be surprised.

Choice is yours, decide carefully!

Just my two bits - because of the intrinsic nature of the Thar, which is like an open canvas, it lends itself to endless modifications and tinkering (read: endless expenditure).
You will end up spending more than the cost of two small hatches and still want to do more

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by JayKis

My primary use of a vehicle is only on the weekends or long trips since i use either of my bikes ( a bullet and a ninja 250r) to commute to office irrespective of rain, shine or pain!

The weekend use would be to make a trip onroad with moderate offroads and to take my wife shopping/to a cinema/buy groceries.

Once in a while expect some folks to come visit me and i should take them around on a pune darshan and some places nearby.

I am in the market for a car (its a requirement for my wife)

My budget is around 8-9 lacs and i stretched it to book an ecoboost ecosport for 9.63 which has zoomed to 10.2! Now am having second thoughts on this one as i think its sufficient to buy a thar and do some major upgrades.

My choices for a good ground clearance car are
1) Fiat Punto 90bhp diesel with 195mm (around 8.5)
2) Renault duster 85 bhp (its currently beyond budget at 13.1)
3) Mahindra Thar (8.25 + upgrades)
4) Ecosport Ecoboost (10.23)

Of these the Thar is the one which tugs at my heart the most and since i own a bullet, i am a Niggler (can leave with a lil bit of niggles but not major)

For making the Thar ride comfortable, i think i would need to do the following things
1) An upgradation of upholstery
2) Forward facing rear seats of an innova probably
3) A Hard top
4) Composite leaf springs
5) Brake upgrade

Please advice on how the Thar would compare against its competition. I know this is a strange comparison

I would suggest the Scorpio 4x4LX. You get most of the things you want out of the box.
. Upholstery and better fit & finish
. Forward facing seats
. Hard Top
. Coils spring suspension
. "Upgraded" brakes
PLUS
. Three rows of seats
. Electric windows
. Bigger engine
Bear in mind that the difference in price between these two is around 2.5L and you would soon polish off the difference with your upgrades.

[vivekjayasheel]

Get the Thar. Inconvenience you can learn to live with, but there is no substitute for charisma.

Like someone said "If you can park it and walk away without wanting to turn back to look at it atleast once, you bought the wrong one."

(Man, am i bipolar or what?)

[akshay4587]

So thar gets minuscle upgrades

http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...le-356789.aspx

[pjbiju]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

So thar gets minuscle upgrades

http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...le-356789.aspx

Sad that they still find that the brakes need no improvement.

[JayKis]

Originally Posted by amrisharm

Well, a classic case of Heart (Thar) Vs Head (Rest of your choices). A friend of mine was in a similar situation as you and he opted for the mid range diesel EcoSport for the following reasons:

1) Rear seat. Though can be customized to be very comfortable, the seat has to be set quite high due the the wheel arches inside thus view from the rear is awkward.

2) Access to the rear seats will be a bit difficult for family members whether you build an access from the back door or passenger door. More so for saree clad persons.

3) Once front facing rear seats are placed, luggage space becomes tight at the back. Though it will still be enough for short trips, it maybe a little short for long trips.

So in the end, my friend decided against the Thar due to questions over entry and exit of rear passengers and also due to a restricted luggage space once the front facing rear seats are place.

Since you are considering cars worth over 10 Lakhs, maybe a Mahindra Scorpio LX 4x4 can also be considered. My friend really wanted that one as it offered 4x4 with the space and comfort of a 4 door scorpio but his budget could not be stretched that far. It retails for just over 11 Lakhs in W.B.

just giving you an idea of the thought process my friend went through, ultimately it is you who has to decide whats best for you . Good luck with it

Thanks Amrisharm. That actually got me thinking. About the view from the back of the Thar and the ingress/egress of the passengers. Thats definitely a problem. I am not a big fan of scorpio so not considering that.

Originally Posted by bblost

So do you have no kids and not planning on the same?

The Thar is extremely unsafe for kids. There is NO way you can fit a child seat into it. The edges are all quite sharp and their fitting quality pathetic.

While an adult can get away with a minor injury, most children under the age to 5 will not survive a loss of more than 200 ml of blood.

I would strongly vote against the Thar as a primary family vehicle.

