Mahindra Thar in India

People crossing the road eating ice cream simply lost control of all locomotive ability and stood fixated right in front of the car till I had to yell and make way. At a traffic-signal policemen came darting, I quickly reached for my license but all they had to say was, “gaadi kaisa hai? (What is the car like?)”. Attention is one thing but when you get it in form of catcalls and a whistle on the road you should know you’ve been doing, sorry driving, something right.

A few hours ago, a certain Mahindra Thar CRDe 4X4 had been driven out of the factory and in 10 minutes flat the hysteria around an ‘open-top jeep’ began to make sense. The few that are out on the road are dictators of their road-space and only automobiles five times their price manage to gather half as much interest. “So you have the Thar that hates tar?” a friend said. Quickly I did a recce on what the car had to offer. 4x4. Tick. Open top. Tick. Large, torque-producing diesel engine. Tick. Rugged build. Tick. So this Thar in question promised some serious off-roading ability, plus it looked the part but I didn’t have a first-hand story to tell. So I simply said, “I’ll let you know” and drove on.
An open-topped jeep, a convertible off-roader, a 4x4 with a 2.5litre engine and 48 hours. With the Thar, the possibilities were endless.

The Mahindra Thar CRDe has been launched in India at a price of 5.99 lakhs (ex-Delhi).

What you'll like:
• Retro Jeep styling. Butch design & image
• Solid combination of engine, gearbox & chassis
• Oodles of power & torque for effortless highway cruising
• Nippy power steering & zero turbo-lag make light work of driving in the city
• Comfortable ride quality. Stays compliant even on bad roads & jungle trails
• Manual 4x4 shift. Offroad competency will exceed needs of most owners
• A Jeep with warranty, parts & labour support from authorised service stations

What you won't:
• Cheap, appalling interior quality. Fit, finish and rough edges are a let down
• Absence of air-conditioner & lockable hardtop make the Thar impractical for daily use
• Complicated front IFS has offroad limitations. Expensive to repair if damaged
• Driver ergonomics messed up (pedal position, off-center steering etc.)
• Nervous steering feel over 100 kph
• Limited potential for offroad modifications due to independent front suspension
• Inconsistent M&M service support & understanding of 4x4 Jeeps