[The Wolf]

Khan bhai, great review!!!

[MileCruncher]

Tejas and Khan saab, amazing review. Detailed, unbiased and crisp rasing the pros and cons. After reading the review, I'm thoroughly confused and not sure anymore whether my cheque book will come out or not.

@Xinger and 2500CC: The rear is slightly raised in the THAR in the similar fashion as in the Bolero. This is courtesy the arch angle of the leaf and is done to prevent sagging of the rear on application of load. This shouldn't be too pronounced unless when parked on a down slope.

Cheers

[fiat_tarun]

Superb Review guys. One of the best i've ever read. Team-bhp has raised the bar once again.

The mechanicals package has been taken care of very well, but the interiors are like 10 years behind. Just a simple dash with proper fit and finish would have been fine.

[Ricky_63]

Glad the review gets out the flaws as well as the strong points.

So we all agrree that without an A/C & hardtop it'd not sell in the North - as the climate would not make it a viable option. Also agree that the cabin quality leaves a LOT to be desired. A LOT

Hope the M&M top honchos are listening. If you can correct that - I can assure you that you will sell the THAR in double digits a month if not more...




Cheers & all the best

[mjothi]

I know I am repeating what all said.

Khan & Tejas, wonderful review.

Just curious, what was the reaction from the M&M on seeing these broken bumper etc?

[DKG]

Its reviews like this which will always uphold the core values of this forum as a enthusiast's forum ! Great job guys.

Loved the Thar in that colour. Looks hot and I agree the metallic seems to suit it.

Its disappointing to read about the poor quality interior. Even if it were spartan it should have looked smart. Meters on a metal dash look smart, this could have been so much better.

You know its interesting that when Ford launched the Fusion they tried to peg it like a lifestyle adventure seeking family vehicle. It failed miserably as no one would have attempted to take a Fusion offroad even on trails. They will the Thar.

Like I mentioned somewhere else, this is THE car which will open the lives of many Indian families to a more outdoor lifestyle. Its a fun car to have, to take part in MGE type of events where you could enjoy the wilderness without really worrying about breaking the car.

Its a great expedition vehicle. I would love to do my Himalayan exploration in a Thar ! I am getting ideas....

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by mjothi

Just curious, what was the reaction from the M&M on seeing these broken bumper etc?

Ask GTO what his reaction was inspite of preparations

Originally Posted by DKG

Its a great expedition vehicle. I would love to do my Himalayan exploration in a Thar ! I am getting ideas....

Go for it!

[.anshuman]

Brilliant Review Khan and Tejas!!

I like the pricing of the Thar but Dealer options like AC, Hardtop, Lockers/LSD etc should have been available from day 1.

[pjbiju]

Fantastic review Tejas and Khan. Rated 5 star.

My observations

• The adaptive plate holding the dashboard and the bracket connecting the roll over bar to the B pillar and many more such parts reminds me of the word "jugaad". It is high time we dump that attitude.
• The inner side of the tail gate should have been given a cover. It looks so crude from the inside with all those welded reinforcements and bolt heads.
• The dashboard looks like an after thought. Did M&M even use their Rapid Prototyping machine for any of the interior components of the Thar?
• The exposed wires and other stuff on the passenger side is abominable.
• The stereo housing looks totally disconnected from the rest of the dashboard design.

If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well or not at all. I guess BD & Team worked hard on getting the mechanicals and dynamics of the vehicle right. And they did well in that. The interiors look like they were left to the people on the assembly line to fit anything they could find. Totally disappointing interiors for a lifestyle vehicle costing so much.

[robinson.s]

Khan & Tejas,

Well written, and a wounder review
For a potential buyer this write up could be a deciding factor.

My observations:

Its an absolute power pack machine and a superb cruiser on tarmac, but too early to comment as complete off road machine for 4x4 sports utility.

For a regular plantation drive, will be worth the price, but for OTR's with additional mods its little expensive.

As an offroader, few things blocks my mind at this stage.

IFS - Recurring maintenance / damage the axles under extreme pressure.
Low clearance in front.
Reliability of the sensors under water crossing.

