[ph03n!x]

Had you asked a year ago if I will be buying a Thar in 2020, I would've probably scratched my head. It was an aspiration, but not an in-the-horizon aspiration, not even by a gazillion miles! So what changed in the last 12 months, you ask? Lots! Let me walk you through this journey of mine...

So here goes - my ownership review of a jeep that got launched in a pandemic-struck year, and yet went on become a blockbuster - so much that if you book one today, you will probably get one late next year!

Prelude

Let me start with my 4-wheeled partners, and how I ended up in a perfect storm. These are the wheels that I bought, and none from the family garage are in the list:

• Indica v2 DLX (2005) (Hi from Chennai!) - Status: Crash-tested before GNCAP even reached India, at 10,000 KM.

Verdict:

TL;DR - The car saved my life, with just two fractures on me, and one on the co-driver. The protection to the driver and passenger heads and necks was good. Driver chest showed adequate protection and passenger chest showed good protection. Driver and passenger knees showed marginal protection as they could impact with dangerous structures behind the dashboard. Driver tibia showed marginal and adequate protection while passenger tibia showed adequate protection. The body-shell was unstable and the A-pillar and roof deformed on impact. Foot-well area was rated as unstable. The car offered nothing more than a seat belt for both driver and passenger.

• Getz GVS CRDi (2009) (Letz Getz Started (Hyundai Getz CRDi)- UPDATE: 40000, new alloys, tires!!! (page 30))

A monster on the straights, and at 4.99 lakhs ex-showroom, BIG 110 BHP BANG for the buck - not many cars can catch-up with this one.

Status: Sold at 88,000 KM in 2013.

• Verna SX(O) CRDi MT (2013)

A mature successor to the Getz, with the same monstrous straight-line behavior. At 10.70 lakhs ex-showroom, 126 horses, all wheel discs, ABS, 6 airbags, etc., this was THE deal. It was not as much as boat as the previous generation Verna, but nowhere a corner-carver like the Linea.

Status: Sold at 1,08,000 KM in 2018 after hearing the cost of timing chain + clutch replacement. Hyundai has made it a point to ensure that the ageing models are fleeced more

As this one didn't have a review in Team-BHP, here is the car days before being handed over to someone else -

• Nano XTA (2015)

A rear-engine RWD Automatic hatch-back. With a dealer-installed sunroof. Had it had 2 scores 10 horses more, I'd have called it a Hot Hatch. Errr... that was a bit overboard, was it not?!! The tall boy stance, small tyres, suspension that goes bumpty bum bump at speeds more than 40 KMPH makes it farthest from a hot hatch. No, the 'Pelican' never got launched, and even if launched, would have carried some of the Nano gripes.

This is my wife's city runabout - she does not want anything else because there is nothing with the Nano's size, space, nimbleness, ease of driving, seating position, frugality - the list goes on and on. While I have taken the Nano from Madras to Hyderabad, Coimbatore to Madras and back, Coimbatore to Bangalore and back, and even from Coimbatore to Ooty and back, with a 4 adults, it primarily a brilliant city car. I do not feel insecure in this one, but you cannot rest your head on the headrest at highway speeds (in Nano, that means 70 KMPH to 100 KMPH) - it plays ping-pong with your head like it doesn't want your head resting on it!

Status: Going strong at 24,000 KM. No planned retirement for this one, not unless the wife falls for another car.

Having a Nano in the garage was the second trigger that resulted in me getting a Thar.

• XUV5OO W11(O) AT AWD (2018)

This one is very capable, and is the most VFM in its segment. Primarily meant for touring, I clocked 27,000 KM in the 11 months that I tamed this Cheetah (or maybe it brought out the wild in me, instead!). A few cons I can think of are the sound quality of ICE (nothing a good upgrade won't fix), ride quality (not exactly cushy in city speeds. Will breeze over even small speed-breakers at highway speeds though), Noise (engine is audible in the cabin than when standing outside, where it is relatively silent!)

Status: I had to sell this one in Nov 2019 after 11 months of ownership, as I was packing my bags to move to - hold your breath, least you are exposed - China! It is a different story that the Wuhan Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 struck and my travel plans where shelved

Selling my XUV5OO is the first trigger that's led me in owning a Thar now!

As this one too didn't have a review in Team-BHP, here is it -

Let me move on to how I ended up with a Thar now...

[ph03n!x]

Why buy a car?

Alright, so I was left with no car for myself and was punting around in my wife's Nano - which was fine for all city roads. But a travel need arises to, say, Bangalore or Madras, I prefer to drive to destinations under a 1000 KM - a flight will be considered only if it is more than that, and only to save time, not because I cannot drive more!

While there were Hondas and Hyundais in the immediate family that I could have borrowed, I am not comfortable doing that - I usually hesitate/ procrastinate/ outright deny handing my car keys to others, and I do not want to be the snob who doesn't return favors. Zoomcars/ Revvs et al were not considered during the pandemic.

This meant long drives in the Nano. After 3 of them covering close to 2,400 KM (this excludes the Madras - Hyderabad drive) between March and July, I had had enough. I need my own set of wheels.

What Car?

What car do I need? That is a no brainer - a Tiago, Nexon, XUV3OO - any of these would have adequately met my needs. For now, I will be driving mostly within the city, with maybe a ~1000 KM trip every two or 3 months.

But pre-Wuhan Novel CoronaVirus usage pattern is different though, and I average about 3000 KM per month, with 30% outstation drives (primarily for leisure with the family). I also love exploring - think Leh/ Ladakh, or even a road-trip to Vietnam (why not?!) - and would love to have a 4WD/ AWD car with good enough ground clearance and that I do not have to worry much about getting stranded middle of nowhere. This was one of the primary reasons to pick up an XUV5OO AWD (back then the bucket list destination was Phuket by road!)

But then, when has necessity and adequacy ever been a criteria?

