[MileCruncher]

I like to travel a lot and me & my wife keep going on weekend getaways atleast once a month. On our trip last weekend from Hyderabad to Hampi on my Uno suffered a break down in the middle of no where when the Mahindra dealer in Bellary came to our rescue and towed us to their workshop.

I have travelled extensively across the country but never had any major issues with my car, but I guess age is catching up with the Uno (its 8 years old with about 1.07 on the clock). Seeing the present state of the roads, we have decided not to go for a sedan ( was oscillating between City / Fiesta) but an SUV instead. Mahindra service has really got me impressed and hooked.

I've gone out checked the Safari/Scorpio/Bolero. I felt the Safari was too huge (am an average sized person) and from the driver's seat felt as if I was sitting on the terrace. I have test driven both the CRDe and DI Turbo versions of the Bolero.

Before finalising on the purchase, I would like to pick all MM/Bolero owners' brains regarding the following:

1. +ve/-ve for both TDI/CRDe versions
2. Approximate maintenance service intervals and costs
3. What to expect when buying a Bolero.
4. Must do changes on the bolero post purchase.

Look forward to hearing from all you guys on this.

Moderators, didn't find an appropriate post. If there is such a post then please add on the same.

Thanks in advance.

[raj_5004]

have you test driven the xylo? since you travel a lot, it should be perfect for you. if you have the budget for a CRDe bolero, why dont you go for a scorpio LX?

[Sankar]

I'm also fascinated by the Bolero as an utility cum family vehicle, the only thing it lacked imo was a powerful engine, the crde cures that!

Out of Bolero Crde and Scorpio Lx which one handles and stops better?

[bhp1]

Hi Milecruncher, though Bolero is a good Jeep, but has gotten too old now. There are newer and superior offerings in the market, which you can get at almost the same or a little hike in budget.
Bolero's rear bench does not fold which might hinder flexibility, essential for holidayers.
Try to avoid the DI Bolero, it moves at a snails pace.
Out of the Mahindra range of vehicles, I would recommend Xylo, its the newest & M&M has tried to weed out certain problems which plagued their other cars.

[TheARUN]

Good choice mate.

My uncle bought a BOLERO CRDe last month. Its called the BOLERO STORM and comes fully loaded.

Its the highway version of the BOLERO, for mile munchers like you.

Its got all the good things of the SCORPIO engine, i.e meets latest pollution control regulations, is silent, low vibrations, high reliability, and very good mileage.

Its got the good things of the BOLERO, i.e its rugged, go anywhere kind of vehicle and very easy to live with and maintain.

Its not very good value for money since at 7 lakhs 70 thousand, there are umpteen options available, but looking at your past history with the UNO, you can keep if for 10 years too and it will still go strong.

There is a member on T-Bhp who went 8 lakh kilometers on his BOLERO before he sold it to buy the new BOLERO.

Its a nice niche kinda vehicle.

I have a SAFARI and the CRDe was able to more than keep up with the SAFARI on the highways

[4x4addict]

I would suggest going for the lower end version of the scropio for little more. Bolero is good VFM in the 5 to 6 lakh range. Once you start to push above 7 lakhs that is getting into Scorpio/Safari territory and I think the Scorpio/Safari are much better vehicles if you have a budget above 7 to 7.5 lakhs.

[Red Liner]

I will agree with 4x4 addict here. Have a look at my trail of posts when I was zeroing in on my vehicle of choice.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...here-done.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...-di-turbo.html

And if a vehicle can do 90-100 on the highway - I think that is pretty reasonable. Even when I was driving an S10, I found it very risky to go beyond the 130 mark on most highways. What you will miss though is the peppiness...but considering the brakes on the bolero (I know its been boosted on the CRDE)...its much better slow

[anjan_c2007]

The Bolero CRDe is quite Ok but overpriced.they were telling me of some discounts of upto Rs 15000 but with the sticker price of Rs 7.5 L , you can get the Xylo E 2 or even E4 depending on duties applicable. The Xylo is a generation ahead. the Bolero's dash is still quite crude. They have not improved much.
The Bolero (old ) with the Peugeot engine (XD3P) was quite OK but that has changed and is sold on a made to order basis. They have the crude and noisy 2523 cc DI now which is a pain for the driver.My Bolero can cruise all day long at 80-85 kmph without any trouble with its 2498cc XD3P engine.

[MileCruncher]

I kind of new that the comparison with Scorpio will definitely start but here are the fact.

Bolero SLX : 6.78 (OTR) with 55k Discount
Bolero VLX : 7.43 (OTR) with 42k Discount
Scorpio LX : 8.96 OTR with no discount.

I personally find the Scorpio slightly cramped at the driver seat and am not too sure about its ability to take abuse. This apart from the fact is there is difference of about 1.5L which I dont have :(.

What I'm looking for right now is a vehicle that should be able to take Indian Pot Holed Highways with disdain and maintenance should be cheap. I also want to be able to crunch miles without losing too much sleep over whether the vehicle would be able to take it or not.

I do agree that the interiors of the Bolero as very archaic but am ok with the utilitarian nature. On long trips, me and my wife switch driver's seat to cover miles and she also liked driving the Bolero vis-a-vis Scorpio and Safari. Safari gave the feel of as if sitting on the terrace to both of us and hence is absolutely out of the window. Scorpio even though a good SUV is too much money.

Driving the VLX gave me a feeling as if I'm driving a petrol car. Loads of power on tap allowing you to overtake without thinking twice. DI T on the other hand required some work.

