Mahindra Thar 2019/2020: A wishlist My dearest BHPians,
We're entering a new year. I wish you all safe journeys.
Year 2019 has the Mahindra Thar changing again. Some news outlets today are claiming the new variant is a few months away. Others maintain we have another year to wait.
So with change in sight, let's take some time out to remember a car that despite many shortcomings remains a hot favourite. I know people who have paid full sums for one - some as recent as last week. The damn thing is still selling - even in the age of airbags, ABS, automatic gearboxes, austerity, awareness and common sense.
My Thar CRDe - image attached to this post - is entering its second year; the odometer stands at 12,000 kilometres. It's my other car. My primary mode of transport is a 2014 Volkswagen Polo 1.2 petrol. It's no beast, but it's beautiful.
So is the Thar, in my opinion.
I believe the Thar has been Mahindra's best-looking creation. Wait: I went to school in an Armada Grand; a neighbour had the Classic; and a former boss had the Bolero. Let me change what I just said. The 2015 Mahindra Thar, in my opinion, is the last of a fantastic design philosophy: Robust, honest, clean lines, straightforward and perhaps even handsome. The XUV 500 has too many curves; the only thing good about the 'KUV 100' was its television commercial; the 'TUV' was ghastly; and the NuvoSport was, well... tall-ish.
The Thar stands out for another reason - the name. Everything Mahindra makes today ends with the 'oh'. But the Thar screams heritage, topography, testing terrain and harks back to a time when navigation meant looking at paper - it's dust, sand, hats, goggles and a spare fuel can. It's adventure.
But I'm no explorer. I bought the vehicle because I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever set my eyes on. The only exploration I have done so far is look for good roads in Maharashtra. I'm still looking. Ownership experience
The sounds the Thar makes belong to another age. There are the rattles the Matador Van used to make. Some owners have reported squeaks from the rear seats. Months of hard 'door shuts' could cause vibrations to emerge from the passenger or driver windows. At high speeds, there's that steering shake from the Maruti 800.
But mostly, these are the sounds an honest car makes when it meets dishonest roads. My Thar has seen some incredibly rough surfaces. It survived. One could even say the rattles are audible battle scars. Nothing has come loose either; nothing has stopped working - except for that annoying fuel gauge (I never know how much of the good stuff is left). However, it has the grunt without the whine; it has the strength without the complications. The 2015 Thar then is the best go-anywhere vehicle for the Indian middle-class - period.
It's boys' hostel ka maggi; it's that first house party you threw; it's the dhaaba roti-sabzi; it's the trip to Goa from college. What we want
When I say 'we' I write with the hope I belong to a community. My credentials are weak: I have sent power to all four wheels only once in my life. And I admit, I have never been to Goa.
Through Team-BHP's massive loudspeaker, I urge Mahindra to stay on the path of tradition - but with a mix of modern amenities. Make the 2019/2020 Thar good for families. Buying a Rs 10-lakh SUV is a big decision for many of us motorheads: My mum-in-law chipped in; my wife – who loves the car as much as I do (or maybe more) gave me Rs 3 lakh, and my dad shook his head. I want a vehicle that can take them all camping in comfort. I want them to laugh at cars stuck in the mud, just like I do.
Please, I beg of you Mahindra... rethink those seats. Allow buyers of the future variant to customise the rear layout - let us pick (my hopeless mind has been dreaming of mini captain seats. Possible?)
Keep the air-conditioning
Improve the ride quality
Improve electricals
Give us wipers that are not sticks
Give us good OE security
Give us better NVH protection
Give us better windows
Give us better highway stability at speeds
Give us a more rigid canopy
Most importantly, make the Thar an excellent highway cruiser. We're not asking for speeds - just comfort. The Hexas and Innovas are comfortable spaces to sit in. Hell, you can even nap in them. But it's absolutely uncomfortable for a person to take a nap inside the Mahindra Thar when it's on the move - what turns heads should not break necks. I urge the community to add to this list of demands. Or perhaps delete a few?
I'm sure we're all happy Mahindra are bringing the Thar into the BSVI age. Unfortunately, that may be it. The BSVI phase is the Cretaceous - final age of the dinosaurs. I don't think there ever will be a Thar 'EV'. Happy 2019
Last edited by Samurai : 21st January 2019 at 00:27.
Reason: avoid liquor reference.
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