I decided to choose a new or preowned, with a budget of 15 lakhs budget, and started exploring OLX for used cars. My basic criteria are pretty simple but uncompromising -

• Must be BLACK - One of the reasons I bought a XUV5OO instead of a Hexa or Harrier was this. In 2018, there were no black editions in Tata's offerings!
• Must be DIESEL - Until I get a 500 KM real-world range from an electric car, I will stick to this. I enjoy the torque, its that simple. Make no mistake, I love Honda's petrols - especially the 1.8 from the Civic. But the turbo-petrols never really caught my fancy
• Good enough for me, wife and 2 young children to travel
• If preowned, must be under 50k KM/ 5 years

Cars considered:

• Jeep Compass Trailhawk - there was one in OLX, almost new (less than a year) with an asking price of 30 lakhs. Did I tell you that my budget was 15 lakhs? That flew right out of the window . I did not pursue this because there was not much room for negotiations, and it did not seem VFM enough for what was on offer
• Ford Endeavor - I have had a thing for this car, especially the second gen with that 3.2 liter Monster Inside. Couldn't find any black 3.2s in the city or surroundings, and those that were listed had clocked KMs more than what I am comfortable with
• Germans - was toying around with Merc/ Beemer listings in OLX. With a 30 lakh (!) budget, there were options. But before I pursued this angle...

Cars not considered:

• Harrier - This is one very desirable car now, what with the black edition and smoothening of almost all rough edges by Tata. I couldn't find a comfortable sitting position in my short tryst, and after the XUV5OO, I'd rather get a 4WD/ AWD 5+2-seater than a FWD 5-seater. But this one tugs the heart...
• Hyundais/ Kias - After owing the Getz and the Verna, it was clear that Hyundai will bleed me in the long-term. Also, the solid feel of the Getz, which was diluted a wee bit in the Verna, was absent in all new Hyundais - they felt like a compromise. Hyundai no longer has to try hard to win a customer base - they already have it, and are now catering out out bling after bling. Threads on braking issues, quality failures, etc. inspire meh confidence. Ditto for Kia, though I have not checked out a single Kia car in India yet - call me biased, but the Seltos GNCAP crash test kind of vindicates me
• Maruti - Never have, never will (my personal preference this). Plus no black colour in their palette
• Mahindra - I would rather wait and see how the next gen XUV5OO pans out. There was nothing else in the stable that interested me (irony!)
• VAG - They have good cars, but I don't trust them. And they don't have Diesels
• Honda, Renault-Nissan, Toyota - They didn't have anything that interested me

Wild Card Entrant - Mahindra Thar!

Wild Card and How -
Mahindra was not in my radar.
I was busy cozying up to the idea of a German.
There was even a shortlist of cars to checkout.

But before I pursued this angle...
...Mahindra unveiled the Thar on Aug 15, 2020.

And all hell broke loose.

Had you asked a year ago if I will be buying a Thar in 2020, I would've probably scratched my head. It was an aspiration, but not a near-future aspiration, not even by a gazillion miles!

But damn you, Mahindra! You caught me when I did not have a car, when I needed a car, and launched one that does not fit my bill - but yet I wanted it. Badly

[ph03n!x]

I will, if it is under 15 lakhs.

From the time @Visran posted about the next gen Thar on March 2nd, 2017 (The 2020 next-gen Mahindra Thar : Driving report on page 86), the 2020 Thar related threads have garnered about 2.7 million views - I'd have made a substantial contribution to that count, but not until Aug 15th. The Thar was never in my periphery until then! A few friends, colleagues, neighbors have the previous gen Thar, and it was an aspiration alright - Someday, I thought, someday I will own a flat fender...

For me, the jeep connection is a MM540 that my dad had when I was a kid. The ubiquitous blue jeep with a soft top, noisy engine, smell of Diesel, bumpers that seem indestructible (have heard stories of damage inflicted on other vehicles when they invariable caress this bumper), driving up the hills without the top on, getting wet in the rain with the top on - I can keep going on and on. This MM540 was hardly a daily affair, there were others cars for that. But this was definitely an occasion to look forward to - even when it is in our workshop with the mechanic digging into the engine bay or under the body. Everything about the jeep seemed interesting!

The next gen Thar thread had about 73 pages till August 15th, 2020 - in 3.5 years. That shot to 148 pages after August 15th, another 51 pages in the First Drive (Mahindra Thar Review : First Drive) thread, and 41 pages in the official review (Mahindra Thar Review : First Drive). That is the kind of tug that this jeep has on us - not just BHPians, on 30,000 or so who booked it.

Let me come to the chain of events that led to me putting down my money on it.

Unveil - August 15th, 2020.

I was hardly participating in Team BHP, and it was a post here, a comment there kind of a participation for years now. But from 15th on, Mahindra Thar's official YouTube Channel along with Team-BHP's next gen Thar thread became an addiction. Let me reproduce a few stuff I digged -

This one erroneously tags the MHawk as 2.0 liter (0:34 secs) But the highlight starts from 1:06 secs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZnTI3inBjw

There was this all out discussion on how M&M plagiarized the Wrangler TJ. Here is some views on that by @CrAzY dRiVeR (The 2020 next-gen Mahindra Thar : Driving report on page 86) -

I was not too torn between the Thar-is-a-copy vs. Thar-is-an-evolution arguments. It definitely is more than an inspiration - and I leave it there. A 80+ lakh Wrangler makes zero sense to me, and if my jeep is made by Mahindra, so be it - they have made it in India for about 70 years anyway.

With all these running in parallel, Oct 2nd could not be too far away. Like someone in Team-BHP said, this probably is the first time I was looking forward to the next dry day . Will I buy a Thar, I asked myself - I will, if it is under 15 lakhs. My good friends use the same coin that I often coax them with - One life. If not now, then when?

