First Outdoor Experience With The Thar

The initial excitement had me taking the jeep out even for grocery shopping trips, just to enjoy the attention it receives on the road. I got the first phase of mods done on Saturday last week where the jeep received new set of off-roading bumpers and rock sliders from Swastik Fabs. The old ones are now going to go up on sale very soon since they’re just a week old and practically brand new. The Thar now looks like a mean machine and ready to live up to the “Thar Hates Tar” statement, but I’ll have wait for the next OTR whenever that happens.

I was supposed to make a visit to the Kabini JLR with a friend on Sunday and this was a good opportunity to understand the highway manners of the jeep. Given the running in period of 1000kms, I was supposed to keep the needle under a 100kph but that wasn’t an issue since beyond that speed I’d be risking my life driving in a tin can with poor brakes. I’m basically treating the jeep like my enfield on four wheels and so a cruising speed of 80-90kph would be good enough on the highways.

We made an hour stopover at Ranganathittu where we were able to photograph the usual residents like the River Terns and Stone Plovers in good light. The park is yet to receive the winter visitors and it’s only the Ibis that’s nesting all over the place for now.

The drive to Kabini through the HD Kote road was a breeze, the jeep performed quite brilliantly and the a/c was just right enough to tackle the warm outdoors. The last 20kms though were a bit too hard on our backs, but I’m comparing it to the Safari which tackles that ‘kaccha’ road at 40kph and still feels okay inside. The luggage security issue takes a bit of getting used to and we unloaded all our camera stuff when we stopped for breakfast. Next time we need to find a place where the jeep is in direct line of sight to avoid the extra work.

The stay at Kabini was refreshing and though we missed the big cats, there was enough to stay engaged with nature and its beauty. The elephant sightings were quite nice but we also witnessed a heart-wrenching view of a baby elephant that had a broken right hind leg. The herd was taking good care of it, but I’m sure it’s going to go through a very tough childhood and hopefully one day it will grow up to become a big beast.

On the way back, I took about 5 hours to reach home which is a little more than what I’d take with the Safari but not by much. I made a few observations and notes to myself from the trip:

• The jeep feels a bit nervous after the speedo has touched the 100kph mark. Not because of lack of power, but because of driving dynamics. 
• The brakes feel better than before or may be I’ve just gotten used to them. Anticipated braking is always a good thing to do, and I also use a bit of engine braking to make sure the jeep slows down faster.
• The soft-top flaps a bit beyond 80kph, but soon that noise just becomes a part of the environment and we didn’t even realize it on our way back since our sub-conscience automatically applies “noise reduction” on such regular sounds. E.g people staying near train tracks don’t really notice the sounds after a while.
• The lights badly need calibration, the high beam shows me tree canopies and I’m sure it’s going to be blinding for oncoming traffic. While the low beam is okay, I don’t particularly like the spread. I will be adding the Hella spot beams, but I think I may also need to get ‘cornering’ lights that can act as the standard fog lamps and help in improving the peripheral view. 
• The fixed position passenger seating is quite uncomfortable and the rear bench seat needs to go away quickly to resolve this issue.
• The two door arrangement at the rear will need a bit of getting used to, it’s best to keep the door shut and use it only when really required. Also, the tyre is now mounted higher than the stock position, so getting access to the back without opening the door has gotten difficult. 
• The side rear view mirrors have a terrible view and the blind spot on the left is at times dangerous since you don’t notice bikers who are riding close to your tail on the left. I tried talking to a few folks on whether a horizontal mirror would be a good idea but haven’t heard any positive responses yet.
• The lock for the fuel lid uses the ignition key and I want to get this changed asap. The issue is actually two-fold, one it’s just inconvenient at the fuel pumps and two, it’s a security concern. I’d like to get some feedback from someone who’s gotten it changed with regards to the costs involved and whether there are ready-to-fit aftermarket options available easily. I believe a remote lid opener will be a complex solution and not something that I’d want to spend hours on getting it done. 
• The front tires are fouling slightly on a full U turn and I need to get this looked at. Given that it’s an 245mm section tyre vs the 235mm stock, I thought it should be a non-issue. But given that the Maxxis are almost 4cms taller than the stock tyres, maybe I need to make some more room for them under the front fender to avoid the touching.
• The front roof panel has a screw missing on the driver side beading and will need to get that done at the service center. 
• The door handle touches my knee while driving and I need to see how I can make it comfortable on long drives.

