[AMG1]

Originally Posted by GTO

It's pretty good, apart from the narrow footwell which isn't a problem in the AT.



Same, same. My entire family (including my sister) wants me to buy the Thar NOW, today, immediately, ASAP. They don't get the problem with v1 Mahindras & Tatas, and why it's better to wait it out for v2.

Seems like Mahindra has cast a spell on all Sexes, Car lover & nonlover, truly a universally appealing product after a long time! At least in looks, capabilies & price band to some extent.

Thar Auto Red Convertible soft Top has become a favourite with the females it seems- My observation.

Note to Mods- Sorry for back to back posts. Multi-quote isnt working for me as of now. Request to please merge with my earlier post if possible.

[iamjoelj]

Hi all,

Have been following up on the Thar 2020 on the forum and other places and have noticed that a few mods may be required to make the car more practical.

1. Reverse camera or 360-degree camera that helps in Parking and Off-road spotter system.

2.Cargo Space: Boot volume is minimal with respect to the size and occupancy of the vehicle: offer cargo management solutions, luggage rack systems, compartment for off-road accessories.

3. Center display UI: feels lacking in design from aesthetic point of view. Needs sprucing up in the era of Tesla screens, BMW i-drive systems etc.

4.Dummy switches: Makes cabin look cheap, replace with auxiliary switches (like in Ford F150 raptor) that can be used in conjunction with aftermarket Mahindra custom accessories for off-road lighting systems, winch system etc.

The first accessory that immediately showed up after the launch (or before: you may correct me) was the traditional slatted grill, which in my opinion couldn't have been developed without manufacturer support. I am looking to start developing accessories to resolve the shortcomings, but would like to what department would I need to approach to receive such support in the process.

[hareshjethwani]

Just back from a test drive. The showroom was empty, me and my friend were the only ones. Had a look at the display vechile for sometime and headed for the test drive.
Diesel, manual, hardtop and black it is !
Loved the way it looks, it's massive.
The interiors are good and reasonable, nothing to complain about. I touched around 100 on the Mount road stretch, felt stable and confident. Brakes are good. As lot of people have complained about, I found the foot well area good enough and not cramped at all. You get a commanding view of the road. Ingress was easy enough for me, but my friend who is well built found it difficult. Getting out is a bit difficult though. The rear seat is comfortable but foot area is cramped,not sure how it will fair during a long drive. Due to the all black interiors, the rear passengers might feel claustrophobic.The engine is smooth enough for a diesel. Gear shifts are precise but I did not get like the clunk sound if it everytime you shift. The dials look good and the entertainment system was responsive enough. Did not check it out in detail though.
All in all, will I buy it? Hell yes ! But will wait for a few months before I take the plunge to iron out any issues if they arise.
A shot of the BIG BULL !

[himanshugoswami]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

You evaluated the Thar for -
1. Driver seating comfort
2. Ride quality
3. >100kmph traits
4. Body roll
5. Material quality.

Sounds to me like a wrong choice to start with! The hype on the Thar is because the above factors have become acceptable over the atrocious earlier version, while remaining true to it's original abilities.

Well, just because it is better over the previous version, doesn't mean that as a consumer I should compromise on what are basics. I certainly cant live with a vehicle that i cant drive safely on the highway, or one that doesn't give at least basic acceptable ride quality.

It may work for some, and good for them, but it certainly is not worth my money.

[Sanjivvohra]

Was at Dirty Drivz off road track near Bangalore, and realized Mahindra had a Thar LX for off road drive!
A great opportunity to TD Thar in an environment for which it was built. Thar did not disappoint on any of the obstacles. Drive was on 4x4 low.

Videos of the drive

https://youtu.be/xCxZOsFe5WY

https://youtu.be/gEkkOTGqSEU

Apologies in advance for video quality.

[justwheels]

Quick update, finally today's test drive done. Black Diesel HT MT was provided for TD. That's the only car available pan India I guess.

Few observations:

1. Car is imposing period. You sit and you have a great view and great visibility. Finding a comfortable seating position was not that difficult. I am 5ft 9inch lean individual, and I jacked up the seat height a bit for the view. Loved the commanding view

2. Layout of everything is good, you don't take time to find things to start your ride.

3. Engine : the diesel is silent, really well insulated. You don't hear the clatter, only a diesel hum, which I guess was not very different from my Ecosport TDCI. During the drive, I hardly heard the engine. The pick up is good and the car is eager to lunge forward. The car responds well to accelerator inputs. Ample power available in 3rd gear too.

4. Gear stick : it's a strange action on the stick. It gated well, but the longer stick felt unnecessary. A short stick could have worked I guess, but it wasn't bad. You just get used to the shifter. The sticks shifts with a click sound in each gate. It felt more like the gear lever operates some switch for each gear change. The stick is slightly taller but the throws are not that long.