I dont have any kids. But in the future wont it be possible to have a forward facing seat and fix a babys seat on it?

Originally Posted by AdiSinghV12

I would suggest you go with Ecosport or the Duster. The Thar can be a good beaters car but not a primary one when you have a family to take care off. No doubt it's a classic Jeep and a good off roader but just not fit for a 'primary car'.

Yeah..am thinking on the same lines now.

Originally Posted by amolpol

I'd suggest you stay away from the Thar since your requirements don't really point towards the need for a jeep. Moreover if it's going to be your wife's requirement then it better be good.

You'll be more than happy with the small SUVs or a nice hatch.

1) An upgradation of upholstery - won't make it anywhere close to a car
2) Forward facing rear seats of an innova probably - been there, done that. Don't even try!
3) A Hard top - if you're ready to still have water inside the cabin on some days spoiling your upgraded upholstery.
4) Composite leaf springs - more roll over characteristic. Comfort at a cost!
5) Brake upgrade - doesn't improve safety and will still be the most risky car

Pls understand that the thar is no SUV. It can't be a safe highway cruiser, neither a comfortable 5 seated and definitely not a weekend shopping car since you'll end up carrying all the bags everywhere you go. It can serve you well if you're primary needs are taken care of and this is a second car. Even though the 4x4 can take you most places offroad, it does not take bad roads well and people will not enjoy the drive.

This is just my view based on your requirement description. I do own a Thar and am happy with it even though i had my jeep at the service center for more than 3 weeks recently. I bought it primarily as an offroad vehicle but have also used it on highways to get to the event locations. Overall it still ticks all boxes for me since I was neither looking for a hatch nor an SUV but a better jeep.

If you think the Thar is a cheaper deal amongst your choices, you will be surprised.

Choice is yours, decide carefully!

Thats probably the best answer. Thank You. For me the offroading bit is only 10% of time so the SUV looks like a better bet.

Originally Posted by cpbopanna

Just my two bits - because of the intrinsic nature of the Thar, which is like an open canvas, it lends itself to endless modifications and tinkering (read: endless expenditure).
You will end up spending more than the cost of two small hatches and still want to do more

Yeah i know..My wife is also pretty eager to get a Thar and has been indirectly hinting at all those.

Originally Posted by Aroy

I would suggest the Scorpio 4x4LX. You get most of the things you want out of the box.
. Upholstery and better fit & finish
. Forward facing seats
. Hard Top
. Coils spring suspension
. "Upgraded" brakes
PLUS
. Three rows of seats
. Electric windows
. Bigger engine
Bear in mind that the difference in price between these two is around 2.5L and you would soon polish off the difference with your upgrades.

Thanks for the suggestion but am not a fan of scorpio at all, neither is my wife!

Originally Posted by vivekjayasheel

Get the Thar. Inconvenience you can learn to live with, but there is no substitute for charisma.

Like someone said "If you can park it and walk away without wanting to turn back to look at it atleast once, you bought the wrong one."

(Man, am i bipolar or what?)

Now, thats the way I love it! Thats pretty inspiring!
You like it, You buy it, You live with it! Thats the way i bought the bullet!

[bblost]

Originally Posted by JayKis

I dont have any kids. But in the future wont it be possible to have a forward facing seat and fix a babys seat on it?

hmm. I am not sure about the quality of aftermarket safety fitments. Also note that it will not very easy putting the kid into the child seat given the limited room in the absence of a rear door.

[shreyan_k10]

Err..... If I read it correctly.... "The Thar is a seven seater". I mean seriously?

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by shreyan_k10

Err..... If I read it correctly.... "The Thar is a seven seater". I mean seriously?

Yes - Seriously.

1 + D in the front row.
2 pax in the shorter side-facing rear bench.
3 pax in the longer side-facing rear bench.

[cpbopanna]

Originally Posted by shreyan_k10

Err..... If I read it correctly.... "The Thar is a seven seater". I mean seriously?

Seriously it is a 4 seater - Driver + co-passenger upfront and two passengers in a front-facing rear seat

To meet CMVR norms, it is registered as a 7 seater, since the requirements of a 7-seater are not as stringent as a 4-seater!