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-   -   Which Mahindra Thar variant, drivetrain & top would be your choice? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/suvs-muvs-4x4s/262785-mahindra-thar-variant-drivetrain-top-would-your-choice.html)

The Mahindra Thar is one of the most sought-after lifestyle vehicles on our roads today. It comes in a number of variants that suit various customers' requirements.



You can have a hardtop or a convertible, petrol or diesel, 4x4 or 4x2, AT or MT, and finally AX OPT or LX trim levels. As of now, there are certain limitations on the configurations though - the 4x2 variants come only with a hardtop, certain fuel & top types are not available in the lower AX OPT trim level, the 4x2 diesel comes with a smaller 1.5L engine with an MT, while the 4x2 petrol comes only with an AT and so on. Even so, the number of configurations available with the Thar is sufficient to suit the majority of buyers.



So, which variant, drivetrain and top would you choose?

Put my money where my mouth is. Voted for the top-end variant (always), turbo-petrol (not always) and convertible (always).

Why Petrol? I honestly feel that the diesel Thar is an awesome choice and it'll be superior offroad too (crawling speed, longer tank range). But I went for the turbo-petrol simply because my running is too low @ 300 - 400 km / month. My Thar is purely a weekend / night-time toy and I didn't want the DPF / BS6 exhaust headaches associated with short commutes & low running. Bought the turbo-petrol and am thoroughly loving its fast performance (surprisingly fast!) and excellent refinement.

Convertible because Mahindra's execution is perfect. Soft-top is back on or off in ~10 minutes. Open-top motoring is too much fun when the weather is permitting, and with the family. It also looks the most badass IMHO.

While I would always go for the 2.2L diesel over the 1.5L, I must admit that the 1.5L is a compelling choice. It's very competent <100 kmph, cheap to buy and offers excellent FE. For those who won't 4x4 and don't want the AT, the 1.5L is spot on. Be careful though, I see many BHPians crossshopping it with the crossovers. The Thar comes with many compromises (2 doors, poor ride, poor handling).

I recently took delivery of 4x4 Petrol AT CT and enjoying the ride. This is my secondary vehicle and is used only on weekends or on holidays doing short rounds within the city. Petrol was bought only due to the Supreme Court imposed restrictions on diesel vehicles in NCR else would have bought diesel. 4x2 was not considered though it was available.

For me its the Diesel 4x4 AT convertible top and I have one sitting in my porch.

4x4 diesel hard top, top model.

Best bought pre loved, plenty of low running examples to be had from people who bought on impulse and later realised this was not their cup of tea. Spend an additional 1.5 L on suspensions, seats, interior trims and a remap, and it’s good to go.:thumbs up

Money placed firmly where my mouth is. Bought the 4x4 Hardtop Petrol AT LX in Feb 2021.
I have so far averaged about 10,000kms a year in it. This may vary depending on how busy I get at work and the consequent travel that is bound to happen hereon.
And yes while it partakes rather heavily of the Petrol Juice, the joy of its performance and responsiveness from that 2 litre Turbo engine is hard to replace with anything else.
The functional modifications and upgrades that Ive done to my Thar makes for a perfect go anywhere, at anytime, grand tourer. Well dang it pardners, I even got me a good ole hat-rack in the back there along with ‘em tumble foldable seats! Jokes apart, the functional and cosmetic touches I made are just as per my personal preferences.

4*4- Cause why not.
Diesel- Yes, the petrol has more oomph. But the diesel is a nice balance of performance and frugality.
Convertible top- To get the Jeep feel.
AT- For the convenience.

My ideal Thar would be the 4*4 Diesel AT CT in Red. :)

Convertible top - Its a Jeep, it`s got to have that.
Petrol - Because its a convertible, that extra bit quieter and mStallion is very tempting.
AT - Because its a bloody good transmission, love it.
4x4 - If I have to explain this we are in the wrong forum.

Yes it would be noisy in traffic, noisy in highway, quite some fuel consumption for what is essentially a 2 seater. You cannot lock it because its nothing a razor blade cannot solve and you certainly cannot park it in the sun for long either - All in all it truly becomes a Jeep with a convertible top! Pretty useless for most people but an absolute joy if its your second or third car.

For me it has to be the 4x4 Hard top petrol AT, and that is what Im going to buy when the time comes.

I just love the smooth MStallion and performance is awesome. The 6 speed AT is a perfect match to the engine. Hard top because its more practical and the folks think on the same line. I have drive the convertible extensively and I can;t get the soft flapping noises out of my head. Plus the low FE doesn't other me since my running is low.

I had earlier planned to buy one brand new but now Im keeping my preowned options open. There are many who bought the Thar in excitement only to realize later that its not what they thought it would be. (comfort, two doors etc.). When you buy a Thar you should know exactly what you are getting into.

So many low run examples being put up for sale. Will grab a good deal when I see one.

Needless to say that customization will happen one step at a time. I really want to swap the alloys with the 16" steel wheels from the AX with bigger high profile tyres.

I've not bought a Thar, but for me it would be the
- Petrol
- AT
- 4x4
- Soft top
- Top end

The engine is a bomb in the Thar, and open top motoring perfectly suits the Thar. AT because of the convenience and the better engine performance in the AT.

Just my 2 cents:

I think Mahindra should've taken a page out of Ford's book i.e. what they did with the Bronco in the U.S.
Introduce a "Thar Sport" which is based on a monocoque chassis, FWD & also have AWD in the mix as an option, ideally a 4 door & under 4m in length or perhaps even in the 4-4.3m (creta) segment.

It could've competed with the Jimny in terms of price, in expectations that Jimny is priced nicely & undercuts the thar.

One can dream right? Alas, never going to happen.

I chose the Thar 4x4 AT Diesel hardtop among the current available models, but if I were to buy it has to be the 4 door 4x4 AT Diesel hardtop.

Totally confused between a Hard top and a Convertible top.

A hard top allows you to lock stuff in while you head out to a party after a hard day at work.

A convertible top means that you can party in the car itself.

That said; I don't have money to put in my mouth. If I ever have the money to put in my mouth, I would buy the convertible one.

I voted for : 4x4 Diesel Hardtop AT LX.

The reason ?

Because my younger brother owns the 4x4 Diesel Hardtop MT LX and among the couple of things that I would want improved is the convenience of an automatic. We do some spirited joyrides and boy it astonishes me everytime with it's off road capability. And it's road manners are not bad either. Even with no cosmetic and perfomance upgrades (we like our cars to be stock), it still turns heads. And on the creature comfort side its equipped decently. I would say it's a lifestyle vehicle you can actually live with.

4×4 Petrol MT hardtop:
1. A Thar doesn't make sense without proper 4×4 hardware.
2. Petrol because being an NCR resident is a bane (or maybe a boon in this case).
3. MT because it's more fun.
4. Hardtop because a flappy roof doesn't make sense in a dirty, dusty and polluted urban environment.