[jay3sh]

As requested here are a few more pictures

Nicely done Thar. Nothing beats a well maintained black Thar IMO.

I don't own a Thar (yet ) but I happened to rent this vehicle in Goa for a couples of days last month. The thing I realised on driving the Thar is that it should not be and cannot be compared to other vehicles in the Market (except the gypsy, I will choose to skip the Gurkha). Its a Jeep, period. Not luxury not practical but PURE FUN.

[johy]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

Congrats bro. Your Thar is looking very neat and cool. Can you please put some close up pics of the front facing rear seats??

Hey thanks man. Here are a couple of pictures from my cellphone. The seats have a velcro strap under then and they can be folded up and anchored to the roll-over bar when you need the extra space. 99% of the time they are down. Mostly kids at the back and they prefer to enter the jeep from the front (gap between the seats). I a looking for a good solution like making the co-driver's seats foldable.

The seat covers are rexine ones from AutoKame (perforated at body contact points). I wanted a bright color which seems to go well with the beige dashboard.

Originally Posted by Ksingh544

Hi Johy,

thought i'd take your input on the choice of alloys. Since i am planning to stick with the stock tyres (235/70 R16) for now. What size alloy would you recommend?

thanks

Kundan

I think you can go with 16 x 8J or 7.5 J, 8J would accomodate wider tires for future upgrades, which can't be a bad thing. :-)

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Thats a nice looking Jeep you have.I will not recommend the black magic,they do not perform upto mark as they are purely aesthetic. I will anyday recommend the Hella Rallye 3003 (which I am using as of now).
Btw the ones you are using now are the 3003 compacts.AFAIK there is no HElla 500 compact?

Hey Rakesh, you are right. They are 3003 compacts. And yes even the accessories shop told me that the Black Magic ones are not too good, so I am sticking with these.

Originally Posted by jay3sh

Nicely done Thar. Nothing beats a well maintained black Thar IMO.



I don't own a Thar (yet ) but I happened to rent this vehicle in Goa for a couples of days last month. The thing I realised on driving the Thar is that it should not be and cannot be compared to other vehicles in the Market (except the gypsy, I will choose to skip the Gurkha). Its a Jeep, period. Not luxury not practical but PURE FUN.

No comparison. Great fun-to-drive vehicle. The vehicle everyone wanted to buy, but were forbidden to.

[swapnesh]

Hi, Thanks for the details and pics - very informative! I've bought a Thar (Rocky Beige) just a couple of weeks back and here's my quick review.

I'm not really an off-roader or a petrolhead like you folks - but always liked the jeep. We had a petrol Verna and Getz for quite a while. We changed the Getz to get a Polo and instead of going for another sedan or compact SUV I finally went for the Thar to replace the Verna. My experience:

Bought it at India Garage, St. Marks Road. Process was pretty smooth - was provided a TD first time of asking and maneuvered it through MG Road, Brigade Road and Church Street which was a good proof of driveability in the city. Booked it and then received the car 2 weeks after booking it. Did the PDI before registration and everything was handled well - showroom was pretty professional.

Have driven about 500 km so far, in Bangalore which offers quite a bit of off-roading experience, especially in Whitefield .

Likes:

The whole 'Jeep' look, obviously
Commanding view with the high seating position.
Engine is pretty smooth and reasonably responsive
Steering is light and easy to use. I have to make an extremely acute U-turn to reach my home everyday, and had no issues doing it without backing up.
Gearbox is ok - I find it notchy sometimes, but overall it's fine once you get used to the slots.
Brakes - I was aware after reading the forums that they are not great - so am a bit conscious to keep some more distance from the front vehicle at higher speeds - but have not really noticed any significant usability issue.
Soft-top is fun, yes it makes a noise above 60km/h, but not too bad. I am still undecided w.r.t a hard-top, I rather like the soft-top look.
For the front passenger and driver, the ride is fine - not much to complain about. Rear passengers little more bumpy, but manageable .. and mostly reserved for my son who should be able to rough it out a bit!
Overall, pretty satisfied and has put a smile on my family's face and indeed most people who ride it!

Dislikes:
The B-Pillar really reduces visibility if you want to look at something on an adjoining road. The side view mirrors are fine (I've put an additional mirror to track two-wheelers getting close to the left side).
Rear visibility is also limited. I would have liked to put a rear-camera, especially since I live in an apartment with kids running around. Seems it's not such an easy job so I've decided against it. The only thing I do now is that I always park with the back against the wall everywhere so that when I take it out I don't have to reverse.

