India Cars

The Voyager can seat 9 people (including the driver), and is ideal for both family and business purposes. However for the all the space and seating capacity of the Voyager, it is approximately of the same length as the Ambassador or the Premier 118NE

The Voyager has a unique “flexi-seating configuration” which can be re-arranged to suit various requirements. There are three rows of forward facing seats. The second row has an auxiliary jump seat, which allows you to go to third row. The seat in the third row can fold back to give you ample space for all your baggage. In fact all the seats can be unfolded to give you a comfortable double bed.

The Voyager is powered by 2.5 litre XD-3P BM 4 - cylinder Diesel engine, which gives a maximum power of 72.bHP @ 4000 rpm and a maximum torque of 15.3 kgm @ 2000 rpm. The suspensions on the van are independent, coil spring and anti-roll bar in the front, and rigid axle, leaf spring and anti-roll bar in the rear. The brakes are tandem master cylinder, with ventilated discs (front) and drum (rear).

The Mahindra Voyager has a shorter turning radius than most passenger cars on the road - of 4.4 metres. The steering is re-circulating ball-and-nut type with tilt-adjustable facility. The van is also available with Factory-fitted air-conditioner with vents in all three rows to give you all round cooling.

M&M introduced Mahindra Scorpio 4×4 in the country. The four-wheel drive selector is placed next to the gear lever and is not unlike an old table fan switch. You get to wield options of 2WD (rear wheel drive for tarmac use), 4H (four-wheel drive high ratio) for inclement weather conditions and rough roads and 4L (four-wheel drive low ratio) for really difficult terrain, steep gradients and for hauling. And except when in low ratio, you can shift while on the move (as long as you keep your speeds below 100 kph). A set of neatly integrated idiot lamps will tell you where the DI engine’s power is being sent to. So far so good.

The first test of the four-wheel drive was restricted strictly to tarmac. On smooth, wet tarmac the vehicle on 4H mode was a revelation. The nervousness displayed by the 2WD model in our earlier road-test was now history. The road tyres suddenly felt grippier.

The setting was, more or less, perfect for a 4L test. The road-oriented rubber slipped and grappled for traction on the slimy rock surface that lined the bottom of the water body and the Scorpio’s progress was not as sure-footed as we would have liked.

It crossed the stream without any glitch and repeated the feat several times. There was no way the heavy SUV was going to wriggle out if one of the tyres got caught between big rocks under water. One, the car was heavy and two; the water level was constantly on the rise. Just for reference, that particular section would have been a breeze with a Quadro, with its shorter wheelbase and similar four-wheel drive underpinnings.

The Scorpio’s approach angle begs you to climb every other mound you encounter on a slush trail. While anything up to 25-30 degrees can be attempted on low ratio, the near vertical distance you cover at that angle is restricted by gravity.

Descending hills with the Scorpio requires a certain level of skill. You can’t leave the selector in 4WL and expect the machine to go down with the engine ticking away barely above idle. A few of attempts resulted in wheels locking up and the vehicle sliding down helplessly. The key here is never to touch the brakes and carry a certain degree of speed. That, aided by steady and slight steering corrections, will see you yielding to gravity in a safe manner.

The best way to enjoy the Scorpio’s low-range is to slot the car in fourth gear straight away and blast across terrain that most cars would get stuck in no time. Carry enough momentum on that gear and there is nothing much that can bog the Scorpio down.

As far as pure off-roading goes, the Scorpio is no match for the Gypsy King. And if you have to have a very capable four-wheel drive vehicle that drinks diesel, try getting a SWB machine from Mahindra. Act fast before they run out of good old Jeeps completely.  The Scorpio is more competent than the Tata Safari 4×4, and that is because it has a more powerful and torquier direct injection motor propelling it.

Mahindra & Mahindra launched Mahindra Scorpio 2.6 DX on Indian Road. The Scorpio looks right, despite the raised roof and near vertical rear door that was necessitated to liberate interior space. The top-end petrol version gets a colour coded grille that makes the two-tonner look even heavier. The base version will not have all this plastic on its sides, but features deep scalpel slashes that can prove difficult to repair once you dent a panel.