And come it did. The pricing announcement was in-line with what most of us expected. It is not VFM, but not overpriced either. While I'd have loved to have the auto Diesel for 15 lakhs, 16.5 onroad was not too bad either. I had established a line with the dealership in my city (CAI Mahindra) in the meantime, and while they had invited me for the October 2nd unveil, I decided to skip the crowd and went in for a look-see and test drive on October 3rd.

Booking Experience

I meet my Sales Advisor on October 3rd - my wife and 2 kids are in tow too, we took a detour to the dealership to check out the Thar. After initial pleasantries, I go straight to the Thar on display. Checked it inside out - and had the same expression that anyone who has seen earlier Mahindra jeeps would have had - it was miles ahead. The place was crowded, but everyone was sane enough not to crowd. Social distancing existed. And the staff were sanitizing the touch-points on the display Thar.

I ask for a test drive, but unfortunately there is a queue - I am promised a test drive later.

Now comes the question from the sales advisor - Will you be booking one?

Until now, the topic of owning a jeep was not discussed much at home, just a hint here and a mention there - I brought my family along to gauge their reactions. My wife of course did not see a point in getting a 2 door jeep with cramped 2nd row for 16 lakhs+. My kids loved it, especially when they saw how the top can be opened.

Will you be booking one? I keep my best poker face, and ask him what the booking amount is. 21,000 sir. My wife is now having a few lines on her forehead, and I avoid her general direction. Okay, give me the booking form, what are the documents you need from me?

I was sure I'll be heading to the family courts soon.

And the deed is done in the next 10 minutes - I have successfully booked a Mahindra Thar LX DSL AT 4WD CT BS6 (anymore abbreviations, and I would've choked!). Without a Test Drive, at that!

I am promised a test drive as early as possible - my SA will call me. No ETA on when deliveries will happen, hopefully in November.

My task now is to substantiate why Thar to my wife. I haven't been successful even now, after taking delivery - both my wife and in-laws still can't wrap their head around me owning a 16.5 lakh jeep that can't take all of them on a holiday like my XUV5OO comfortably did. And to be honest, when things are back to normalcy, and when I foresee traveling long distances with my family regularly, I will buy a highway cruiser - maybe the new XUV5OO, maybe something more fancier. But for now, Thar it is!

But they have given up on trying to understand, and I too have on trying explain it...

[ph03n!x]

After booking the Thar on October 3rd, I tone down my impatience by refreshing Team-BHP threads, looking for Thar videos in all languages, talking to fellow jeepers - taking my mind off of the one month wait. There was still the Test Drive that was pending, but I was not too bothered about it. I have seen enough and read enough to know what to expect. If a jeep is not bouncy, unsettled, then call it jeep-not

Drama

After two weeks of the dealer not having an update on the ETA for delivery, or the VIN/ Engine numbers, and no communication from M&M either, except for a curt email that said...

Congratulations on booking THAR LX D AT 4WD 4S CT NAP BLK. We'll get in touch with you shortly for delivery details. Meanwhile check out some great accessories auto.mahindra.com/suv/thar

I wrote to customer care on October 16th, asking them to share an ETA and VIN/ engine numbers, as well as my wait for a test drive. After some back and forth, I got my OTF (Order Taking Form number) from my Sales Advisor and sent it to customer care. They looped in the Area Sales Manager as well as the dealer's management team.

Couple of suggestions to M&M here -

Please include details such as OTF ID and Order Number in your welcome email. I had to go back and forth to get this from the dealer.

Please advice your customer care team to expand internal abbreviations - the customer care rep asked me for my OTF, and I had no idea what that was - so I had to email back asking them to explain what OTF is (another day of back and forth on email!)

Test Drive

I got a Thar LX MT Diesel for test drive sent to my residence, my thoughts are covered here (Mahindra Thar : Official Review) and here (Mahindra Thar : Official Review).

I was given a delivery date of December 3rd, with the factory dispatch expected on November 27th and I started planning the accessories (Mahindra Thar : Official Review) I need.

Drama

My Sales Advisor told me that there maybe a delay in factory dispatch as other orders are having their delivery dates pushed further - this was on October 26th. Sure enough, I am informed that the delivery date as on October 31st shows as December 31st.

I kind of lost it at M&M (Mahindra Thar : Official Review). What is the point of me taking delivery of a 2020 vehicle on the last day of the year? True, I took delivery of my XUV5OO on December 28th - but I got a fat little discount to offset the depreciation loss partially. With the Thar, nothing of that sort is on the table - I informed my dealer I will take a 2021 manufactured Thar even if it means waiting for a few months more. And thanks to BHPian @soumobakshi (Mahindra Thar : Official Review), #WhereIsMyThar started trending in Twitter - and someone from M&M's social media team responded to one of my tweets.

Factory Dispatch and PDI

On November 6th, my Sales Advisor calls me confirming a factory dispatch - within a day (if not hours) of the Twitter interaction. I was taken by surprised at this turn of events - was this an outcome of my Twitter interaction, or did my turn actually got bumped up (mine is a Convertible Top, I am told it is the Hardtop variants that are in demand)? I may never know the answer to this, but if the dispatch is a result of the social media interaction, then it is reactive - one that is not sustainable. I hope M&M gets/ have gotten the production line in order to leverage this demand!

Anyway, my Sales Advisor informed me that my Thar should reach before Diwali, and delivery can happen on Diwali or couple of days after (RTO holidays - cannot deliver vehicles in TN without registering the vehicle. And temp registration is only for vehicles that will registered in a different city/ town/ district).

Whew! I was so flustered until then - a thread idea for How NOT to launch a car in India was in gestation I just might put it together someday. But for now, I have something more pressing - preparing to take delivery!

I started with the bank loan - SBI was my preferred banker for this, and I applied and got a loan for 16 lakhs at 7.50% rate of interest. There were offers for 100% on-road financing from SBI as well as ICICI (at 7.80% ROI).

