Mahindra Thar diesel MT ownership: Pros, cons, reactions & experience

Fuel efficiency on the highway has been consistently above 14 km/l.

BHPian airguitar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My turn to post a summary of my experience after about 3 weeks of owning the vehicle.

Booking and Delivery

• Booked mid-Feb 2022 @ Sireesh Bommanahalli, Deep Grey, Manual, LX, Diesel, Hardtop variant bought.
• Given how their products are flying off the shelves, no mollycoddling of me on their part and no discounts, no nothing
• Delivery on time - not a day less, not a day more ( 4.5 months waiting period )
• Good guidance on accessories. Chose only the Steering wrap, Mudcaps, rubber and carpet maps and the reverse camera
• Paperwork, fast tags etc were quick and had no-hassles
• They arranged for an inspection pre-registration at the Singasandra yard
• Overall very good experience buying

The immediate-post purchase notes

1. Vehicles are not too difficult to drive in the cities and narrow spots
2. I thought that the spare wheel would hinder the IRVM view, yes a little bit, but not too much
3. I had driven a friend's Thar for about 400-500 km before my purchase - so the dynamics, and seating comfort (or the lack thereof) were all well-known. I knew exactly what I was getting into.
4. As many have said, the vehicle guarantees a second look from most, never mind that it has been in the market for a while now

Reactions from others and responses

• "You should have waited for Scorpio-N". Yeah sure, new car, long waiting periods (1 year? or 2 years?), niggles and the first round of issues to grin and bear?
• "You could have waited for the 5-door Thar or a facelift that attends to the issues raised" - No. This is not meant to be a family car. And I'm happy with the way it is. Yeah, five doors would make it better for the rear-row, but see, I need the vehicle now and not count on something for which there is no date announced in the first place.
• "You should have bought a soft top". Yeah sure, remember every time when you ask me to give you a hand to fix the soft top on your car when it rains? And who's going to do the cleaning up of the interiors after each trip?
• "You should have gotten the Automatic" Yeah, I did feel that I should have got an automatic briefly, especially when 'hired' bikes with noob riders or delivery bikers cut across the car with a slender 2mm gap; they simply don't understand that this vehicle will not stop at a split second notice. Most of my drives are highway runs - so I can overlook the city part. So overall, I think I got the combination/variant right.
• "It's not a family car - why did you buy it?" It's for ME and for my/wife and me. I retain the other monocoque - a comfortable cross-over I have, to ensure comfort for the elders at home.
• "You should have bought the red or black" - Red yes, but it's my favourite, but not my family's. Black yes, but difficult to maintain. Deep grey is a nice compromise, looks good and you cannot distinguish it from black immediately especially when the vehicle is new.
• "Are you going to use it that much really? Or is it just for the 'My-Beast' Photo-op on social media?" I know that it will not be used for hard off-roading or even "inorganic" soft-roading. It will be used in the city, the highways, some rank bad country roads and hopefully sometime in the Himalayas. The vehicle was bought for the experience it would give over the years and not for entertainment or as a toy. It will be driven a lot and the last drop of juice will be extracted from it over the time of my ownership - like all of my other cars. They have done 6-digit odo or more or close to 6 digits - I stick to them through the thick and the thin. This one though will take a lot more time to get there on the odo though.

Initial driving experiences

• Should have read the manual first, but took a few minutes to understand the 4WD gear shifts ( when to press the gear lever and shift and when not to). It's also worth noting that most QA/Mechanics/Service advisors struggle with this gear too - it isn't something that a lot of people are conversant with as it's not used that frequently.
• Vehicle stable at max legal speeds in India, i.e. 110-120 km/h. Doesn't leave it wanting.
• Can't expect to brake hard - so it has taught me more discipline on doing steady speeds, relying on engine braking more and not switching lanes frequently
• No quick overtaking or manoeuvres to overtake vehicles - you have to plan a bit more (just a bit more)
• For a hefty fellow like me my butt hurts a little bit after long drives, so have had to get a foam cushion.
• Have driven up to 500 km on a stretch and yes, it strains a few muscles at the end of the day, but not too bad. The body will get adjusted to it.
• The vehicle has done some 1800 km in these 3 weeks. Highway FE has been consistently above 14 (so on all the three trips I have done, it showed between 14.1 to 14.2 measured full tank to full tank. Ecosense on Mahindra shows a little more than these numbers - e.g around 15). On a mixed run of 1400 km (400 in the city, 1000 on highways), the FE dropped to around 12.5
• "Mind the front", in sharp/tight spots like my apartment's basement, I have to mind the long front when turning ( as opposed to my previous cars where I had to mind the rear end of the car when turning ).
• Overall, happy with the machine, exactly what I wanted.

