THAR TO THAR

We spend a week with the new Thar to find out if you can live with it, if it can chew miles on the highway, if it can bash dunes, and if we are still smitten once the initial novelty has worn off

- SIRISH CHANDRAN

I’M NOT WHAT YOU’D CALL A THAR-PERSON. I like, nay, demand refinement from my cars. I want to soak in the tunes and make conversation while cruising at triple-digit speeds. I want to do that triple-digit cruise without having my knuckles turn white. I don’t want my passengers screaming at me to slow down over every little bump. And I hate getting muddy.

Oh, I enjoy driving off-road but I absolutely hate having to get out and push when you invariably get stuck. Head to toe in muck ain’t my scene. Not the average Thar person, then, and that’s exactly the person Mahindra wants to draw in with the new Thar. The enthusiast who has gone soft, who has been spoilt by the comfort and convenience of modern cars. And it starts with Apple CarPlay.

Sounds silly, but that’s the first thing I do when I jump into any car. Plug in my iPhone, hit a new playlist and crank it up. The new Thar is sorted on that front. You don’t need anything else in terms of connectivity, just your phone plugged in, a slot to leave it in so it doesn’t fly into your face, another cubbyhole for the sanitiser bottle, and get on with the driving.