2025 Mahindra Bolero Old vs New Compared: Do The Updates Make It Distinguishable Over Its Predecessor?

One of the oldest car nameplates that is still running in our market is the Mahindra Bolero. The Indian carmaker has kept it relevant with time by giving it small but useful updates over its journey thus far. Now, the Mahindra Bolero has received a model year update where it has got some cosmetic enhancements and a couple of new features. In this story, we bring to you how it has changed compared to its previous version:

Front

The updates to the SUV’s front end are so subtle, they’re easy to miss at first glance. Mahindra has introduced a new 5-slat grille design that gives the front-end a breath of fresh air. It has chrome embellishments to add a premium touch to the SUV’s fascia and sport the same clear-view headlights as the pre-update model.

Further down, it has the same X-shaped bumper that houses an air dam with the same mesh-like pattern as before. However, the Indian brand is now offering fog lamps on the rugged SUV. The bumper-integrated skid plate has been retained on the new model.

Side

In profile, the easiest give away that this is the new Mahindra Bolero are these dual-tone alloy wheels that give it a premium touch. Apart from that, not much has changed, but it ain’t a bad thing as it’s one of the few SUVs whose upright and boxy stance is still widely appreciated. The 2025 Bolero also continues with the same big square glass panels for windows and front fender-mounted turn indicators as was prevalent on the older model. 

Rear

There’s literally nothing that’s changed at the rear of the Mahindra SUV with the latest update. Mahindra still provides it with the same vertically placed clear-lens tail lights as the previous model, sideway-opening tailgate (which also sports the spare wheel), and the rectangular-ish spare wheel cover with the ‘Bolero’ moniker. The 2025 Bolero still has a sleek bumper as the pre-update version and it houses the dual rear parking sensors. You can check out our detailed image gallery of the new Mahindra Bolero to get a closer look at the updated SUV.

Colours On Offer

Mahindra used to sell the old Bolero in a total of three exterior shades: Dsat Silver, Lakeside Brown, and Diamond White. With the 2025 model, it can be had in four colour options: Stealth Black (new), Diamond White, Dsat Silver, and Rocky Beige.

Interior

While the cabin and dashboard layout of the new Bolero remains largely unchanged, Mahindra has made one tweak on the inside: the grab handle on the co-driver side of the dashboard from the old model is no longer present on the updated SUV.

Some mild changes have been made in the form of the removal of the faux-wood trims around the AC vents and it now gets new trims for the door pads. While the steering wheel remains the same 3-spoke unit, it now features integrated controls.

The 2025 Mahindra Bolero is available with leatherette seat upholstery (previous Bolero came with fabric seats) that gives it an upmarket feel and look. It is still a 7-seater SUV that is available with side-facing jump seats in the third row. 

While most of the features on board the new Bolero have been carried over from the pre-update model, it does gain a couple of amenities in the form of a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a Type-C USB charging port. Besides these two features, it gets an identical equipment set as the old Bolero that includes a manual AC with heater, a semi-digital instrument cluster, power windows, and remote locking.

Mahindra has equipped the Bolero with safety features such as dual front airbags, ABS, and rear parking sensors. We have also detailed the exact variant-wise features on offer with the 2025 Mahindra Bolero to help you pick the right variant. If you want the newer and bigger Bolero Neo, its variant-wise features have been covered in a separate story too.

Powertrain Option

Mahindra has not made any changes to the powertrain department of the Bolero and it comes with the same diesel engine as the older model. Its technical details are given in the table below:

^RWD - rear wheel drive

The Bolero Neo was also updated alongside the standard Bolero, while Mahindra had given a refresh to the Thar 3-door as well. Their launch stories are linked below for your reference:

• Updated Mahindra Bolero And Mahindra Bolero Neo Launched, Prices Start From Rs 7.99 Lakh

• 2025 Mahindra Thar Facelift Launched, Prices Start From Rs 9.99 Lakh

Prices And Competitors

The 2025 Mahindra Bolero is priced from Rs 7.99 lakh to Rs 9.69 lakh (ex-showroom pan-India). While the rugged SUV doesn’t have any direct competitors in our market, it is regarded as a body-on-frame alternative to sub-4m SUVs underpinned by a monocoque chassis like the Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Maruti Brezza, Mahindra XUV 3XO, Renault Kiger, Skoda Kylaq, and Nissan Magnite. It even goes up as a rival to the similarly priced variants of micro SUVs such as the Hyundai Exter and Tata Punch.