Modifications, accessories:

Right now, I've just added an insect mesh and a single front-facing rear seat. I know that is a bit odd, but I thought from a use-case perspective. My family is a 3 member one and my 90 drives will be typically like this:

40% - Driver only (me ), 33% (Driver and passenger), 25% (3 people), 2% (>3)

So I decided that I'll try to satisfy the 98% case as best as I could and I got a nice front-facing rear seat with armrest fitted in the back (Rs 9000/-), and removed one of the side benches. The other side bench is untouched and can be used to seat 2 people for short drives. There's enough space for luggage as well and ingress to the single rear seat is quite easy, even with the side bench folded down. Since I'm not planning to ever take 5 people in the Thar for a long drive except in an emergency I think it's a good decision.

Planned:

Roll bar (planning to put the SA one if available).
Wheel spacers - this seems to be a good thing to put in. Swastikfabs in Bangalore have advertised them - any feedback from folks who have put these in?
Music system - again a bit undecided - I'm not one of those guys crazy about music to put a fancy system in - with the soft top safety also is a factor. One option is to put a blue tooth speaker on the dash and see how it goes.

That's all for now. Planning a trip to the Ghats sometime to stretch the Thar's legs - and longer drives hopefully after that.

Cheers,
Swapnesh

[maheep007]

Do new engines/vehicles need to be 'run in' ? Old school cars needed to be for sure, but do these modern engines come pre-run? Other than speed what other things need to be taken into consideration? Speed, load terrain (hilly mountains etc. I personally don't over rev the engine, but within 3000 rpm i push the engine like a sedan, but never drove above 90, means within speed limit n rev range i do push it, i have that maybe outdated theory that a new vehicle will behave how you drive it during those first few hundred/thousand kilometres. Any opinions?

[asingh1977]

Originally Posted by swapnesh

The side view mirrors are fine (I've put an additional mirror to track two-wheelers getting close to the left side).
Rear visibility is also limited.

Really informative and precise review. Just had a small question. Where have you mounted the additional mirror...?

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by johy

Hey thanks man. Here are a couple of pictures from my cellphone. The seats have a velcro strap under then and they can be folded up and anchored to the roll-over bar when you need the extra space.

Nice. Looks like Innova Third row seats. I like the way you have provided for seat belts for the rear seats too. Few people even think of it .

[swapnesh]

I've put one of those small circular convex mirrors that you get - on the LHS mirror itself. It helps me to track the two-wheelers that overtake me on the left and get really close.

Swapnesh

[crdi]

Noob queries
1) Does the differential lock act on both front and rear wheels?
2) In 2wd mode, which wheels drive the thar? The front ones or the rear ones?

[S5157]

Originally Posted by crdi

Noob queries
1) Does the differential lock act on both front and rear wheels?
2) In 2wd mode, which wheels drive the thar? The front ones or the rear ones?

1. Only rear.
2. It is rear wheel driven in 2WD mode

[maheep007]

Originally Posted by Ksingh544

Hi Maheep,

attached is a picture of the antenna i am using. it seems to be a chinese make but is serving the purpose. in Jammu i am getting 92.7 (the only channel) clearly.

cheers

Kundan

Hi, i got this same antenna, could you guide me exactly step by step how to install it, thank you & regards

[Kandisa]

Originally Posted by johy

...Here are a couple of pictures from my cellphone.....

Seats look good and comfortable. Have you just refurbished the stock front seats or have gone for new sets?

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

I like the way you have provided for seat belts for the rear seats too. Few people even think of it .

+1 to that, please post some more pics of the seat belt mounting arrangements at the rear. Looks like you have already installed the SA roll cage. Also from your last pic it seems there is very little gap between the primary gear lever (in reverse or 4th gear position) and the handbrake. Is it fouling at any of these gears? Coming to the handbrake, how purposeful/effective it is in the current avatar?

[johy]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

Nice. Looks like Innova Third row seats. I like the way you have provided for seat belts for the rear seats too. Few people even think of it .

Thanks sir. Yes it is the Innova 3rd row seats. I got the idea of seat belts from CP Bopanna's thread on his Thar.

Originally Posted by Kandisa

Seats look good and comfortable. Have you just refurbished the stock front seats or have gone for new sets?

+1 to that, please post some more pics of the seat belt mounting arrangements at the rear. Looks like you have already installed the SA roll cage. Also from your last pic it seems there is very little gap between the primary gear lever (in reverse or 4th gear position) and the handbrake. Is it fouling at any of these gears? Coming to the handbrake, how purposeful/effective it is in the current avatar?

