REAL reasons why the Mahindra Bolero is still ULTRA popular in India

The Mahindra Bolero has been going strong ever since its inception, and still shows no sign to slow down. The ageing SUV was first launched in 2000 and the company has sold over 10 lakh vehicles since than. The ageing Bolero has stood the test of time and even in the face of modern competition, the rugged SUV has held its own. What exactly is the reason behind the popularity of the Bolero? Let’s find out.

Rugged

Ruggedness and Bolero go hand in hand. Its a proper, durable vehicles from a time when cars had most of the components made from solid metal. The car is built like a tank with all-metal parts on the body. This gives it durability and ruggedness, which is well liked by the masses. The Bolero’s biggest markets are in rural and semi-urban areas where the vehicle is very popular. It can take a heavy beating and ferry huge loads all day without complaining, something which has made the Bolero extremely popular in lesser developed parts of the country.

Affordable maintenance

The Bolero is very easy on the pocket when it comes to ownership. It is cheap to maintain and can be easily serviced by anyone who knows a way around cars. Also, Mahindra has priced the spare parts and other bits at a very economical rate which further helps the cause. The Bolero is a simple designed car without any high tech gimmickry, which make it easy to service and maintain. Easy availability of spare parts is another factor which makes the Bolero a cheap vehicle to maintain over a long period of time.

Very, very reliable

One of the USP of the Bolero is that its ultra reliable. The car has the ability to go on no matter what you throw at it. It can cover large distances with full load and at the end of the day, it’ll be you who’s tired. Most of the Boleros in India have lakhs of kilometres of reading on the odometer before their life comes to an end, and some go strong even after that. This is possible because of the tried and tested m2DICR and the DI engines that power the Boleros. Both the engines are similar, with the m2DICR being the common rail engine. The old school engines from Mahindra form the backbone of the Bolero and keep it going strong. There’s also a mHawk D70 engine on offer but is less popular than the other two.

Affordable

India is a price concious market and for anything to succeed here, it must be priced wisely. Mahindra has known this for long and the same is reflected in the Borlero’s pricing. The Bolero is one of the cheapest vehicles to offer 4X4 with a fixed roof. The base price of the Bolero starts at Rs. 7.43 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), which makes it a pretty good value for money.

Capable

Despite its economical pricing, the Bolero does not compromise on its off road ability. It has a go-anywhere appeal and is made on a ladder frame chassis, making it rugged to take on any kind of surface. The Bolero gets a proper 4X4 drive system as an option with a low ratio transfer case. The 4X2 models are rear wheel drive, which makes it successful on the bad patches. Also, the rear suspension of the SUV is leaf spring type, which helps to conquer bad surfaces. Leaf springs are quite heavy duty and allow the vehicle to take on rough patches easily.

A huge brand in itself

Bolero is now a household name and has quite a brand value to it. Due to its tough nature and versatility, the Bolero has become a huge success in the rural areas. Such is its influence that people in rural areas can be often heard referring SUVs as Bolero. The great force of brand value is one more reason why the UV is selling so much till date.

Versatile

Again a good utilisation of platform by Mahindra, the company offers Bolero in various types of body styles. There is the regular 7-seater Bolero and an under 4-metre variant too. The company also offers a versatile Bolero styled pick-up truck in the market known as the Maxi truck. The number of models makes the Bolero a popular choice in the market and also attracts a larger number of customers.