5. Body Roll : expected roll in a SUV of this size. Coming from an ecosport, I felt it more. Even at nominal speeds, you will feel the roll on a banked road, especially if you haven't driven a ladder on frame. Liveable though but will have to adapt to a slightly different driving style on highways specially.

6. Potholes: what's that. Glide through.

7. Steering : it is heavy at stand still and slow speeds. You will surely feel the weight and it does need some effort. Else felt ok, didn't feel a lot of vagueness at city speeds.

8. Music System : average but loud. It was raining so reception of radio was bad, and they didn't have an aux cable to check.
It feels weird when the sound hits you from the top, not used to that.

9. Brakes : inline with what most have said. It's spongy and when you push the pedal, you second doubt if vehicle will stop, but it does, without any issues. So, its just the feeling, not the actual result.

10. Couldnt really judge the in-cabin sound as it was a short drive but the pitter patter of the rain didnt filter through the Hard Top.

Overall I was happy and it met my expectations. Going through the buy. Booking has been done. Order form signed. Now wait starts.

[Stacko]

Just a doubt. Are the tail gate hinges heavy duty, to take the weight of the spare wheel, without sagging over a period of time..?
Especially considering a future upgrade would definitely mean a heavier tyre.

[VRJ]

Originally Posted by GTO

Great post, man . No issues, they worked okay. The single complaint Aditya & me have is that the pedal feels spongy, but in terms of stopping power, we didn't face any issues.

Or maybe your friends are complaining about the spongy pedal?

Thank you GTO . Yes, the car stops but it’s the brake pedal that feels spongy. Gave me zero confidence.

GTO ji, One new thing my sales rep told me, that I don’t recall being mentioned in other reviews online, is there is shift on fly (2H to 4H or 4L) only on the manual transmission, but not for the the AT. The sales rep told me that the car has to be stationary and in N. Can you confirm this?

As promised by the sales representative, he called me and asked me to come for a highway test drive.

Three observations:

1. I take back my word regarding the suspension. During my first test drive in the city with speeds below 60 kmph, the suspension absorbed the bumps well and I didn’t have any complaints. Now that I had more time with the Thar and I drove it on the highway at 100 kmph, it totally changed my opinion. First there was this back road I was driving on, there’s this bump above the road to let the drain pipes flow beneath, I wanted to test whether the suspension would absorb it or it would get unsettled. I drove around 60 kmph over it and oh my god, I thought the Thar was going to take off in to the air. No, I’m not talking about the Flying Thar that we saw earlier. The way the Thar handled, it was shocking. In my 8 years of driving, this is the first time I was scared behind the wheel. When GTO said when you loose it, it’s hard to take control for someone who isn’t a pro and I didn’t understand it then, but now I do. If there was someone in front of me, I might have crashed. Bouncy is an understatement. The car took a good 3 seconds to settle down. Next I took it to the highway, on a positive note, the Thar felt stable at 100 kmph. But, there’s a catch. It’s stable on well laid and smooth tarmac only. I was with an impression that since the Thar was better than my Fortuner at city speeds, it might be better on the highways as well. But no, there’s no comparison. Fortuner wins anyday.

2. As mentioned above, the brakes stop the car, but the pedal is spongy. The brake pedal felt like a hard clutch pedal. No bite whatsoever. It gave me zero confidence while driving at 100 kmph and I think it’s all about confidence when driving on the highways. You can’t drive a car if you aren’t confident about it’s capabilities.

3. M&M have done a brilliant job with the Diesel engine. No turbo lag, good pickup, reaches 100 kmph in no time, very less clatter, low NVH levels and over taking on the highways is a walk in the park. Overall, no complaints regarding the engine.

I don’t like the phrase “it’s a Jeep thing” in 2020. I wouldn’t mind making compromises regarding creature comforts in the Thar like no auto up and down windows, no dead pedal, no armrest, tiny boot space, extremely small glovebox, hard to get in to the rear seats, fuel lid opener on the outside (not sure if there’s a button on the inside) etc. But, telling me it’s a Jeep thing for the bouncy ride isn’t a rational explanation and it is something I can’t digest. Yes, it is a tall body on frame SUV, but so are the Fortuner and Endeavour and they drive exceptionally well on highways and bad roads. I know they fall in to different price brackets, but is expecting a good and settled ride too much to ask when I’m paying 16.5L? I don’t think so. Maybe it’s because of the fact that I’m a millennial and I never drove the MM540’s, the first gen Thar and the other older jeeps and I’m used to driving Verna’s and Fortuner’s, my expectations of the Thar are different.

Maybe after all it is wise to wait an year for the v2 and have a wonderful ownership experience rather than buy it now and face problems. No offence to the ones who are purchasing now. I might be unimpressed with what M&M are offering at the moment, but my dream to own a Thar lives on. Now, the wait for the version 2 of the Thar.

