[vellatechie]

Originally Posted by imp!

Truth be told outside of the 6 cylinder BMWs and other exotics, the Thar is the first car I have truly enjoyed since my Laura TSI.
imp

Get the Thar. When you're in your new Scorpio, you'll hate it everytime you see someone else in a Thar stopped next to you at a red light.

[AjitSen6333]

Originally Posted by vellatechie

Get the Thar. When you're in your new Scorpio, you'll hate it everytime you see someone else in a Thar stopped next to you at a red light.

This is the exact reason i thought when purchasing my new car. I was in a similar dilemma at the mid 2021, but it was a bit different, in my case i was confused between buying a new Skoda slavia/ Used Octavia/used jeep compass. I love sedans and that's why slavia & octavia. But for some twist of fate i had connected with a Mahindra sales guy who kept pestering me - " Saar please test drive the new Thar". The day i told him i was free he came over and i saw he had brought a Red D MT and boy it looked awesome.

I was trying to curb my excitement as wifey was giving me dirty stares as she really liked sedans. So i take a test drive and am not kidding you i decided this would be my next car within probably 20-30 seconds into the test drive. Even after the test drive i was smirking like a fool for a very long time. Had a tough time convincing every one but the next day i paid the token amount.

It was the best decision and now me and my family absolutely love the car and i was extremely happy to have purchased the Thar. Recently i did a Kolkata - Kalimpong trip and that diesel engine is a monster. I had set the cruise control at 120 and the engine was chugging happily at 2200 RPM.

My biggest fear was sitting in a sedan and ogling at the Thar in a signal and regretting, yes it has its limitations in regards to space but that's about it. I own a Thar D MT HT and it still makes me smile like Loki whenever i drive it. Weekdays i use it for 8kms to and fro for work and weekends its my toy and this is my only car in my garage as of now.

Sorry for keeping it long but please go for the Thar you wont regret it. You probably might regret if you buy anything else.

[swunkjyn]

Originally Posted by vellatechie

Get the Thar. When you're in your new Scorpio, you'll hate it everytime you see someone else in a Thar stopped next to you at a red light.

Yes, so true. That yearning will be there and that thought will always be in the mind.

Kaash, Thar ley lee hoti or wish, if I would have bought Thar. Me and my Friend (Since Childhood), were just wanting to kill the time and Gurkha had just launched. So we decided, let us test them back to back, which we did.

First we Test Drove XUV 700 (maybe just because of the craze this car generated). Diesel was not available in manual so we tried the Petrol Manual and it was amazing. Then back to back Petrol/Diesel Thar in Automatic and we were like glued to the notion of upgrade. That point of time I had Alto K10 and he owns Hyundai Creta 2014 1.6 Diesel. He really appreciated both Petrol and Diesel Engines in Thar.

Then, it was onto Gurkha, which for us was a let-down. Next day, I asked my Wife to accompany me. I did not tell her where and the thought of ordering or booking Thar has not even crossed. She Test drove both Diesel/Petrol and Manual/Automatic. Its after driving Thar, that is when the process of procuring the vehicle started and we were lucky to get it in under 2 weeks.

I will only mention the +ve of Thar here

Short Wheelbase
Off-Road Capabilities
Very Potent Petrol and Diesel Engines with nicely mated Transmission
After sales support has been good so far
Plethora of option for upgrade, only bound by creativity
Best Lifestyle vehicle + Daily commuter
Family Vehicle - It is very debatable and subjective

[imp!]

Hi guys,

First of all, sorry for the long quote+ post in a single message. I have read every post and have contemplated on my use case a fair bit before pulling the trigger on a Petrol Thar Automatic. I am not quoting every post in order to keep things as succinct as possible

I truly thank you all for your inputs and I am making some comments to help people in a similar dilemma in the future.

I have booked a Thar Petrol Automatic Hard Top in Red Colour. I wanted to book a Diesel Soft Top, but, the practicality of the hard top could not be ignored. As much as I wanted a re-mapped diesel off road monster, I doubt I have the time to travel the country in a Thar and do regular long off road trips where the range would be of paramount importance. I would like to do some off roading and I hope the Petrol Automatic gives a decent enough mileage and range to allow that. One can always dream of overnight camping trips for Astrography and the like, it has not happened with the Pajero Sport, maybe it will with the Thar, who knows. It can't influence the use case that will be the usual non roads of Bangalore and maybe a handful of off road days a year. I think the Petrol with lack of DEF, future proofing against the ridiculous diesel bans and refinement makes a strong case for itself. My brother is dead set agains diesel and I am in two minds. It made the decision for Petrol easy.

Originally Posted by lamborghini

I'd wait a bit for the Thar 5 door, and see how it would rate as a daily drive : a comfortable 5 seater + the Pajero / VW / Skoda should be good for your requirements & if the Thar 5 door is close to as much fun as the 3 door - it could be a good option that balances the heart and the head.

