In rural and semi-urban India, there are few cars that have received as much trust as the Mahindra Bolero.
Yet now, after almost two decades as the integral backbone of transportation in a nation with such challenging terrain and problems unique to it, Mahindra has given its iconic utility vehicle a real facelift.
It might be an entirely facelifted vehicle, but it still keeps those robust and durable features typical of older Boleros. At the same time, however, modern improvements call to mind longstanding user-comment feedback in order to make sure that its die-hard clientele remains friendly.
“What the Bolero has always been good at is giving you loads of power when you need it and using as much as possible in between there.” observes Rajesh Verma, who has used his three successive Bolero’s for his agricultural business in Punjab.
“What is truly astonishing about this upgrade to me is how Mahindra has modernised it without in any way having its original ruggedness undermined.”
Exterior: Familiar Yet Better
The Bolero’s distinctive box body design is retained by the facelift, a careful choice that pays respect to its utilitarian heritage. But subtle changes keep it in line with this decade in terms of modernity.
Although largely unchanged, the biggest difference in terms of exterior appearance comes at the front.
A revised grille is tipped off with vertical slats finished in satin silver, and also there are more angular headlamps that now include LED daytime running lights on higher variants than was previously found in older-generation models.
The bumpers have been re-designed with a much more sharp edge and fog lamps placed slightly higher up on them than before for greater off-road protection.
New 16-inch alloy wheels have been fitted to the top models rather than the previous steel ones, although base cars retain their truck-like steel wheels which still appeal especially to many rural users for their ease of replacement after damage.
Crucially, Mahindra has maintained the high ground clearance of the Bolero at 180mm and approach and departure angles that are crucial for negotiating unsurfaced roads.
The body still sports side-steps, an acknowledgement of their practical necessity rather than a surrender to form for its own sake.
According to Santosh Kumar, a member of Mahindra’s design team,”We’ve focused on meaningful improvements rather than change for its own sake.”
“The Bolero works in environments where reliability trumps fashion, so every modification needed to serve a purpose beyond mere visual appeal.”
Interior: Where Practicality Joins with Modern Convenience
Entering the vehicle is where Mahindra has worked hardest to bring things up to date. The dashboard arrangement is all-new and reflects a general move away from the utilitarian nature of previous generations and toward contemporary design.
The new 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, available as an option on higher-revision models, includes Bluetooth connectivity and navigation as well. The project acknowledges that even rural users expect certain conveniences from their cars now.
The instrument panel now has a digital display that shows all kinds of information – not just simple speed and fuel level measurements.
There are also distance-to-empty calculations, service reminders and so forth. Rotary knobs rather than the previous slider controls have been employed to simplify climate controls: a sensible choice given the fact that most operators will be looking after them whilst wearing work gloves anyway.
Mahindra have improved seating comfort by giving the front chairs more support and upping the amount of padding in the side-facing rear benches that have remained a Bolero signature, in defiance of modern safety thinking.
They have even increased the cloth quality without detracting from overall durability required for continued commercial use.
“They’ve kept the washable flooring, which is crucial for us,” said Suresh Patel, who conducts safaris in Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch using a fleet of Boleros.
“With some modern touches it’s easier to attract tourists who expect a certain level of comfort, but she still takes the dust and mud lying down and never complains.”
Latest Mechanicals
Refined Toughness Under the hood the Bolero continues to be fitted with the 1.5-litre mHawk75 diesel engine, already updated for BS6 Phase 2 emissions.
It generates 75 bhp and 210 Nm of torque, figures that look unimpressive on paper but provide the low-rev grunt so necessary for Bolero users.
The five-speed manual gearbox’s gear change quality has been improved. Hydraulic power steering gets tweaking to reduce the effort required for parking while keeping feedback during higher-speed driving.Still perhaps the most significant change is that of the Bolero’s braking.
Disc brakes now come as standard on all front wheels, across all variants of car and model year. Drums without changes at rear, but using new components to upgrade consistent performance especially when fully loaded like commercial users frequently do.
The suspension retains its proven independent front and rigid axle rear setup. But with new, more finely dampened struts it rides much better without compromising any of its load-carrying capacity.
When tested over broken rural roads around Nashik, immediately noticeable improvements included less cabin disturbance over particularly bad sections.”They’ve made real improvement through all-day driving by revising the powertrain,” notes Vijay Singh, who operates a Bolero delivering service.
“The clutch is lighter, the gearshift smoother, and over long routes you don’t get as tired.”Market Position and Competition Between Rs 9-12 lakh, the Bolero facelift stays as an affordable utility vehicle targeting semi-urban and rural customers primarily.
Its most direct competitors remain the Tata Sumo Gold and Force Gurkha, while neither can equal Bolero’s wide-ranging service network－a crucial factor for users in outlying areas.
The refined Bolero has carved out for itself a unique market position, one in which although it does not take the widest variety of compact SUVs or chase urbanites, hardiness of deck is never compromised to bring quality downas W contacting Ronen. This single-minded aim of design has ensured Bolero’s enduring success.
Mahindra Bolero Facelift is launch to fails
A facelifted Mahindra Bolero represents an intelligent choice in that it respects its proud heritage while recognizing the times have changed.
By carefully modifying comfort, convenience and performance rather than letting our rugged reliability which is so characteristic of us blur into oblivion, Mahindra Motorcycles ensures that this grunt remains at home in what can already be termed overcrowded territory
For business owners, farmers and rural families who value reliability and practicality over mere fashion, the updated Bolero offers precisely what is required.
Besides guaranteeing you a rugged machine capable of standing up to India’s highly variable conditions, but just slightly modern convenience in order to represent the current level of expectations.