Mahindra Thar

Yay! It looks like my four-low days will continue because we’ve just got the new Thar as a long termer. It arrived at evo HQ with under 1000km on the odometer and since then, I’ve already put another 1500km under its wheels. Now, because it is so new and because it is yet to turn a wheel off road, there are no rattles or squeaks and everything feels tightly screwed together. So,after the mad din and unyielding suspension of the Super Thar, this one feels like a Rolls Royce – if you stretch the imagination a bit of course. I’m also loving the fact that I’m back in an air-conditioned Thar.
I don’t know where I stand on how the new bumper looks because I think it is nice from some angles and not so nice from the others. One thing’s for certain though – the new bumper and bigger wheel arch extensions demand beefy looking tyres and that’s the only modification on the new long termer – a set of Maxxis Bighorn 764’s. What I think this Thar is in dire need of, is a wider rear track – to my eyes, the sunken in wheels look really odd. I’ve seen a few new Thars with offset alloys and they look really good! Oh, and I don’t like fitting spacers because they put a lot of stress on the wheel nuts and the hub.
We also had a small issue at Mahindra’s Silver Jubilee service centre in Pune. The driver’s wing mirror broke and we took it to them for a replacement. The problem is, despite the massive workshop, they don’t seem to have a quick service bay, so the Thar was taken in and it took the better part of two hours to simply replace the mirror. Maybe getting a quick service bay system is something they should look at.
On the happy side, the mirror cost just `244, taxes included, and it’s something I’ve always liked about the Thar – most of its parts are inexpensive. Just don’t break major stuff like driveshafts and you should be fine.
Right now, I’m trying to figure out what to upgrade next. I saw a delicious looking off-road bumper on one of Mahindra’s show cars and I’m tempted to ask for one. What do you think? Write in if you have any suggestions. Thars have always made for interesting project cars.

Ouseph Chacko (@ousephchacko)