The 5-seater Bolero is likely to be a sub-4 meter model that will replace the Bolero Neo.

According to recent media reports, Mahindra is working on the next-generation Bolero. It is said that the new model will be offered in multiple body styles and seating options.

The new Bolero is said to be based on the U171 platform. It is likely to come in different wheelbase options depending on the seating configuration. Reports suggest that the 5-seater version will most likely be a sub-4 meter model and replace the Bolero Neo in Mahindra’s line-up.

A stretched version offering 7 seats in a 3-row configuration is also said to be in the works. It could get a forward-facing third row for improved safety.

Moreover, the next-gen Bolero might also be offered in an XL configuration with four front-facing rows of seats and a total seating capacity of 9. This variant will be aimed at the Force Citiline, which is a popular mode of transport in small towns and rural areas.

Besides people carriers, Mahindra will also offer a pickup version of the Bolero. The rugged utility vehicle is quite popular in the commercial segment. Currently, the Bolero pickup has a 60% market share in its segment.

Source: Autocar India

The next-gen Bolero is said to be underpinned by the U171 platform.

According to the latest reports, Mahindra is gearing up to launch the next-generation Bolero in India. The SUV is being redesigned from the ground up and will be based on an all-new platform.

The Bolero is the workhorse in Mahindra’s line-up. Known for its reliability and rugged construction, it is quite popular in both rural and urban areas. The next-gen Bolero is said to be underpinned by the U171 platform. It would require an investment of over Rs 2,000 crore in the coming decade.

The U171 platform will spawn several new models including SUVs and pickup trucks. Reports suggest that there will be at least three SUVs based on this platform, with the first model expected to be launched around 2026-27. Mahindra expects to sell around 1.5 lakh units, which could double with the rollout of pickup trucks.

Mahindra currently sells around 8,000-9,000 units of the Bolero on average per month. It makes up 20% of the brand’s total sales. Thanks to the Bolero pickup, Mahindra has a 60% market share in the segment.

Source: Autocar Pro

Guwahati to Kohima is in good condition with few rough patches. Kohima to Mao (30 odd kms) is still under construction and the going gets tough.

BHPian gunin recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I visited Manipur for a few days in April 2023. This was just a week before the violence started in the state which has claimed many lives so far. It is a beautiful place with friendly people and I hope peace returns soon there.

It is not much of a wonder that I have never visited the state before. The ground situation changes there so suddenly with local bandhs etc. I will not dwell upon what is going on at present in the state and just share the experience of driving through it.

Vehicle: My 2016 Bolero 4wd. It is amazing how easy this vehicle makes travelling to unknown places.

Travel partner: My friend and brother-in-law, Pahar. As usual, we did not discuss any plans except for the starting date.

ILP: Inner Line Permit is required for entering the two states of Nagaland and Manipur. I tried applying for Manipur ILP online but it remained stuck at “under process”. We decided to just wing it and get the ILP made at the entrance gates.

Day 1: Guwahati to Imphal

Route taken: Guwahati- Dimapur-Kohima-Mao- Imphal

Distance: 500 kms approximately

Road conditions: Guwahati to Kohima is in good condition with few rough patches. Kohima to Mao (30 odd kms) is still under construction and the going gets tough. From Mao onwards, it was smooth sailing all the way to Imphal.

I started from Guwahati at around 6 in the morning and picked up Pahar from Dokmoka, Karbi Anglong. Some of his friends and cousins had come to see him off and we took his case for not taking his new Bolero BS6 for the trip. Pahar was treating his new Bolero like a sedan and making all kinds of excuses for not bringing it for the trip.

The new 4-lane Doboka to Dimapur road

Our friends soon cruised by us in their CSUV while I was going pedal to medal at 90 km/h in my DI Turbo on the Dokmoka Dimapur road. It would be nice to cruise like that I thought- I mean I can do that in my Toyota Yaris but I don’t want to take it on an adventure trip. Maybe something which does good speeds with 4wd capability- a Thar would be nice. Yes, a Thar will be sweet- but what if it breaks down with DPF issues on top of a mountain? Petrol Thar will be good- but. At this point, Pahar broke my daydreaming saying the Bolero 4wd feels much tougher than his BS6. Also, he was unhappy that it gets serviced by fixing some laptops to it. I offered to exchange our rides and he promptly fell asleep.

