Mahindra Thar : Official Review

MithunSathianat · 11th January 2021, 13:42

I have booked THAR Diesel AT HT Black on Nov 12 via online by choosing the dealer as Vayalat Mahindra, Kochi. There has been absolute silence from the dealer.
Had to remind them to punch the order in the system. After punching, I did not get the tentative delivery date from them. Had to mail Mahindra customer care to know the delivery date as July 2021.
The dealer do not have automatic variants for test drive even after 3 months of launch.

I have no hurry to get the SUV as this will be my secondary vehicle.
Also I do hope the initial niggles like water leakage through hardtop, bonnet latch issue will be sorted by then.

I would certainly demand a pressure wash on hardtop during the PDI to make sure that there is no water leak.

fine69 · 11th January 2021, 16:04

Had an OTR session recently with both Diesel AT and Petrol AT Thar in the group.

Petrol AT seems to have better throttle control (maybe because of more power) and would definitely be more fun if someone goes dune bashing. Even with less range it'd be my choice if I was to pick the Thar, you have to drive it (preferably take it for a quick OTR) to believe it.

Even in the stock form the approach & departure angles were mighty impressive, with some basic mods it'd simply be next level.

Once you step inside though, the space crunch is obvious, especially to those who're used to 7-seater SUVs. I have a 2013 Fortuner with the last row removed so just cannot imagine going on long road trips in the Thar with that kind of boot space on offer.

Rajiv0909 · 11th January 2021, 19:34

What should be the insurance amount for the Diesel AT HT? Any references from those who’ve taken delivery would really help. TIA

vkochar · 11th January 2021, 20:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rajiv0909

What should be the insurance amount for the Diesel AT HT? Any references from those who’ve taken delivery would really help. TIA

I paid 60000 for iffco. Including everything possible there is in insurance. Third party / zero dep and a couple of more things. Cross checked with multiple and it was the lowest. Just be persistent and don’t give up on fighting else quotes start at 90000

SportsMedicine · 12th January 2021, 02:52

Glimpse of the new Thar 2020 done by AutoTrade Aviation, Delhi.

Mahindra Thar : Official Review-img_1958.jpg

Jaggu · 12th January 2021, 12:10

Mahindra Thar : Official Review-tharinvader.jpg

Last weekend four of us had some engagement at Hospet and we decided to take the New Thar for the drive (700 kms round trip). 3 weeks back we had done the same trip in an Isuzu Vmax and that lead to some interesting comparisons.

When we started the obvious question was luggage space, we all had one backpack with us, and then one additional 35Liter dry sack from SW Motech. And 3 backpack + drysack is all we could shove inside the rear trunk. Even this was a task since fellow mod Khan had to stand on the rear seat, grab the top backpacks from the rear seat so that the tailgate could be closed. Once closed next practical glitch came up, rear seatback recline?! Lucky for us it was only clothes so with some effort the rear seat folks managed to move the seat back a notch or two. So if you plan to travel with more than 2 people on longer trips, invest in a roof rack and carrier boxes. That is the only way you can pull it off.

On the highway, sweet spot is 100 kmph period! Perfectly smooth drive and super silent cabin with cruise control engaged.. is pretty awesome. The moment you move to 105 Kmph the hurricane outside tends to show the presence inside, at 120 kmph it is pretty loud and you need music to compensate if on a long ride. If you have a very good driver comfort factor is taken care of on the highway, but the moment your driver goes a wee bit aggressive, passengers would start feeling uncomfortable. To give you a perspective a road that feels relaxed and boring in a mid-size "SUV" will feel exciting in a Thar at the same speed. Passengers get a clear view of the road from the rear, this can be a plus or minus depending on the passengers lol

The drivability of the diesel is tuned for a relaxed journey, all day you can drive around without much of an effort, especially at lower speeds. This makes the diesel MT a beautiful car for the city but when on open roads, it is a tad inconvenient. I think this is the most I would have changed gears in the 700 odd kms I drove a vehicle, ever in my life. If you need to overtake anything that is faster than you and in 6th gear, don't even use the 5th it is a pointless cog! Just downshift to 3rd or 4th and get the overtaking done with. It took a while for me to realise but once I figured it out I had a decent amount of fun.

Ah that question of mileage kitna!!

