The mHawk is a brilliant mill – it is pretty refined, has adequate oomph to propel the Thar to silly speeds. And that growl at 3500 RPM is pretty addictive!
BHPian ph03n!x recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Here are a few obvious and not-so-obvious observations from my ownership of this jeep over 52,000 KM of use – interspersed with some random pics. Because, why not?
Looks:
Been 2 years and 7 months since I brought home the Thar, and there are more than a lakh of Thars on the roads by now. And yet someone will turn back and look at your jeep twice when you are driving. You will find yourself admiring it in your parking whenever you look out your sit out or walk past – never gets tiring.
Going topless is S E X Y, ‘nuf said. Brings the squealing child even in middle aged and retired “kids”.
The formidable road presence combined with ease of AT makes it a more relaxed daily driver – the frequent second glances from fellow road users, and smiles from kids are added bonuses.
The vehicle is a hit with the fairer sex. Gets me into trouble with the wife more often than not – no amount of convincing that it is not for the middle-aged driver with a receding hairline seem seem to work, I had to retort with the same medicine with the boys give the jeep a second look
While all the Thar looks awesome in all the colours, I think black is the best. Black hides panel gaps, creases and shut-lines pretty well in any car (which is why all of mine have been black!), and that is definitely the case with the Thar. Mind you, all those wide gaps and shut lines are consistent, and “by design” to give the jeep-y look!
Flippty jillion mods and customization options to truly make your jeep, well, yours!
No place is out of place for this jeep…
Engine and Transmission:
The mHawk is a brilliant mill – it is pretty refined, has adequate oomph to propel the Thar to silly speeds. And that growl at 3500 RPM is pretty addictive!
650+ KM tank range when driven sedately on highways, and can’t get worse than 550KM is a blessing esp. when on ghats and offroad tracks. Blessing for someone as finicky as I am on where I tank up (close to 50% of all my refills across 52k KM have been in just 3 fuel stations, one each in each of the city I frequent!).
Revvs and catches up with what you want with, thanks to the brilliantly tuned Aisin 6AT
Very rarely does the AT hunt, that too only when driven hard – which, more often than not, you won’t.
2.2 liter mill + TC AT + aerodynamics of a brick. Best case mileage of 11 to 12 KMPL under your usual driving style and road conditions – milking anything more from the Diesel mill will need conscious effort
The 6AT cannot replace the pure mechanical engine-braking offered by the MT – not till the 3rd gear when the lock clutch engages. Will need the use of HDC (which makes screeching brake noise – like a rodent is being tortured), or frequent braking.
All it takes is a drive through the mud to recolour your jeep!
Build, Ride and Handling:
Go anywhere – good roads, bad roads, no roads. Doesn’t matter.
The AVO suspension makes the Thar 75% better than what it came with, and has been real helpful in me making several HYD-CBE-HYD round trips effortlessly.
Sound mechanicals, rugged build – No rattles after 52k KM of abuse – I do carry a foam tape in my boot though, to take care of the minor adjustments required every now and then!
Even with the aftermarket suspension, the vehicle is never “sorted”. You will feel the continuous vertical/ horizontal movements. Make no mistake, while these movements definitely reduced by 75% compared to the stock suspension with the AVOs, you cannot change the vehicle’s inherent design – SWB, high GC, ladder frame build. This does not bother me or the family anymore though.
While I am used to this, the steering feels is not remotely the best. The driver will feel each minute variations of the surface under the wheels as feedback. The steering is pretty vague at speeds – which is not a bad thing, considering how easy it will be to topple this vehicle had it gotten the nervousness of, say, the Harrier. Newer Thars feel better in the area, maybe my 52k run tyres are cause too, will know after the impending change.
W I D E turning radius makes it a chore to plan tight U-turns, or driving in narrow lanes.
This might sound rhetoric – but anyone who’s used to a monocoque kind of a ride will be put off by the ride comfort of the Thar. While the ride is superior to any of the previous jeeps that Mahindra’s made, you will still have to give it time, use it as your exclusive ride for a few thousand clicks – it definitely is an acquired tast, this jeep is!
May eventually have to invest in at least the transparent “window” parts of the CT – they get scratched easy, and as an offroader, this vehicle does not need Sherlock Holmes to find how they are getting scratched
Batman…
Interiors and Features:
Perfectly functional cockpit, with most controls falling in your hands like expected.
Interiors are sufficient for the purpose the vehicle is built for. Have not aged at all in 2.5+ years of regular use – esp. coz mine is a CT and keeps getting aligned with our dusty environment.
Seats and interior space is comfortable enough as a 2-seater, or a 2-adult and 2-kid tourer
The MID over rules you – you’ll have to wait for it’s message/ indication to timeout before you can navigate to where you want. This is a minor irritant, say, when refueling and you want to reset the Trip meter and AFE – but will have to wait for the MID to complete it’s messaging spree (wheel direction, gear, etc.) before I can reset and continue my journey – forcing me to move out of the filling stating, park, and carry out what I want. The better approach will be to have the human input take precedence.
Android Auto disconnects randomly. Have had a TAR raised with my dealership’s team, and they tried different software updates, changed the USB port, etc. in consultation with M&M’s tech team. But no resolution till date. And I have tried like a dozen phones of different generation, OE and aftermarket cables, and lost sleep over it quite a lot. This is a major irritant if you are navigating unknown territory, and AA disconnects exactly when you are approaching crossroads and you do not know where to turn!
While newer Thars show the DEF level, M&M has not given this as an update to the earlier loyalists – esp. when we tested the vehicles in real life and provided feedback that resulted in 14 service actions.
Comfort and Safety:
Comfortable 2 adults + 2 kids tourer, safety tested too.
Seat height adjustment, long travel fore and aft adjustment and tilt adjustment makes is easy to find a comfortable seating position (I am 5′ 10″) – have driven CBE to HYD in 12 hours (950 KM), without fatigue or requiring rests after reaching the destination.
Luggage space is adequate for 2 check-in sized luggage and some knick-knacks.
The CT needs you to invest in flap-reduction planning to make it livable till 70-80 KMPH – all hell breaks beyond that anyway.
The front seats are a size smaller in terms of the base’s length and width – could do with better under thigh support.
No security alarm – say, if a thief decides to unzip the rear “window” and opens the front door to figure out how to beat the immobilizer to steal the vehicle, he can do so in absolute peace – the first line of defense is absent.
Even if you can’t step out, you can still drive through…
Service & Support:
Brilliant support service from M&M – I have worked with Mr. Senthil, Mr. Vinay, Mr. Sihabudden, Mr, Ronald and Mr. Prasanna at various times, and they have always been helpful and supportive.
I’ll swear by CAI Mahindra’s service team any day. Mr, Dileep and team have been maintaining my vehicle from Day 1, and the team takes pride in ensuring that the work is done right.
I also experience extensive repairs with Automotive Mahindra in Hyderabad. Mr. Lakshman and team there did a great job in attending to the repairs.
Keyword: My Mahindra Thar 4x4 D AT: Thoughts after clocking 52000 km in 2 years