Mahindra Bolero

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Mahindra and Mahindra Limited is an Indian multinational manufacturing company, which is one of the largest vehicle manufacturers in India. It finds its position in the Fortune India 500 as well. Mahindra & Mahindra competes with the likes of Maruti and Tata Motors in terms of popularity. It was in 1955 that Mahindra entered the vehicle manufacturing with the Willys Jeep. Following this, the company expanded itself to the manufacturing of light commercial vehicles and tractors. Today Mahindra & Mahindra has become a key player of the passenger as well as commercial vehicle market in India. They have also entered the two wheeler market. The company has stakes in REVA electric car company and also acquired the SsangYong Motor Company in the year 2011. Mahindra produces its products under the brand name Mahindra and has cars in the SUV, saloon, pick-up, tractors, two wheelers and commercial pick-up vehicle segments. The first passenger car under the Renault and Mahindra & Mahindra joint venture was Logan which launched in the year 2007. Mahindra vehicles include, Mahindra Scorpio, Pick up, Jeep CJ, Bolero, XUV500, Quanto, Thar, SsanYong Rexton, Mahindra Legend, Xylo and Mahindra Verito.

Mahindra Bolero is one of the most popular SUVs in the Mahindra & Mahindra lineup. The car is popular especially in the suburban and rural areas. It can seat about 7-10 people and is now available in an AC variant as well. The basic design for the car is inspired from Mahindra Armada Grand. The first generation SUV was powered by the 2.5-litre IDI engine that was capable of producing 75bhp of power. The second generation on the other hand used the Mahindra powertrain which had a displacement of 2523cc and produced 72bhp. The mileage for the Bolero is close to 12.2kmpl with AC and about 14kmpl without. The vehicle is available in four wheel drive option with manual transmission. The basic reason behind its growing popularity is its sturdy built and a driving nature that suits the Indian driving condition well. The car has a great ground clearance of 180mm which makes it a good option for the rural Indian audience.

The SUV had received certain upgrades recently and now the car gets more masculine looks, modern features like the DIS, refreshed digital cluster, engine immobiliser, rear wash and wipe along with an upgraded interior look and the m2CiCR engine. The Digital display adds to the vibrant interiors while the encrypted key recognition system keeps the car safe from theft. The new driver information system; DIS gives updated information about fuel economy, gear position and other important details. The micro hybrid system enables the car to switch to the standby mode which helps conserve fuel. And there is also the Voice messaging system which reminds one if there is a need of refuel or if the door is not closed properly etc. In terms of exteriors, Bolero gets the new Hawk-eye headlamps, a classy front grille along with new bumpers. The ORVMs are also now in body colour and are more stylish. The decals used on the Bolero now keep the car safe while running on and off the road. Adding to the looks of the SUV, Mahindra has added a spare wheel cover at the tail gate.

There is a lot of new technology that is used in Bolero. These technologies range from a rear wash and wipe to power steering, keyless entry, mobile charging facility and voice messaging system. With these technologies M&M has tried to add Bolero to the list of options for the modern urban Indians as well. The car is a decent one but adding a little more money would allow one to go in for a Scorpio or a Xylo which are much advanced as well as trendier as compared to the Bolero. And as for the drivability, it’s not so much when driven on the city roads but Off – roads the vehicle drives much better and is a performer.  

Bolero has a very decent and vintage mannerism of driving that delivers a drive that’s unmatchable on rough and rugged roads. The 2.5-litre M2DiCR engine that produces a power output of 62.09bhp at 3200rpm powers Bolero. With this powertrain, the SUV returns a mileage of 15.96kmpl on highways and in the city the car returns about 12kmpl. With the AC the vehicle produces about 13.6kmpl. The vehicle uses the new Micro Hybrid system which provides for automatic fuel saving. This set up allows the engine to switch to the standby mode when it senses that the engine is not in use. This system helps conserve fuel upto quite an extent, thus making the car very pocket friendly in terms of driving expenses. This becomes one of the most important features for the audience that uses Bolero and thus is responsible for the popularity that the vehicle has. 

