India's largest selling SUV: Mahindra Bolero

[Pani]

Well...have been reading most of the post on this thread and good to see so many happy Bolero owners.
I have this curiosity after reading all this...
As you guys have pointed out:
1. Handling...Bolero handles better than a Scorpio
2. Looks..its subjective but Bolero definitely looks good..its not a Tavera, Qualis type looker at all
3. Engine...its already getting the CRDe
4. Suspension...people are not complaining about it anyway , in fact I have heard people complaining about the Scorpio's rear seat ride a lot.
5. Gizmos and Accesories...It has most of the things thats seen on luxury cars A/C, Power Windows, Power Steering etc. Scorpio might have a few more of these...but thats it.
6. Interiors: I dont find Scorpio to be anything amazing ? Its very basic.

Exactly then why do we always say that the target customer for Scorpio and Bolero are totally different ?? Except for a slightly more Chic looks what takes Scorpio to a different market altogether ?

[jp1]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

The Bolero was a major exercise by Mahindra in the 90's to go upscale and launch a rather much improved luxury vehicle over their crude and noisy jeeps. It first tried with the Armada, understood that there is a market. Worked on the Armada a bit more and launched the Bolero. Under the skin the Bolero is nothing but a Jeep developed with years of experience in manufacturing one. .........................................

Sptifire, you said it very well. I was also considering Scorpio before buying my second bolero, that was 2 years ago, but decided to go for Bolero itself, that was based on my experience with my first Bolero, had few nasty accidents with my first bolero and every time it saved me without even a scratch and vehicle intact. I posted that on another thread. I am eagerly waiting for the CRDe and for sure I would be a repeat customer.

[Born 2 Be Wild]

Hey Pani I might have limited knowledge on this, and all you gurus out there correct me if i am wrong.

When the new bolero was launched with all the face lifts i read the road test in overdrive and they had mentioned that the only reason for the cosmetic makeover was simply because they wanted to target the population in the metros.

The bolero has everything going for it in the rest of the country and rural india, its slaes figures clearly justify that but what goes against it in the metros is that it has an image of a rural mass mover,and to top it all off the consumer in the metros is very style conscious hence the natural choice is the scorpio,even though having driven both i personally felt safer in the bolero.

Cheers

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by Pani

Well...have been reading most of the post on this thread and good to see so many happy Bolero owners.
I have this curiosity after reading all this...
As you guys have pointed out:
1. Handling...Bolero handles better than a Scorpio
2. Looks..its subjective but Bolero definitely looks good..its not a Tavera, Qualis type looker at all
3. Engine...its already getting the CRDe
4. Suspension...people are not complaining about it anyway , in fact I have heard people complaining about the Scorpio's rear seat ride a lot.
5. Gizmos and Accesories...It has most of the things thats seen on luxury cars A/C, Power Windows, Power Steering etc. Scorpio might have a few more of these...but thats it.
6. Interiors: I dont find Scorpio to be anything amazing ? Its very basic.

Exactly then why do we always say that the target customer for Scorpio and Bolero are totally different ?? Except for a slightly more Chic looks what takes Scorpio to a different market altogether ?

Image, period. Bolero's are categorised as rural vehicles, like Shankar mentioned, check the mags they even call it a rural vehicle. Thats why i beleive in my own judgement. And the points you have listed are exactly why i bought and keep the Bolero.

Originally Posted by jp1

Sptifire, you said it very well. I was also considering Scorpio before buying my second bolero, that was 2 years ago, but decided to go for Bolero itself, that was based on my experience with my first Bolero, had few nasty accidents with my first bolero and every time it saved me without even a scratch and vehicle intact. I posted that on another thread. I am eagerly waiting for the CRDe and for sure I would be a repeat customer.

Yes jp1 i have read about your experience with the Bolero, what with it tipping over too. And good to know that even after such incident you have faith in the machine.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

seriously me old pal, you should consider picking one up - perfect when you take into account your likely usage/budget/ space etc etc etc. Im keeping an eye out for launch/ test drive - will keep you posted on that and maybe we can do a test together eh?

And I can say that the MM Brand Manager/ Product Manager and President are very proactive people - I speak from personal experience.

Hey sure thing, we can go together for that test drive. And your take on the head honchos at Mahindra is spot on. I have had my problems and issues with the vehicle, dealer and service, but have followed them up and have been sorted out very well.

One of the guys in our Bolero Club had a nasty incident with the free service camp. He got in touch with the group we made a couple of calls, he had a call from the Mahindra Head Southern region. Very proactive folks if you know whom to get to.

[Torqy]

Originally Posted by simplyself

...............Bolero fitted with DI engine and 4-speed gearbox with leaf springs in front?

Are you looking for leafsprings or 4WD?

[Torqy]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I will PM you a set of suggestions I had written to Mahindra as also what I wrote in defence of the Bolero to TOP GEAR Magazine in 2005..........

