[TejasKinger]

Another place where I do not see Boleros going away anytime soon is Jungle Safaris.

At least here in Karnataka, Jungle Lodges and Resorts have a fleet of 4x4 Bolero pick-ups of different model years. From my conversations with their Jeep Safari drivers, the other vehicles they have tried - the Isuzu D-Max and the Tata Yodha have not worked out for them. The D-Max was too expensive, and the Tata was unreliable. They used to have a fleet of Gypsies and Mahindra Commanders back when they began - but the Commander was too crude, and the Gypsy went out of production.

Meanwhile, the Bolero is cheap to buy, runs reliably no matter the abuse they throw at that cutaway body twice a day - terrain, weather, hauling people and cargo, and is cheap and easy to fix.

[Razor44]

No doubt the Bolero is rugged and low maintenance vehicle but the problem with having Boleros for jungle safari is they make so much clatter which totally ruins the peaceful jungle atmosphere and scares the animals. The gypsy is much better in this regard. I do wonder someone should take up this issue and prohibit diesel vehicles as safari vehicles particularly in core areas.

[UD17]

A big chunk of sales comes from the small scale business operators/Owners like:

1. Local freight deliveries: In pune there are families running their livelihood with just 1 bolero. We also supply lot of goods to local customers and most of the time the using Bolero. This is one of the reason why our roads are always packed, there are no 'traffic free' hours unlike western countries.

2. Who needs customization: for poultry farms, egg supplies, milk vendors etc. The Bolero offers lot of scope for customization.

3. Who needs low cost of ownership: All the cases in 1,2 are owners themselves and their major expectation is low running cost/low maintenance, which bolero excels on.

Low competition in this segment will insure stronger Bolero brand even in coming future.

[TejasKinger]

Originally Posted by Razor44

No doubt the Bolero is rugged and low maintenance vehicle but the problem with having Boleros for jungle safari is they make so much clatter which totally ruins the peaceful jungle atmosphere and scares the animals. The gypsy is much better in this regard. I do wonder someone should take up this issue and prohibit diesel vehicles as safari vehicles, particularly in core areas.

Fully agree with you; some wildlife resorts did experiment with Mahindra e-Supros, but I don't know how successful they were. Moreover, they would be restricted to limited circuits and flat terrain even if they did.

The upcoming Maruti Jimny could be an alternative, but as I see it - it's small size and high upfront and running costs could make it near impossible for such applications. I don't think a cutaway Jimny could have 3 rows of 3 abreast seating + a front row for the driver and naturalist, which is the Bolero's typical configuration.

I think the Mahindra Bolero is here to stay.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Razor44

No doubt the Bolero is rugged and low maintenance vehicle but the problem with having Boleros for jungle safari is they make so much clatter which totally ruins the peaceful jungle atmosphere and scares the animals. The gypsy is much better in this regard. I do wonder someone should take up this issue and prohibit diesel vehicles as safari vehicles particularly in core areas.

Different perspectives - here is another one.

Gypsy is good for tracking a tiger / Leopard etc but then it's a jungle you also have an animal that you don't want to see on a narrow trail around the Western Ghats - Elephants. When you are facing a bunch of elephants you'd be glad you are in a Bolero Camper, the drivers do use the engine noise as a deterrent to keep them from charging at the vehicle, they revv the hell out of these engines as you sit wide eyed,white knuckled and all the prayers you have ever known , DI Turbo engine would sound lovely

Forest departments (down south where the terrain is mostly mud and rocks)too prefer them because they have a long wheelbase which naturally makes them more comfortable on trails for paying customers, not to mention its also a jeep-truck , it can pull fallen trees out of the way , rescue stuck vehicles and many other things.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Mr.O

Apparently, there was a Bolero launched in 2008 equipped with a 2.5 CRDe engine producing around 100bhp... I am unsure why it was discontinued, but it's possible that the car had more power than it could handle at the time.

Plenty of cars in world history have had a much more exciting power-to-weight ratio and not necessarily better suspension/brakes.

Just as likely, it was discontinued because it was too good: an appealing package that would have naturally been cutting into Scorpio sales. Much like the m800 5-speed was cutting into Alto sales and had to be dropped.

Bolero CRDe would have been quicker and nimbler than the Scorpio, cheaper to maintain / repair, probably a shade more efficient, yet possessing an equally (or even more) rugged character and image; So for those not a slave to fashion & able to do with a smaller interior, it would have been a no-brainer if priced at a significant discount besides. So the respective benefits of the Scorp and Bolero melded together... Not sure how they actually sold, but could seem irresistable.

A 4x4 version would have indeed been intense, and too good for too many to pass up. Someone here in the threads was converting one to 4x4.

