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Old 26th February 2023, 17:19   #16
NTO
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Re: Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT

1 year and ~19000 km with the Thar



Thar completed one year with us on 18th February. It has been nothing but a very pleasant experience so far. Everyone in our family loves the Thar and it has never failed to put a smile every time we drive it around.

Revisited likes and dislikes of the Thar.

Likes
1. The engine is still my most favourite part of the car and this combined with the well mated 6 speed TC AT makes it extremely comfortable to drive in the city and also on the highway. It it a very relaxed highway cruiser cruising between 1800 - 2000 rpm at sane highway speeds, read 100 - 120 kmph.
2. The steering though very lethargic (suiting dynamics of the car), is very feedback rich and we exactly know what is going on below even while off-roading.
3. The car is very rugged and can take any kind of abuse and still remain unscathed. Any surprise that roads throw at us during our road trips are not as much surprise for the car. It takes up anything in its stride.
4. Commanding road presence. Even today I enjoy the way the car commands its right of way through the traffic.
5. Features such as TPMS, Hill descent control, Hill hold assist, which I have never experienced in any of the other cars we owned before, are actually very useful and have come in handy in a few places.

Dislikes
1. The ride quality is the first dislike of the car. Especially while travelling alone and at low speeds, it simply sucks. However, loading up the car with 4 adults and increasing the pace solves it to some extent.
2. I miss the fast highway cruising I used to do before. My driving style has now changed to suit the dynamics of the Thar.
3. Large turning circle for such a short wheelbase. 3 point turns are a standard affair.
4. Audio quality, especially after driving our civic with the fantastic Speedfreaks tuned audio.
5. Rattles from the roof etc. has become part and parcel of our road trips.

Living with the Thar

Thar is a very great addition to our garage. Everyone in our family loves the Thar and enjoys travelling in it. Thar has become my primary car and I drive it everywhere, to the gym, work, weekend drives and also highway trips. I simply love driving the Thar and have never second guessed the thought of buying the car.

That said, I have changed my driving style to suit the dynamics of my Thar. If the highway allows and if I am at speed, I take my highway corners in two lanes instead of sticking to one. I miss the fast highway cruising I used to do when Civic/ Vento was my primary car. But for this compromise, Thar is simply superb. In the city, Thar commands its right of way in the traffic and during our road trips, we seldom worry about the kind of road that is there to our destination. Also climbing hills, which is the most favourite kind of destination my wife and I enjoy, is a piece of cake for the Thar. With oodles of torque and rear wheel drive, the car simply dismisses any kind of incline that is presented to it. The 4 wheel drive capability, though not used very much, is very handy in many places. One of the most memorable use of the 4wd capability was during our trip to Wayanad where we took our Thar and climbed the 900 glass Kandi area, which is generally done with the local jeeps.

One major point of concern for people buying BS6 diesels is DPF clogging and a necessity to keep an eye on DEF level. However, Mahindra has calibrated both very well. In the last 19K kms, I neither had a DPF clog alert nor a need to fill DEF outside of my service visit at 10K km. So, if you are considering buying a car with a Mahindra 2.2 M Hawk, please go ahead without worrying about the Ds.

Fuel efficiency and related reports.

Total Fuel Expense for 19000 km: Rs. 1,59,913.
Total fuel filled: 1690 litres
Cost per km: Rs. 8.6
Average Fuel Efficiency: 11.31 kmpl
Highest Fuel Efficiency: 15.93 kmpl
Lowest Fuel Efficiency: 8.85 kmpl
Average tank Range: 478 km
Highest Price of Diesel: Rs. 102.8 per litre.
Lowest Price of Diesel: Rs. 84 per litre.

Fuel Efficiency Chart
Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-fuel-efficiency.png

Price of Diesel Chart
Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-cost-fuel.png

My Interactions with Automotive Mahindra:
Most of my interactions with Automotive Mahindra has just been below par. Starting from getting the insurance details corrected for the first time, to getting the extended warranty document, everything happened after innumerable number of follow-ups.

Also, my service centre experience was below par. Three reasons:

1. In the first check-up at 1K km, my only voice of customer was left pulling issue and they happily returned the car without bothering to fix it.
2. In the second service, I asked them to do a 5 wheel rotation at 10K km. They did do a 5 wheel rotation but did not perform the re-learning of the TPMS sensors despite me reminding. I came back home and performed this on my own.
3. My car's windscreen has a crack which started to develop around 7K kms. I asked them to fix this in the first service. But the Automotive Mahindra service centre at Ekkatuthangal, Chennai doesn't have a body shop. Their body shop is at a different location. They refused to take the car and get it fixed at the other location. They asked me to do it. I agreed to it and despite multiple follow-ups with the boy shop manager, I never got an appointment to get this fixed.

Thanks to Mahindra and their reliability with the Thar, I just have to visit the service centre only once in 10K km. May be, I might have a different experience with a different dealership which I am planning to try for the 20K km service.