The major difference between the Scorpio and previous Mahindra products is the new ladder type frame chasis which is now made of C-section steel channel long members welded together and tubular cross members. For the first time there is ample leg room for second row passengers in a Mahindra. The DX version has a third bench seat that can seat three fully grown adults in reasonable comfort for shorter journeys. However, that space is better suited for storing your luggage. Near textbook space utilization deserves praise and it is heartening to know that our own designers did the job. The seating position is great; the pedals are at a comfortable reach and the steering wheel easily at hand. 

Gripes aside, the chassis shows good execution in details as does the independent double wishbone front suspension which uses coil springs in the rear wheel drive version and torsion bars in the 4WD version. Suspension at rear is by means of leaf springs. The Scorpio uses disc brakes up front and drums at the rear. The crushing advantage offered by the Bridgestones is another factor to be blended in while sizing up the car from its suspension and chassis set-up point of view as are the steering and the brakes. The Scorpio employs power-assisted rack and pinion steering while the braking system comprises discs up front and drums at the rear with an LSPV integrated into the braking circuit.  

The exterior finish is excellent; the same cannot be said of overall panel fit. Rubber bits used on the exterior just about passes muster. The aluminium running boards, a nice throw back to the Jeep days, are extremely slippery - nothing a shift to good old diamond plate can’t solve. Large wheel arches with massive 15-inch wheels and 235/75 section Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts gives the Scorpio a very purposeful stance.

The instrument console is clean and ergonomically correct. The instruments are borrowed from the Ikon. Clever design also means parts like the air-con vents can be duplicated with no left-right complications. Seats designed with Lear Corporation specifications are firm and comfortable - even for three hour journeys.

Dual tone plastic that has been used inside is surfaced well, but there are edges and cut-lines that show through, especially around the hand brake and seat adjustment levers. A basic Kenwood music system was provided for the 2.6 DX versions, but most Scorpio owners will certainly upgrade to something that sounds better. The air-con system works well thanks to a total of seven vents and is surprisingly noise-free. A lot of hard work has gone into the car’s NVH characteristics and even with a direct injection diesel idling early in the morning, there was a great deal of peace inside the cabin.

The SZ 2600 DI engine is the strength of the Scorpio. Employing a KKK turbocharger, this turbo diesel was developed for Mahindra by famed Austrian engine consultancy AVL from a previous tractor engine it had done for the Mahindra Arjun. An all new direct injection turbo-diesel displaces 2609 CC to produce a chest-thumping 109 bhp at 3800 rpm and 26 kgm of torque as early as 1800 rpm. This motor will soon shed its turbo charger to give birth to a NA variant of the Scorpio 2.6, which is bound to be popular with tourist taxi operators. Also being launched is the Renault-powered petrol version (REV 116) that develops 116 bhp at 5500 rpm and 18.7 kgm of turning force at 3800 clicks. Let us stick to the turbo-diesel for the time being.

The Scorpio rushes from zero to 100kmph in 21.57 seconds and does the quarter mile dash in 21.4 seconds - not exactly setting the strip on fire but eye opening for a vehicle of its class. The car returned 11 kpl on highways and 9 kpl in congested city.

On the move, with the windows down a certain degree of wind and tyre noise intrudes into the cabin, but then there are the four neatly stacked power window switches in the centre console that will solve the problem in seconds. Switchgear works positively and the power window motors can never be termed anaemic.

While noise needs to be eradicated or reduced, surprisingly vibes have been pretty well damped out or slotted into a frequency range which the majority of users will never power their vehicle to or stay in that band for long. On the move the drivability aspect is stupendous, with there being silky smooth power spewing forth as if one was driving a naturally aspirated motor.

