Before buying the Thar, I was also considering options like the Hyundai Venue DCT, Hyundai Creta DCT, Skoda Kushaq 1.5 DSG and the Hyundai i20 N Line.
BHPian AMG1 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Intro:
I received her almost 2 months back and I am smitten! She’s red, a convertible soft-top, drinks diesel, and sometimes upon mood likes to have Adblue (so I am told by her creators), and yes, she likes to change gears herself (an automatic)! She made me wait a lot to get to her (a typical diva- took months of persuasion with her creator) and by the time she seemed to be interested in me, her creators raised the prices by 63k! (Semiconductor issue means full seller’s market these days).
Some background
I got married last year. Both myself and my wife were WFH (Lucknow). A few months back, our work wanted us to relocate to Hyderabad (Return to Office). We felt a need for a vehicle and were convinced needed one that should suit us and our lifestyle
Since it is only 2 of us, we wanted something compact, high GC, and fitting for 28-year-olds – hence the idea of a convertible
It’s my first car and I have been using my parents’ cars- Elantra 1.8 petrol manual, City manual, and Zen for the past years. This Thar brings many firsts for my family and me as far as the driving experience is concerned- SUV, first diesel, and first automatic car. We have been using a sedan/hatch all these years.
Our work may require regular relocations, I wanted a BH number plate and had to go through a fair share of trouble to get one. I will document the ordeal later
Options considered in preference order: Thar, Venue Dct, Creta Dct, Kushaq 1.5 DSG, i20 N Line (Creta & Kushaq were really stretching my budget)- Car’s delivery time was the most influencing factor as due to the chip crisis, most had long waiting period. Point to note: I wanted an SUV but the i20 N Line really tugged me so I considered it.
Initial 3000 km experience
Dealership procured a Thar from their partner dealer in a nearby town for faster delivery and I got my Thar with 315 KM in the odo. The car was standing in the yard since March (It’s a Feb 2022 manufacturer, I verified using its VIN)
What I like about her
- Convertible Soft top – An offroader ought to be topless!
- I am extremely delighted with the Thar. The Convertible top is something to be experienced! It transforms you into an instant celebrity with the locals, the wind in your hair feeling is just unbeatable.
- The soft top flapping noise can be noticed above 70 km/h but is not all intrusive and we actually like it. It gels well with the vibe of the Thar.
- Below 100 km/h that noise can easily be countered by raising the music/ ac fan level. I am a very sedate driver and have rarely gone beyond 120 km/h in any car, thus making the soft top noise a non-issue for me
- Takes me 10 mins max to put it up and 5 minutes to take the roof down. However, it took me a great deal of practice. I have taken the roof off and back at least 10-12 times now.
Driving position
I especially like the commanding driving position along with quick acceleration. Almost everyone gives way on the road- making one feel quite important, but importantly trips become stress-free
Rear seat space
Yes! you all read right. Thar is actually spacious for 3 adults in the rear seat. We have actually ditched our Elantra (maybe due to the novelty of the new car) and all 5 of us adults travel together in Thar. I find legroom more than my Elantra in the rear plus the rear seat recline can be done at various extreme angles! Thigh support is severely lacking though in rear
Freedom by Autobox
I can never go back to manual cars. Auto box has brought back the love of driving in me. My wife and sister have now learned driving thanks to Thar’s auto convenience and in past 1 month, they have not only gotten their learning license but also have graduated to reasonably good learning drivers.
I find that the auto box took its own sweet time to adapt to driving style (1200km approx) and it generally holds gear instead of upshifting which is good for performance but bad for fuel economy
Off-Road Capability
Well, I haven’t even ridden a cycle on rough terrain but my Thar makes me feel like I am a Dakar champ!
Enough has been said about its off-road prowess so I’ll keep it short- Its capabilities make me hunt bad roads and I make it a point to run over the roads that have been scaring me so much in past years in my Elantra- I never miss a chance to take my revenge with those roads
Great after-sales
I must add service centres have been very proactive in sorting out any issues I bring up plus they even waive off charges sometimes- clearly they are not sitting with an attitude to flee the customers- top marks to them.
What I dislike about her:
- She has a drinking problem
- Thar has done its 1st doctor visit (service), but I am facing big fuel economy issues. I can never get over 10.2kmpl in the city, which I feel is too low for a diesel.
- The car is only driven in the city with very less traffic conditions (Average speed of all trips show around 20kmph- slow city traffic to be blamed)
- I have calculated the economy 6 times with similarly poor results
Reliability issues – What’s a Mahindra without electronic issues!
So, I was prepared for this one and as a personal rule- I will buy TATA/Mahindra products only when they are at least 1.5-2 years in the market.
- Thar always has some alignment issues
- Bluetooth never really connects easily and if it does it’s even faster to get disconnected on its own
- The touchscreen interface seems laggy (yes, it’s waterproof but is laggy)
- Apple Carplay gets disconnected often
- I got a Pump failure light right after service but they rectified it the next day saying its a false alarm
- The speedometer console goes blank on its own for a fraction of seconds in every trip
Sidenote: Trust only Team-Bhp reviews and Ownership reports! Also, I urge everyone to stop looking at cars with the same lenses, as like us, most cars are different from each other- Thar cant corner like an Elantra nor the Elantra glide over potholes and give an open-top experience like a Thar!
There are far too many keyboard/GoPro warriors with no intention/inclination/knowledge to get a vehicle whose review they give! Case in point the soft top noise, handling, or even the music system- I found Youtube reviews for them seriously misleading once I am experiencing the car. At one point in time, influenced by various influencer reviews, I was about to change my booking to hardtop (thank god I didn’t). Purely my personal opinion, not to offend anyone.
I will be documenting my experience regularly as I drive more kilometres and get to know her more.
Keyword: My Mahindra Thar soft-top diesel AT: Ownership experience after 3000 km