At first I thought about waiting for the 5 door version, but the fact of the matter is, the extended wheel base will take something away from the car in comparison to the 2 door. It also won't solve my dilemma of two cars for long distance drives. In the off chance that the entire family needs to go the same place in the city at the same time, the sedans can always do the duty so I chose to prioritise fun

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

The requirements you have outlined point more towards the Scorpio N than the present Thar 3 door.


(I am not the right one to advise, I always follow my Heart. It just makes me happy and one cannot put a price on happiness! That’s why I have voted Thar Petrol AT)

Thank yo for both of your detailed posts Shankar. I have perused your mods with a great deal of interest. Infact several are things that I have been thinking about for a long time now in the event that I decided to get the car. I will definitely be touching base with you over PM for some advise. The Suspension mod is on the cards. The flip solution for the seats is so practical, I too play Golf and it would be a boon to get the bag into the boot. It would also free up a lot of space for weekend luggage as you have so clearly shown.

Originally Posted by ranjitnair77

Is there any reason why you are not considering the XUV 700 AWD? It drives beautifully and should do reasonably well on the occasional trail. It's footprint is not vastly different, compared to the other two.

I don't mean to step on any toes here. The XUV700 is a very good car. The interiors and the lack of support on the second row put me off the car. Again, that is not to say I am not impressed with it, it just isn't my cuppa.

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

I am surprised you noticed so much body roll in the ScorpioN. It has got a lot of technology over and above the Thar to improve ride and handling. If you are coming from the VAG sedans you will definitely experience a lot more body roll of course. I would compare the Thar and ScorpioN back to back on the same route to see if there is indeed excessive body roll on the ScorpioN as compared to the Thar.

I am particularly sensitive to body roll. I am not sure what technology the Scorpio has over the Thar to improve ride and handling other than a more, sophisticated, for lack of a better word, suspension. I did drive both back to back and the simple truth of the matter is the short wheel base and stock suspension and hydraulic steering set up of the Thar make for a more confidence inspiring and stable drive experience.

Originally Posted by swunkjyn

Short Wheelbase
Off-Road Capabilities
Very Potent Petrol and Diesel Engines with nicely mated Transmission
After sales support has been good so far
Plethora of option for upgrade, only bound by creativity
Best Lifestyle vehicle + Daily commuter
Family Vehicle - It is very debatable and subjective

Thank you for both your helpful posts, the Short wheelbase, Off Road capabilities and fun factor are what drew me to the Thar in the first place. To be completely honest, it is a copy of the Wrangler, as Shankar put it, its 80% as good for 20% of the price. I am completely okay with the copy. It is a hell of a car, and, for the first time, an Indian manufacturer has made a car that I want to buy. Not only that, it is the only car south of 75 odd Lakhs that I actually like. Yes, it seems strange that I have a current generation Superb and Passat and feel that way, but, it is the truth for several reasons.

[shankar.balan]

@imp!
I think you’ve made a happy choice in following your heart. Since you have a number of other vehicles for your other usage requirements, it certainly makes for a relatively easier decision.

In my case my Thar is the Go Anywhere at Any time Grand Tourer - it was bought specifically for that purpose, but as you have rightly said, we may all dream of driving our Thars to the high Himalayas or taking photos of our own Thars with Pangong Tso lake as the background and/ or some Astronomy/ Astro-photography where there is zero light pollution.

But as far as most of us are concerned, we are condemned by economic necessity and work demands, to the irksome mundane purgatory of Bangalore’s poisonous traffic and No-Roads (for which purposes, our Thars are just bang on target perfect!).

Of course the Thar is equally at home ferrying one’s golf kits to the local course or making a bid for some level of freedom by dashing off to a friend’s estate on the weekend, where one might get the Thar’s shoes dirty playing in some mud!

It is easy enough to jazz up the vehicle with an eye to improving utility and functionality, while still giving due attention to both quality and aesthetics.

You can PM me anytime and we can exchange numbers. I will give you all the details and costs of what I’have done on my Thar for you to compare and decide what you want. Of course I haven't done these all at once - makes sense to do things slowly if one plans to keep the vehicle for some time (God and Monsieur Gadkari permitting!)

I shall leave you with one of the photos of my Thar to look at and ponder on and which I believe, will more than validate your choice of buying the Thar over all those other options you listed.

All the very best with the new Thar purchase. May there always be a road, path or no road, for you to wander on because as the famous line from Tolkien goes - Not all who wander are lost.

And even if you are indeed lost, you can go anywhere because the fellows following you simply wont make it, unless they also are in their Thars or other Jeepy things…

[swunkjyn]

@imp! You will not regret the decision to get Thar Petrol Automatic. For us the decision was based on the state and the place we are from. During Winters, it dips below minus 4 to 5 and most of the folks in the village prefer petrol vehicles compared to Diesel.