Mahindra & Mahindra launched Scorpio CRDe. The CRDe (registered trade mark for common-rail engines from Mahindra, like CDI of Mercedes-Benz and CRDi of Hyundai) unit was necessary for Mahindra to meet the upcoming BSIII emission norms. Equipped with a new fuel-feeding system. The non-CRDe engine from the Mahindra NEF (New Engine Family) will continue to be available in other parts of the country.  Mahindra will continue to build the Sportz if there is enough demand. Other changes to the machine include larger wheels and bigger brakes.

For legal reasons, M&M couldn’t use the name CRDi, and so stuck a CRDe label on the car, the ‘e’ standing, rather unimaginatively, for ‘engine.’ The injection system itself is called the BOSCH Common Rail System or CRS Generation 2.2; injection pressure is 1600 bar, leading M&M to modify the piston bowl to accommodate the higher pressure. The engine block is the same 2609cc unit, but the crankcase and cylinder head have been modified to take the new equipment; both remain cast-iron though.

The chassis hasn’t been changed, but there are larger 16-inch wheels, on slightly lower-profile tyres, which make for marginally sharper handling. Overall though, stability is still an issue, especially given the speeds the Scorp is capable of. It still rolls excessively, pitches around at the rear, and wallows too much. The brakes have been improved with more bite and quicker response, but still lack a linear feel, tending to grab at the last moment. They feel over-servoed as well; stab the brakes and the rear wheels lock up immediately. This is quite a pain, and can get scary if you’re forced to break mid-corner: over-compensate on the brakes and you’ll be punished with a scream from the rear, and an already jiggly rear end stepping happily out of line. The biggest thief of confidence, however, is the over-light steering, which lacks feel, and is telegraph-like in its response and accuracy.

The exhaust manifold was replaced by one made of a new material called Silimoly, which can withstand the 700deg C temperatures generated by the revised engine. There’s also a new foam-type air filter, which lasts for 40,000km, and also reduces the drop in pressure to 20millibar. Other long-lasting components include the new, spin-type fuel filter; oil changes will also be at longer intervals, of 15,000km. The turbo is new as well, the K04 unit replaced by a Borg-Warner K03, which is ‘softer’ and spools up quicker, reducing turbo lag and the abruptness of turbo boost.

A few rough edges of the original Direct Injection engine seem to be ironed out and the torque spread is that much smoother, making gear change transitions almost seamless. The new engine develops 6 bhp more (115 bhp as against 109 bhp) at 3800 rpm and 28.3 kgm of torque (as against 26 kgm) between 1700 and 2200 rpm. A revised gearbox coded NGT 530 (New Generation Transmission, what else) does a good job of sending power to the rear wheels. As in the past, you can always order your Scorpio with the Borg Warner Electric 4WD system. As you would expect, the performance is not dramatically better, but it returned a healthy 0-60 kph in 6.13 seconds and touched 100 kph in 17 seconds. Not bad, since the old DI engine took almost seven seconds for the shorter sprint and all of 21.23 seconds for the 100 kph run.

The gearbox hasn’t been changed much, except for a taller third gear, the ratio increased to 1.38:1 for better fuel consumption; however, the gearlever’s action has been improved, and though it’s still not very precise, the metallic clicking of the old box has gone, and the throw is slightly shorter as well. The taller third makes life easier on the highway, where it feels perfect for overtaking, but it’s perhaps a bit too tall for the city, making you drop down into second a bit too often, despite the higher torque.

The Scorpio has always been fun to drive; it has commanded every ounce and more all the road presence it deserves. It always had a huge chink in its armor, that of its ride. As stated earlier, it made this 2.5ton gollaith rather nervous on the highways. Overall, the change is very successful, and although the common rail advantage could have been stretched further, it does its job in getting the Scorpio up to Bharat-III norms, and making it more drivable and refined.

In new Mahindra Scorpio Turbo 2.6 GLX, the front grille has been altered and a revised number plate position means the air-dam covered by sporty wire-mesh is now very visible. This was done so that the temperature inside the engine compartment is kept low.

The new upholstery is refreshing and the seats, especially the middle row ones, have been improved considerably to provide a sense of space and more leg room. Front seat passengers now get arm rests and slightly firmer and hence more comfortable seats.