Thanks Kandisa. The front seat are stock seats. The new Thar seats, I think, are more comfortable than the older model. The rear seats are old Innova 3rd Row. There is indeed very little gap between the gear lever and brake as you have rightly pointed out. However, I have not faced any issues with it actually fouling. Also, the reverse is quite close to the 4th and also gets close to the brake. The handbrakes are not much good, Kandisa. Any idea how to make them more effective?

This is not the actual SA bar, but my local Jeep garage made it after I supplied him pictures of the same. I asked in the Mahindra showroom for the original SA bar, but they were not able to procure it for me.


Pictures.

Seat belt mount (bottom)



Seat belt mount (top) of roll-over bar.



Floor stand for seats.


Seat folded up and attached with velcro to the roll-over bar. The velcro strap is attached to the bottom of the seat and is out of sight when the seat is down.




View from the back with one seat folded half way.

[Kandisa]

Originally Posted by johy

The new Thar seats, I think, are more comfortable than the older model.

Agreed.

There is indeed very little gap between the gear lever and brake as you have rightly pointed out. However, I have not faced any issues with it actually fouling. Also, the reverse is quite close to the 4th and also gets close to the brake.

Good that at least it is not fouling, so you may live with it

The handbrakes are not much good, Kandisa. Any idea how to make them more effective?

So only the enclosure of the handbrake has been redesigned I guess, not much in terms of functionalities. I happened to ask it somewhere else and this was the reply from a THAR owner in South Africa.

Originally Posted by eagle888

Solution to ineffective handbrake found here in South Africa. We found 2 issues. 1) Cable routing to rear wheels was strange, and we simply redid that. But most important was the position where the cables are fastened to the body, just behind the handbrake lever, in the cabin. Those plates actually bend due to the force when pulling the handbrake up. We installed thick, 5mm plates. Handbrake if since ...good

This is not the actual SA bar, but my local Jeep garage made it after I supplied him pictures of the same. I asked in the Mahindra showroom for the original SA bar, but they were not able to procure it for me.

I must say, they did a very decent job.

[Ksingh544]

Originally Posted by maheep007

Hi, i got this same antenna, could you guide me exactly step by step how to install it, thank you & regards

Hi Maheep,

sorry for the late reply, its been a hectic week.

I wouldnt recommend this antenna anymore. Ive been in Delhi and the reception is very poor. Lot of static heard over the radio.

I am scouting the market here for a better option, will share details if i find one.

cheers

Kundan

[Ksingh544]

Originally Posted by swapnesh

Modifications, accessories:

Right now, I've just added an insect mesh and a single front-facing rear seat. I know that is a bit odd, but I thought from a use-case perspective. My family is a 3 member one and my 90 drives will be typically like this:

40% - Driver only (me ), 33% (Driver and passenger), 25% (3 people), 2% (>3)

So I decided that I'll try to satisfy the 98% case as best as I could and I got a nice front-facing rear seat with armrest fitted in the back (Rs 9000/-), and removed one of the side benches. The other side bench is untouched and can be used to seat 2 people for short drives. There's enough space for luggage as well and ingress to the single rear seat is quite easy, even with the side bench folded down. Since I'm not planning to ever take 5 people in the Thar for a long drive except in an emergency I think it's a good decision.

Hi Swapnesh congratulations on your new Thar ! looking forward to seeing pictures of your Thar.
I had a very similar thought, i wanted to remove the rear benches and install a single bucket seat with armrest. Since most of the time its 2-3 people in vehicle especially over long drives. I need space for luggage on my drives. Please share some pictures of your rear setup. How far back is your seat installed ?

Originally Posted by maheep007

Do new engines/vehicles need to be 'run in' ? Old school cars needed to be for sure, but do these modern engines come pre-run? Other than speed what other things need to be taken into consideration? Speed, load terrain (hilly mountains etc. I personally don't over rev the engine, but within 3000 rpm i push the engine like a sedan, but never drove above 90, means within speed limit n rev range i do push it, i have that maybe outdated theory that a new vehicle will behave how you drive it during those first few hundred/thousand kilometres. Any opinions?

Maheep for the first 1000 kms i didnt go over 90kmph or 3000 rpms, its my personal thumb rule for all vehicles. On my recent drive from Jammu to Delhi i was cruising at 120 kmph on certain stretches and it felt right.

Originally Posted by Kandisa

Also from your last pic it seems there is very little gap between the primary gear lever (in reverse or 4th gear position) and the handbrake. Is it fouling at any of these gears? Coming to the handbrake, how purposeful/effective it is in the current avatar?

The gap between 4th/Reverse and the handbrake lever is less than 2 fingers. If you tend to engage reverse with some force, you will squish your finger without fail. I always have to remind myself to ease it into reverse. The hand brake itself is decent and hasnt failed me as yet.