[shyamk]

I lived in Chennai where, as the whole world knows, summers can be rather hot & humid. I have a Black Bolero with all dark tints, parked out in the hot sun. Yet, within a few minutes of switching on the A/c, all is bliss.

In the middle of the A/c vents in the photographs that you have posted, there is a protrusion. I guess that is the one that would be used to change the direction of the air flow. Further, I do see a dial in the console. Check that too.

And yes, I have quite many friends who can vouch for a simple fact - traffic does make way for the bolero.

I have not driven the latest m2di and other variants, but I found the Crde to be a shade better refined than the DI.

Shyam

[ByDesign]

Originally Posted by theMAG

Unless this vehicle was intended to be used primarily in rugged conditions, would the contemporary Ford EcoSport not have been of interest ? Price points would have been similar.

The purchase of this car is fulfilling a primal instinct of mine to own a jeep. The refinements provided are minimal and make the package a lot sweeter. The ecosport TD was sweet and I was very appreciative of the gizmos and features inside. However, it's not what I was looking for. If you see the first post of this thread with the pictures of the defender and G Wagen, you'll see what I mean

[rahul4321]

Originally Posted by ByDesign

Sad news - The Toreador Red will take more than a month to be delivered, while the black one is readily available. I'm in two minds about this. My heart says go for the red one since it's unique (the showroom guys said they sold only 2 reds in the whole year!), whereas on the other hand, I've always thought black boleros or other UV's look pretty menacing and I like that. Inputs anyone? Do black cars actually heat up so much in summer that they're not worth buying compared to the lighter hues?

Go for the Red- its the best one of the lot!! Umm, i sold of my Black Santro to go for the White Bolero. The Ahmedabad heat made the Santro soak up heat like anything! i could not get the car to cool for a good ten minuites after parking it in the sunshine. (Ofcourse- the Santro would have a smaller compressor and hence its AC would not be as effective as a Bolero's- but to answer your question, black cars do heat up quite a lot!!).

If i was buying a M2Dicr, my choices would be the 'chocolate brown', then the Red, then the Quasi-Military Green and then the Black (in that order). Do take a look at the Brown one (in flesh) before you make a decision!

The DI only came in White and Silver (both with black bumpers), so didnt have too much reason for choice! (Why Mahindra???) Went with white as we already have a silver Accent.

[Altocumulus]

Originally Posted by ByDesign

The 4WD variants posed a problem with the actual location the components in the engine bay. From what research I did, the older versions did come optionally with 4WD but without power steering due to this physical limitation. There was some limitation with the condensor too, so 4WD's had to come without AC. Will someone please correct me if I'm wrong?

The Bolero Lx is 4WD, has Power Steering, is low roof but no AC. Also it has a Di engine. A friend and Team Bhpian, Blackpearl has bought one last year and has already driven more than 40k kms, driven it from Kolkata to Ladakh, Rajasthan and numerous times to Sandakphu and Phalut and a lot more. And then its his daily drive to office as well.

A list of some of the trips from his thread

1. Kolkata-Buxa-Darjeeling-Sandakphu-Kolkata
2. Kolkata-Sandakphu-Phalut-Kolkata
3. Kolkata-Lava-Charkhole-Kolkata
4. Kolkata-Srinagar-Kargil-Zanskar-Leh-Pangong-Manali-Kolkata
5. Kolkata-Gangtok-Kolkata
6. Kolkata-Kaluk-Uttarey-Darjeeling-Kolkata
7. Kolkata-Nawalgarh-Jaisalmer-Kunmbahlgarh-Udaipur-Kolkata
8. Kolkata-Sillery-Aritar-Manghim-Gangtok-Kolkata


The AC was fitted aftermarket with heater costing about 40k. The diesel filters needs to be relocated near the battery and the AC compressor is fitted there. You will find a picture of the same in his thread.

A link to the review http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ro-lx-4x4.html

[lucifer1881]

To answer your questions:

1. Black cars heating up more than lighter cars is perhaps more to do with human psychology than anything else. What matters is how good the roof insulation is. I owned a Black Bolero for 3.5 years without any tints. The AC chilled the car in 10 minutes, no matter how hot it was outside.

2. No, there is no way to direct the air into the passenger foot well, at least not in the DI variant I owned. I am guessing the ZLX too would not have this feature. Also, like I said, it does not have an HVAC. So there is no fresh air intake either.

3. About the engine displacement: The Bolero CRDe is basically the DI engine with the Common Rail strapped on top of it. It is a slow speed engine and runs out of breath around 2700-3000 rpm. The rev limiter cuts in at 3400 rpm or thereabouts. Slow speed engines do not produce as much power as their high speed counterparts with the same displacement. But they do provide amazing pulling power. If you like the loco comparison, you will also love this. The DI engine is a tractor engine. It is a workhorse - will go on and on, take abuse, and laugh in the face of any terrain you throw at it.