80 kmph hour, cruise control set for 10 km FE was around 17.2 kmpl and at 90 kmph and cruise control set for 10 kms mileage was 14.3 Kmpl. In short, the tall gearing is spot on for FE at highway speeds. To be fair both the times the highway had slight inclines throughout, the 90 Km stretch had much more, and traffic where I had to downshift a couple of times. Then on driving "as you please mode" of over 300 kms to Bangalore, with some pretty aggressive throttle for overtaking on and off, the Thar MID displayed an FE of 15.2 Kmpl. With 4 passengers and a boot full of clothes, it is not at all bad! 2 people and luggage and flatter ground would definitely see close to 18 Kmpl.

Offroad drive - did barely anything worth specifically mentioning (since we did not want any more damage than that windshield) apart from trails and some minor slush, though I did try out 4 LO and 4HI throughout on the trail. It is a very forgiving vehicle with all the aids and even a first-time driver will take it easily to offroad. But like many were commenting in offroad circles, 1- this will hamper learning real skills of offroad driving with all the intervention and 2- the purist (one with CJ & MM and moded Gypsy) may feel totally disconnected driving it offroad.

Side note - one needs to put those wired grills for the front windshield, on the onward journey at about 60-70 kmph we heard a small tak sound, I knew it was a stone chip. But no cracks were visible. When we stopped at Chitradurga for refreshment I noticed a long crack. That grew to about 7-8 inches by the time we reached Hospet at night. Looked like this.

Mahindra Thar : Official Review-crack1.jpg

Today morning the same crack has moved sideways and looked like this.

Mahindra Thar : Official Review-crack2.jpeg

Good news is it is a reasonable job at 7500 INR.

The outside rear view mirros + rear park sensor does a very good job! For a good driver, it is more than enough to use the vehicle in reverse in tight spots as well as in offroad. Yes at this god-forsaken price tag one would expect the rear camera to be standard.

Mahindra Thar : Official Review-thar.jpg

I would request Khan to add more to this, esp the rear seat comfort and stuff since that is where he preferred to chill out.

vishalbhu · 12th January 2021, 13:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

Here is a pic of my RC Card - it clearly says Convertible Soft Top. While mine is registered in Coimbatore, as all registrations are done through Vaahan, should be the same everywhere too.

Attachment 2104460

Congratulations on owing the elusive Petrol AT - is it a HT or a CT?

I would like to know more about your real life mileage (tankful to tankful) for both city and highway usage, do keep us updated! Also, the MID can be glaringly wrong, don't take it into account until you have a tankful-to-tankful mileage correlation for a at least 2 or 3 fill-ups. Happy Thar-ing!

Thanks ph03n!x. It is a CT. Yes, I will update more with the actual mileage calculations on the next tankful.

Some more updates on the Convertible Top:

I personally am a huge fan of the look that the soft tops give so went for it. Unless you plan to leave the vehicle in unmonitored areas for long hours with valuable stuff inside, I highly recommend going for the CT. Removing the top makes the vehicle so unique. About the ease of removing and putting it back, it does take 2-5 minutes and some practice. Putting back the Windows is the tougher part. Overtime you will learn a few tricks to do it easily, like undoing the left latch first before the right (actually whichever is tighter should be done first), Zipping only 30% and then fitting the side and bottom edges first etc. The noise levels are pretty ok up to 85 kmph, and you can enjoy the music system. Above that they do increase but are manageable and I have heard similar things about the hard top as well.

r_devakumar · 12th January 2021, 23:56

Thar 2020 already available in Cars24

https://www.cars24.com/buy-used-Mahi.../?pinId=600073

indian21r · 13th January 2021, 06:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by r_devakumar

Thar 2020 already available in Cars24

https://www.cars24.com/buy-used-Mahi.../?pinId=600073

wow that is too early.
I Hope the reason to sell this quickly was not any technical issue.

Any more info on this car?

Vinod_nair · 13th January 2021, 07:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by r_devakumar

Thar 2020 already available in Cars24

https://www.cars24.com/buy-used-Mahi.../?pinId=600073

Quote:

Originally Posted by indian21r

wow that is too early.
I Hope the reason to sell this quickly was not any technical issue.

Any more info on this car?

Quite a few 2020 Thar available on OLX, from Delhi, Punjab, Kerala etc.

Pancham · 13th January 2021, 07:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by indian21r

wow that is too early.

I Hope the reason to sell this quickly was not any technical issue.

Any more info on this car?

There are several cars for sale in the second hand market. All at a premium. So now you know (one of) the reasons.

indian21r · 13th January 2021, 07:24

I am a happy customer if they are selling them at a premium

I am just wondering if I should convert my HT booking to a Convertible one.
Is the wind noise in the Convertible manageable at 100kmph?

sandeepmohan · 13th January 2021, 09:19

Must have all been impulsive buys, only to realize later than the Thar does not have the creature comforts of a Jeep Compass. I see no other reason why anyone would want to sell a new Thar.

