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| Re: Mahindra Thar Review : First Drive Did a test drive this morning at India Garage. Since it as before 10 AM, there was no one else waiting and I could do a leisurely 20-25 minute test drive. They had a black LX Diesel MT for test drives. Few observations: - Getting into the car and getting seated is like ascending the throne. Once seated you definitely feel like a king!
- The steering wheel is quite close to the dash and is not adjustable for reach. It feel a little odd at first, with the steering so close to the body of the car. The dials are clearly visible though, once the angle of the rake is set right. The rake adjustment range is quite good, though.
- The display is basic and functional, though everything is very clearly visible. The readouts of trip metrics, mileage etc. in the center is very clear. The test drive car had done 380 kms and was showing an average fuel economy of 9 kmpl. If this is a true reading, it is very respectable in my view, the showroom is located on Mount Road - a section with very busy traffic and I am sure there would have been a lot of short trips done with bumper-to-bumper traffic. However, the trip mileage readout stayed absolutely constant throughout the drive - I would have expected it to drop a bit given I was darting into gaps of traffic and trying hard acceleration wherever I could find an empty stretch.
- The engine is not noisy at all. You can hear a gentle diesel thrum if you listen closely, but it is not otherwise noticeable.
- I was always worried about vibrations felt inside on Mahindra Diesels - the new Thar has none of it, I could not feel any vibes on the gear lever, or any of the foot pedals.
- The clutch is long travel, though butter-soft. There is linear modulation, and the bite point is not sudden at all. I had no problems with engine stalling even once, though I was coming from driving a Diesel Ecosport. The clutch in fact felt twice as soft as that on my Ecopsort, despite the fact that I changed to a brand new clutch in the Ecosport only 9 months ago!
- The reverse gear is engaged by lifting up a ring and going far left and up. There is quite a bit of travel to go there and this gear along is a bit notchy to engage, so it is not possible to accidentally engage reverse at all.
- The gear lever is longer throw than my Ecosport (of course), but the slotting action is pretty sure and clean for all gears 1-4 that I could use on the test drive.
- Once you engage first gear and take your foot off the clutch, the vehicle moves forward cleanly. There is absolutely zero lag and no fuss in taking off from standstill or low speeds, thanks to a large engine with probably mild level of turbocharging. The car can stay in a higher gear even at lower speeds. It will easily clear the speed-breaker test in second gear.
- The Diesel is very linear and each gear manages to accommodate a wide range of speeds. I could easily go from 5 kmph to 45 kmph in second (did not test any higher) - without the engine seeing strained. Power delivery is absolutely linear and there was no sudden speed surge due to the turbocharger.
- If you try hard acceleration in second or third, the car responds without lag, and picks up speed cleanly, but the process is very linear and predictable. You can definitely dart into gaps in the traffic but not instantly, it will take a bit of planning. This is Ok, in any case, as the Thar is a wide vehicle, and one cannot expect to drive it like a hatchback!
- Overall, the Thar Diesel moves in an amazingly nimble way, belying its size. You would not need too may gear changes in the city, second and third is adequate for drives in the traffic. I did not feel it to be much less maneuverable than my Ecosport.
- Ripples from the road are definitely felt, but on the Mount Road (which is in reasonably good condition) I did not feel any uncomfortable body movements. Small undulations are tackled pretty well. But the moment you hit large pot holes or projections, you do feel them magnified in the cabin in terms so vertical movements. If one of the wheels go though a bump when the other does not, you do get pitched side-to-side about quite a lot. So if you live in a city with very poor roads, beware. But I feel, in our metros like Chennai, which have reasonably good roads overall, with a fair mix of bad roads, the Thar should do quite OK.
- What is lost due to the discomfort of the ride, is gained through the majestic way you feel as you drive. Everything about the traffic, except buses, is below your eye level, people make way for you and the Thar moves like a chariot!
- Steering ply is quite a lot as others pointed out, but I got used to it within minutes.
- Brakes are not too bad - yes, they are not confidence inspiring, but reasonably predictable under city driving conditions. Not sure how it will fare in the highway, since I did not get a chance for a highway drive test.
- The vehicle is quite wide, and one has to be careful not to knock the left front corner anywhere, especially if you are sued to smaller and narrower car like the Ecosport.
- The Horn is quite loud but plain (I think it might be single tone) - sounds a bit like horns on buses. Could use a more sophisticated after-market horn replacement for such a large and mighty vehicle.
- The seat cushion did feel a bit soft at the back after today's ride. The seat base seemed OK. Could probably use more firm support in the backrest.
- The car felt surprisingly nimble in the city drive. Acceleration in 3rd gear from 20 - 60 or so, seemed no better and no worse than my Ecosport TDCI - that is saying something, for a vehicle which is probably half a ton more heavy! The Diesel engine is rewarding to drive overall - very smooth, always ready with torque, predictable and calm.
- Overall interior quality is acceptable, the A/C Controls felt a bit cheap. The Audio system sounds better than what some of the reviews spoke of. However, it is weird to have the sound coming from the top - a bit like traveling in a bus on the rural areas of the country, with a loudspeaker perched just above your head.
- Turning the car around sharp bends and U-turns at low speeds is quite an effort - the steering felt heavy when doing this.
- The flippy key felt quite solid - it is large an heavy so you are unlikely to lose it accidentally!
- Overall I felt the vehicle drove just as expected - very solid, smooth, reasonably punchy and actually relaxing, due to the high seating position, excellent visibility, soft clutch and easy gear level action, predictable and responsive engine and the strong A/C. I had to turn the A/C down to the lowest blower speed after 10 minutes, even in the Chennai heat.
- I actually felt the difference in the driving experience when I got back to my Ecosport after the test drive - somehow felt I had a significantly downgraded driving experience in the Ecosport, with an engine that feels like it is working harder, a harder clutch, and lower seating position. The steering though, is unmatched on the Ecosport - far lighter and more accurate than the Thar!
Attaching a few more pictures of the beast!
Last edited by 84.monsoon : 5th October 2020 at 12:27.
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