Waiting to see it perform with all set of modification in a extreme off road track.

Regards

[raul]

What a review! this is pure awesomeness! Even though I am not planning to get a Thar anytime soon the review is so thorough and precise one can't help but be mesmerized by the sheer passion of the reviewers and the attention to detail. I am truly blown away. And the pics are breathtaking, I have really enjoyed reading this.

I am impressed by Behram and his team's work on this, we have been reading his comments, and the rest of the team's but its only after reading the review that one grasps the effort that has gone into this. Sure Thar could have been better and there are shortcomings but from an engineering standpoint they seem to have nearly nailed it.

I am sure they had their own internal challenges to bring this to market, in a corporate setup with all the different forces at work it takes a lot of passion and persistence to bring your dream alive.

I see a lot of potential and can appreciate the value it can provide. I am definitely curious to drive the Thar and see for myself how usable it can be for a daily drive.

[AVR]

Awesome review guys. While the engine is an awesome selling point, even LSD (or Diff Locks) not being standard offering on the most off-road-lifestyle-centric vehicle so far in India is a bit disappointing.

About customization, doesn't that black South African Thar have a lift kit? If yes, that should be a good starting point for better articulation.

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

The Adventure wears 31" tyres and has a higher GC (Tejas is showing the difference via his hand position). The clearance between the wheel arches & tyres is substantially more in the Adventure version:

Not sure if I understand the above correctly. Unless something is different mechanically, wouldn't bigger tyres (Adventure) have lesser clearance than the Stock version?

[star_aqua]

Is this rust??


for this quality, the price should be reduced or the quality should have been maintained.
lets wait for improved version V2 with same pricing

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by AVR

About customization, doesn't that black South African Thar have a lift kit? If yes, that should be a good starting point for better articulation.

Dont jump in, Behram himself had cautioned us somewhere about lifts. Allen has pains with tyre wear on the lifted scorp. BLR boys have seen what can really go wrong. So unless tried and tested desist from such mods, atleast at this point of time.

Originally Posted by AVR

Not sure if I understand the above correctly. Unless something is different mechanically, wouldn't bigger tyres (Adventure) have lesser clearance than the Stock version?

I think this has to do more with the alloys (offset) and who knows it might be slightly tweaked with lift

Originally Posted by star_aqua

Is this rust??

Sharp eyes, i noticed it and wondering who was going to catch it first. There are more stuff if one has to really nit pic. But sell it 100-75 k INR less i will look the other way around.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by GTO

...
PRICE: I still think that the Thar is well-priced. For a mere 70,000 over the Gypsy, I get a diesel engine + power steering + better ride quality. C'mon, you really can't expect a modern Jeep with a common-rail engine for less than 5.99 lakhs ex-showroom.

Fully agree on this BUT at this price point an A/C & HT are essential. It is the specs & the quality of fit-n-finish that makes it look overpriced.

One more point: You will struggle to find parts that Mahindra has made 'exclusively' for the Thar. It is a perfect example of reuse at it's best. So, the costs associated with developing the Thar would be quite low and hence they should have invested in A/C & Hardtop atleast with half decent interiors.

What the Thar offers (in terms of onroad + offroad balance) simply doesn't exist in the market today.

Yes. That is the USP of this vehicle.

Originally Posted by psbali

..How is the turning radius of the car??

The specs mention 5.25mts. We found it very comfortable -- and that is aided by the super light & responsive power steering.

Originally Posted by Samurai

...
PS: Some said diesel tank didn't have lock, but I see the keyhole in the diesel tank cap.

yes, it has a proper lockable fuel cap

Originally Posted by Jaggu

....

For me as a general buyer (keeping the offroader in me away), when i visit the showroom, i expect few things minimum, if i have to sign a cheque for 7.3 lakhs. Phew!

- Good quality interiors, either old school bare bone stuff. If thats not possible according to CMVR, give me decent plastics, similar to that comes in hatch's
- AC (make this a wish list, but still at this price??)
- Hard/er top which can be locked

Yes. Give this an A/C & Hardtop and this thing will fly off showrooms.