Mahindra Bolero uses the M2DiCR engine that has a capacity of 2523cc. This mill was also seen in the Ex model of Scorpio earlier. With this engine, Bolero produces about 62bhp. The power might look pretty low for s SUV but the chugging quality that Bolero has, makes it quite rage for its audience. Even with the AC on, the car can roll forward from standstill in 2nd gear. One can shift the car to the fifth gear even at a speed of about 40kmph where Bolero will deliver the fuel efficiency and yet move steady. Bolero is light on the road and thus the power output is seamless. If we look at the others in the segment we would be a little disappointed in terms of power churned out by Bolero, especially because the vehicle is brilliant off the road. A little more power output would have really taken Bolero higher in ranking.  

These colors are available with all variants of Mahindra Bolero

Coming to the speed and performance of the Bolero, we don’t see any fancy numbers but yet the audience that it caters to and the kind of environment and roads that it is famous for, Bolero is still considered to be a performer. The car with its 5 speed manual transmission can reach the three figure mark from standstill in about 25.61 seconds. It can reach a top speed of 123kmph. The body roll is very evident in the Bolero even when it’s a full house in the cabin. The handling however remains smooth at all times, even when you change the lane at a speed of 80kmph. The slug that was felt in the older versions, 2.5-litre M2DiCR does away with all of that and gives one a drive that’s smooth and steady. There is some body roll that can be felt and after 100kmph mark a little sway that can be felt.  

View Mahindra Bolero Exterior Pictures

Mahindra Bolero still carries its old masculine and sturdy look and angular body but yet again these are considerable changes that make it fit to call it the New Mahindra Bolero. The car has a flat sense of design which screams practicality and a no nonsense character. The straight flat design is kept as it is to keep the body repair costs to the lower end. The front gets the all new grille that has vertical slits and chrome all around. The Mahindra logo flashes right on the centre of the nose. The headlights that we see on Bolero are new and redesigned keeping the aggression on the face of the vehicle alive. The turn lights are now integrated in the hawk eye shaped headlamps. The fog lamps are now mounted on the metal robust front bumper and add to the entire flowing bonnet. When seen from the sides, the car gets new body graphics and the front fender also gets caps that cover the drawn-out wheels. There is a grey garnish strip that now runs along the sides of the car. Doors on Bolero get neater with the hinges getting the hinge cover unlike on the older version, where the hinges were visible and gave Bolero a very rustic look and feel. The footboard that makes it easy for passengers to enter and exit the large vehicle is now made of metal and in turn has become stronger. At the rear end as well we see changes with the tail lamps getting new crystal finish and a lower positioning at the tail gate. The spare wheel now comes with a cover that has Bolero written over it. The cover is also a stylish half cover that makes the Bolero a little more apt for the crowd of the city. The rear defogger is however absent now. The license plate is now on the right side which is a little different from the crowd and makes the car a nice. The external finish gives the Bolero an improved look and character that makes it fit well in the urban areas as well. The vehicle however is yet to make an impression on the urban audience in terms of its looks.

Exterior Measurements

Mahindra Bolero measures 4107mm in length, 1745mm in width and about 1880mm in height. The wheelbase for the SUV is about 2680mm. The wheelbase gives the car a very strong stance and road presence. The ground clearance for the vehicle is 180mm. 

View Mahindra Bolero Interior Pictures

The cabin also gets a fresh new design where the best change has been the improvement in the quality of the interiors. The plastic used in and around the cabin is much better and the lighter colours used, make the interiors look brighter and spacious. The digital speedometer cluster is also new with the speedometer, fuel gauge etc. all turning digital. The dashboard gets curvy with fake wood inserts all around the AC vents and the console. This adds to the feel of the cabin. The steering is a three spoke with silver touch finishes. The seats in Bolero are of a light colour and use fabric covers with height adjustable headrests. This feature is however missing on the driver’s seat. The rear seating row can fit about 3 passengers comfortably and the jump seats can seat decently as well. The rear seats can incline as well for added comfort. There are power windows.

Interior Comfort

The issue that a few might face while driving a Bolero is that the steering is positioned a little awkward. One would have appreciated a height adjustable steering as this particular one used in Bolero suits drivers with a good height only. There is the single disc entertainment system in the top models. There is also the multi information digital display which is mounted on the centre of the dashboard. This unit displays the fuel efficiency and the distance to empty etc. along with the gear indicator. The top of the line has the Start Stop micro hybrid system which automatically switches off the engine when it notices that the SUV has been on a standstill for a while. The engine comes to life as soon as the driver touches the accelerator. This helps save fuel. There is the human voice warning system that warns one in case the door is open or the handbreak is up while driving etc. The jump seats as usual lack space, but this is common to all SUVs without exceptions.  

