Mahindra Thar – on the road
Nobody said that the Thar would be able to offer the supple ride of a sedan. However, the inclusion of an independent front suspension on the vehicle has gone a long way in smoothening out an otherwise poppy ride in the earlier versions of the platform. However, if you are one of the passengers in the back benches, you’d do well with holding on to those massive bars tight. At speed, the Thar still has the tendency give you a springboard experience on coming across an undulation. This can be attributed to light weight of the rear section and the agricultural (but tough) leaf springs that do duty at the rear as suspension.
Life is much better in the front seats though where you are better protected from the surface beneath the running board. The seats are average with decent thigh support and basic bolstering. The steering feels closer, higher and more erect than your usual cars. You sit upright, and the quality of the plastic on the steering wheel, dashboard and door panels makes it sufficiently evident that this is no toy for mama’s boys. But all that adds to the rugged feel of the vehicle too in a way.
As the engine begins to spin, you fall in love with its unstressed, linear and smooth nature. It’s a delight to hear that engine spinning. The torque is available from idling speeds, and there isn’t any reportable turbo lag. The Thar pulls nicely from as low as 1200 rpm, and comes into its element as the rev needle crosses the 1600rpm mark.
Then there is the gearbox. Very honestly, I expected an archaic, notchy and irritating gearbox on this sort of a vehicle, but was pleasantly surprised to know that the shifts were rather smooth and effortless. Of course, it’s not a ‘at the flick of a finger’ experience – you have to hold that knob firmly in your palm and use some of your forearm muscles to slot into a gear, but it slots-in in a reassuring, slick fashion. There is no rubberiness to the shift action, although the throw is a tad too long. But there’s a charm to that long lever with its able, smaller replica sitting right beneath it. It’s not the epitome of refinement by any measure, but is surely a quantum leap forward when compared of its predecessors. All in all, the whole experience of shifting gears in the Thar is sufficiently convenient while still leaving enough uncouthness to have your male ego massaged.
The roadhoalding is good, the steering responses take a little getting used to, as they are not as sharp as that of a usual car. The turning radius, however, is quite appreciable at 5.25 meters, and it shouldn’t be much of a problem maneuvering this monster around in the urban environs. The Thar handles reasonably well for what it’s meant to do, although it would be suicidal to get instigated by a Swift driver around twisties. The Thar is no corner carver.
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