My only concern with the VLX is that I felt quite a lot of body roll, even more the DI T. The sales guy told me that since the car had not been sent for PDI, air pressure would be more,hence the bumpy ride and the body roll (am somehow not ready to buy that).

TheArun could you shed some light on this.

On a different note, the TD vehicle had a non - functioning Odo/Speedo and the reason given was that the PDI was not done. The sales guy became sheepish when i asked him whether that particular vehicle would go to a customer without he ever knowing what abuse the vehicle was put through. This is seems to be very bad practice prevalent at MM dealership here in Hyd.

[raj_5004]

my reply in BOLD.............

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

I kind of new that the comparison with Scorpio will definitely start but here are the fact.

Bolero SLX : 6.78 (OTR) with 55k Discount
Bolero VLX : 7.43 (OTR) with 42k Discount
Scorpio LX : 8.96 OTR with no discount.

I personally find the Scorpio slightly cramped at the driver seat and am not too sure about its ability to take abuse. This apart from the fact is there is difference of about 1.5L which I dont have :(.

the scorpio can take a lot of abuse my friend. i agree that budget maybe an issue, but if you can anyhow stretch to 8.96 lakhs, believe me, its worth it.

What I'm looking for right now is a vehicle that should be able to take Indian Pot Holed Highways with disdain and maintenance should be cheap. I also want to be able to crunch miles without losing too much sleep over whether the vehicle would be able to take it or not.

considering you dont want to extend your budget in any case, go for the bolero. its a very tough & sturdy vehicle & willing to take abuse! maintainence is the cheapest & the vehicle is reliable, no worries.

I do agree that the interiors of the Bolero as very archaic but am ok with the utilitarian nature. On long trips, me and my wife switch driver's seat to cover miles and she also liked driving the Bolero vis-a-vis Scorpio and Safari. Safari gave the feel of as if sitting on the terrace to both of us and hence is absolutely out of the window. Scorpio even though a good SUV is too much money.

strange that your wife preferred the bolero's seat rather than the scorpio's!

Driving the VLX gave me a feeling as if I'm driving a petrol car. Loads of power on tap allowing you to overtake without thinking twice. DI T on the other hand required some work.

believe me, if you can actually afford a scorpio mHawk VLS, nothing like it. more so, since you enjoy driving & often go on long trips.

My only concern with the VLX is that I felt quite a lot of body roll, even more the DI T. The sales guy told me that since the car had not been sent for PDI, air pressure would be more,hence the bumpy ride and the body roll (am somehow not ready to buy that).

the mHawk has a bouncy ride as compared to a safari but body roll is not excessive. i feel it rolls a bit more than the bolero.

On a different note, the TD vehicle had a non - functioning Odo/Speedo and the reason given was that the PDI was not done. The sales guy became sheepish when i asked him whether that particular vehicle would go to a customer without he ever knowing what abuse the vehicle was put through. This is seems to be very bad practice prevalent at MM dealership here in Hyd.

this is their practice everywhere.
mahindra should be spanked for this.

[Mpower]

I'd say Xylo is the perfect touring car from Mahinda. Bolero Crde is too ancient and too expensive.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The Bolero CRDe is quite Ok but overpriced.they were telling me of some discounts of upto Rs 15000 but with the sticker price of Rs 7.5 L , you can get the Xylo E 2 or even E4 depending on duties applicable. The Xylo is a generation ahead. the Bolero's dash is still quite crude. They have not improved much.
The Bolero (old ) with the Peugeot engine (XD3P) was quite OK but that has changed and is sold on a made to order basis. They have the crude and noisy 2523 cc DI now which is a pain for the driver.My Bolero can cruise all day long at 80-85 kmph without any trouble with its 2498cc XD3P engine.

Made to order xd3p? Only the 4x4 are available that way right?

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Made to order xd3p? Only the 4x4 are available that way right?

The 4x4 are with the XD3P. I am not sure but its likely that they still supply the 2WD ones with this engine till now.

[shankar.balan]

I would any day support the Scorpio Lx. Definitely in both handling and stopping, provided you drive it the way you are supposed to and not at speeds greater than 110-120Kmph. Far better offering for similar money. Ok, one lac or so more. But with these days of recession etc if you make an effort you can negotiate with the dealer a lot. they are desperate for sales numbers. their margin is about 8-9% per vehicle sold so that will give you an indication.
you should be able to get a 10,000 Corporate discount plus another 10-20,000 loyalty bonus out of the dealers plus a few freebies here and there including floor mats and so on.
according to me one can save a tidy 30-35,000 all told.

Originally Posted by Sankar

I'm also fascinated by the Bolero as an utility cum family vehicle, the only thing it lacked imo was a powerful engine, the crde cures that!

Out of Bolero Crde and Scorpio Lx which one handles and stops better?

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I would any day support the Scorpio Lx. Definitely in both handling and stopping, provided you drive it the way you are supposed to and not at speeds greater than 110-120Kmph. Far better offering for similar money. Ok, one lac or so more. But with these days of recession etc if you make an effort you can negotiate with the dealer a lot. they are desperate for sales numbers. their margin is about 8-9% per vehicle sold so that will give you an indication.
you should be able to get a 10,000 Corporate discount plus another 10-20,000 loyalty bonus out of the dealers plus a few freebies here and there including floor mats and so on.
according to me one can save a tidy 30-35,000 all told.

Ok, but I thought Bolero had an advantage because of it's low CoG compared to Scorpio. Scorpio with it's more modern suspension components might make up for it. After thinking it over the Scorpio Lx definitely seems like a better deal compared to the 7lac Bolero.