Its seating position is taller than normal cars and the body on chassis nature of the Scorpio ensures that passengers do move around a bit in tandem with the expected body roll.  The latest round of suspension tweaks revolved around providing better middle and rear seat ride quality and from our stint with the new Scorpio, they have succeeded in that.

A rather fundamental change was made to the engine - the new chain drive motor, designated SZ 2600 Plus Diesel Turbo DI, and has done wonders for the NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) characteristics of the Scorpio. Not that there was much criticism on this front to begin with, but the oil burner has been further refined. Even after a cold start, the engine note does not intrude into the cabin and irritate you. Though Mahindra insists the engine is ‘new’, the output figures remain the same, ie; 109 bhp at 3800 rpm and 26 kgm of torque at 1800 clicks. The rear axle ratio has been changed from 4.55 to 3.33 in search for those additional few kpl.

Mahindra & Mahindra injected a dose of Botox into its design. The front bumper’s got two big air-dams and besides keeping the splash from the tyres off the fender, it works with the neat bonnet scoop, ski rack and the rear spoiler to lend a sporty look to the car. The rear end has also been firmed up with tail lamps that work their way to the roof.

Mahindra claims that the new Scorpio is built around customer’s needs. The legroom complaints have been taken care of with middle row seats that slide. They’ve got new vents up front on the dash. The centre console has been remoulded to store more coffee cups and perhaps a GPS as well, while the door panels have got more room for your maps and other bits. It’s not like those additions are going to influence anybody’s buying decision, but the finish which is a notch above the previous Scorpio’s, definitely will.

The new Scorpio is having some state-of-the-art twin-turbo motor whining under the hood. It has the 2609cc four-cylinder turbocharged common-rail engine. Although a few minor changes have been made to the engine mounting points to reduce the NVH levels. The CRDe engine, which was introduced last March on the old Scorpio, churns out 28.3 kgm of torque at just 1700 rpm and unleashes 115 bhp at the rear wheels while returning consistent double digit fuel economy figures.

The steering feels more connected and the car is responding to inputs which are a big improvement from its predecessor. It has the alloy-wearing tubeless Bridgestone’s tyres. The brakes were another area that Mahindra could have worked on; it could have inspired a bit more confidence.

The Scorpio is designed completely in-house by Mahindra. The Scorpio has shape characteristic of SUVs, its big, it’s chunky and has loads of road presence. This design has been an eye-catching among SUVs and has bagged many an award for its styling. It has rugged look, a decent interior and a good pair of engines. Mahindra has been working on the Scorpio almost constantly, the latest series of changes targeted at meeting Bharat-III emission norms.

The Scorpio uses the same body-on-frame construction and rear leaf springs. The Scorpio is a good-looking beast, with an imposing front end and hunky-looking body cladding. Visual changes are minimal, with a slightly different grille and a repositioned number plate for better cooling, and the SLX version features a two-tone exterior with unique colours. There are design weaknesses, especially at the rear where it looks relatively boxy, as well as the upright stance and non-flush-fitting windows. The Scorpio’s panel gaps are pretty wide but the surface finish is top class, and the doors shut with a thud that feels very solid.

The Scorpio’s interiors look modern with a nicely rounded and organic-looking dashboard with large buttons and knobs. A lot of parts like the instruments switches and roof light have been borrowed from Ford’s parts bin. The instruments have terrific clarity and the chunky steering wheel feels nice to grip. The glass-holders and cubbyholes aren’t very practical though; also, look closely and you can spot some sub-standard parts like the rubber door handles.

The front seats are pretty comfortable and offer the best lower back support. The middle row lacks adequate legroom and this one of the big weaknesses of the Scorpio. Mahindra & Mahindra’s engineers tried to liberate more legroom by playing around with the seats but this hasn’t helped. With tall passengers up front, there’s just isn’t enough space at the back. Also, the position of the air-con vents for the middle row isn’t ideally located for even distribution of air. The third row is also cramped and tall passengers are also short on headroom. What’s good though is the upright seating position the Scorpio offers. Passengers sit higher, in a more comfortable posture than rivals like the Qualis or the Tavera.