CrAzY dRiVeR · 13th January 2021, 09:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinod_nair

Quite a few 2020 Thar available on OLX, from Delhi, Punjab, Kerala etc.

The Kerala ones are priced higher than OTR prices!

Looks like people are just tempted to make a quick buck seeing the long waiting period.

vkochar · 13th January 2021, 10:37

I have been offered twice now to sell my 2 month old Thar Diesel AT for nearly 1.5 Lacs over the OTR Price.

My Car dealer contacted me and said they are checking with the current few owners if anyone is bored or has grown out of the initial excitement.

The waiting period truly is nearly 10 months and more.

Add to this the BOSCH and AISIN delayed manufacturing OEM equipment which will push this further.

The TATA SAFARI could not have been launched at a better time even though it is a vastly different vehicle.

11th January 2021, 13:42	#1006
MithunSathianat BHPian Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: KL-07 Posts: 175 Thanked: 738 Times	Re: Mahindra Thar : Official Review I have booked THAR Diesel AT HT Black on Nov 12 via online by choosing the dealer as Vayalat Mahindra, Kochi. There has been absolute silence from the dealer. Had to remind them to punch the order in the system. After punching, I did not get the tentative delivery date from them. Had to mail Mahindra customer care to know the delivery date as July 2021. The dealer do not have automatic variants for test drive even after 3 months of launch. I have no hurry to get the SUV as this will be my secondary vehicle. Also I do hope the initial niggles like water leakage through hardtop, bonnet latch issue will be sorted by then. I would certainly demand a pressure wash on hardtop during the PDI to make sure that there is no water leak.
	() Thanks

11th January 2021, 16:04	#1007
fine69 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 1,593 Thanked: 1,467 Times	Re: Mahindra Thar : Official Review Had an OTR session recently with both Diesel AT and Petrol AT Thar in the group. Petrol AT seems to have better throttle control (maybe because of more power) and would definitely be more fun if someone goes dune bashing. Even with less range it'd be my choice if I was to pick the Thar, you have to drive it (preferably take it for a quick OTR) to believe it. Even in the stock form the approach & departure angles were mighty impressive, with some basic mods it'd simply be next level. Once you step inside though, the space crunch is obvious, especially to those who're used to 7-seater SUVs. I have a 2013 Fortuner with the last row removed so just cannot imagine going on long road trips in the Thar with that kind of boot space on offer.
	(2) Thanks

11th January 2021, 19:34	#1008
Rajiv0909 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Pune Posts: 288 Thanked: 653 Times	Re: Mahindra Thar : Official Review What should be the insurance amount for the Diesel AT HT? Any references from those who’ve taken delivery would really help. TIA
	() Thanks

12th January 2021, 02:52	#1010
SportsMedicine BHPian Join Date: May 2020 Location: Surat Posts: 67 Thanked: 384 Times	Re: Mahindra Thar : Official Review Glimpse of the new Thar 2020 done by AutoTrade Aviation, Delhi.
	(3) Thanks