We did not stop much as it was raining all the way through and truth be told I was not really impressed with the landscape on the Dimapur Kohima route. Arunachal Pradesh has spoiled me and it is really difficult to get similar amazing terrain anywhere else here. Nobody checked our ILPs at Dimapur and we moved on towards Kohima on the 4-lane road. Pahar and I skipped breakfast and realized it feels better to have empty tummies on a journey. We passed the town of Kohima and being a Sunday the roads were quite empty. That also meant that there were no eateries and the few open ones we had already passed when we were practicing intermittent fasting.

We stopped at a small place named Maram and had some rice and dal at a small shack. Pahar complained about the price charged to the owner of the shack. I had a full tummy and did not complain.

Somewhere after Kohima

Rains had intensified and Bolero took the bad roads before Mao with aplomb. On such roads, it becomes one of the fastest vehicles. Mao is the entrance to Manipur where ILPs are checked. In the heavy rain, we missed the ILP checkpoint and nobody waved to us to stop. And just like that, we were driving in Manipur. The terrain is hilly but not spectacular and I was getting tired. We stopped on the outskirts of Imphal and had some overpriced coconuts.

We drove into the clean city of Imphal into our lodge for the night- Manipur House. It is a budget hotel and a good choice for people looking for a no-frills stay.

Day 2: Imphal to Ukhrul

We did not have any fixed plans for the day- just that we would drive to Ukhrul, one of the hill districts of the state. There are a number of tourist attractions in Imphal city and I wanted to check out the Kangla fort. However, it remains closed on Mondays and we instead went to the all-women market- Ima Keithel or Ima Market. It is a market run entirely by women. It has different buildings for all kinds of items- meat, fish, clothes, fruits, hardware items etc. We found communicating with the shopkeepers a bit tough due to language barriers. They spoke only a little Hindi and we spoke no Meitei. Pahar is a pro in such situations and very soon he had all the women laughing by being himself. I bought a small knife and it has become my favourite for peeling fruits and vegetables. Pahar got some tree bark which is used during prayers. I found out that it smells really nice even when unlit and kept it in my Bolero as an air freshener. We spent around 2 hours in the market and it was a great experience.

Ukhrul is 80 kms from Imphal. We were at the entrance of the district when we saw a gathering of young people by the road. They sweetly put some bamboos across the road and Pahar and I wondered if it was some kind of welcoming ceremony and we were supposed to crush the bamboos with our Bolero. But we decided to make sure and the young people informed us that a bandh/ strike had been called and we could not proceed forward that day. Pahar and I were lost as we did not have any other plans. I wanted to see Loktak Lake but that meant driving back to Imphal with its busy streets. Seeing our confusion, one of the bandh supporters informed us that the bandh would be over by 6 p.m. and we could drive on then. The young guys were all very polite with us and Pahar took some of their water bottles.

We had around 6 hours and we decided to return and see the Loktak lake. We had lunch at a small hotel near the lake which was alright. We rented a boat which made a lot of noise and the engine died out in the middle of the lake. The owner sheepishly told us he ran out of diesel. I quite welcomed the resulting quiet and appreciated the beauty of the lake. I would like to spend the night here someday.

Some hurried shots of the Loktak lake

We headed back to the place where we had been stopped in the morning by the bandh supporters. It was almost dark and we were finally on our way to Ukhrul. There is a popular trek there called Shirui Peak which is covered in beautiful Shiryui Lilies in the month of July. There is another popular point nearby called Phangrei Peak which gives beautiful views of the valley around.

We had called and booked our stay at a small place called TK Homestay which is run by an old and friendly gentleman, Mr. Tennyson Kazingmei. Because of the bandh, he could not get any fresh meat from the market and instead cooked us a dish of smoked pork and chicken. It was the first time I had eaten a combined dish of pork and chicken and it was great. Pahar ate most of the chicken and I the pork. The weather was cold as well and I had luckily brought a jacket. Mr. Kazingmei had a Bolero 4WD and I took some pictures of the two not-so-common beasts.