Regarding the windscreen crack, my accessory guy tells me that this has become a standard affair in most of the Thar that he works on. Is it the case? Please answer other fellow Thar owners. If this is so, then it is a design flaw and we can probably take it up with Mahindra for a fix. The crack on my Thar's windscreen appeared without an external object's impact. I suspect it happened in one of my off-road trips.

Closing the post with a few picture from our road trips:

Wayanad Trip - May'2022
We stayed at Arayal Resorts.

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-wayanad-resort-1.jpg

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-wayanad-thar22.png

Horseley Hills Trip

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-horseley-thar-1min2.png

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-horseley-thar-2min2.png

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-horseley-thar-3min2.png

Hyderabad Trip in the middle of a Cyclone in December'22

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-hyderabad-_-cyclone-1.jpg

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-hyderabad-cyclone-2.jpg

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-hyderabad-cyclone-3.jpg

Valparai January'23

Thar at Mukkombu
Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-mukkambu-tharmin2.png

Thar at Pollachi
Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-pollachi-tharmin2.png

Thar near Sholayar Reservoir
Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-sholayar-dam-tharmin2.png

Sholayar Reservoir
Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-sholayar-reservoirmin2.png

Parking at Valparai, Briar Stanmore Resort
Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-valparai-parking22.png

Room at Valparai
Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-valparai-room-122.png

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-valparai-room-view22.png

English style bungalow even the switches carry attention to detail
Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-switch-roommin2.png

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-valparai-bathroommin2.png

Random shots at Valparai
Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-valparai-random22.png

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-valparai-estatemin2.png

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-valparai-thar22.png

Viewpoint at Valparai
Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-valparai-view-point22.png

Bison Spotting at Valparai
Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-valparai-bison-1.jpg

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-valparai-bison-2.jpg


Towards the end of one year, I gave some updates to Thar. Did up the seats, door pads, steering wheel cover and added roof lights to Thar from Jeewaajee Car Jewels, Anna Nagar. They did a phenomenal job and refreshes the overall Thar experience.

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-red-seat-1.jpg

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-red-seat-2min2.png

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-res-seat-3min2.png

Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT-lights-1min2.png

Last edited by NTO : 26th February 2023 at 17:21.
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Old 27th February 2023, 10:20   #17
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Re: Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT

Quote:
Originally Posted by NTO View Post

1 year and ~19000 km with the Thar



*SNIP*
Regarding the windscreen crack, my accessory guy tells me that this has become a standard affair in most of the Thar that he works on. Is it the case?*SNIP*
Your accessories guy is full of bovine excreta.

My D AT HT is of similar vintage and all your stats are similar to mine. However, no windshield damage.

cheers
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Old 27th February 2023, 15:23   #18
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Re: Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT

Quote:
Originally Posted by NTO View Post

1 year and ~19000 km with the Thar



Thar completed one year with us on 18th February. It has been nothing but a very pleasant experience so far. Everyone in our family loves the Thar and it has never failed to put a smile every time we drive it around.


Dislikes
1. The ride quality is the first dislike of the car. Especially while travelling alone and at low speeds, it simply sucks. However, loading up the car with 4 adults and increasing the pace solves it to some extent.
2. I miss the fast highway cruising I used to do before. My driving style has now changed to suit the dynamics of the Thar.
3. Large turning circle for such a short wheelbase. 3 point turns are a standard affair.

4. Audio quality, especially after driving our civic with the fantastic Speedfreaks tuned audio.
5. Rattles from the roof etc. has become part and parcel of our road trips.

Many Congrats! Indeed a car to put smiles on our faces - whether one is the owner, or an admirer

About the ride quality, i have had this question in my mind for sometime now. Is it very different from other ladder frame chassis vehicles? I have driven Scorpio - and the ride quality was always a little jumpy. But when you knew what you are driving and adjusted accordingly (read anticipating the road and taking action in advance) - it gives you much better and planted ride

Any other members who have driven ladder frame SUVs - can you please comment?

Also - about the 3-point turns, one trick that i follow is when i have to take a u-turn and feel that it is too narrow, i go in, into the turn on the right lane and just before turning angle my car away from the turn towards the left and then do the u -turn, 90% of times - we can avoid a 3-point turn like this unless there is some vehicle standing on the other side of the road.
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Old 11th March 2023, 22:12   #19
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Re: Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT

Quote:
Originally Posted by sach.sri View Post
Any other members who have driven ladder frame SUVs - can you please comment?
I have a Scorpio-N and have driven my friend's thar quite a bit. The Thar is for sure way more bumpy, whereas for a Body-on-frame car, the Scorpio N has surprisingly good ride quality.
This is mainly because of Thar's suspension being stiffer for better off-roading. Still, it's not impossible to live with, and you will get used to it
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Old 12th March 2023, 07:08   #20
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Re: Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT

