‘Bundu-Bashingly’ Good Fun

Vehicle Tested: Mahindra Thar

We are an adventurous bunch aren’t we? It seems as if the average South African only works so he can play. And wouldn’t we? We live in one of the most gorgeous countries. Yes, when it comes to recreational activities, there is very little we as South Africans can’t do. I mean, people throw themselves off bridges and swim with sharks for fun.

Well my fellow fun loving South Africans, may I introduce to you the Mahindra Thar. The Thar has been named after a desert in India, and to any 4x4 enthusiast, this is a good thing, because deserts are their playgrounds!
When you first lay your eyes on it, you’ll think Jeep! And that is because it is reminiscent of those little die hard vehicles we often see storming around war torn sets in army movies. The reason for this is Mahindra started assembling the Willys in India back in 1945. And just like the original Willys Jeep, it too has the square body, with two round headlights and a slotted grille.
I really quite like it.
True to form the Thar isn’t a completely closed in ‘tin top’, but has a canvas roof that can be removed by undoing a couple of Velcro straps. The nice thing about the canvas top is you can take it off, fold it up and take it with during your day out, whereas a hardtop (like the Jeep) is either on or off.
The Thar is only available in a two door; two seater, but the wheel arches over the back wheels do form ‘seats’ which passengers could use if necessary.
Under the bonnet lies a 2.5 liter turbo charged diesel engine. It produces 105 Horse Power (that’s roughly 78kW) and 247Nm. My only real complaint about the engine is that there is a bit of turbo lag, but once you’re going, the Thar builds up pace pretty easily. Attached to the engine is a five speed manual gearbox which feels notchy, and adds to the whole driving experience. It’s a very “hands on” vehicle to drive.

I did do a bit of off-road gallivanting during my time behind the wheel of the Thar, and I must just mention this, I avoid the “off-road”, but for you the reader, I ventured forward…

The Thar has 200mm of ground clearance, a 46 degree approach angle and a 30 degree departure angle. And with a length of only 3.9 meters long, the Thar feels a lot more agile and light on it’s feet in comparison to more conventional, and somewhat cumbersome SUVs. There is also a high and low range box for when you decide to get really dirty, but otherwise the Thar just soldiers on.

So fellow South Africans, what are you doing for your next holiday? Hear the call of nature; hear it in a Thar.