Bolero now gets the M2DiCR engine which is a blend of modern technology using the common rail engine and dependability. This engine has a low operating cost which further adds to the drivability and dependability of Bolero. The M2DiCR is the same as used by Mahindra Scorpio but with a difference in tuning. The SUV is powered by 2523cc engine which produces a power of 63bhp and 194.2Nm of torque. Even at low speeds, the response from the vehicle is good but the car isn’t as silent as most of the vehicles today. The vehicle starts getting edgy once it reaches the 100kmph mark and the overtaking etc. start becoming a little sway-ey. The 100kmph mark is usually hit in 25.61seconds. The character on the road however is much crisper than earlier with better ride levels. The start – stop system makes the car very fuel efficient. With this system, the engine turns off whenever it senses that the car has been at a standstill for more than a while and it comes to life with a little tap over the acceleration. The engine comes mated to a 5 speed manual transmission and gives an ARAI fuel efficiency of 16kmpl. As for the actual on road fuel consumption, with AC the car delivers about 12.2kmpl and without AC it is about 14kmpl. The gearbox on the vehicle is smooth and helps the car sail over the roads smoothly. The engine is still powerful and chirpy enough to carry a load of passengers without much cribbing and thus staying true to its character.  

Mahindra Bolero stands on tyres of size 215/75 R15. These tyres give the vehicle the needed ground clearance and a grip that helps maintain the balance of the vehicle well. The tyres along with the independent with coil spring & anti roll bar front suspension and Ellipitical leaf springs at the rear suspension, Bolero maintains its stance well and drives comfortably even while off-roading. This is a very important feature for Bolero as it is more often than not used in the suburban and semi – urban areas where the roads most of the time are rugged and full of potholes. The four wheel drive option is thoroughly missed because the vehicle does have some exciting moves when it is off the road.  

The brakes used in Bolero are a combination of disc and drum where disc brakes are at the front wheel whereas the drum brakes can be found at the rear. With this combination, the vehicle is designed for a safe, comfortable and a steady drive which is a very important feature for Bolero. The SUV isn’t very difficult to handle at lower speeds but after 100kmph mark it starts becoming a little unsteady resulting to a difficult manoeuvring especially while lane changing. Since it fulfils the main criteria of its target audience, that is the fuel efficiency, the vehicle is much loved despite its flaws. The gear shifts are comfortable, the number of passengers that it can hold is good and the car can shift to fifth gear even at a speed of 40kmph is something that excites the audience that it caters to. However, it’s clearly not designed for the urban city audience especially because the SUVs today have a very crisp and refined driving as well as handling as compared to Bolero. Nevertheless, the vehicle would perform brilliantly on rural roads. Another added advantage in the Bolero is the addition of a power steering which was really missed in the previous models. The suspension now is the independent with coil spring & anti roll bar at front and Ellipitical leaf springs at the rear, which works well in case of most rugged roads. The turning radius for the vehicle is 5.8m which makes it an easy drive wherever it is.  

Coming to the safety features in Mahindra Bolero, there aren’t many except the regular features that are found in most of the cars these days. The steering in the new Bolero is power assisted which added to the list of Pros, thus giving the vehicle a better appeal. There are power windows in the upper side models with switches on the central console along with central locking and keyless entry. There is the rear wash and wipe in the top end model along with a Voice messaging alert system that alerts one in case any door is ajar or if one is running low on fuel. There is also the engine immobilizer that adds to the safety of the vehicle. With an improved ride quality and newer features, Bolero is quite a catch for the audience that it is designed for.  

There is the single disc Kenwood – Mahindra MO3 system which is compatible with FM, has an AUX port and comes with 4 speakers. The audio quality is good and adds to the feature list of Mahindra Bolero. Along with the stereo there is the Multi information display that can be counted under the features flaunted by the SUV. This display unit reads out the fuel efficiency along with distance to empty (fuel level) along with some other basic information like the gear indicator. With features like these, Mahindra has tried hard to take Bolero a notch up and up to quite an extent succeeded as well. However, the appeal to the newer generation is still limited but if someone is a thorough off-roading fan then Bolero is the pick.