The loan application was pretty simple and straight forward, with approvals obtained in a matter of hours - gone are the days when this used to take a few days. What is unchanged through is the flippty jillion signatures required in the documentation for the loan - compare this with the ICICI - Amazon co-branded credit card that got processed in less than 3 minutes, that too online, with zero documentation!

My Thar reached the dealer's yard on November 11th and their PDI was completed by November 12th. I couldn't do my PDI then as I was out of town till 12th, and Diwali prep took precedence when I got back. I went in on November 16th to the yard to do my PDI (Mahindra Thar : Official Review) - I am reposting some pics here too for continuity.

My soon-to-be ride parked in a corner along with a couple of other Thars (not in the image) -



When was the last time you fell in love at first sight? The stance, the wheel archs, the 18 inchers and the fat AT tyres - is there anything about the Thar that is not to like? Well, anything except to the grill?! There is a certain sex appeal to a SUV with the spare mounted on the back (Safari, Mahindra jeeps, Ecosport,...), and the Thar pulls it off like no other!

The Thar allotted to me is October 2020 manufactured...


...signed-off from the factory on November 2nd, and dealer PDI completed on 11th/ 12th...


...and had 13 KM on the clock -

I had noticed two issues, one of them seem to be "by design" -

This unpainted hook in the front hood seem to be a "feature" - not sure if there is any explanation or benefit.


The cladding in the front right wheel-well was not aligned right

With the PDI all done, I gave the go-ahead for registration, and asked my bank to release the funds. November 21st was an auspicious day, and I planned to take delivery then - this also gives me time to get the number I had wanted.

[ph03n!x]

You might have noticed that all my cars have a 0012 registration number - Earlier, I used to ask my friendly RTO employee who will check the running series and see if the number is available, and if it is not, how long until it becomes available in the next series. I will then send the car for registration on the day he specifies, of course after paying the necessary fees as prescribed by the govt. for number selection. Tamil Nadu's new vehicle number allotment system has moved to Vahan since the last time I bought a car, but only partially - I cannot directly login and choose a number/ pay for it yet. Instead, I have to fill in a form with the owner details, VIN number, desired registration number, and attach a 2 Rupee non-postal stamp. This form along with the invoice copy of the vehicle and the owner's Aadhar has to be submitted to the vehicle inspector who will validate the number availability and sign the application form. Next step is to pay the required fees - once this is done I will get a Vahan login ID and password - but I was told not to login with it. The RTO's employee will login to Vahan and block the chosen number for me (I get an SMS for this too).

This seems to be a roundabout way - but one that guards the relevance of the RTO in the number selection process.

While I wanted 0012, it was allotted to someone else. I can either choose another number, or take it from the next series by obtaining a Governmental Order and pay (I think) Rs. 45,000 - this will also mean that the delivery date will be delayed some more. I picked 0120 instead, and gave the Advance Number Fee Receipt to my dealer to proceed with registration.

THE Day FINALLY Arrived

Seven weeks of wait was drawing to a close. I went in early to check the delivery preparations -

Pre-delivery prep wash

Accessories

I had asked for the following official accessories -

1. Front and Rear Mud Protector
2. Rain Visor with Chrome Insert
3. Steering Wheel Cover
4. SS Door Sill Protector
5. Bushranger Dirt Blocka Mats
6. Side Body Cladding
7. Magnetic Sun Shades Set

Of these, the mudguards were not in stock, and I did not include the Side Body Cladding initially (Rs. 8740 for them seemed steep). The rest of the accessories were installed. Here are some pics/ observations -

Front Mud Protectors


Notice that gap? Mud splashes on the door and foot step through this - easy DIY fix though, will do it sometime soon...

Rear Mud Protectors


Rain Visor with Chrome Insert


Steering Wheel Cover - this is the stitch pattern on top...


...on the sides (notice the gap)...


...and the bottom.


The stitching of the cover is at the dealer's. While the cover itself feels comfortable to hold, I wish the stitch and finish were better.

Door Sill Protector


Side Cladding


I wasn't keen on this initially, especially for Rs. 8,740. But then the door looked plain (earlier Mahindra jeeps had a stylized pattern on the doors), and I went for this later on.

On-road Price

This is the break-up of the pricing in Coimbatore -

With the Thar prepped for delivery, I came back with my family in the evening. There was another car (a Marazzo) being prepped for delivery later in the day, but I requested mine to be delivered - we planned to head to a famous Vinayaga temple (those who know Coimbatore, Puliyakulam) straight and do our puja there.

Listen closely, you just might hear the beast snarl!

The delivery experience was smooth, with the dealer personnel doing the customary puja, and my kids receiving the keys from the Sales Manager for the dealership, while my sales advisor handing over the symbolic (huge) key prop.

A word on the GM, Sales Manager and the Sales Advisor - throughout the booking to delivery process - all through the drama phase, they were very supportive, transparent and honest. I expressed my appreciation with a handicraft gift for each one of them, and thanked them for their support.

The delivery team explained the documents, features, service details and contacts, location of tools, and other basics. We were given a box of chocolates, a Vinayaga idol, and a key chain from the dealership.

We went straight to take blessings from Lord Ganesha, and finally got home after the puja there - muted celebrations, thanks to the pandemic!

The way the Thar grabs eyeballs needs to be seen. The temple that I went to for the puja almost had a traffic snarl as all the vehicles passing by slowed a bit to take look, take some pics. Parking lots will invariably have someone take a pic or a selfie. I hope this eventually dies down as more and more Thars start rolling out!