Cheers!

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by VRJ

....

...telling me it’s a Jeep thing for the bouncy ride isn’t a rational explanation and it is something I can’t digest. Yes, it is a tall body on frame SUV, but so are the Fortuner and Endeavour and they drive exceptionally well on highways and bad roads. I know they fall in to different price brackets, but is expecting a good and settled ride too much to ask when I’m paying 16.5L? I don’t think so. ....I’m used to driving Verna’s and Fortuner’s, my expectations of the Thar are different.

The short wheelbase(SWB) of the Thar definitely has a lot to do with its unsettled bouncy ride. The huge wheels are quite close, the rear wheels being just behind the front seats. Cut the Fortuner's length in half to an SWB and it would bounce pretty much the same like a Thar.

The SWB is what enhances the Thar's offroading capabilities due to the higher ramp over angle and shorter turning radius and this would make it superior as an offroader compared to a Long wheelbase SUV like the Fortuner.

The LWB 5 door Thar would definitely be less bouncy with relatively better highway manners with slightly lesser offroad capabilities.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by VRJ

I drove around 60 kmph over it and oh my god, I thought the Thar was going to take off in to the air. No, I’m not talking about the Flying Thar that we saw earlier. The way the Thar handled, it was shocking. In my 8 years of driving, this is the first time I was scared behind the wheel. When GTO said when you loose it, it’s hard to take control for someone who isn’t a pro and I didn’t understand it then, but now I do. If there was someone in front of me, I might have crashed.

Just what I meant. There is a particularly deep high-speed dip on the expressway that I hadn't really paid attention to in other cars. In the '20 Thar, I almost lost it at 120 kmph. Recovery was scary! That's why my review specifically mentions the same and to cruise at lower speeds.

But, telling me it’s a Jeep thing for the bouncy ride isn’t a rational explanation and it is something I can’t digest. Yes, it is a tall body on frame SUV, but so are the Fortuner and Endeavour and they drive exceptionally well on highways and bad roads

Well said. Mahindra basically sucks at tuning its body-on-frame UVs. See other models too like the Scorpio, TUV300 etc. and there is a long list of Mahindra UVs that ride poorly + handle poorly. On the other hand, there are other body-on-frame UVs that ride well and / or handle well too.

[viXit]

Originally Posted by GTO

Well said. Mahindra basically sucks at tuning its body-on-frame UVs. See other models too like the Scorpio, TUV300 etc. and there is a long list of Mahindra UVs that ride poorly + handle poorly. On the other hand, there are other body-on-frame UVs that ride well and / or handle well too.

in this regard I think the safari has set a benchmark for cars even a segment above. Ride quality is amazing! and the pedigree continues, the HEXA is proof!

[Axe77]

The more I read the range of short experiences with the Thar the more I feel convinced that if I take the plunge it will either be for a 4 door avatar of this vehicle (perhaps) or an isuzu v-cross as the choice of lifestyle vehicle.

[vigneshkumar31]

Quick poll.

All things considered, the Thar goes out of my list in its present Avatar because of following pros and cons
+ Killer Looks
+ Satisfies jeep cravings
+ 4wd AT combo under 20 lakhs
+ Finally, well updated over previous gen

- Loses on Practicality as a family car
- Cannot be only car /primary car
- Top end Pricey for 'lifestyle vehicle'

IF the 4 door version is released,
+ Practicality goes up
+ Longer wheel base makes space for cargo
- Same tune engine on a longer heavier car
- price would go up further .

I would still consider the 4 door as an option.

Would you?

Is practicality the biggest deal breaker in present 2 door version for you?

[lonetraveller89]

I totally appreciate some of the brutally honest reviews in here.

Oh boy, Mahindra has been killing it with this one! They have created so much self conflict in the minds of our rational, social and financially responsible men. Mahindra rightly determined where the trend was heading and fully committed to their effort. They already had the car all the boys wanted. But with this release, they have successfully pushed in the thought of "Why not?" to the men as well. I hope other manufacturers are watching and taking notes. Hoping that this wave continues and that one day, the average Indian buyer would have an array of affordable true SUVs to chose from.

As of what will come of this vehicle's fire following the fireworks, only time can tell. I sincerely hope that they don't screw up with their aftersales and keep the fire burning.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by lonetraveller89

I sincerely hope that they don't screw up with their aftersales and keep the fire burning.

True. After the novelty of the "new" Thar wears off, this will be an important factor that will decide if the monthly sales are healthy or not. Wouldn't hurt for M&M to think about having dedicated or specialised SAs for the Thar (something like the RM concept for the XUV500), at least to create a perception that the customers own a niche vehicle.