Originally Posted by 2500cc

...
@M&M: The quality of interiors, A.C and Hardtop are the deal breakers for me and I think the case is same with many of the Thar buyers (read lifestyle buyers). ...

Yes. What you mention would be deal breakers for a LOT of lifestyle buyers. Customers in that segment do care about the things you have mentioned. I wish some wise folks in M&M realize this and do something about it.

Originally Posted by IronWolf

2) Did the Cat-converter or whatever it is hanging between the wheels get knocked a bit or a lot during the OTR?
3) As Solid Axle owners... did you feel the Articulation of the Thar was
a) negligibly less b) less or c) atrociously less
than the Solid Axle counterparts?
4) When is the MDi report out? ..

2) No. not even once
3) I, personally, felt it to be less. It did not inspire confidence in doing the obstacles. The fact that IFS is there and the associated damages it can cause was always at the back of the mind.
4) No idea

Originally Posted by Rach

... There is no other vehicle this side of 10lacs that offers, exterior looks to die for, diesel engine, 104BHP, decent highway cruise and with 90% off-road capabilities. Damn with interiors ,I for one, will buy it with closed eyes when I save enough money for this object of desire.

Fully agree. it is a very fun to drive car. Give me A/C & Hardtop at this price point with half decent interiors and I will be in queue to make this my daily drive city car

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

...With the suspension set up, it is best to avoid rocky tracks as the front suspension and other components will get damaged.

Yes. The IFS would always play at the back of your mind.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

...
BTW, what was that squeaking noise from? Broken wheel bearing?

No idea. But for sure it was not from any broken part. It felt like a typical jeep squeaking noise after an OTR :-)

Originally Posted by Xinger

...
One question that springs to mind is - does the Thar seem a little front heavy? In this pic the front seems to be 'stooping' lower than the rear.

On the previous thread allan had mentioned that this could be because of the weight of the winch on the Adventure variant, but the stock version seems to have the same problem! Is it the weight of the engine or the IFS (or that ridiculous bullbar) which is the cause of this?

Yes, it does stoop to the front

Originally Posted by Somaiah88

If only M&M concentrated a little more on anthropometry and basic quality...... sad!

Some of you might say, who care about interior quality?? if it does well off-road, i will be content.

How much of off roading will you guys be doing? if you will be using the Thar as a daily commute vehicle, you are bound to be stuck in traffic and then you will notice the interior quality, the fit and finish, the poor ergonomics.

A good concept but poor planning.

Yes. the appalling interiors will ruin ones experience of the otherwise wonderful Thar every time you will see them -- day in and out.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

...
So we all agrree that without an A/C & hardtop it'd not sell in the North - as the climate would not make it a viable option. Also agree that the cabin quality leaves a LOT to be desired. A LOT

Hope the M&M top honchos are listening. If you can correct that - I can assure you that you will sell the THAR in double digits a month if not more...

If M&M addresses the weak points of this car, believe me it can be a sleeper hit and can fly of showrooms. There is a market for such a product but with good quality fit-n-finish & basic security/comfort features.

Originally Posted by pjbiju

....If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well or not at all. I guess BD & Team worked hard on getting the mechanicals and dynamics of the vehicle right. And they did well in that. The interiors look like they were left to the people on the assembly line to fit anything they could find. Totally disappointing interiors for a lifestyle vehicle costing so much.

Yes, the team that worked on the mechanicals has done a good job but the interior team has single handedly managed to undo their great work -- atleast for a lot of the potential customers.

Originally Posted by AVR

.....Not sure if I understand the above correctly. Unless something is different mechanically, wouldn't bigger tyres (Adventure) have lesser clearance than the Stock version?

Look at the pictures of the adventure & stock Thar again carefully. In the adventure version, the plastic attachments to the metal is at a level and in the stock one, the bolero fenders are attached to the metal wheel arch and they reduce the clearance. Infact, if you remove that bolero plastic fender, you will get ~2"+ of space for wheel travel.

So, this is what makes the difference in clearance..!!!