Underrated beasts: Bolero DI 4wds

Pahar was in the meantime grumbling about some pending work he had to complete for his madam at the office. Remember we had not discussed about anything about the trip prior- not even the number of days it would take. So, on the second day itself, my partner was having work anxiety.

Mr. Kazingmei heard our plans to trek to Shirui the following day and offered us an alternate plan. Shirui Peak is a very steep climb and he suggested going to Phangrei Peak instead. From Phangrei Peak we could go via the mountain trek to Shirui Peak where the ascent would be much more gradual. He also called up his contacts and arranged a guide for us.

Continue reading BHPian gunin's travelogue for more insights and information.

The SUV had no specific issue apart from a rat bite.

BHPian Shan_Kmu recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Service update

So our Bolero went in for general service yesterday at FNG. The last one was performed at 58k kms. Now the Odo stands at 68k km.

No specific issues apart from a rat bite. It chewed the wires leading to the rear number plate light and fuel level indicator. Work done and associated costs are mentioned in the below attachment. The total bill amount was Rs 5,100.

Came home and gave it a nice foam wash

Cleaned and dressed up the engine room as well

After washing... Good to see the reflection back

Our doggo on his way to pee on the freshly cleaned tyres

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Bolero MaXX HD is available in two variants: LX and VXi, and comes with 1.3-tonne, 1.7-tonne and 2.0-tonne payload capacities.

Mahindra has launched the Bolero MaXX HD as a replacement for the Big Bolero. It is priced from Rs 9.26 lakh (ex-showroom).

The Bolero MaXX HD is available in two variants: LX and VXi, and comes with 1.3-tonne, 1.7-tonne and 2.0-tonne payload capacities. There are two load bed sizes on offer: 2,765 mm and 3,050 mm. The pick-up truck is suited for the construction, agriculture and fisheries sectors.

Mahindra has also introduced new variants of the MaXX City with prices starting at Rs 7.85 lakh (ex-showroom). It now offers payload capacities of 1.4 tonnes and 1.5 tonnes with a bed size ranging from 2,500 mm to 2,640 mm. The MaXX City has been designed for intra-city applications.

Both pick-up trucks are powered by 2.5-litre diesel engines with outputs ranging from 70 BHP / 200 Nm to 80 BHP / 220 Nm. The MaXX City is also available with a factory-fitted CNG kit.

Sales of the Classic Bolero increased by 28% in FY2023 compared to the previous fiscal.

The Mahindra Bolero has achieved a new sales milestone as sales crossed the 1 lakh unit mark in FY2023.

The Bolero was introduced in the year 2000. Since then, the carmaker has sold over 14 lakh units of this rugged SUV. It has been acquired by municipal corporations and government departments for firefighting, forestry, irrigation, public works, emergency services and other operations. It has also been part of police, army and paramilitary fleets.

The Bolero Neo was launched in July 2021. The compact SUV uses body-on-frame construction and is powered by Mahindra's mHawk100 engine.

According to Mahindra, sales of the Classic Bolero increased by 28% in FY2023 compared to the previous fiscal. It is powered by the mHawk75 diesel engine producing 75 BHP @ 3,600 rpm and 210 Nm @ 1,600-2,200 rpm. The SUV gets micro-hybrid tech, offering engine start/stop across all variants.

Due to the worsening vital signs, my left limb below the knee had to be amputated.

BHPian fawad0222 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello BHPians,

As you all know, I suffered a major accident. Should I call it the road one, since it was not a road but rather a mountain trail, where I was hit by an out-of-control and speeding Bolero pickup while walking down the road.

It happened in Uttarakhand, around Jim Corbett National Park, where I had gone with my close friends for a reunion. I was picked up and resuscitated by my friends and taken to an army base hospital, Delhi. I was operated upon there and due to worsening vital signs, finally, with my consent, my left limb, below the knee had to be amputated.

I spent forty days in the hospital. My stump needed reexploration a few times and finally completely healed with reluctance, after about a week from discharge. My rehabilitation in terms of the affected limb had already started at the hospital and when I was discharged I could walk a little bit with the support of an elbow stick using a temporary limb prosthesis. As I had a left shoulder fracture also, I was operated on again once I had stabilised before the discharge and the shoulder was internally fixed. This also made my rehab a bit difficult too as I could not take support of the shoulder of the dominant side, while doing any chores or simply trying to walk.