[ph03n!x]

Initial Driving Experience

Here are some observations in the 100-odd KM I drove after taking delivery -

• The Thar AT starts without the need for brakes if it is in 'P'
• Hold the brake down and slot to D, and let go the brakes - and the Thar starts off smoothly without throttle inputs. This crawl is more like a jog though, and it could be a bit slower to make it easier in city traffic - the brakes might get worn out trying to slow the crawl!
• The engine is smooth revving, and there is always enough grunt on tap. It sounds pretty smooth when standing in front of the Thar - in spite of padding being absent on the hood's inner surfaces. It was the Creta CRDi that first came without a padding, and looks like M&M's mHawk have caught up with the best Diesels in India in terms of NVH!
• There were reports of brakes being spongy or inconsistent. That wasn't the case on the Demo Thar that I test drove, and it is not the case with my Thar either. Brakes are progressive, have a good bite, and inspire confidence
• The driver's seat height adjustment has a good range, and so does the fore-aft adjustment. Finding a comfortable driving position is easy, and I did not miss the lack of telescopic adjustment
• What I do miss is the lack of dead pedal
• The MID's adjustment should have been given in the steering - its current location is not really accessible when the car is moving, not without taking your eyes off the road
• The keyhole, while illuminated, still needs you to bend slightly to see it. Would have been better if it has been tilted at an angle so that it is more prominently visible
• The AC will chill your bones! The only time I could keep my wife from switching it off every 5 minutes is when the temperature dial is midway/ tad to the heating zone.
• The audio quality is definitely acceptable. I do not intend to put an amp or upgrade the speakers for now. For those who are interested, the components on top do not have much of a mids - the bass part is primarily from the coaxials speakers below the dash. I do not know the size of the speakers, but they look like 6.5" components and 5.25" or 6.5" coaxials
• The speed alerts are not too bothersome, but a wee bit so. Between 80 KMPH and 120 KMPH there are random alerts (not sure if they are random, or if there are specific speeds they come on for), and I noticed them especially while decelerating from 110 KMPH+.
• The convertible top is not as silent as the hard top - but how bad is it? It is similar to driving with windows rolled down
• The convertible top makes its presence felt when you are cross ~70 KMPH. I have some ideas on reducing the flapping noises, and will post updates when I get to give them a try
• When getting out of the Thar, pull out the key from the ignition and close the fob before opening the door. The plastic door pad *might* get scratched by the key otherwise.
• The boot can accommodate two cabin-sized bags, and will have some more space for say water bottles, portable tyre inflator, etc.
• My dad used to say that very MM540 will have to visit the workshop straight after delivery. Mahindra jeeps have come a long way from there - the Thar is built solid, feels solid and looks solid. The paint quality is good, though the panel gaps are not the best, they are mostly consistent (except for the bumpers - but I will be nitpicking with my OCD)
• The windshield (like expected) is a bug magnet. Will require a cleaning every couple of hours when being driven at highway speeds
• The engine can be started in the Thar Automatic when the gear selector is in either P or N, but the Thar can be switched off (and key removed from ignition) with the gear selector in any of the positions. The user manual talks about Ignition Key Interlock System (if equipped) for the auto transmission, but the Thar Automatic is not equipped with it!
• Auto transmission gear selector lock is needed to move the selector from P to R, N to R and R to P. It moves freely between R to N, N to D and D to N

Aftermarket Affairs

After gloating over the new acquisition over the weekend, the first stop was the nearby 3M. The agenda is under-carriage coating and Paint Protection Film (PPF). I wanted the PPF to be on the hood, fenders, door edges and handles for all 3 doors, and door sills (that is not covered by the "Thar" branded official accessory). I did not want to touch the grill (not yet!). The work started at about 1 PM and went till about 8 PM! Here are some photos of the work in progress -

Mods in the pipeline

7 Slat Grill!

Even while I was waiting for my Thar to get allotted and delivered, I had made up my mind to switch to a 7-slat grill. This post by fellow BHPian @udy (Mahindra Thar : Official Review) had a video that showed a Black Thar with the 7 slatted grill - and it was a no-brainer.

Note that the phone number is NOT the one for the grill. The video talks about tyre upgrade, and is made by the tyre shop.

I contacted Auto Ignite Store and enquired about this grill -

• Looks like everyone is wanting this, it is in demand
• Rs. 1000 for booking it, and they will ship it to my address as soon as it is available
• Total cost is Rs. 9000 plus shipping
• The honeycomb mesh that is in the image is not a part of the grill and is custom made. They were kind enough to give me the contact details of this Thar's owner and the workshop that did the mesh and fitment job
• The grill will not be painted, and will need to be painted and installed

The price seemed pretty steep, but then vanity isn't measured in rupees, is it? I placed the order, which got delivered on November 30th -

What none of the videos will tell you, what you will only realize when the package is delivered to you and you lift it up - is that this 7-slat grill is not metal, but rather made of plastic. Seems durable and well-made, but plastic nevertheless

Now I am in a dilemma - should go ahead with the mod (stock grill is metal), or not? The front grill does not seem to be a load-bearing member, but I am still hesitant. I will probably talk to couple of Thar owners who have this installed already and take a call.

Radiator/ Condenser/ Underbody Protection

I am not comfortable with how low the radiator/ condenser are - I guess the lower approach angle (vs. the previous gen Thar) is because of this. Wonder why they could not design this better, but I will be on the look out for a sturdier skid plate.

Dual Channel Dashcam with Rear View Mirror video feed

While I did not have too much of a trouble with the Thar in this area, the IRVM is barely adequate. The ORVM compensates to a great extent, but I would rather have a reversing came on the Thar instead of depending on the sensors alone. And something like the 70mai Rearview Dashcam or DDPAI Mola E3 makes better sense, as I can also use the reversing cam's feed as my IRVM. I will be buying this sometime soon, and will post my experience when I do!

[ph03n!x]

One of the reasons why I needed a car now is for my road trips, and there were a few pending/ coming up on the horizon. Now that I have bought the Thar, which is no mile muncher (contrary to what M&M might have you believe), I decided to do a 1000 KM roundtrip!

