Got tumble-fold rear seats in my Thar: Other functional upgrades

Some of these features should have come as standard in the SUV, enhancing its go-anywhere characteristics.

BHPian shankar.balan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Small additional work on my Thar. I would consider these essential functional enhancements.

1. Tumble-fold rear seats. This makes for a more usable cargo bay area. This is from Azad 4x4 Bangalore and was executed by them neatly in 2 hours. They remove the seat. Introduce a pair of hinged plates to allow for the tumble. No drilling etc. Just using the existing seat securing holes. Replacing the OEM Bolts with these simple easy-to-use T-Bolts as shown. The seat bottom area where the sponge is exposed is covered easily with a piece of carpet with velcro. It imparts a clean look. The actual tumble-folded seat rests most of its weight on the vehicle floor. And will be secure when the cargo bay has luggage in it. The bungee cord stays are merely for additional stability so that it doesn't fall back. It doesn't exert heavy strain on the front seat headrest. The only headache is to get there and back which was quite a trek for me.
2. Silencer end-can guard - mild steel. Will protect from roots, small rocks and stone hits. This is from Swastik Fabs. Executed at Auto Style Koramangala.
3. Another thing people do is the dead pedal for AT vehicles. This is a bad idea for a tall person. It eats up vital 5-6 inches of footwell space in the already cramped Thar footwell which otherwise could be used to stretch one’s foot and be relatively comfortable. I tried fitting it but immediately had it removed because it will actually be a disadvantage for me rather than an enhancement.

Mahindra has copied so much from Jeep Wrangler. But they copied everything in a very ‘surface’ manner. Had they done a little more diligence they could have copied all the lovely functional bits also nicely. Tumble-fold seats and creative storage and armrests all come standard in the Wrangler. They ought to have come standard in the Thar too. After all, it professes to be your super functional go-anywhere adventure vehicle.

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