[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by Bit

Would I be a fool to take the Petrol Thar then?

Traditionally, people preferred diesel SUVs over petrol ones for the following reasons:

• Better low end torque
  Better fuel efficiency

In recent times, the tides have changed. The Thar petrol produces more torque than the diesel one - 320 Nm vs 300 Nm! So low end driveabilty is in no way compromised in the petrol. The petrol produces 20 PS of peak power more than the diesel as well. Petrol Thars perform as well as, or even better than their diesel counterparts off the road - I have first hand experience in that aspect.

Coming to fuel efficiency, petrol AT will definitely give lesser mileage numbers than a diesel AT. However, the price difference between petrol & diesel today is hardly 10 rupees. So monthly fuel bills are not going to be too much of an issue unless running is extremely high.

So for your use case - the Petrol AT would make more sense. Enjoy the smooth & torquey motor without having to worry about DPF issues!

[justwheels]

I seriously think you are overthinking. As GTO rightly said, buying a car just for resale value is not the right way to go.

Since you only want the car for 3-5 years (for whatever personal reason), I am guessing you only want to have some limited fun of owning a lifestyle vehicle. In that case, best is going into "used car" route. Enough of well maintained Thars are available in the used market. Get a Petrol Thar from used market and enjoy. Won't pinch much on the wallet and resale will also not be very bad having already bought second hand.

If going by the "New Only" formula, just drive both back to back and buy the one that you love the character of. (Caution: if you are a person who feels the pinch at the Petrol Station everytime you fill up, go for Diesel)

Just don't overthink. We can only give opinions, but it's your hard earned money and your time with the car that matters the most. There will never be a mathematical formula to buy a car like Thar which is always a "Heart over Head" decision.

Best of luck!

[AdiSinghV12]

Being an owner of a Thar 2021 Petrol and despite the fact that the FE is actually very poor I'd still go with Petrol if I personally had to. Reason being it's really refined and there's a good mid end performance to it for those city runs. Here's one more vote from my end to the Thar Petrol. And I understand you still might have concerns about resale despite what chief (GTO) and others mentioned but let me tell you Thar itself isn't no practical regular SUV and majority of its clientele are from a segment above so I don't think you'd lose much value in comparison to diesel unless you're selling to a dealer. I have takers for my Thar 2021 Petrol in my circle who's willing to offer me a premium even over the diesel counterparts because I have maintained mine really well and did some useful mods so in this particular case even if we talk resale its all about who you're selling to and how's the car maintained. Cheers

[noufal.ps]

If you're someone who mind-calculate fuel cost before starting (not deciding) the trip, get Diesel. You can take Thar out anytime and not worry about the cost (cause you're paying at par with the most fuel efficient Thar out there)

If you really don't care about fuel and refills in the car (say my wife indifferent to what car she drives), get the Petrol.

If cost comes to mind every time you accelerate Petrol turbo, diesel is for you.

[84.monsoon]

I would vote for the Diesel AT. Have had one for 3 + years now, from one of the first few production batches, and the smoothness and refinement is almost as good as any petrol SUV. The Aisin TC automatic is such a beautiful match for the engine and the two make for a relaxed cruising experience. It is my daily driver now.

Did have a few DPF issues in between as I stopped taking the Thar for highway runs for about a year. But once I started adding a bottle of Mannol DPF cleaner every a few months, this issue has disappeared even with my usage pattern of frequent short trips in the city. The FE is acceptable and I get a highway range of close to 600 km these days.

[sgmuser]

Remember the petrol engine is gas guzzler. Many report 7-8 or even less of mileage. Yes the price difference is less but diesel will give surely 11-12 in the city and around 13-14 in highways if properly driven at 90-100 kmph even. This will translate into considerable saving if the usage is high i.e. around 2000 km in a month or 24000 in a year average. Another note is that diesel is the bread and butter of Mahindra and it's a proven engine as it does duty in at least 4 vehicles thus better reliability. Petrol is comparatively a newer engine. Only advantage of petrol is that it is perceived to be smooth riding but personally I didn't feel that much difference. mHawk is a sweet and quiet engine. Still petrol is petrol and it will be far smoother and will give better NVH experience anyday.