Road Trip!

I had a Coimbatore - Madras - Coimbatore trip that has been pending for a while, so decided to do a quick drive - me and my wife started at about 5 AM and hit the roads. I had set expectations by now on the bouncy, unsettled ride, and the flappy soft top, so it wasn't a surprise - she was in fact not too uncomfortable anytime during this 1000 KM round trip.

Let me jot some observations -

• I varied the RPM from about 1400 to 2200 throughout the drive
• 120 KMPH is 2000 RPM in 6th - I touched it twice, for a few seconds
• Anyone who's used to the previous gen Thar or other Mahindra jeeps (or even the Bolero/ Scorpio) will not have too much of a problem with the ride and handling. If you are expecting the Thar to replace your Duster or Hexa, my condolences! But if you appreciate it for what it is - a capable off-roader that has become liveable with in tarmac, and you will enjoy every moment and every ride. This one has a character that only jeep has - only this time the jeep came with dollops of posh and polish - but make no mistake, it is a jeep alright!
• The steering was never twitchy or eager at speeds - this tuning suits the character of the Thar pretty well
• I used cruise control a few times, though briefly. Works like it should
• One thing to keep in mind - the Thar does not like sudden changes in direction, especially at speeds. Drive slower than you'd take another car in, plan your maneuver ahead of time, observe vehicles in front of you to plan for road undulations, and you should be fine.
• The reason why there is no center armrest could well be because it is better to have both your hands on the steering all the time - when the wheels encounter unpleasantness, then tend to twitch the steering a wee bit - which may take you by surprise
• I cannot stress this enough - at the risk of sounding repetitive, the ride is not sorted, cushy or flat - it is the opposite of that. If you are comparing to earlier jeeps, they then this a whole lot better, but that's about it. If you are planning a trip in the Thar with 4 adults, ensure all for of them are well aware of what they are signing up for. Have a lower bar of expectation on the ride and handling, and you will not be disappointed - do not believe the Ads/ video reviews, etc., they may have a different benchmark than you will

There was one hair-rising incident, and the Thar did not let me down - a biker with a lady-pillion rider (sitting one-sided) ended up crossing the road at around 8 PM in a dark stretch of the highway, without any lights. The biker didn't seem to have stopped to check for traffic, and by the time he saw my Thar rushing towards him, I was about 20 to 30 meters away - with him frozen to a halt bang in the middle of my lane. As there is a break in the median at the spot (which is where he is headed), and I am in the middle of the road (4 lane highway, which means I am occupying half of both lanes) to ensure I avoid jumping jacks.

I was not confident that the Thar will stop within such a short distance. There was not much space to the bike's left (curb that I couldn't gauge at that instant, and trees beyond that) or right (gap in the median, barely enough space to chuck the jeep into and out of the gap so as to avoid hitting the median). Well, that is what I ended up doing - A honk, and a sharp right followed by a sharp left - all while I am just about slowing down from 100 KMPH (the Thar was still at 60 KMPH by the time I recovered). I instinctively do not stomp on the brake if I have to turn the steering wheel hard - only just enough to slow the vehicle as needed.

While my wife was flustered and shaken seeing the good biker perpendicular to the jeep, she didn't feel uncomfortable by the maneuver - and neither did I lose control. ESC/ TCS might have saved the day, but what avoided the accident is probably the speed - it would have turned out differently had I been doing higher speeds, maybe. And point #6 from the bulleted list above too - had it been any of my earlier cars, I'd definitely be driving with my right and my left will be on the armrest, impeding my capacity to pull this off.

Something for all 2020 Thar owners to keep in mind - drive at a much slower speed than usual in highways, at least until you understand the limits of the Thar!

With that out of the way, here are some stats -

• The first tank-up was at 80 KM on the ODO, and the Thar gulped 47.46 liters of Diesel (tank capacity of 57 liters, +/- 2 liters is what the spec says)
• I have clocked 1175 KM, and the DTE shows 105 KM - extrapolating this gives an approx mileage of 12.5 KMPL
• The DTE on the return leg was at 14.4 KMPL, and the best I saw was 15.3 KMPL
• Instant mileage drops like it is tied to lead at speeds above 100 KMPH - aerodynamics, anyone?
• The wipers are effective, and the windshield washers spray a nice bout. You also get a courtesy wipe too.
• I remember seeing intermittent wiping as a feature - but the stalk did not have a control to change how intermittent it wipes! So I came back and checked the Manual -

• The engine has enough grunt to keep you entertained - keep in mind the limitations, and have fun. Great Power and Not So Great Dynamics can be pretty potent!

A word on the Aisin automatic transmission. It is tuned beautifully, and you will invariably in the right gear. The only thing you may have to adjust to is the way it aggressively downshift - especially from 4th to 3rd. With a tuning like this, you won't need a separate sports mode - not that the Thar is a tarmac scorcher anyway!

Like and Dislikes

So after close to two weeks of owing the Thar, and having covered 1100 KM on it, here is my list -

Likes

• Comfortable seats (front) with a "King of the Roads" kind of commanding view - My wife mistook the new Creta for an i20 . Lumbar support should be made mandatory on all cars!
• Eye-ball grabber - don't think any other launch in recent times grabbed so much attention from everyone on the road!
• 4 Star rated for adult and child protection - 2 Airbags, ABS with EBD and ESP along with the solid build makes you feel safe, in spite of sitting in a soft top jeep!!
• Smooth revving engine with more than enough grunt, mated perfectly to the 6-speed Auto tranny. There is zero turbo lag, and if you thought the XUV5OO had a great engine, drive the new Thar!
• Chiller of an AC on sunny days - even with the convertible top, I had to lower the temperature dial to mid to keep my wife from switching off the AC!
• Acceptable audio quality for a soft (convertible) top jeep
• Build quality, fit and finish, materials used, etc. are pretty good - not the best, but hey, it is a jeep - not a CSUV! As long as you do not expect a Hyundai-ish interiors, you will be very happy

Dislikes

• No dead pedal
• The crawling speed is tad higher, have to slow it down with the brake
• Removal of outside temperature
• Back seat and foot space is strictly for kids (or in-laws, if you are not all that into them!)
• That Grill :(
• Glove box? You gotta be kidding yourself if you called it that! What is there is a place to lock your wallet when you are the spotter...