During my stay in the hospital, my mood remained stable and I was pretty upbeat as well, with the dominant thought that what happened was God's will and I had to accept it and thank Him to spare my life or damage to some vital organs. My close family members were always around and friends, relatives, people from the workplace, and acquaintances either paid visits to me or kept in touch. Also, my post here generated some sincere and well-meaning advice, kind words and prayers. I was surprised to learn that a few kind words make so much of an impact when a person is down and out. Thank you, everyone!

The day, I was discharged, I started feeling a bit down under, as perhaps I had settled into a routine in the hospital or it might have been the anxiety of facing the world in my altered state, though I am not sure. After meeting my ailing mother, who is, unfortunately, bedridden and almost comatose at Aligarh, for a day, I shifted to Pune along with my wife and daughter. The plan was further rehabilitation at Artificial Limb Centre, Army, while staying with my family. The initial few days were very tough physically, as every otherwise routine activity for me was an entirely a new one but with the active support of my better half, slowly things started falling into place and now I can proudly say that I can take care of myself almost completely for my daily chores.

Here again, my mental state kept oscillating between being confident and stable to feeling a bit helpless and wondering how would I fare in life. My days were better, with myself being busy with my exercise but evenings were difficult, both physically due to neuropathic and phantom pains as well as emotionally.

As I was well aware that I had only one direction to go that is forward, I persisted with the routine and things started easing slowly but definitely. I found each passing day to be better than the last one in every way and three days back finally I reached the state where for the first time I felt like getting up early, putting on the prosthesis, finish my chores all by myself without disturbing my wife. Then I went out and moved in and around the lawn, looked at the flowers, and searched for some new birds in the trees. I felt like my original, old myself raring to go out in the world again. My so-called handicap, no longer worried me unduly as I had realised that I needed to accept it as a part of my new reality. I also had the self-assurance that as the child learns to walk on two legs slowly, I also would be able to adjust to my new physical state successfully, of course, God willing. Since then you all will be happy to know that life is on the uptick.

The permanent prosthesis is coming my way in a few days too, which would definitely make my progress faster, easier and more comfortable than ever before. I forgot to mention that I also have taken to myself to teach my daughter some mathematics every day too, taking the advantage of staying with her for an extended period of time finally.

On the legal front, I have been trying to get the FIR registered but have found it difficult so far, primarily due to my being not there. I have not given up and I am hopeful that it would be done in a few days. I have also decided to take the help of a local lawyer and the search is on.

I have decided to keep the Jeep Compass till my rehab is complete and I am able to explore if we're able to handle it.

Once again I am eternally thankful to my friends who played the single most important role to save my life, my wife who remained as steady as a rock, my son and daughter, who took my situation very positively, and my two brothers who were always by my side, relatives, my college seniors, juniors, teachers, colleagues, who always encouraged me and supported me.

My future plans

1. My bucket list includes being an avid nature lover, spending life in and around jungles, clicking some sharp photographs and working for the conservation of nature.
2. Make a transcontinental trip with my friends, either on bikes or in cars.
3. Explore my country more from the ravines of the chambals, to deserts and havelis & forts of Rajasthan, doars of North Bengal, discover the northeast and interact with its wonderful people.
4. I also wish to interact with the sadhus, nagas and learn more about them.
5. I also want to start a startup, but what, where and when, is yet to find.

With this, I finish my post and update. I know, it's still early days for me and I have a long way to go. I request everyone to keep on praying for me, providing your invaluable advice and inputs.

Thanks, everyone for patiently reading it and standing by me.

Here's what BHPian libranof1987 had to say about the matter:

Wish you the very best in your recovery! Pune has a very active bunch of BHPians; watch out for meets planned.

Take care, and more power to you.

Perhaps you could explore something like this? Should be easier to explore since you are now based in Pune.

Here's what BHPian famousshoes had to say about the matter:

So nice to read your eloquently written post and I'm very glad to hear that life has begun looking up for you. Cheers to that!