12th January 2021, 12:10	#1011
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,371 Thanked: 16,864 Times	Manual Diesel HT long highway drive Last weekend four of us had some engagement at Hospet and we decided to take the New Thar for the drive (700 kms round trip). 3 weeks back we had done the same trip in an Isuzu Vmax and that lead to some interesting comparisons. When we started the obvious question was luggage space, we all had one backpack with us, and then one additional 35Liter dry sack from SW Motech. And 3 backpack + drysack is all we could shove inside the rear trunk. Even this was a task since fellow mod Khan had to stand on the rear seat, grab the top backpacks from the rear seat so that the tailgate could be closed. Once closed next practical glitch came up, rear seatback recline?! Lucky for us it was only clothes so with some effort the rear seat folks managed to move the seat back a notch or two. So if you plan to travel with more than 2 people on longer trips, invest in a roof rack and carrier boxes. That is the only way you can pull it off. On the highway, sweet spot is 100 kmph period! Perfectly smooth drive and super silent cabin with cruise control engaged.. is pretty awesome. The moment you move to 105 Kmph the hurricane outside tends to show the presence inside, at 120 kmph it is pretty loud and you need music to compensate if on a long ride. If you have a very good driver comfort factor is taken care of on the highway, but the moment your driver goes a wee bit aggressive, passengers would start feeling uncomfortable. To give you a perspective a road that feels relaxed and boring in a mid-size "SUV" will feel exciting in a Thar at the same speed. Passengers get a clear view of the road from the rear, this can be a plus or minus depending on the passengers lol The drivability of the diesel is tuned for a relaxed journey, all day you can drive around without much of an effort, especially at lower speeds. This makes the diesel MT a beautiful car for the city but when on open roads, it is a tad inconvenient. I think this is the most I would have changed gears in the 700 odd kms I drove a vehicle, ever in my life. If you need to overtake anything that is faster than you and in 6th gear, don't even use the 5th it is a pointless cog! Just downshift to 3rd or 4th and get the overtaking done with. It took a while for me to realise but once I figured it out I had a decent amount of fun. Ah that question of mileage kitna!! 80 kmph hour, cruise control set for 10 km FE was around 17.2 kmpl and at 90 kmph and cruise control set for 10 kms mileage was 14.3 Kmpl. In short, the tall gearing is spot on for FE at highway speeds. To be fair both the times the highway had slight inclines throughout, the 90 Km stretch had much more, and traffic where I had to downshift a couple of times. Then on driving "as you please mode" of over 300 kms to Bangalore, with some pretty aggressive throttle for overtaking on and off, the Thar MID displayed an FE of 15.2 Kmpl. With 4 passengers and a boot full of clothes, it is not at all bad! 2 people and luggage and flatter ground would definitely see close to 18 Kmpl. Offroad drive - did barely anything worth specifically mentioning (since we did not want any more damage than that windshield) apart from trails and some minor slush, though I did try out 4 LO and 4HI throughout on the trail. It is a very forgiving vehicle with all the aids and even a first-time driver will take it easily to offroad. But like many were commenting in offroad circles, 1- this will hamper learning real skills of offroad driving with all the intervention and 2- the purist (one with CJ & MM and moded Gypsy) may feel totally disconnected driving it offroad. Side note - one needs to put those wired grills for the front windshield, on the onward journey at about 60-70 kmph we heard a small tak sound, I knew it was a stone chip. But no cracks were visible. When we stopped at Chitradurga for refreshment I noticed a long crack. That grew to about 7-8 inches by the time we reached Hospet at night. Looked like this. Today morning the same crack has moved sideways and looked like this. Good news is it is a reasonable job at 7500 INR. The outside rear view mirros + rear park sensor does a very good job! For a good driver, it is more than enough to use the vehicle in reverse in tight spots as well as in offroad. Yes at this god-forsaken price tag one would expect the rear camera to be standard. *I would request Khan to add more to this, esp the rear seat comfort and stuff since that is where he preferred to chill out.* Last edited by Jaggu : 12th January 2021 at 12:19.
	(21) Thanks

12th January 2021, 23:56	#1013
r_devakumar BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 327 Thanked: 238 Times View My Garage	Re: Mahindra Thar : Official Review Thar 2020 already available in Cars24 https://www.cars24.com/buy-used-Mahi.../?pinId=600073 Attached Thumbnails
	(1) Thanks

13th January 2021, 07:24	#1017
indian21r BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 972 Thanked: 814 Times	Re: Mahindra Thar : Official Review I am a happy customer if they are selling them at a premium I am just wondering if I should convert my HT booking to a Convertible one. Is the wind noise in the Convertible manageable at 100kmph?
	() Thanks

13th January 2021, 09:19	#1018
sandeepmohan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Wellington Posts: 3,218 Thanked: 5,810 Times	Re: Mahindra Thar : Official Review Must have all been impulsive buys, only to realize later than the Thar does not have the creature comforts of a Jeep Compass. I see no other reason why anyone would want to sell a new Thar. Last edited by sandeepmohan : 13th January 2021 at 09:20.
	() Thanks

13th January 2021, 10:37	#1020
vkochar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Delhi / Agra / London Posts: 2,152 Thanked: 859 Times View My Garage	Re: Mahindra Thar : Official Review I have been offered twice now to sell my 2 month old Thar Diesel AT for nearly 1.5 Lacs over the OTR Price. My Car dealer contacted me and said they are checking with the current few owners if anyone is bored or has grown out of the initial excitement. The waiting period truly is nearly 10 months and more. Add to this the BOSCH and AISIN delayed manufacturing OEM equipment which will push this further. The TATA SAFARI could not have been launched at a better time even though it is a vastly different vehicle.
	(7) Thanks