I will not add these are dislikes because I bought the Thar knowing these fully well - but would leave them here for the benefit of everyone thinking of buying the Thar

• The Thar is a jeep. It is NOT a replacement for a hatchback, sedan or compact SUV. If Duster is the pinnacle for ride comfort, Thar is somewhere close to the other end of the spectrum. Drive it on some bad/ uneven roads and at decent speeds to understand how it feels before you put down an advance!
• The boot space is barely enough for two cabin luggage. You might be able to squeeze a couple of duffel bags on the wheel-arches on both the sides of the rear seats, but that's about it

Some Closing Thoughts

• Doors now open in two stage action (the press drive Thars probably didn't (The 2020 next-gen Mahindra Thar : Driving report on page 86))

• The front seats are comfortable for road trips. Height adjustment (driver-only), healthy fore-aft range, lumbar support, side bolstering, all make it a comfortable place. The under-thigh could be an inch longer though
• Minor niggle #1 - the speedo console "turned off and on" for a second during the trip. Nothing else was affected, and I was doing decent highway speeds
• Minor niggle #2 - this might be a feature, but if the forget turning on Bluetooth in the phone until later (when I am on the move), the phone will not connect to the HU and neither will Android Auto. Will have to stop, turn off the ignition and turn it back on. And this "feature" is intermittent
• You'd have heard of M&M vehicles needing wheel alignment and balancing right after delivery (infamous pulls-left issue, I had it in my XUV5OO too). Not the Thar - it comes aligned and balanced
• I remember reading somewhere about the missing outside temperature read out in the Thar. Guess what, it is supposed to be there - but looks like got omitted last minute. Wonder why the manual says If equipped are they planning on launching a higher variant with temperature gauge as one of the differentiators?

It is not a deal-breaker, Android Auto does display the external temperature anyway

• The control stalks feel solid, but plasticy - same goes for the MID controls. The steering mounted controls, aircon controls, and the hazard warning switches feel better to touch/ use though. The electric ORVM control feels flimsy
• All the AC Vents can be completely closed by turning this knob clock-wise -

• The underbody is pretty exposed. There are protective shields here and there, but there is a lot of components visible. Might have increased the GVW, but a shield plate al la Punto should be an accessory - especially to protect that exposed radiator/ condenser
• I am not too happy with the official magnetic sunshade accessory, and will suggest you to check it out before you buy it - don't go by the images
• For a 16.5 lakh on road vehicle, the Thar come with ONE remote keyless entry enabled key. The other is just a flip-key -

• The Thar website shows the front and rear mudguards as costing 300 bucks -

But it actually costs Rs. 300 for the front and Rs. 465 for the rear

• The user manual lists the Emission Control System (Diesel) section in English, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Tamil and Telugu!
• The Follow-Me-Home lights will need the lock button on the remote to be pressed twice. Similarly, pressing the unlock button twice will enable Lead Me to Vehicle lights
• The outside temperature and the auto tranny's gear shift locking system are both in the manual, but missing in the vehicle
• The grip from the CEAT Czar AT Tyres are adequate for tarmac - offroad performance remains to be seen. Road noise is a moot point in a convertible top jeep, that will be the last thing you will hear! I plan to stick to the stock tyres until they wear out. I do not intend to upsize or change the profile in any way either
• The opened the convertible top a couple of times - while it is easy to open it, closing it will need some practice - there are enough videos, and the user manual does have a how-to
• Make it a point to help kids and elderly people to get out of the Thar. The ground clearance will take a couple of times to get used to, people new to the Thar might trip while getting down

Let me give some excerpts from the manual. This is primarily on Auto + 4WD in the Thar. Some of these are similar to the previous gen Thar -

• The AT ratios as taller than MT, except for 3rd and Reverse (where MT is taller than AT). The 1st is 9% taller in AT, while 4th and 15 and 14% and 19% taller. the 3rd and Reverse are 4% and 5% taller in the MT. Remains to be seen what this means in 4WD, especially the difference in the 1st gear ratios
• Can shift from 2H to 4H at speeds less than 5 KMPH (or standstill), but it is recommended to do so at stand-still
• 4H to 4L can also be shifted while moving at speeds up to 5 KMPH with the auto transmission gear selector in N (engage clutch in case of MT) - shift from 4H to N to 4L without pausing at 4L. But before driving in 4L, stop the Thar, shift to D (or release the clutch in MT)
• Shifting into or out of 4L is recommended to be done with the Thar rolling at less than 5 KMPH
• Shifting back to 4H is similar - when at less than 5 KMPH, shift the auto transmission gear selector to N and shift from 4L to N to 4H
• While shifting into or out of 4L, do not pause with the transfer case at N - the knob needs to be pressed down for shifting between 4H to N or N to 4H
• The Thar should not be driven beyond 40 KMPH at 4L
• Driving in tarmac with 4WD engaged may lead to the transfer case stuck in the 4WD mode - the Thar will then have to be driven in reverse to get it 'unstuck' (look up transmission wind-up in Google to understand why)

Gear ratio comparison between MT and AT

Now that my Thar has crossed 1000 KM, I took it in for first service on November 30th. In addition to what is recommended for the service, I changed the engine oil, oil filter, and the rear differential oil. It was supposed to be a 3 hour affair, but ended up with my Thar having the CEL and Water-in-Fuel warnings coming up

More about it in the next post...