Hi Shankar,

I'd love to get that PM too.....just to see what other Bolero owners think.
My

-- Torqy

[maddy42]

Well i am in support of the bolero owners as i do have one and have enjoyed it. This vehicle does not rattle even though you use it on rough roads. Pretty good in comfort and the AC is quite a chiller. There are somethings missing in it but if provided there may be people switching from the base varient of the scorp to this. Thats what i did looking at the price difference it had. MM service is not great as in the availability of spares but common Scorp also is serviced there.
Well frankly i have loved this vehicle but for highways i feel it lacks a bit as i got the XDP version without turbo but still i am happy with it. At that price its worth it.

[simplyself]

Leaf springs, Torqy. I do not need 4WD. A few of these vehicles were sold with the DI NA engine between 2004-06. Launched along with the XL.

[Spitfire]

I see this argument all the time : "The cabs and taxis lap it up and so the Sumo is better" and this is from the so called experts here.

My take on this. Where do you notice the Sumo's in plenty? In villages, hilly area's or in cities tranporting office goers. How many have seen a Sumo in the minig areas or the hilly areas?

The Sumo's were bought by the rural and the hill folks, what happened is they broke down too often. No good in demanding conditions. The Sumo's work better in ideal conditions - cities. Still you will find one really good Sumo in a fleet of 10.

I think the reason why the Bolero was not picked by the cabs and taxis woud be due to the fact that the Bolero which was launched as a top end model by Mahindra did not cut it as a mass transporter then(price & image). Subsequently they did come up with various options. But by then the Sumo was king. Also you cannot pack in as much people in a Bolero as in a Sumo(Bolero XL not included).

Secondly isnt it a good thing that the Bolero does not have a cab - taxi image. How many here would really buy a Sumo for personal use. My dad did when it was launched but after he saw the amount of cabs he didnt go for it again. He was really happy with it(Sumo) though.

Other argument Bolero is better because the Police forces and government are getting them, again such deals dont really consider the merits of the vehicle and are chosen to fill someone's pocket, so the for argument for Bolero does not hold either.

PS: I dont consider cab drivers to be experts while picking up a vehicle. I think the jugad route works much better on the Sumo then the Bolero.

[suman]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

How many have seen a Sumo in the minig areas or the hilly areas?

Without taking away anything from the rest of your argument, there are Sumos & Sumos & Sumos all over the hilly states of North India

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by suman

Without taking away anything from the rest of your argument, there are Sumos & Sumos & Sumos all over the hilly states of North India

@Suman: I stand corrected then, thanks. In North Karnataka where a lot of mining is seen we see a huge number of Bolero's.

Been sometime since i travelled up North.

Anyone here who has an experience with a Sumo? I did read about Varun Roy and his tussle with TATA.

My dad is a good source and i remember him to be mighty pleased with the first generation Sumo. Our farm discarded the Sumo(bought immediately after my father's recommendation) for a Commander after over 1 year of usage. Nothing to add to the comments but just something i recall.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

My dad is a good source and i remember him to be mighty pleased with the first generation Sumo. Our farm discarded the Sumo(bought immediately after my father's recommendation) for a Commander after over 1 year of usage. Nothing to add to the comments but just something i recall.

First generation Sumo was not a rough vehicle, although lot of people did buy it for farm use fooled by the looks. I remember in 1997 my colleague was practically crying about it after getting a 1996 Sumo for his farm use. It cost him 1.5L in repairs in the first one year. The TASS later told him not to drive it on rough roads. At that time we both were Tata employees and he probably chose it for the 10% employee discount.

[hrag]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Anyone here who has an experience with a Sumo?

trrk (past) and condor (present)

[bhp1]

Bolero is a nice vehicle, but the 0-100 in>50 sec. is pathetic.
Ive driven it a lot , has excellent suspension & A.C.
fRONT legroom is ample but rear is poor.
ERGONOMICS - less said the better
Stearing- awkward position, light at both low & high speeds.
Safety issues- not at all addressed.
On highways- lack of power,
Cheap to maintain & run.


But the good part is that mahindra is planning a serious upgrade to bolero. They are planning to launch a HYBRID BOLERO.
MAHINDRA claim a 3-4% gain in econo.

[shankar.balan]

Jammy old bean
the Ingenio is a proper MUV - supposed to land up in the market to give competition to the Innova.
It also might be an option for you to consider going by your particular needs.
But I think heart of hearts you'll be happier with a Bolero Crde.
cheerio

Originally Posted by Jammy70

Spitfire, Shankar, looked at the bolero website last night; it said prices are being updated. Tried now and can't access the site!??!

In the midst of all this (Scorp at 8.8, Bolero at 7.75, etc), where does the Ingenio fit in? Or, is the Ingenio and the Bolero with the CRDE heart one and the same? It's all very confusing...