[xtremeshock]

I have a Diesel A/T for 2 years and I really love the drivability of same, I can't compare to Petrol as I have not driven it, but I can definitely say you will not regret having the diesel, maybe I have an old school mindset but I always prefer SUV's in diesel, the initial torque is all it needs, love cruising around the city and occasional off-roading sessions, a friend has a petrol and gives a mileage of 6-7 which averts him from driving long distances.

Hope this helps.

[Revvatron]

Take a test drive for both. Maybe that will change your mind once you experience the performance from both the worlds. I was in same boat although with an I20. Did a TD for petrol and diesel and loved the diesel torque. My suggestion would be diesel. Enjoy the diesel cars while it lasts. You can always buy a petrol at later stages.

[wooka]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

My running is 700-800 kms per month average. I find Petrol to be sensible for this kind of running. The Diesel requires regular highway runs at constant speeds because it requires one to keep the revs constant for reasonable periods of time, else that DPF clogging issue keeps popping up.

Shankar, frankly though, I've had one DPF alert in 35k kms! Diesel manual sept 21 4x4. Yes it will surface eventually but it's often used for start stop traffic in town for errands since the car's so much fun!

That DPF thing came up too cause of an engine harness issue at Leh.

[sgmuser]

Admin can you please delete #21. My edit window expired while editing the post. Thanks.

Remember the petrol engine is a gas guzzler. It will pinch every time you stop by the fuel station unless otherwise you never cared for it. Many report 7-8 kmpl or even less of mileage. Yes the price difference is around Rs.8 approximately (Chennai) but Diesel will give surely 11-12 (my drive is mostly city) in the city and around 13-14 in highways if properly driven at 90-100 kmph even. This will translate into considerable saving if the usage is high i.e. around 2000 km in a month or 24000 in a year average. Another note is that diesel is the bread and butter of Mahindra and it's a proven engine as it does duty in at least 4 vehicles thus better reliability. Petrol is comparatively a newer engine. Only advantage of petrol is that it is perceived to be smooth riding but personally I didn't feel that much difference. mHawk is a sweet and quiet engine. Still petrol is petrol and it will be far smoother and will give better NVH experience any day. Thar D is tuned a bit linear compared to the mHawk in the Scorpio so, do not expect that lunge or torque nature in Thar. The AT smoothens and it is for good for a boxy Thar.

Petrol running cost:
kms/kmpl*price per lit ( I am generous here with Petrol, this will be easily 6.5 to 7 on average in City use)
15000/8*102.6= 1.92 lakhs
24000 kms per year = 3.07 lakhs

Diesel (You can keep even 10 kmpl for Diesel depending on the driving style and city traffic). More highway usage means it is going to go up only.
15000/11*94.2=1.28 lakhs
24000 kms per year = 2.05 lakhs

Calculate according to your driving.

Last but not least, it is not that easy to sell Thar in 2nd car market because this is not for everyone. You might loose considerably for sure compared to any other regular car/sedan/SUVs. Petrol might fetch slightly less but I am not sure. People get better price for Diesel vehicles in the Indian used car market generally so this will apply here as well.

DPF is a bit more complicated than a Turbo Petrol but so far nothing to worry for the last 5-6 months of usage in City. Hardly hit 80-90kmph in these months but still no issues *touch wood*.

Thar should 4*4 PERIOD.

[srgntpepper]

Originally Posted by Bit

You guys have confused me even more. Every second reply switches between Petrol and Diesel

Not really.
replies are pretty consistent.

Petrol : low, city mileage. Plus no DPF issues
Diesel : high mileage, better resale. Potential DPF issues.

[ChristComesSoon]

Here's my take:

Go for the Diesel 2WD.

