News

Why I bought a Mahindra Thar diesel MT: 8 months & 17,000 km

31st May 2022, 14:41 by Rahul Nagaraj

It’s a full-blooded SUV, don’t expect it to be as comfortable as your Honda City.

BHPian WemaKadphises recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The Story of Ronin - My Thar

Friends, It has been 8 months since I have had Ronin- Mahindra Thar (LX diesel, HT, MT).

For those of you who have a liking for Japanese movies, you may know that a Ronin is a masterless Samurai in feudal Japan, wandering from city to city and mountain to mountain, seeking purpose in life. That is why I have named my Thar as such, as I feel the vehicle is a misfit- not comfortable enough for full families, not a great mileage muncher while having a distinct character of its own.

This is my only and primary vehicle, and after clocking 17,000 kilometres, I feel confident enough to write a brief personal review which may be helpful to those who are still sitting on the fence regarding the Thar. Mine is the LX diesel, HT, MT, with the galaxy grey shade.

Why did I jump on the Thar bandwagon?

Ever since I was a young boy, the only vehicles that would catch my fancy would be jeeps in their various avatars, modified MM550s and 540s, quirky Willys, and Mahindras. Even before I was mature enough to know the finer details of automobiles, the rugged nature of jeeps and their go-anywhere attitude fascinated me.
Comfortable crossovers like Cretas, Xuvs etc (I refuse to call non-4*4 cars SUVs) are better for families, but I needed a vehicle solely for my own usage, with occasional co-passengers.
There have been numerous incidents in the past decade or so since I have been driving, that I was sitting in a sedan or crossover, and got stranded due to mud, a berm near an under-construction highway, waterlogging etc, old-school Thar or Bolero just cruised ahead. It made me think- one doesn’t need to go to mountains and rural terrains, proper off-road environments exist in our metropolises.
I wanted a tall vehicle which navigated potholes and undulating roads with equal panache, and was, therefore, willing to forego butter-smooth ride quality.

My Driving Experience

The Thar is not a normal car by any means, it’s a full-blooded SUV, don’t expect it to be as comfortable as your Honda City, and driving the Thar gives a great commanding view of the road which I think makes me a better driver.
As soon as the roads go bad, you will thank yourself for investing in the Thar, as it can take immense punishment, and its height helps wade through urban waterlogging on roads, and muddy or dusty trails that dot the side roads in our cities and towns.
The air conditioning works fine in the North Indian heat, although I can’t say it is the best.
Brakes are not as bad as the reviews make them out to be, I feel they are more gradual as the Thar is a heavy vehicle. In fact last month, I narrowly missed a major collision when two Ubers crashed into each other just 100 metres ahead of me, I applied the brakes hard and the car stopped in time to save my life.
You will immediately get used to the body roll, and I do not feel I notice it anymore.
Fuel efficiency of the diesel mill hovers around 12-14, although I admit I have never tried the tank-to-tank method.
I love the placement of the speakers on the roof.

Conclusion

I feel a lot of folks are buying the Thar solely for its looks, and some will get bored of its brutish nature and lack of creature comforts, especially now that the novelty factor is gone. I had the opposite goal- getting a tough and go-anywhere real 4*4 SUV within my budget (16 large Gandhis) and the Thar beautifully fulfils this niche. Every single day when I see my Ronin standing in the basement parking, I chuckle to myself and wish for rain so I can take it out for a spin, or some random errand where I need to cross potholes.

Update:

I also wanted to add a few more points for friends who are considering purchasing this car.

It won't please everyone around you- be ready for snarky remarks by friends who will admonish you for buying a 2 door monstrosity for such a steep price. Sometimes this gets annoying and unnerving. The rear seats are not that bad for fit folks, but won't be as comfortable as a sedan. I simply don't listen to naysayers.

If you redefine comfort- as I did, as the Thar can take you places where only other 4*4s can go, you will feel vindicated about your decision and enjoy every moment of your ownership. Maybe the Gurkha is the only competitor at this price point, but somehow I personally don't like the aesthetics of it.

I'm attaching a few clicks from a forest trail in Northern India, where I truly felt the Thar was in its natural habitat, there was slight rain, and the forest tracks were riddled with occasional muddy and slippery patches- and the Jeep didn't break a sweat!

I engaged the 4 wheel drive only twice here, just to see how it works, as I was climbing over a muddy road with a steep incline and another time to cross a flooded trail. Both times the 4H worked like a charm.

So far I haven't had the opportunity to do any serious off-road expeditions on it, but I'm confident that will happen this year. The compact length of the vehicle is a boon in cities, as it is super easy to park, sometimes at angles where normal cars will get stuck.

Whenever I visit my native in rural U.P, I encounter the very roads for which the Thar is designed for- kaccha (brick) tracks, which sometimes look like martian craters, and here you need to reduce speed and drive with confidence. The way the large wheels articulate over potholes is impressive if you keep your speeds low.

The manual diesel is fun to drive, the gears are a bit long but smooth, and the clutch is super light for such a big vehicle. I did not opt for the automatic as it was a bit expensive, and honestly, I felt the manual was more fun for my driving style.

I have driven it multiple times for 700 km runs between Delhi and Lucknow, and honestly, I never feel tired, as driving it is sheer pleasure, granted that you know the limitations of the vehicle, drive it up to 100 km/h as it is not a speed machine.

The android auto works well but has the odd disconnecting error. The trick is to ensure that your phone is connected to android auto before beginning any trip, and that may take a few restarts of the engine. Once detected, the android auto works fine for hours. I have adjusted to its quirky nature though.

I am a very sedate and relaxed driver, but I feel with the Thar very few people will try to bully you on the roads with excessive honking and intimidation tactics to cut in line at toll plazas (trucks, buses, police and career criminals are of course an exception!).