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Checked out the Thar Roxx & test drove the diesel AT: My observations

21st October 2024, 10:46 by Dev Shah

The electric steering wheel was an absolute delight, and I am happy Mahindra brought this for their family-friendly iteration of the Thar.

BHPian SithDefender recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

So today I went to take my first test drive. Impressed !!

Don't they look beautiful together? Actually - no, the 3 Door looks much more proportioned. But a Thar is a Thar, even one designed to avoid certain punishment from annoyed American lawyers.

Mahindra has reserved quite a few things only on the AX7L version. This includes ventilated seats unfortunately (not available in AX5L) - which are a deal-breaker in this climate. And folding side mirrors too - since when did this become a luxury reserved only for top variants ? Then, the glovebox is way too tiny in the AX5 because half the space is eaten by the speakers! It is better in AX7 (which has a full-size glovebox) but then there is no space in the doors for even a small water bottle because of the damn speakers again. Mahindra, I am thirsting for the Thar, but have mercy on me because I don't want to be thirsty inside the car!

I didn't feel the thigh support was low at the driver side. The brake pedal is quite large and feels a little too close to the accelerator, but this is not a big concern. The dead pedal was comfortable too. It seems the AX5 lacks the aluminium foot pedals of the AX7. The left thigh does not hit anything, while the right is slightly constrained by the thick door pad with the buttons. While driving, though, this was not an issue since I do not splay my legs on the go like a monkey. So, no complaints there.

I used the electronic parking brake and just loved the convenience. The hazard light is also a toggle button on the array of toggles in the center, unlike the button in most cars.

I noted with some satisfaction that the centre armrest at the rear was at a good height. The spare tyre is also the same size (18" for AX5 19" for AX7) as the other tyres, except it comes in steel and not alloys.

Again, it is good to see 3 seatbelts at the rear, as well as a centre passenger headrest. And thank God the seatbelt for the middle passenger does not descend from the roof. The seatbelts at the rear were kept in their buckles, so there were no irritating alerts at all. I had read that they chime (just like in the Jimny, for a long time) on startup when no one is seated at the rear.

Now it was time to actually drive the car at last. Walking up to it, I saw a a splash of dirt on the front door. On any other car, this would be horrible. But on the Thar, it is just another embellishment !

They said only the petrol has the drive modes available. So there is only a single digital style for the diesel AX7L 4x2 that I test drove.

You get a wonderful view of the road ahead. The sunroof in the AX7L was truly large and went behind the rear passengers, bringing in copious amounts of light. The opening of the panoramic roof, as well as the opening of the front glass section of the sunroof, were both one-touch - you press a button and release your finger and the thing opens. I had seen a video where a reviewer was complaining you have to keep pressing it open, but that was not what we saw today.

The electric steering wheel was an absolute delight, and I am happy Mahindra brought this for their family-friendly iteration of the Thar. The large windows on all sides aid in easy maneuvering in any situation, with or without a 360 degree camera. On the highway, little things like the views from the side cameras on the central console itself were very, very convenient and hard to say no to in this AX7 version.

The diesel was smooth and brought a huge grin to the face. The noise insulation and general NVH was also excellent. At around 78 kph, a whistling appeared from the driver ORVM. The gearbox was also excellent - it was not as lightning quick as the VW/Skoda DSGs (or perhaps the Hyundai/Kia dual clutch automatics), but the Torque converter was plenty refined and pliant. When I wanted to overtake, the power was there. And when I reached the foot of a slope, it slipped into first gear and got up without much drama or protest either. Perfect!

The ride was superb. It is supposed to rock and sway a little bit over bad sections, that is what makes it a Thar. It is not supposed to be a Porsche! It dampened bad bumps and road undulations very well. Even under sudden stops, I didnt notice much nose dive except for really late panic stops. But the suspension at speed is very very good and really heavy and flattened the roads.

Did you notice the easter egg on the rear tailgate window?