Initial Impressions From The Jeep Ownership

Now I'm no auto expert and my comments should be taken with a pinch of salt. With whatever little experience I've had driving, I'm putting down all that I could notice with the Thar. No technical jargons, no indepth discussion on the technical aspects, just plain simple layman experience of the jeep. 

• The engine is butter smooth, the noise & vibration levels are far better than the conventional jeeps
• The steering needs a bit of getting used to, but maneuverability in traffic is quite good
• Rattling and squeaking come free as a part of the overall package, my jeep has been squeaking and rattling since the time of delivery – I now consider this as a part of the jeep music but would want to have it fixed soon
• Interiors are really basic and there’s nothing to write about them – I knew it so I don’t hate it
• The OVRM is decent but the side mirrors are quite pathetic – both in build quality and in terms of the view they offer
• The brakes made me feel at home like with the Enfield – you need to press them and quickly say a prayer. Even then they’d only slow down the jeep and not stop it quickly, so you need to add engine braking as a standard feature for assisted braking. The manual says that the brakes need like 3 months to break-in or something, wonder what someone is supposed to do until then.
• The suspension was really jumpy at the back, but I guess it’s the initial phase and it will finally settle in over time
• The soft top is quite good enough to insulate noise and have the A/C work decently in the Bangalore weather.
• The rubber mats are very “sasta” (cheap) quality and I will need to find better replacement for it soon.
• The door handles, enough has been said about them already. I’m just being careful all the time not to break them in the initial few weeks, but I’m sure they’ll be due for replacement by the first service.
• The wipers feel funny, but they’re typical for a jeep so no real complaint there.
• The body panels are painted well but have spot welding dents all over. The black color actually shows up the deformities a lot than the Rocky Beige I guess.

Overall, I still am glad that I got the Thar. All the shortcomings are more like characteristics of the jeep that I have come to terms with in order to enjoy what lies beyond them.  I’m now eagerly waiting for an OTR event to be scheduled in and around Bangalore to learn the tricks of the trade and put the beast to good use.

Biker To A Jeeper - Mahindra Thar Joins Our Family

A Quick Flashback – Making the Decision

Sometime in mid 2011, when the question came up on replacing my wife’s 3 year old i10 Kappa (which has done its service beautifully so far and will end its lease period in November), our discussion started going in all directions. My wife didn’t really want another hatchback as a replacement so even though we test drove the Figo, Swift, Micra etc, none of them had her excited. The Fluidic Verna was something that she liked, but I rejected it for its poor handling and soft suspension based on my test drive a few months back. The news of the Cedia price drop had her drooling over it, but given the gasoline engine and her every day usage, it wasn’t going to be an economical drive. So after going back and forth on the choices, she came up with an interesting proposal. She offered to make the Safari as her daily drive and then I could buy a car for myself. Initially, I tried to talk her out of the idea since the Safari is a pain to drive in the city, but given her willingness to tame the monster, the proposition looked like a win-win situation for both of us.

So now the question was which car should I buy for myself? Personally, I’ve never been too fascinated of having fast cars that can do a quick ton on the speedo, or those which can transport you faster than the 200kmph mark. Neither the sleek sporty designs nor the classy status symbols entice me enough than when I look at an old school SUV or a Jeep. I always had my heart set on getting a 4WD jeep or gypsy so that I could join the off-roading events as another weekend activity to complement my love for photography. Given the nature of our expedition-like vacations, a jeep was indeed going to be a good addition, plus the soft top meant that I could remove it during the birding trips and have more flexibility to move around with my camera gear at the back which used to be a bit painful in the Safari.

The downside of the idea was that with the Safari in the garage already, we’ll be fueling up two monsters, none of which would have good city manners. Moreover, we couldn’t really keep the i10 anymore coz three cars for a family of two was overkill, and I would run out of parking space too. So with all pros and cons weighed in, we were out in the market looking for our first off-roader.

