Hi mate,

Really happy to see an urban user enjoying this crude beauty which is generally stamped as a rural cash cow. The photos look very elegant especially the ones in the natural background.

If time permits, please put up a detailed ownership review of the Bolero, there aren’t many ownership reviews of Bolero in the forum.

Wish you many more happy miles with the Bolero !!!!

KA05 - Jayanagar? Have not seen many around here in this color which I think is the best and the rocky beige as well. It definitely needs some alloy wheels.

Some pointers - I`m guessing you service the vehicle in Ananth, regardless go during week days, book the first slot and insist on a technician driving the vehicle first on some bad and good roads, make note of all the customer complaint as well as his own observations. These are passed onto the second technician who puts the vehicle on the lift and inspect everything, afterwards the second guy will inform you of good and bad, then starts the work with your concurrence if there is anything to be replaced or work to be done.

After the work is done, vehicle idles for a while with all electrics on , checked for leaks, door alignment etc.

A second test drive is done before handing the vehicle back to you if everything is okay, so let them take their time.

Regarding the crash and glide - play close attention to how the vehicle`s weight shifts as per your pedal inputs, the loaded axle will crash, the unloaded one will glide and make sure to maintain exact cold tire pressure.

We used to have a White bolero earlier, me and my rather heavily build friends were mistaken to be police many times. Depaartmentu Gaadi.

I stay in RR nagar - got the vehicle registered at Jayanagar. Had the option of RR nagar rto as well, but we all love KA-05 , don’t we ?

Rocky beige is my favourite too. When I was buying , that color option was not there. However I liked this new brown , much more subtle than older version.

I personally am not a fan of alloys. My punto’s alloy is slightly bent and I understood from the technician we have to buy new alloy as we can’t fix the bend like we do with steel wheels. For now I will stick to steel wheels, may be upgrade to good looking ones later. Honestly , I am not an expert, I just read few articles about it and it mentioned the same that alloys are not that good for bad roads.

Makes sense! Will keep an eye on it. Thanks for the inputs.

Did a test drive of Bolero B6(O) BS6 today.

My observations

Likes :

1. No pretence. Just a rudimentary yet true robust workhorse.

2. Nice view of the road from driver's seat

3. Good headroom and seats were comfortable too. Rear seats have impressive underthigh support.

3. Engine is pretty refined for a 3 cylinder diesel

4. Noise insulation at 80 kmph is very good too

5. The 75 bhp 210 Nm 1.5 liter 3 cylinder diesel has excellent driveability. There is brisk progress with a slight dab on the accelerator. It refuses to stall, no matter what you do. Progress till 80 kmph is okay. The car won't make you want to drive anything above that.

6. Very surprising to what I have read about the leaf spring sprung Boleros, it was indeed comfortable to ride even on bad roads. Came as a surprise to me. I never thought ride quality would be tolerable. Infact it was good.

6. Old school charming looks. Only ladder on frame, RWD sub 4 meter SUV on sale.

7. Fuel efficiency - With the characteristics of the 1.5 diesel, the way it drives, I won't be surprised to see real world fuel efficiency figures between 15-18 kmpl easily.







Dislikes:

1. Not a car for an average urban joe who wants everything from 1 car. This darling is for the people who want no nonsense durable car that can take abuse, without having any image or sex appeal to it. It has no features nor sophistication. It's a truck!! Everything shakes but nothing ever will break.

2. Leg room is a joke. I am above average in height and no one could sit behind me with driver seat set to my height.

3. If you want highway performance, look some where else. Bolero is a 40-80 kmph car.

4. Interiors - as rudimentary as the exteriors. Only one airbag, in 2021! No rpm meter. Everything is digital.

5. Price - 11.2 lakhs on road. Damn, you get ecosport titanium diesel at a slight premium, nexon xm diesel, even xuv300 w4 diesel at that price. Different set of priorities, different type of buyers. But 11 lakhs is a lot of money for this car.

6. Steering can't be adjusted in any way.

7. Brake and clutch pedals placed a bit too high. Clutch I didn't find it weird, but brakes I found it strange. I had to lift up my heel to apply brakes. My size 12 feet never had to lift the heel to apply brakes in any car so far.

8. Brakes were weak and not confidence inspiring.

9. Safety : Crash worthiness of a 25 year old construction is everyone's guess!

Personally I liked it because it brought back the memories of the 7 year old me, driving a car for the first time, the car being our 1995 Mahindra Armada. Bolero is just an armada with a new face and new engines.