Sharing the pictures that I had clicked in Solang (Manali). This was soon after I had bought the Vehicle.

If you look at the bottom, this is all black ice and it is almost 1 feet. We had to rescue a fortuner, the only reasons were Long Wheel Base and Weight. Finally, this is the spot where I got to engage 4L.

[imp!]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

@imp!

All the very best with the new Thar purchase. May there always be a road, path or no road, for you to wander on because as the famous line from Tolkien goes - Not all who wander are lost.

And even if you are indeed lost, you can go anywhere because the fellows following you simply wont make it, unless they also are in their Thars or other Jeepy things…

"All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us"; Many an idyllic afternoon have I spent in my youth losing myself to the reality of Middle Earth. Perhaps, the Thar can re-kindle a faint memory of those happy days on trails through the forrest. Please expect the PM soon!

Originally Posted by swunkjyn

@imp! You will not regret the decision to get Thar Petrol Automatic. For us the decision was based on the state and the place we are from. During Winters, it dips below minus 4 to 5 and most of the folks in the village prefer petrol vehicles compared to Diesel.

Sharing the pictures that I had clicked in Solang (Manali). This was soon after I had bought the Vehicle.

If you look at the bottom, this is all black ice and it is almost 1 feet. We had to rescue a fortuner, the only reasons were Long Wheel Base and Weight. Finally, this is the spot where I got to engage 4L.

Wow! you definitely are putting her through the paces. If you don't mind my asking, what mileage do you get with off-roading?

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by imp!

"
Wow! you definitely are putting her through the paces. If you don't mind my asking, what mileage do you get with off-roading?

The Thar Petrol AT gives 10-11 max on highways when driven ‘happily’ at 100-110. If the speed is dropped to 80 then one may get more but it is hard to do that. In city use I get about 8-9. When I drive in the hills it comes down to about 7-7.5.
In 4L during consistent use do not expect more than 6kmpl.

Here is one more useful thing to fit on to the Thar as an inexpensive accessory at the service centre. This reduces water splash and that blinding spray over the bonnet, suppose one goes through puddles on the road. These are fitted on to the stock front bumper on either side.
And I would also suggest its a good idea to fit those grab handles in front on both sides of the vehicle, irrespective on whether one is tall or short.

[Voodooblaster]

If you are not in a rush, please wait for the 5 door THAR (maybe the head and mind will find a common meeting point)

And just to muddy the waters further do Test Drive the Gurkha

[swunkjyn]

Originally Posted by imp!

"A
Wow! you definitely are putting her through the paces. If you don't mind my asking, what mileage do you get with off-roading?

Now I did not test with a long drive in 4L but with 4H, and driving for 10 kms to 15 kms, I got around 10 kmpl. My Wife, Daughter and me, plus there was not that heavy luggage. Did not encounter much of a traffic too.

PS : Mine is a Petrol Manual.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by imp!

Hi Guys,

We live in a large family. Next year, there will be Nine of us, 7 adults and 1 young child and an infant at home. While we have several cars, we have been replacing an ageing fleet. Our current long term cars are a Passat 2.0TDI and a Superb 2.0 TSI. Through a strange concatenation of circumstances we find ourselves once more in the market for a car.

This is going to be a car that my Brother and/or I will be driving on a daily basis to work. As a family, we have decided that we want a change from VAG vehicles, and, considering everything that is available sub 30 Lakhs, the only cars that interest me are the Thar and Scorpio.

Get Both , you know that you can, so why not?!

Thar AT convertible top and ScorpioN 4WD AT - Z8L of course - that is important.

Thar - well you do not need any reason to own one, you just make it up.

Scorpio N - It is now a luxury vehicle, you will understand what I am taking about if you take it on a long test drive, take your family along.

[imp!]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Get Both , you know that you can, so why not?!


Scorpio N - It is now a luxury vehicle, you will understand what I am taking about if you take it on a long test drive, take your family along.

A bit late, sorry for the late response. The Thar is coming this week and I just thought I would address this for someone else considering either/both;

Buying both makes no sense at all to me. The Scorpio is one of Mahindra's best offerings to date and would have been the one I would have gone with but for the amount of pitching and yawing; I am particularly sensitive to it and it is simply not comfortable for me. Additionally, there is a question of value. At around 30 Lakhs on road, I see no point in the Scorpio for me.

As far as the Scorpio is concerned, I think Mahindra have rushed things a bit with the power train. The car is simply too large and heavy to consider a Petrol variant. It screams for a hybrid. Additionally, while it's trail prowess in impressive indeed, I think Mahindra would have been better served by ensuring a more stable ride as the bulk of it's life for the majority of owners will be spent on road, broken tarmac and some light, slushy trails.