• The first option was to explore the pre-owned route, that way I could even settle for a well maintained Gypsy and get it rally prepped for that one-time Raid-de-Himalaya experience (it’s on my bucket list). I tried a couple of times but could never close the deal because at the end of it, it seemed like it was going to cost me equal to a new one or even more.
• Building a MM550 was the other option that I had in mind, but the thought of the time investment needed for such a project kept me away from it. The other big requirement was reliability of the jeep since I may just use it for some of my crazy road trips as well which was not going to be a forte here.
• The last and final option was to buy a new Thar, albeit this was also the most expensive one. However, after giving it some serious thoughts and working on the CBA multiple times, I finally decided that the Thar it was going to be. It looked like a very decent overall package to start with and then build on that as the need arises. The key was the reliability factor which was the highest as compared to the above two options and the fact that a diesel motor would be easier on the pocket when I do try the long haul trips in it.

Having grown up with the company of my Dad’s Enfield and then owning one for over a decade, I can relate to the care and attention needed in owning a jeep. I always liked the fact that these machines were built to have a character rather than being mere transportation equipment. There has to be some kind of bonding that happens between the owner and vehicle as time progresses, otherwise there’s no thrill in life. Reading the ownership threads on TBHP, I could easily tell that this isn’t going to be a very easy phase of my life but it may still be the most enjoyable one. It took me a while, but I think I’m ready for it now, more than ever before. I’m ready for the pain, the angst, the sacrifices, more importantly to give it the love and affection it needs and all this for the simplistic joys of owning a jeep...Amen!

The Buying Experience - Mahindra Thar

Given the amount of customization I’d need to do with the Thar to make it fit into the family, there was no way I’d buy it on the company lease scheme. That meant that we’d have to forego the tax benefits and pay 10.5% interest p.a. to SBI on the 5 year vehicle loan. The proposal wasn’t sounding financially appealing, but nobody seemed to care about it now when our hearts are set on taking the plunge with the Thar. We’ve made a lot of our decisions so far based on gut feel rather than financial calculations and we don’t regret any of those, so this was one more addition to that list.

So on one fine weekend in October, we went for a TD to India Garage with a couple of friends even though we had clear intentions of buying it eventually. I had TD’ed it earlier in 2011 but that was when there was no standard A/C fitment available. The Sales Rep (Khasim) was pretty good in attending to us and arranging for a test drive promptly. The A/C felt quite good in terms of the cooling power and with the windows rolled up, even the soft top did a reasonable job of cutting down the traffic noise. The India Garage guys had kept a pretty nicely done up Rocky Beige Thar on display, I was told that it had already been sold to somebody who had ordered the custom fitments.

My 3yr old daughter who’s been an enthusiastic companion on all my wildlife trips associates jeeps to the jungle safaris. The moment I took the jeep out for a spin, she popped the question whether we were going to see wild animals and that made all of us have a hearty laugh. It was difficult to make her understand that were actually going to buy the jeep versus going for a safari.

After the TD, we discussed about the availability and price with Khasim and he mentioned that there was a Black Thar readily available whereas the Rocky Beige would take about a month he said. My initial choice of color was the Rocky Beige, but given that Black has been our all-time favorite we decided to settle with it. I told him that I’ll be back on Monday with the loan documents and the down payment and that he should hold that Black Thar for me. The loan guy said he could get it done in 3-4 days and that meant I could pick up the jeep on the next weekend if everything works out.

That next week was crazy and we couldn’t really get everything done on time, we barely managed to get the loan approved that Thursday or so. I could have pushed Khasim for delivery on Saturday but I was scheduled to be out on business travel for the next 10 days so decided to wait it out till I return back. The delivery date was pushed out to Nov 9^th since that gave me some additional time to plan for the mods that were needed, the first of which was to find the tires I wanted.

I had a made list of mods to be done right after delivery or within the first 2-3 weeks since my experience has been that anything that is scheduled to be for later never gets done. I’ve had that experience with the Safari where I thought I’d put the alloys and leather upholstery later and now that it’s been more than two years I don’t really feel the urge to put them at all. The idea was to do only functional mods and keep the bling factor to a minimum; the jeep had to be ready for the OTR events in 2013.