The ups

• Fabulous engine, nothing beats the roar of the engine and the raw power it brings
• High seating position, you're just short of seeing the Volvo bus driver in the next lane eye-to-eye
• Can take the worst of roads. Hey, it can take Bangalore's potholes and speed-breakers too pretty well.
• Sturdy feeling and a composed driving manner
• Good FE (esp on the Diesel Manual)
• Excellent service, response and support from Mahindra, ORA and its network. Fortunate to have players like Sireesh, IG and PPS and all within short distances from my place. They have some really good mechanics and they understand the vehicles well.

The downs

(Might need some answers from the community where applicable.)

• At 55kms on the ODO, the wires were chewed up by rats twice. I had to get it towed once due to engine temperature diagnostic failing and OBD being on too; and then when all the brake diagnostics failed ( HDC, HHC, ABS). Both times India Garage at ITPL did a good job of repairing immediately despite their workload. The ORS of Mahindra was also prompt. Now have a 3M spray/coating done in the engine bay and as well as near the tyres. And then raw tobacco leaves tied. That reminds me to put out the location of the shop that sells it so it's useful for others. No more rats since then and hope it stays that way.
• The first service was done at Sireesh Marathahalli and there was nothing major to address.
• The A/C leaks as some have said. It leaves a vapour on the outside of the windshield's middle and lower end. Doesn't seem to have been addressed during servicing ( they couldn't replicate it)
• The vehicle loses traction when it goes over even small potholes at 40-50 km/h, esp at turnings. Couldn't be replicated during service/road test. The same thing happens when I brake hard.
• N to 4L shifts are very hard. Couldn't be improved beyond a point during service
• A bit more cabin noise than I would have hoped for [ both vibrations and the noise of rubber riding the road ]
• A/C lacks fine control - the fan speeds and temperature are not gradual. Even at the first speed, it feels like some let loose a tornado.
• Wiper swipes unpredictable at Speed-1. Sometimes swipes correctly, sometimes doesn't return even after a minute. Causes a lot of frustration. Again couldn't be replicated during service, but the moment I went on my drive, I could see it.
• The right side driver window at night reflects vehicles on the left due to its non-curved nature. At night it's so common to get shaken to see something on your right and then only realize that it's the vehicle on your left. This is very irritating.
• Cramped footwell on the driver's side - my sneakers routinely rub against the plastics at the end, my sneakers also touch the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal at the same time if I don't take extra care.
• Rubber brushing against something at highspeed turns. This happens on the front right wheel. Again could not be replicated. What do you expect when all service stations in Bangalore are bang in the middle of traffic zones - there is no good place to go for a good road test.
• Creaking noise on the right rear wheel. Has reduced after service
• Overall, this is my first car with "fit and finish" type of problems even before the first service. I now realize some of the things that a Hyundai gives to its customers and why they matter. Some of the issues are also difficult to replicate/reproduce at the service station and sometimes it's frustrating.
• I sorely miss the rear wiper. The defogger alone isn't good enough for me.
• Ergonomics issues - buttons not placed at the right heights or directions. Simple things such as "time" I have to look for it like a needle in the haystack - there could have been a clock that shows time in large fonts.
• Failure to connect via Bluetooth and or/Android Auto. When it works, it works well. When it doesn't, which is at least once in two to three days, I go mad. I have to reinstall Android Auto on the phone and try out different tricks like a monkey. They flashed the software this time but said they will need to upgrade if the problem persists.
• The vehicle is difficult to wash - especially the area under the bumper and its nooks and crannies - takes a lot of time to clean up.

Closing notes:

1. Would I have bought another car if I were to have a second chance? A big NO. Love the car and it satisfies the purposes I bought it for. Very few cars provide that experience at that price point. It gives me the experiences I need. It's also made me a bit more technical with cars than I have ever been.
2. I expect that the niggles will go away/be corrected after a bit. So beyond the initial "coming to terms" with it, I'm more accustomed to dealing with it.
3. I love it every bit like a parent would a smart but cantankerous kid - "it's theirs" and "it provides a sense of fulfilment". And my kids love the car too and it's been a great experience for them already and some stories that they can retain in their memories.
4. Can't wait to take it to Bimbra for a few fittings - though will not do anything too fancy or just cosmetic. I would love a better seat/seat cover, LED headlamps and fog lamps and perhaps a sliding window for the hardtop ( which I don't know if will void the warranty, so will have to check )

Separately, I have the 3+1 extended warranty. Would you suggest I take it for the fifth year too? At 17.4k is it worth having it?

Thank you to everyone that replied on the Manual Transmission SUV thread and also @condor, @cool_dube and others that pitched with inputs over phone calls.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.