[ByDesign]

IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR ALL

New discount schemes for Bolero 2013 just released a couple of hours ago. Cash discount of 20,000 INR confirmed. I am now getting the Bolero top variant ZLX with 2 years additional warranty for 8,40,000 INR!

Tomorrow, i.e. the cheque signing day, I will be bringing it down to about 8.35L and getting some floor mats too. Depends on how well my posse and I can haggle.

[lucifer1881]

Haggle well. I got a discount of 54,000 on my SLX in 2009 along with complimentary floor mats.

[rahul4321]

Lucky guys, i did not get a single rupee of discount on my DI. All i got was mudflaps (which i think were installed by the company from the factory- the dealer attitude was such that I dont think they would have given even that). I even had to pay 1500 bucks for the "Bolero" stamped spare wheel cover. It comes as standard futnebt on the M2Dicr's and the DI Plus's- but they dont give it as standard fitment on the "DI"; figure that out!

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by ByDesign

IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR ALL

New discount schemes for Bolero 2013 just released a couple of hours ago. Cash discount of 20,000 INR confirmed. I am now getting the Bolero top variant ZLX with 2 years additional warranty for 8,40,000 INR!

Tomorrow, i.e. the cheque signing day, I will be bringing it down to about 8.35L and getting some floor mats too. Depends on how well my posse and I can haggle.

I guess the ex-showroom prices are being revised, did you get the new updated price or is it as per the old price?

[ramzsys]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

I guess the ex-showroom prices are being revised, did you get the new updated price or is it as per the old price?

The bolero website shows 'prices are being updated'.

Also there is a new EX version with the same M2Dicr engine, with a different state of tune(see torque range in the attachment)

[ByDesign]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

I guess the ex-showroom prices are being revised, did you get the new updated price or is it as per the old price?

As of now, I don't think the dealers have received the updated price list. Off hand I was told by the salesman that my car would be available for 20,000 INR less due to a revised scheme including a cash discount. Today is my booking day, so I will enquire about the prices exactly. I think there should be a new ex showroom price.

Originally Posted by ramzsys

The bolero website shows 'prices are being updated'.

Also there is a new EX version with the same M2Dicr engine, with a different state of tune(see torque range in the attachment)

Thanks for that. The EX version seems to be an absolute no frills/features variant. Just seats, a body, and an engine! Interesting torque band though, it's wider.

[extreme_torque]

@bydesign - Although matters concerning heart are difficult to refute, I will still try. The reason I would never ever opt for something like Bolero is that it is a half hearted attempt. The only redeeming feature being reliable mechanicals not because they are cutting edge or refined but because they are crude and ancient and provide little by the way of finesse or refinement. Even if we were to justify crude mechanicals for the sake of reliability, I cannot stand poor quality, poorly put together interiors which miss even the very basic feature provided by hatchback a third of the price.

What stops Mahindra from doing a Jeep Wrangler or Mercedes G-Wagon? For the same money I would buy the Ford EcoSport eyes closed.

[Dodge_Viper]

I don't see Bolero 4x4 mentioned on their site. Is it discontinued or am I missing something?

[rahul4321]

Originally Posted by ramzsys

The bolero website shows 'prices are being updated'.

Also there is a new EX version with the same M2Dicr engine, with a different state of tune(see torque range in the attachment)

I cant see the EX when i load the site. It still shows me the old website with the SLE, SLX and ZLX variants (Tried deleting the internet history as i suspected that the page gets loaded from the cache- but even that did not work). Also from the snapshot, i cant see any difference between the SLE and the EX apart from the torque parameters. Can you please get some more information regarding how the two variants differ from each other- especially in terms of equipment and trimmings? Also Mahindra being Mahindra- i am not certain that they would produce a single engine in two states of tune; most probably it is just a mistype. Someone must have copied the torque parameters from the DI engine brochure instead of the M2Dicr one

[rahul4321]

Sorry for posting back to back- but my 30 minuites time limit expired!

Update: I just clicked on the snapshot and got to see the entire page with details of the trim levels and the equipment levels. It has an immobilizer, but no AC and no Power Steering. That means that the EX now becomes the base M2Dicr. Interesting. I am not sure who exactly this car will appeal too; the taxi drivers will still go for the DI PLUS as it has more seating capacity and the engine is a proven engine and insensitive to fuel quality. Offroaders will go for the DI 4WD with leaf springs all around (and some people like me for the DI 2WD) as the mechanicals of the engine can take a lot of abuse. The EX M2Dicr without a Powersteering and an AC will not appeal to the private junta. And there's no point adding in an aftermarket PS and AC because thats exactly what the SLE gives. So that begs the question; who exactly is the EX M2Dicr targetting? Any ideas anybody?