Quote:
Originally Posted by sach.sri View Post
Many Congrats! Indeed a car to put smiles on our faces - whether one is the owner, or an admirer
About the ride quality…….we can avoid a 3-point turn like this unless there is some vehicle standing on the other side of the road.
Yes the Scorpio’s ride (not the Scorpio N’s) was one of the major drawbacks in an otherwise great car – we drove ours for 14 years/160 K kms and regretted parting with it.
Your experience with the Thar’s TC and your remedy for 3-point turns is something I shall try. We drive ours in Kolkata traffic and – though even today after over a year’s ownership (youngster’s still request for selfies at parking slots!) the width of the car together with the short WB makes for mildly unwieldy handling!
Apart from this the car is a hoot to drive and the occasional smiles from our co-residents in the complex (this is the only Thar so far), makes the day!
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Old 14th March 2023, 12:15   #21
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Re: Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruxh View Post
I have a Scorpio-N and have driven my friend's thar quite a bit. The Thar is for sure way more bumpy, whereas for a Body-on-frame car, the Scorpio N has surprisingly good ride quality.
This is mainly because of Thar's suspension being stiffer for better off-roading. Still, it's not impossible to live with, and you will get used to it
>> yes, i believe they have drastically improved the handling and body roll in scorpio - n. That is not a comparison here

It is more the older Scorpio, Fotuner, Endeavour, etc that i am talking about


Quote:
Originally Posted by shashanka View Post
Yes the Scorpio’s ride (not the Scorpio N’s) was one of the major drawbacks in an otherwise great car – we drove ours for 14 years/160 K kms and regretted parting with it.
Your experience with the Thar’s TC and your remedy for 3-point turns is something I shall try. We drive ours in Kolkata traffic and – though even today after over a year’s ownership (youngster’s still request for selfies at parking slots!) the width of the car together with the short WB makes for mildly unwieldy handling!
Apart from this the car is a hoot to drive and the occasional smiles from our co-residents in the complex (this is the only Thar so far), makes the day!
>>> Thanks Shashank. On the handling - i once had a Bolero driver drive me in my Scorpio and his handling was spot on! the car felt planted and there was hardly any body roll, even when i was sitting in the middle row. Not that he was driving slow or anything - just that driving a Bolero, he knew how it handled and was able to anticipate well in time

Please do let me know how it works out for you for the 3-point trick
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Old 14th March 2023, 22:07   #22
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Re: Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruxh View Post
I have a Scorpio-N and have driven my friend's thar quite a bit. The Thar is for sure way more bumpy, whereas for a Body-on-frame car, the Scorpio N has surprisingly good ride quality.
This is mainly because of Thar's suspension being stiffer for better off-roading. Still, it's not impossible to live with, and you will get used to it
On the contrary, the Thar has a soft suspension.This, combined with the fact that the range of wheel articulation is high - to accommodate off-road terrain - is why you get a lot of vertical movement in this vehicle. The super high ground clearance of 227 mm, also causes the centre of gravity to be higher, slightly compromising stability (although they kind of made up for it with a super wide track).

In addition, the Thar has a short wheelbase which causes the people inside to feel more of the bumps inside - both that are caused by both front and by the rear axle movements over broken terrain, which feels like double the shaking one feels in a normal car .

On the ScorpioN, the wheel articulation is lesser, the ground clearance is lesser, the damping is better due to FSD, and the wheelbase is longer isolating the passenger a bit better depending on where they are sitting, so that they feel one of the axle movements, either front or rear, predominantly, but not both with the same intensity. Given these dynamics, M&M is able to use a slightly harder suspension, reducing the extent of rebound.

Last edited by 84.monsoon : 14th March 2023 at 22:22.
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Old 15th March 2023, 07:55   #23
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Re: Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT

Congratulations to you for completing 1 year in the Thar.

Regarding the windshield crack. I have driven 66k in 1 and half year I have got it changed once just because I had an impact of stone on the highway which was noticeable, other than that Thars in our group have faced windshield cracking because of the impact from an outside object. I can very well say that it’s not a manufacturing defect from Mahindra.

Regarding the bumpiness while driving alone, I have driven the vehicle mostly alone …what you can do is Keep the tyre pressure high at the front and 2 points lower than the front e.g I keep 33 at front and 31 at rear and it resolves my problem of bumpiness. Though not a comparison to the sedans you have but still as you said first choice car for highways and traffic ridden cities.

Congratulations to you once again and all the best for lots of more mile munching and pleasant road experiences.
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Old 15th March 2023, 17:49   #24
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Re: Our First SUV | The Mighty Mahindra Thar Diesel AT

Excellent! How do you keep the black Thar so shining - did you fix PPF, or do ceramic coating?

The red seat covers look very exciting too. Where did you get them from?

Thanks so much

Quote:
Originally Posted by NTO View Post

1 year and ~19000 km with the Thar



Thar completed one year with us on 18th February. It has been nothing but a very pleasant experience so far. Everyone in our family loves the Thar and it has never failed to put a smile every time we drive it around.
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