• Tyres – Maxxis Bighorn/Cooper STT (should fit stock wheels – no alloys)
• Off-road Bumpers & Rock Sliders
• Snorkel intake
• Insect Mesh, Headlamp & Tail Lamp Grill
• Headlamp Upgrade & Aux Lights
• Horn Upgrade
• GPS Security System with or without central locking
• SA Roll Bar
•  FF Rear Seating
• Music System (swap from i10)

Khasim informed me that there was a new batch of jeeps coming in the first week of November, so I would be able to choose from a new lot and may even have a choice of color if I change my mind. I was scheduled to return home on Nov 7 and had told them that I will inspect the jeep before it’s allotted to me and sent for registration. I did get a call from him that morning on Nov 7 informing me that the jeep will arrive for PDI later that day and I could drop in at the showroom and give a nod to send it for registration. Finally, the jeep arrived at 5.30PM and I was able to do a quick PDI and a test run before giving a final nod. Everything seemed to be okay so far and the VIN decoding thread on t-bhp helped in identifying that this was an October manufacture vehicle which was good.

I was told that there could be a possible delay in delivering the jeep on Nov 9^th because the request for the registration DD hadn’t been sent on that day and it could take an additional day. Having already taken a holiday on Friday, I was insistent that I get the jeep on Nov 9 given that I had informed them of the delivery date more than two weeks in advance. After a little bit of stern talking with Khasim and his manager, I get an assurance  that they will make it happen on Nov 9^th itself. 

The insurance quoted by the dealership was a bit too high for my liking and a couple of phone calls saved about 5K and got me a better deal with a Tata AIG zero-dep policy instead of just the standard comprehensive coverage. With the engine number and chassis number available after the PDI, I finalized on the insurance and had them send it to me within an hours’ time.

On Nov 8, I got a call from the dealership that my car was sent for registration and will be ready for delivery on the next day as promised. That night, it took a while for me to fall asleep because of excitement and anxiety of getting the new toy. The following morning I promptly get a call from Khasim informing me that the vehicle will be ready for delivery by 11.30AM. My daughter was going to accompany me for the occasion while my wife had to rush to office for some work. We took a bus to get to the dealership and found it standing in the delivery bay, ready to be driven!

The delivery process was pretty smooth overall and we were done in less than 15-20 mins. There was the usual picture taking event followed by a quick instruction delivery session about the features (or lack thereof) in the Thar. I picked up the Insect mesh and the lamp grills from the accessory shop which had to be installed at the workshop since the guy said he couldn’t get the fitting done there. I also spoke to Mr Chandrashekhar from the spares dept about ordering the SA roll cage to which he said that he had received two sets for the orders placed before me but both were unusable because of wrong parts being shipped. He promised me that he’ll place an order for me once that matter was sorted out, but that could mean about a month long wait for it. Not having too much of a choice, I decided to take his word and wait until there is a pressing need for it. I didn’t want to put the one sold by the accessories store since it felt more cosmetic when compared to the SA roll bar which looked a lot functional.

The next stop was going to be at Madhus Enterprises for the tire change. While on the way to the showroom, I had told Nikhil that I’ll be visiting his shop for the tires and he made sure that it was all ready when I reached there. The tires had to be changed on priority right after delivery to get the best exchange price. I needed something more for off-road rather than highway performance and had zeroed in on the Maxxis Bighorn 245/75 R16. The most popular choice everywhere was the Yokos 255/65 R16, but I wanted an aggressive tread pattern rather than extra wide rubber. The reviews said good things about the off-road capability of the Maxxis and mentioned that they had decent on-road performance as well. After checking a few places, I had finally found them with Nikhil (Madhus Enterprises) who promptly booked the tires for me. The tires came in at a premium but I didn’t want to back out since I wouldn’t be changing these for quite some time.

My wife wasn’t going to be home until later that evening, so we (my daughter and me) decided to hang out with one of our friends and share our joy. The jeep looks awesome with the new shoes and the black steel wheels, I could notice a lot of heads turning towards it that day.

The next day I took it to Autoshop and got a new set of Osram 100/80W headlamp bulbs installed with a relay and also got the stock horns replaced with a pair of “skoda-type” Hellas. There’s still a lot to do and I can see myself spending a lot of time with the jeep over the weekends to finish the list of mods that are planned.