Mahindra Bolero VLX CRDe. Review on Mahindra Bolero

Today I had the test drive of Mahindra Bolero VLX CRDe. I had requested India Garage, Palace Road, Bangalore for the test drive. They got the vehicle to my office around 11:00 am. Well I do really appreciate the behaviour of the representative here. Ok, after the hello's, hi's, had a proper look around the machine.

First Look:

Face lift, hmmm.., muscular fascia, grill ornament, round-edged front bumper (has given it a different appeal, however felt it to be weak when compared to older models.), add to that clear front lens gives Bolero a new look which I feel is fresh and good enough w.r.t change. I did like the new styling. It is a good composition of ruggedness with a decent style, and I truly feel the blend works fine, to appeal both urban & rural users. So let me give good marks for front view.

If you are not a bolero fan, then sides & rear look quite similar though there are few changes as well. The sides & rear view is decent enough, so average marks. Since bolero was based on 'Jeep', they have tried to maintain the aspects pretty well with new design changes.

Well, next my eyes pondered towards the interiors. You will not notice the change immediately, unless observed properly. Yes, there are some changes with the dashboard, however nothing commendable. Lets say a bit of style on the old layout. Dials look good, seats are much better. As with other models, quality of plastics is same. So overall interiors will get average marks.

The looks in & out might not attract many, unless they like jeeps. But, if you appreciate jeeps, then I am sure you will like this style as well.

The Ride:

Took the key from showroom representative, multiple buttons for stoping the engine, door locks etc. Keyed in and vroom vroooom, no do not be surprised, it didn't sound like that. The same same old subdued-tractor sound. Well lets say a little less compared to other models. The indicators in the console were not bright enough. It gave an alarm since one of the door was not properly shut. Ok, I was not wearing the seat belt, and an indicator in the dashboard console was lit, since it was quite sunny & console dimmly lit, I did not notice it. No sound/alaram this time to tell me 'Hey, wear seat belt'. I was expecting the "Welcome" message from the voice assist system, but, no it was silent.

Ok, moved to first gear on the NGT530R synchronomeshed transmission, ok, quite normal, ofcourse decent power from the 2.49 CRDe diesel engine. As I left the office arena, took a left turn to Yemlur road. I wanted to take the vehicle on a rough road and ofcourse not any highway. I personally feel, any automobile would give a smooth and good ride on well laid roads. So on to the left, over the rough or the common Indian road with humps, pot holes and width just enough for 2 cars to be in parallel. Shifted to second, then third, took over a hump at 40 Kmph. Well, my friend was in air for few micro/nano seconds. Thats fine, since I am talking about the off-roader, with roughness embeded in its genes. The front comes with 'IFS Coil Spring' and the rear with 'Rigid Leaf Springs'. So for people on the rear, it can be a bumpy ride. Front suspension is quite good, and on the ride, I should say there is an improvement compared other models.

Since it was a CRDe, I pushed the pedal, further ahead and I could feel the adrenaline rushing. So next time when you want to overtake any vehicle on highway, I am confident that you can do it with confidence. Speed above 60 Kmph on the narrow road carefully negotiating the traffic. A few hundred meters later, removed my leg from the acc~ pedal and pushed the brakes hard, 'shreeeeeek' and the vehicle stoped. I did felt that ABS would have been a good option at this time. The small skid did scare others in the vehicle, however I assured them that, it was just a test. Bolero Vlx comes with Disc Brake in the front and for the rear it is Drum Brake, Braking System fitted with LSPV. For people who would like to know about LSPV, it is 'Load Sensing Proportioning Valve' (LSPV) to optimize breaking effectiveness in response to the load. In industrial vehicles, such as trucks where the load acting on the rear wheels varies considerably as the amount of cargo varies, the braking capacity or performance is insufficient when the load on the rear wheels is relatively large and the threshold level for braking is fixed (i.e., if the level of the generated hydraulic pressure at which the proportioning valves begins to function as the pressure reducing valve is fixed). In view of this drawback, the braking system for such industrial vehicles is equipped with a load-sensing proportioning valve.

The drive continued for a while on the rough road. At a point, I felt I should take a reverse, so took to a corner and manouvered the reverse with ease on the big vehicle.

I next asked the showroom representative to grab the wheels as I wanted to get a feel by seating at the back. Pretty Ok, and I was happy. We came back to office area where they dropped me before saying bye.

Some stats:

Engine 2.49L CRDe Engine

Maximum Power 97 HP @ 3800 rpm (71.5KW)

Maximum Torque 255 Nm @ 1800-2200 rpm

Gearbox Model NGT 530R

Gearbox Type Synchromeshed

Number of Gears 5 Forward, 1 Reverse

Steering Power Steering

Suspension Front: IFS Coil Spring, Rear: Rigid Leaf Springs

Brakes Front: Disc Brake, Rear: Drum Brake, Braking System fitted with LSPV

Wheels & Tyres 215 / 75 R 15, Radial

Central Console Yes

Power Windows (Front & Rear) Yes

Door open / Seat belt Warning Yes

Air conditioning Yes

Heater Yes

Front map pockets & utility spaces Yes

CD MP3 Player Yes

Moulded roof lining Yes

Keyless entry Yes

Central locking Yes

12 V charging point Yes

Seating Premium dual tone fabric upholstery

Voice Assist System Yes

Foot Mats Yes

ORVM Yes

Side Cladding Strip Yes

Exterior Body Graphics Yes

Remote Fuel Lid Opener Yes

Wheel Caps Yes

Side Foot Steps Aluminium Footsteps

Standard Warranty* Two years or 1, 00, 000 Kms which ever is earlier

The mileage is around 11-12 in city & 14-15 on highway.

Now overall, good hydraulic power steering and the 97 BHP engine, hard suspension, decent mileage, 'Ok' interiors is quite enough when you are considering a vehicle for city, highway & off roading purposes.

You might have felt I have been partial, but yes I do have a soft corner for Bolero. What I did not like was the price, Rs 8.18 lakh on road. Felt it is bit on the higher end for the build quality and features offered. Though there has been considerable improvement, it still needs to achieve a lot. Lets say for the price, ABS, Alloy wheels, good ICE (I did not like the one that was in the vehicle), micro hybrid technology (not in Vlx, but in other new DI engines), reduced size of Steering wheel, parking assistance ..., well well am I asking too much....?!