Here is an interesting Ted talk by Dr.V.S. Ramachandran that I heard many years ago and immediately recalled when you mentioned phantom pain. Hope it may be of help.

He talks about phantom pain from 9:15.

Also great to know that you're using this time to spend time with your daughter and helping her with learning. Do keep us updated on your progress. Wishing you the very best and hope to catch up with you when I'm in Pune next.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

My companion on this journey would be a 2016 Mahindra Bolero LX 4X4.

BHPian gunin recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Background:

For a long time, I had wanted to visit the Balpakram National Park located in South Garo Hills of Meghalaya. More than the rich flora and fauna, I was interested in visiting the place because of the sacredness and importance to the Garo community of the state. The place is steeped in mythology and rich stories about it being the place where the spirits pass on their way to the afterlife.

Land of perpetual winds: Balpakram

A brief about Balpakram National Park (BNP):

BNP was declared as National Park in 1987 and is located in South Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. BNP has a rich diversity of wildlife like elephant, deer, tiger, clouded leopard, Himalayan bear etc The place literally means the land of perpetual winds. There are many mythological stories surrounding the place- for example there is a rock surface where animal footprints can be found along with human ones: the story goes that in the beginning of time when humans and animals got along together well, they would meet here for shopping or marketing. I am sure that did not read very well. That is why it is best to hear such legends from a local guide. I will try to pen a few such stories in this log.

Planning:

I planned to visit right after the Durga Puja Holidays in October, 2022. A quick call to my partner in adventure and brother-in-law, Pahar and we were set with the dates. The information on Garo Hills is quite less compared to the Khasi Hills of the state. I asked for information in our local car group, Crew-37 (with a sizeable number of bhpians) and here Bhpians Shishir (handle: Hirohito) and Reeturaj Yogi helped me with the same. I also asked my friend Philip from Shillong and he put me through to a local friend of his and this friend in turn put me in touch with a Forest Official of the Balpakram National Park (BNP). In the meantime, Shishir through his contacts confirmed that a road trip is indeed possible to South Garo Hills. This was particularly important as South Garo Hills had been ravaged by floods in June, 2022 and many important bridges were washed away along with major damage to the roads. I had also contacted the Tourism Department officials of Meghalaya and even they were not sure if I could reach BNP. The Forest Official, Shri T. Sangma also said a trip would be possible with one condition- bring a 4wd. I was like- say no more Sir!

Vehicle:

My 2016 Bolero LX 4wd DI Turbo. I completed the 1 lakh kms on this trip and could not have come up with a better celebration of the milestone for my trusted companion. I will try to pen a short review at the end of this log of this humble beast.

Travel Partners:

Bhpians Reeturaj Yogi and Bhaskar Goswami joined Pahar and me for the trip. However, Reeturaj dropped out at the last moment due to an emergency.

Some pictures to get the travelogue started:

Places where the Simsang river rose so high to destroy a hanging bridge

A journey only for tough ones

Where a Forest Rest House feels like home

Enjoyed the hospitality of the Garo people

Witnessed mornings like this

A 4wd takes you further and..

When 4wd is not enough, we still got our legs

Where man and animal used to live in harmony

We walked into Batman's lair

And that of the Thunder God Goera

Shacks which served us delicious food

For our journey into our neighboring country

We got washed by winds

And when we got tired we found solace in nature

This is a short account of an adventure called Balpakram.

Continue reading BHPian gunin's travelogue on his adventures with his Bolero 4x4 for more insights and information.

The B6 variant of the Bolero gets the highest price hike of Rs 22,000.

Mahindra has increased the prices of the Bolero and Bolero Neo by up to Rs 22,000.

The B6 variant of the Bolero gets the highest price hike of Rs 22,000, while the B4 trim now costs Rs. 20,701 more.

The N10 (O) variant of the Bolero Neo commands a hike of Rs 20,502, followed by the N10 and N4 variants, prices of which, have gone up by Rs 21,007 and Rs 18,800, respectively.

Mahindra has also increased the prices of the XUV700 and Thar. These SUVs got dearer by up to Rs 37,000.

Dual airbags, ABS and reverse parking sensors are standard across all variants of the Bolero.

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.

Thanks to Akhil for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP share page!