Reasons:

• Diesel refinement tech has come a long way in emissions, NVH, fuel efficiency & reliability
• Diesels have a more heavy-duty engine (durability) & in certain ways simpler (no spark plugs, distributors)
• If you can get a BS4, that would be simpler since it does not have DPF.
• Diesels run cooler in moderate driving conditions since they are sufficiently torque-y at low rpms. Driving at lower RPMs control heat & helps in longevity.
• Diesels are better suited for high mileage applications.
• Diesel has higher energy density than petrol. and hence cheaper.
• 2WD, since in most driving conditions, just that is sufficient. 4WD just adds complexity & wear - so buy a 4WD only if needed.

[Dippy]

If you are looking for the answer to the title of the thread the simple answer would be diesel. In our country diesel SUVs command higher resale.

That apart if you are looking for smooth and refined performance, go for the petrol. The mStallion turbo petrol is a gem of an engine. Not taking away anything away from the diesel. Its a brilliant motor, but you will feel very minor vibrations at idle. Can say this because I also have access to my friend's diesel Thar regularly.

The petrol just feels more punchy. I can't comment on other Thar petrol users on the forum, but my Thar is giving me a consistent 9.8 kmpl which I feel is pretty good for a heavy petrol SUV. my tyres and alloys are stock btw. Also for 700 km per month, the petrol makes more sense.

For the record my Thar does more than a 1000 km per month.

If you are selling in 3 years buy a used one, but if new I would recommend to use it for 8 to 10 years atleast.

Good luck

[alabjarus]

I was in this dilemma myself, on multiple counts...

a. Petrol vs Diesel
b. 4X4 vs RWD
c. 3 door Thar or wait for the imminent 5 door one

Here's my take on all three, from my context:

a. Petrol vs Diesel: My C220d has done 30K kms in 7 yrs, an avg of ~4300 kms/yr (~360 kms/month). My Civic has done 70K kms in 16 yrs, an avg of ~4400 kms/yr (~370 kms/month). So ~700 kms is what I do per month. Don't think this would change substantially for the next few years, as my work keeps me out of country a fair bit and when in town, my office is 4 kms each way. My son is now 19 and drives, but being a hostelite his college trips would be occasional, however, post adding the same my monthly travel could go up to 1000 kms / month in total. Adding Thar to the equation would mean that I would run around 350 kms/month in that, less than 4.5K kms/year - clearly the balance tilts to a Petrol Thar, so that's a closed discussion now.

b. 4X4 vs RWD: This is an emotional one..."How can a Thar not be a 4X4"....fair point. In my 30+ years of driving never have I come across a situation where I missed a 4X4....agree, perhaps I didn't go looking for it...still...! While I like a bit of mud ploughing, that's not something I naturally gravitate to...probably I am in the wrong company. :-) Either way, from what I have seen & read Thar RWD version is quite capable on tarmac and a bit off it, though not the hardcore ones. Hence for something that I have a 1% probability of doing, should I lug around 4X4 gear...my answer is no. So that too settled, RWD it is.

Now if you bring published BLR prices (of LX AT HT version as I am considering that) into the equation it brings more clarity:

Diesel LX HT AT RWD: 16.0L
Petrol LX HT AT RWD: 17.5L
Petrol LX HT AT 4X4: 20.86L
Diesel LX HT AT 4X4: 21.70L

I didn’t want the 117BHP XUV engine on Thar, so RWD Diesel ruled out. The difference b/w Petrol RWD & Petrol 4X4 is my nearly 5 yrs of my driving cost, that too for a feature that I'll rarely use. The difference b/w Petrol RWD & Diesel 4X4 is my nearly 6 yrs of my driving exp, doesn’t make sense.

c. Now the 2 door -vs- 5 door issue: Being my 3rd car, and other 2 being sedans, I am not looking for a 5-seater. Thar would be driven by me (10% of that with my better half in company) or my son. So back seat and associated inconvenience is a not issue for me.

In summary, Petrol LX HT AT RWD 3 door, seems to fit my context and have booked the same. 😃

[ChristComesSoon]

Congratulations on finalizing the decision. Look forward to the full review.