Real pity that the Bolero 4x4's are no more... but for those serious enough, a Camper might do the trick. Can (allegedly) be white-plated in some states / jurisdictions. The lack of A/C will be a turn-off for most outside the hills, but up here they're king of mixed-use all-round family / light commercial vehicles, practically "everyone" has one in their own or extended household, and 95+% in 4x4 version.

Camper Gold (ZLX) 4x4 was another they really should have built, and if they had, we ourselves might own one of those instead of the Getaway.

Originally Posted by Razor44

... the problem with having Boleros for jungle safari is they make so much clatter which totally ruins the peaceful jungle atmosphere and scares the animals... I do wonder someone should take up this issue and prohibit diesel vehicles as safari vehicles particularly in core areas.

With CR tech in general and BS6 more specifically, things have quieted down a LOT. Some would say the mighty DI has finally been tamed/ neutered but overall I'm sure it's for the best.

Originally Posted by TusharK

The SUV gets micro-hybrid tech, offering engine start/stop across all variants.

The Gov really ought to ban the use of that essentially dishonest/ nonsensical/ technically incorrect/ confusion-exacerbating term! This (besides the new logo) is about the only thing I despise about Mahindra.

-Eric

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by zalaps

Eventually, rural customers went back to tried and tested formula of RWD + Ladder frame + Rear leaf springs.

In a hindsight, if we do deep thinking, rural India is surviving on Bolero (10 Lac segment) and Eeco (5 Lac segment). There isn't any other sturdy RWD + Ladder + Leaf spring options.

Options have dried up over the period of time in this segment. Qualis, Tavera, Sumo, Thar DI, Gama all are gone now. Bolero is the Last man standing.

When traversing rural UP/Bihar/WB twice over the winter and STILL seeing a surprising number of well-maintained old Willys-style canvas 650DP people-movers in active service, I couldn't help but think a fair portion of the public has simply been abandoned, that their needs/wants have become irrelevant to decision-makers. I realise that corporates are all in it for the money... but still.... For that apparently not tiny segment, simple/basic=practical/good, so right, Bolero is all that's left - and if that's too cramped / stifling hot (no open-air/canvas Savaris anymore, either, right?) then there's just nothing at all.

But then again, if we're being forced to compromise anyway - then besides Bolero Classic, the Scorpio Classic is still available, still body-on-frame and not insanely expensive. Post BS6 minimum required technology and related cost of maintenance probably have narrowed the gap between Scorp and Bolero to near-negligible.

Which is probably why on rural highways all across southern Bihar, at least, we surprisingly witnessed the former (base variant) in overwhelming majority now. In fact Boleros seemed quite few. I have a feeling the Bolero is running partly on the momentum of past perception now... and personally find its space and power limiting. However, as someone noted, the current gap of 3L is huge. M&M must have made it that way for a reason.

-Eric

[ashutoshb]

Pratap Bose had recently share a sketch of the Maxx city pikup.

I really really liked it. It indicates the design direction the Bolero family is going.

Was itching to try my hand at imagining a 5 door version of the pickup. So, here it is.

[shankar.balan]

A nice snippet about the Bolero.

https://www.rushlane.com/amp/mahindr...-12465020.html

[vikramvicky1984]

Originally Posted by ringoism

When traversing rural UP/Bihar/WB twice over the winter and STILL seeing a surprising number of well-maintained old Willys-style canvas 650DP people-movers in active service, I couldn't help but think a fair portion of the public has simply been abandoned, that their needs/wants have become irrelevant to decision-makers. I realise that corporates are all in it for the money... but still.... For that apparently not tiny segment, simple/basic=practical/good, so right, Bolero is all that's left - and if that's too cramped / stifling hot (no open-air/canvas Savaris anymore, either, right?) then there's just nothing at all.

But then again, if we're being forced to compromise anyway - then besides Bolero Classic, the Scorpio Classic is still available, still body-on-frame and not insanely expensive. Post BS6 minimum required technology and related cost of maintenance probably have narrowed the gap between Scorp and Bolero to near-negligible.

Which is probably why on rural highways all across southern Bihar, at least, we surprisingly witnessed the former (base variant) in overwhelming majority now. In fact Boleros seemed quite few. I have a feeling the Bolero is running partly on the momentum of past perception now... and personally find its space and power limiting. However, as someone noted, the current gap of 3L is huge. M&M must have made it that way for a reason.

-Eric

I second the observation. Nowadays Bolero is looked down upon by masses in Bihar. Even before the Scorpio classic launch, people would buy base model Scorpio over a bolero.
Scorpio is considered status symbol and surprisingly the awareness among variants is high, i.e. a S11 is considered way superior to base models.
It is rare a see a B6 privately owned Bolero in Bihar nowadays.
Camper is omnipresent.