The good and bad of the Mahindra Thar petrol AT Hard Top

Checked out a friend's Petrol AT LX Hard top variant last week. We had the previous gen Thar in family, so I was pretty excited to check this one.

BHPian AutoNoob recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Checked out a friend's Petrol AT LX Hard top variant last week. We had the previous gen Thar in family, so I was pretty excited to check this one.

Lot has been discussed about this Thar, so I'll stick to the points that stood out most w.r.t. our old one.

Good

• Miles ahead of previous generation in every aspect.
• Petrol version has really really good NVH. Standing outside, tappet sound was slightly on higher side compared to other petrol engines, but nothing concerning.
• Pulls excellently from standstill; gear shifts, though noticeable, are well calibrated.
• Steering has good weight to it, the way I like it. Earlier steering was bit too light for me.
• Suspension is much more matured, even at rear seat.

Bad

• The transmission can be shifted from Parking to Reverse to Neutral to Drive without pressing down on brake. The vehicle starts to move forward or reverse immediately. This can catch the first timers with this vehicle off-guard.

Not so good

• Getting in-out of rear seat is bit of task. But it feels easy after couple of tries. And I weigh more than 100 kg, with 5' 8" height. So, should be much better for leaner folks and kids. Strictly no, for elderly or ladies in saree.
• The movement of mode selector lever (gear lever) is not smooth as in other ATs that I have driven. It feels notchy and is more audible. Not sure if this is the correct way to describe it, but I didn't like the feel.
• This vehicle had its share of quality issues with just 10,000 kms on ODO. And I noticed these within 15 mins that I spent apart from driving.

AC vent knobs have broken, dealer is checking if the vents can be replaced under warranty.

Passenger seat trim has started to come off. This is the area where people tend to hold the seat while pulling it down to access rear seat.

Rubber beading on B-Pillar has become loose.

Trim on the cage pipe at rear is misaligned.

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