Reasons why older gen Mahindra Thar is still a head turner, and would carry its charm for a decade.

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Mahindra Thar 
                                                     

First Impressions

Mahindra had always been sporting its legacy of building tough off roaders, the one which tops the chart is the Mahindra Thar, a descendent of one of the popular off-roaders of the time "Mahindra Classic". Thar has maintained its pedigree of being a fierce off-roader by outnumbering everything that comes in its way ahead, no terrain could challenge the capabilities of the off-roader. It always meant some serious business. But, still it underwent few minor tweaks to cope up with the progressing industry standards. 



Mahindra Classic


Technicals

It came up with an independent suspension set-up at the front, semi-elliptical leaf spring with shock absorbers at the rear, and a power assisted steering set-up, which made off-roading, a peanut affair. 

Still Thar was at an advantageous position because of its limited competitors and its proficiency in off-roading. The closest competitor being "Force Gurkha".

 Force Gurkha

Thar also performed fairly on Tarmac as well. Having a soft suspension set-up, it often makes rides shaky when a rough patch is encountered. The quality of ride on tarmac was commendable for a vehicle that has nothing to do with roads. There is a saying, popular amongst the community.

"Thar hates Tar" 

Force Gurkha could not keep itself with the competition and led Mahindra Thar overrun Force Gurkha with enormous sales figures.

Mahindra Thar features a raw, muscular, and chunky stance, which portrays its tough attitude, and off-roading capabilities. Soon after its launching, Thar became popular among the youths, there had been instances where, instead of putting their money into a regular city car, youths preferred to bring home Thar, as a fashion icon that would match their lifestyle, by being versatile and in vogue. Youths were completely taken away by its tough appeal, for some, it was a serious off-roading machine, for others, it served as a masterpiece for exhibition. Nevertheless, it served for both purpose quite supremely. Also note, this was the period when Royal Enfield also became popular among the youths.



"If you need a bike, it's a Royal Enfield, if you need a utility vehicle, it's a Mahindra Thar"

Earlier generation Thar was underpinned by a chassis which was the result of a perfect blend between the chassis of Mahindra Scorpio and Mahindra Bolero, which gave it a dual character. 

What brings life to the warhorse was a 2.5 Litre Common Rail Diesel engine, generating a peak power output of 105 BHP and a peak torque output of 247 Nm, which imparted it enough grunt to make day to day life easier on Thar. Common Rail diesel engines are known to be much smoother in delivering performance than regular diesel engines and also produces more power output, meanwhile also cutting a bit on air pollution levels. 

It became a usual practice of every owner to customize his Thar according to his taste. If not, at least some element was introduced to have a feel of exclusivity. Replacing the factory fitted steel wheels with aftermarket wider track, bulged out alloys or steel rims being amongst the prior items in the checklist, and the secondary being replacing the canopy with open, or a roll cage setup, or a hard top setup.

Hall of fame

Customised Thar with custom steel rims and Hard Top (Customised by Azad 4x4)

Custom kit for Thar by Mahindra.

Six wheeled beefed-up Thar, pretty serious crawler. (Customised by Grizzly Customs)

 Thar with an extended rear axle, making it a 6x6.


Verdict

"With a wide fanbase, and immense capability of the machine, it has reserved an iconic place, within the hearts, and the coming generations would be versed with the Saga of the Legend."





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