[ph03n!x]

With the 1000 KM mark passing by on the road-trip, I called up the service reception on November 30th and fixed up an appointment for the same morning. I went in at about 10 AM, and was immediately assigned a Service Advisor who walked me through all the work that will be done as a part of the first service.

I requested the engine oil, oil filter, and the rear differential oil to be changed too.

I had informed my Service Advisor that I will wait around and take the Thar back - and he confirmed that the service will be completed by ~1 PM. While they had a good lounge for customers to wait, I loitered around the service center and observed my Thar (and other vehicles being serviced).

Getting a wash

The service was over at about 1:30 PM, and I settled the bill for the oils and filter -

I drove back home, had my lunch and started out again in the evening - which is when it happened.

While driving in city traffic, I heard a warning chime - and was surprised because I was no where close to crossing 80 KMPH. But that was not it - the MID was flashing Water in Fuel

I dropped my family to where we were headed, and went back to the service center. After hooking up the laptop and running diagnostics, there were 3 distinct errors that popped up -

1. A battery management system error that showed as healed - probably the cause of minor niggle #1 (speedo console turning off and on)
2. Water in Fuel error, and the technician followed the troubleshooting steps given by M&M
3. The third error was something I didn't comprehend (was a code without description), and did not want to bother the technician who was working on the previous error

The technician removed the fuel filter and followed the resolutions steps given by M&M - checking the wiring to the fuel filter sensor, and draining water from the filter (if any got accumulated). The error refused to disappear, and my dealer raised a support ticket with M&M.

The update is that a replacement fuel filter is being shipped to the dealership (ETA December 8th/ 9th), and M&M has recommended to replace the fuel filter in my Thar. They did not have stocks for the fuel filter because it needs replacement every 30,000 KM - and they didn't expect a need to arise

I was asked to take my Thar back home, and was informed that the Water-in-Fuel warning as well as the CEL lamp are lit - my Thar essentially got into limp mode.

This is the status on December 1st, the day after the service

So I let the beast rest, and started composing my Initial Ownership Review. I wanted to check something, so went in and started my Thar couple of hours ago - and presto! No CEL or Water-in-Fuel!

The status 3 days after the service (December 3rd)

And back again on the 5th day - no CEL this time (December 4th)

While I haven't driven the Thar much, I will wait for the part to arrive and see how it goes. I received a call from M&M inquiring about my Thar, and have been assured of speedy resolution. I honestly am not upset about this issue - and that is primarily because of how it is being handled by my dealer and M&M. Issues occur, be it new or established models - it is the way the issue gets handled that makes the difference, and I am confident that M&M and my dealer are handling it right!

Let this be a PSA for all 2020 Thar Owners - the user manual says this:

Specify to your SA and car wash guys at the dealership NOT to wash the engine bay or underbody with pressurized water!

I do not know if that is what happened to my Thar - while I was in the service center, I was not standing next to the Thar all the time. But then how is the error disappearing after 3 days, only to be back on the 5th day?

Anyway, I hope this is just a hiccup, and I will back on the roads (or hills - which is what I wanted to do this weekend) soon!

[GTO]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line (The "Assembly Line" Forum section) to the Reviews Section. Thanks for sharing!

Man, take a bow! You have a heck of a writing style. Read your review word-to-word while it was still in the Assembly Line . A fitting thread for a very special 4x4. Enjoy the Thar, man! Wishing you minimum 1.5 lakh km of enjoyable motoring with it.

Your Thar is going to our homepage + newsletter today . Now, let me get back to drooling over your beautiful Jeep.

[KkVaidya]

Can we have pictures of the Bushranger Dirt blocker mats? Are they worth the money?

[SNOWY227]

What an amazing write-up! Couldn't miss a word. I can relate to the 'Black or nothing', although I love the Thar in Mystic Cooper too. Hoping to see a lot more updates down the lane. Enjoy the beast Sir!

[ramnaresh_2000]

Congratulations one the beast. It looks menacing. Great review by the way. I really loved my TUV but had to sell it off due to bad AMT experience. I hope M&M had properly tested this AT gear box. Even my TUV was black beast, and oh boy the road presence was on par with Thars and Scorpios.

Good thing you went with PPF, the black color is a pain to maintain. My OCD did not help it. The service center people and local car wash people made sure it had enough swirl marks. I wished I had taken the PPF on day 1.

I really need tips from you on how did you convince your family on to buying this? My dad really hated (amd still hates) bumpy rides on my TUV. He was so glad that I sold it. He is not very excited about the new Thar, he is ok with XUV 300.

Also please do share Tank full to Tank full method mileage for city and highway drives. My TUV used to give me 15 on highway with AC and 80 kmph speed. In city it was a diesel gussler ranging from 9-11 kmpl.

Wishing you happy miles on the beast.

[Slipstream11]

Many congratulations!!
Can you please share the costing on the PPF and under-carriage coating?
Thanks.

[akash_v12]

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

With the 1000 KM mark passing by on the road-trip, I called up the service reception on November 30th and fixed up an appointment for the same morning.

Man, that's a beautiful car! The Thar has exceeded my expectations this time around. It looks stunning in Black and is very-well complimented by the white tyre-lettering.

P.S. This is why I love Team-BHP, every day we see some new cars and real and honest ownership reviews. Just yesterday, I read the Tiguan Allspace review and today this! Absolutely Fantastic!

Originally Posted by GTO

Now, let me get back to drooling over your beautiful Jeep.

P.P.S. ph03n!x, you might've just about convinced GTO to purchase a new Thar right now .

[gobarboss]

Amazing to see your passion. I share the emotions. I have good expensive imported cars at home. I love each for different reasons. But Thar2020 has brought me joy unlike other and also connected me back to this amazing community. I enjoy driving it because everytime I look at it, it inspires me to travel. And on the technical front I think Mahindra has delivered a beast. Cheers.