The alternative to not doing something that truly excites you, is to cope with something you don't like until the next opportunity comes. You realize that there are only a handful of opportunities that can come by, which can change the direction of your life, or at-least make you think that you are in control!
It was a similar philosophy that made me buy the Thar and it definitely is a big decision for me because it costs so much!
There are very few vehicles that excite me and all of them have one thing in common: they somehow inspire me to drive, without me even getting into the vehicle.
Most of the time I wish some of the older cars were still manufactured with newer and efficient engines. I like a car that makes me want to drive forever. Sometimes, the way the car looks can be the most important part of that equation. Sorry to say, but the newer space age designs of most cars don't appeal to me at all. For someone like me, the Thar CRDe makes a lot of sense!
Many years ago, I had already decided to get a rugged SUV someday and travel with it across the country.
[B]My requirement (yes I had a requirement!) :[/B]
- It has to be bea-u-ti-ful!! It should want to make me drive. It should make me dream of long trips to nowhere, while I watch it quietly parked in my porch.
- 4 wheel drive - nice to have - enables me to take part in offroad events
- comfortable ride - should atleast meet the capabilities of a decent hatchback
- under 4 meter - living in bangalore has taught me this, I really don't need the extra length.
- good tourer - should be capable of doing 100kmh comfortably on long trips
I have been driving a used 2004 Palio ELPS for the past 5-6 years. I have driven my brothers IndigoCS extensively (which has crossed 1L kms now). I do not have much exposure to various different manufacturers and vehicles across the different markets. I will be comparing the Thar with these vehicles with which I have experience with. I have never driven a jeep or been off-road ever.
Sadly, there were only two vehicles which fit my requirement:
- Mahindra Thar CRDe
- Force Gurkha 2013
The Thar was not even a consideration until August/September 2013. I was completely sold on the Gurkha's capabilities. Come September and I have some money and I call Force motors for test drives. The people responded well, but it looked like the Gurkha launch was still far away. I finally got official confirmation that the Gurkha would launch only in Jan/Feb 2014. I am glad I did not wait, because it hasn't been launched yet!
That changed the whole equation in favor of the Thar. So again I went back to my excel sheet, making comparisons between the two and finally decided to go for the Thar.
Until this point, the entire comparison was only on paper. Diff Locks, Hardtop, 3year warranty, etc are great features! But the truth is this - THAR is a real vehicle available for purchase, the new Gurkha is still a mythical creature.
Finally I took a test drive of the Thar. Liked it. Booked it. I had dreamed of converting the Gurkha to make it look like the G-Wagen, I had it down to what parts of the grill to remove and replace. But that never happened. Nevertheless, the THAR is an amazing experience by itself, right out of the showroom!