[volkman10]

Mahindra Thar spied in the outskirts of Chennai.

Expect Mahindra to spruce things up nicely with LED lights all around and door handles and hood hinges that don't look antiquated like the current model's. Despite the camouflage

Link

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Mahindra Thar spied in the outskirts of Chennai.

Lol!

The first image is perfect. That's exactly what small car owners like me dread! The moment when a Thar inches too close in the ORVM.

Anyways, seems like the softop variant doesn't get LED DRLs.

[Reinhard]

The "Insect Mesh - Front Grille" has to be the first accessory that any owner needs to get on day 1 I think. The gaps in the slats are too wide & there are all of 7 standard vertical slats. The radiator/intercoolers are too exposed to whats going to be thrown at them. And its not exactly looking too cool since everything inside is clearly visible. Radiators aren't the most visually pleasing item in a car.

The gaps seem to be wide enough to let flying poly-bags easily enter and get stuck in front of the radiator.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

The "Insect Mesh - Front Grille" has to be the first accessory that any owner needs to get on day 1 I think. The gaps in the slats are too wide & there are all of 7 standard vertical slats. The radiator/intercoolers are too exposed to whats going to be thrown at them. And its not exactly looking too cool since everything inside is clearly visible. Radiators aren't the most visually pleasing item in a car.

The gaps seem to be wide enough to let flying poly-bags easily enter and get stuck in front of the radiator.

Absolutely! Wonder what's stopping them from putting up a honeycomb behind the main grille, like in the 2nd-gen Scorpio (refresh)

[suneel]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

New Thar is a stunner. I won't be surprised if it's almost as good as Wrangler itself, even in absolute terms without adjusting for the canyon-wide price difference. I say this because Wrangler, under Fiat, is reportedly reduced to a pale shadow of its former self. It's not my opinion. This seems to be the general consensus among automotive folks and journos in US of A.

Since, this car is peerless and the next stop, the real deal Wrangler, is 65 lakhs away, Mahindra can easily afford to throw in a proper torque converter AT and goodies like push-button start , ACC, LED lights up front and back etc. and still come away looking like bargain basement. Heck, they can dip their Thar in gold and sprinkle diamond dust and still sell at a less price. Ok, that was an exaggeration but you get the picture, right?

The general consensus I'm seeing is that the Wrangler JL, released under FCA has won more SUV of the year awards than you can count, has been consistently selling like hotcakes in the US, and has almost unanimous praise and positive reviews, and holds resale value in local markets more than any other car model that is currently being sold.
I have no clue where you found journalists reporting the Wrangler JL to be a 'pale shadow of its former self'

The new Thar being a 'stunner' is a testament to the Wrangler JK's design being stunning if anything since it's a clear ripoff of it.

It would certainly be interesting to see if the Thar is 'almost as good' mechanically both on and off-road. I have no doubt that it will be far better than most SUVs these days off-road, but how liveable will it be on-road without sacrificing capability? That is the true test of this segment.
Fortunately the speeds at which people drive in India are slow enough to where it isn't that challenging for such vehicles to work as daily drivers. It's much more challenging making body on frame, boxy trucks work as great daily drivers in other countries with proper roads and highways.

[himanshugoswami]

So I posted a query on twitter to Sirrish Chandran, and he replied confirming that the new Thar is indeed coming with a proper AT at launch. Interesting....

[Traveler]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

So I posted a query on twitter to Sirrish Chandran, and he replied confirming that the new Thar is indeed coming with a proper AT at launch. Interesting....

Did he mention when are they launching it? It has been a painful wait.

[himanshugoswami]

Originally Posted by Traveler

Did he mention when are they launching it? It has been a painful wait.

yes, he said March launch confirmed. Check his twitter feed- he was doing a plug for the new Thar.

[Reinhard]

I have a bit of a dumb and off topic question. Does Mahindra still have some sort of a license to make a visual copy of Jeep designs beyond the CJ3/5? The new one is a striking replica of the Wrangler's design philosophy and nobody can formally say they look totally different.

Surely M&M has some sort of an arrangement with FCA to continue building replicas in India. I just want to know what sort of an arrangement it is & how long does it go.

[Traveler]

Mahindra apparently has a licence since 1947. Please see this link for more details.
https://jalopnik.com/this-is-why-mah...eps-1823472625

Wikipedia also has an interesting article at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willys_MB

[Moto$apien]

The hard top version is really impressive on road. Saw an early prototype with steel wheels today.

Just look at the spare wheel size!












The car seemed to be undergoing load testing in Pune, and appeared true to the Jeep nature, very stable. It is the Wrangler for the masses.

Pity they didn't show up at the Auto Expo, would have given a hard jab to the Jimny

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Traveler

Mahindra apparently has a licence since 1947. Please see this link for more details.

Yes - this I knew of course. But I thought there would be some "end" to it. Like using only the CJ3/5 series designs - like the current THAR body.

Now that the Wrangler is also being copied in looks, it means FCA has also agreed to extend the license to newer looking cars that are recent designs and not legacy "jeeps" per say. I was looking for some details on that agreement if available.

[Traveler]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Yes - this I knew of course. But I thought there would be some "end" to it. Like using only the CJ3/5 series designs - like the current THAR body.

Now that the Wrangler is also being copied in looks, it means FCA has also agreed to extend the license to newer looking cars that are recent designs and not legacy "jeeps" per say. I was looking for some details on that agreement if available.

You are right. Perhaps they have some sort of agreement. Worst case it may be a Tit for Tat strategy by Mahindra in response to what happened with their Roxor. Just thinking....

[1100D]

Originally Posted by Traveler

You are right. Perhaps they have some sort of agreement. Worst case it may be a Tit for Tat strategy by Mahindra in response to what happened with their Roxor. Just thinking....

There's a small hunch that I have about there being a last minute grille switch! Somehow, I would love to see an Armada Grand style grille on this rather than the 7-slats!

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I received a few more pictures of the new Thar through whatsapp. All credits to the respective person who took the pictures.

With that kind of a front bumper, I am not sure the vehicle can pass the pedestrian protection norms now in force. Most vehicles have re-designed their front ends to be more flat so that contact area is increased and sharp fractures to calf or thigh bones are reduced. A big protruding bumper like this will totally go against this design principle. Also, it looks downright ugly and makes this look like a car from the 1980s.

Perhaps this is just plaster to camouflage and will come off int he production model, making the front appear more flat and high. The Ford Ecosport was one of the first to introduce the flat front design way back in 2003 before anyone else did. So their collaboration partners know a thing or two about this aspect!