PS: I drove in our farms and empty school playgrounds and not on the public roads that time.

An update: completed close to 12k kms now. Surprisingly still no low DEF indicator. There was 6 litres still left last time I got it checked during 10k service.

Got some respite from the lockdown and we thought of driving down to our favourite beach again. Nothing much to add w.r.t vehicle, has been reliable companion so far.

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Completed 1year and 16000kms with my Bolero. Still have not refilled Adblue and no warning as well. Amazing!

Minor niggles cropping up, which was expected. Dashboard rattle, rubber beadings coming lose etc . But nothing major. Still drives as of day one.

Me with my humble ride.

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Mahindra Bolero now comes with dual airbags

According media reports, Mahindra was supposed to introduce dual airbags on the Bolero facelift. However, it seems the safety feature has silently been introduced in the current model.



The Mahindra Bolero is available in three variants - B4, B6 and B6(O). Safety features like dual airbags, ABS, reverse parking sensors, seat belt reminder and a co-driver occupant detection system is now standard across all variants.



The Bolero is powered by a 1.5-litre mHawk75 diesel engine that produces 75 BHP @ 3,600 rpm and 210 Nm @ 1,600-2,200 rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

Crazy how an automaker who claims to be a safety leader needed a government requirement to make such basic safety features available in their bestseller!

I guess Mahindra too know that the Bolero is too old now but they don't want to give up on their cash cow. They are trying hard to make it safety compliant.
They know that the Bolero Neo cannot replace the current Bolero and the sales numbers show that too

Apart from upgrading safety features, I think the Bolero also needs a much more powerful engine under the hood. Cant imagine a 7 seater UV with this underpowered mill. I remember driving the Bolero between 2007-10, and it was grossly underpowered.
Most diesel hatch's today have much more powerful engines. For example the Ford Figo comes with a 1.5 litre, 4 cyclinder, 100bhp/220Nm powerful mill.

Most of the vehicle water wadding capacity depends on where are the breather located for any particular vehicle. Check your rear differential, gearbox and engine breathers. Recommended you can relocate these if required as per vehicle usage. But ensure before throwing your vehicle directly into water, your electric wiring and fuses are water resistance or use silicon grease on the electric connections to make them water resistance.

I have been a user of the new Bolero 2020 as well. The overall experience is quite good, as stock vehicles come to real old school and bare metal.

I made many changes in the vehicle & will be sharing those in upcoming posts. From 220 Volts AC to adding 5 off 12 V sockets, second-row foldable, rear 6 feet bed conversion. AT 29 inches tires, rear MLD kit. I will change it to 4WD with solid front axles and leaf springs.

As of now, there are a few issues like vehicle stall on low RPM climbing a hill. Have to rev the engine first, then release the clutch to climb that particularly inclined hill. I already spoke to M&M about this. They replaced the clutch assembly, but the issue is still the same. Not sure if it's with all the Bolero Bs6 or just mine.

Rattle sound from doors and dashboard is there, and I tried the sound deadener and damping sheets on all doors, roof, floor, and dashboard. It made a lot of difference in terms of cabin noise, but the rattle sound from the dashboard is still present.

Moving to gas Suspension had made the ride quality great on asphalt and amazing while offroad.

Posting recent pictures for the same with a trip of 2700KMs in Shimla.























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Lovely pictures of the Bolero, especially amidst the wilderness. That distinctive shape of the Bolero is just enough to make someone wanting it. I wish they had the Rocky beige color. If I had one, I would tear away the decals and be the King of the road

I was looking for a second car. Bolero is in the top of my list. If I choose Bolero, it would be my first time owning a Diesel vehicle. Quick one, with in city, is it possible to drive in stop go traffic in 3rd gear without having to change it. I have heard that there's enough lower end torque.

3rd gear is a stretch. It can take those speed breakers with some momentum. But I wouldn't recommend. 2nd gear is definitely doable even with 6 people on board. For those crawling traffic, shift the gear to first and leave the clutch. You can modulate the break alone, such is the low end torque.

Update : completed 23000 kms on my Bolero now. Got my 3rd service done in my native.

Regular service which includes oil change , DEF refill etc. Cost me 4000/- Rs. Not bad at all considering the usage and 10k km/1 year intervals. Got some scratches on the bonnet and door done by some miscreants intentionally. Will get it painted after few more scratches.

Touchwood, has been an awesome companion so far.

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