Mahindra Thar CRDe – evo fleet

Life has gone gadget crazy. We can’t live without our phones, our tabs and certainly not without a music system in our cars. Well, guess what? I’ve been managing just fine without the last one for…wait for it… a year! Shocked as to why I would indulge in this masochistic streak? The reason happens to be my long term test vehicle – the Mahindra Thar. A rugged 4×4, the Thar is spartan to say the least. It makes do without all the comforts that we normally take for granted. Come to think of it, the very first version of the Thar did not even have an air-conditioning unit. Thankfully, that’s not the case with my Thar but it doesn’t get things like a stereo or power windows. While you’re still digesting all of that, I’ll give you this to mull on as well. I didn’t miss it, the comforts. Instead I fell in love with this down to earth, no nonsense vehicle. So much so, that I’ve even been the butt of a joke or two.

I love it for its duality of character. It has been a faithful commuter the past year, ferrying me from home to work and back, making its way through the urban jungle without batting an eyelid. For starters, thanks to the Thar’s ability to dominate its environment, you get home faster. You see, traffic parts ahead of the Thar like magic and besides, bad roads aren’t a problem at all. For that matter, no roads aren’t a problem either. Beyond its commuting duties, the Thar is more than happy to put up with a highway jaunt, even if it’s somewhat bouncy, to a weekend of off-roading bliss far from the madding crowd.

Where the Mahindra falters is in the finish of the product. I’m not going to question build quality because this SUV can take a hell of a beating and still be on its wheels. But fit and finish is an issue because things do start to rattle quite early into the ownership. Electricals are a bit of a problem too and on our SUV the headlamps had begun to malfunction towards the end.

But hey, I’m not complaining. The Thar might not do a thousand things that other SUVs do but what it does, it does really well. And given my affinity for such off-road escapades, it was perfect for me. Yes, I confess, I’m a little sad to see it go but life is full of hope. Already Dr Pawan Goenka, MD, Mahindra and Mahindra, has announced a new Thar set for a launch next year. Looking forward to life with the next new Thar.

Date acquired: April 2016
Duration of test: 1 3 months
Total mileage: 22,643km
Mileage this month: 2078km
Overall kmpl: 10.8kmpl
Cost this month: Nil