The 2.6-litre direct-injection turbocharged engine has come in for its first major overhaul, gaining a common rail direct-injection system, replacing the old distributor-type fuel pump, along with a host of other changes. Power has risen by 6 bhp to 115, and torque by 2.3kgm to 28.3. The aim was increased smoothness and refinement, better response, and of course, better emissions control.

The CRDe is both faster in the 0-100kph sprint, taking 16.53sec to the old Turbo’s 19.63sec, and is better through the gears as well — 20-80kph in the third gear is completed in a quick 13.69 seconds while the older one finishes a 40-100kph dash in 17.8 seconds, in the same gear.

Noise levels are very acceptable for a diesel and all of this adds up to make the Scorpio a very relaxing car to drive both in town and on the highway. The gearbox hasn’t been changed much, except for a taller third gear, the ratio increased to 1.38:1 for better fuel consumption; however, the gearlever’s action has been improved, and though it’s still not very precise, the metallic clicking of the old box has gone, and the throw is slightly shorter as well.

The Scorpio now going from 40kph to 100kph in 17.07sec when shifted into the fourth, as compared to the old car’s 23.7 sec. The CRDe consumes slightly less fuel (9.7kpl) than the older Scorpio (9.5kpl) in the city. It, however, returned 13.4kpl on the highway as compared to its old model 13.8kpl. The Scorpio also has the option of four-wheel drive, and a 2.0-litre, 116bhp petrol engine sourced from Renault, which is extremely powerful and tractable, and fairly refined as well. The downside is awful fuel economy, at 6.7 and 7.8kpl in the city and highway.

The Scorpio’s chassis is extremely rigid and stiff and you don’t get an ounce of rattle or shake. The suspension is very supple and in city traffic or at low speeds, the Scorpio glides over the road, the soft suspension working noiselessly to filter out the bumps. Even on rough or bad road, at least when driven at low speeds, the suspension copes pretty well. The steering and other controls are pretty light, which makes the compact Scorpio easy to drive in town. However, pile on the speed and the Scorpio’s chassis exposes its flaws very quickly.

There are now larger 16-inch wheels, on slightly lower-profile tyres, which make for marginally sharper handling.  It still rolls excessively, pitches around at the rear, and wallows too much. The brakes have been improved with more bite and quicker response, but still lack a linear feel, tending to grab at the last moment. They feel over-servoed as well: stab the brakes and the rear wheels lock up immediately.

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), witnessing languishing sales of one its oldest models, the Mahindra Classic, has phased it out and replaced it with the Invader, a utility vehicle based on the Bolero platform, M&M’s urban utility vehicle. The new Bolero Invader – a two-door soft-top MUV that is being made available in rear-wheel-drive as well as 4WD versions. Car manufacturers deem there is a burgeoning segment of consumers who want a ‘leisure vehicle’. Such a vehicle would ideally be the second or even third car in the family.

There’s the Maruti Gypsy, which of course has been around since long. The car is very competent off-road, but its peppy little 1300 CC engine has an abundant appetite for petrol and the ride is a bit too stiff and bouncy on tarmac. Mahindra had the superb little CJ 340 which was a worthy competitor to the Gypsy. This 4WD short-wheelbase ‘Jeep’ was a great off-roader. The Invader is different – it’s the everyday, cheap-n-cheerful 4×4 which the average salaried-class Indian can buy and take for a romp on the beach or the mountains or whatever catches his fancy. And the ingredients are made to match.

The wheelbase is a full eight inches shorter than the Bolero’s. Rear overhangs more than what would be appropriate on a 4×4 with sporting aspirations, and from some angles; the Invader look like one of Mahindra’s own single-cab/crew cab pick-ups. Part of the reason could be that the vehicle seems too tall – shorter dimensions would have certainly looked better. And finally, though tyres are suitably meaty 215/75 Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts, the Invader’s 15-inch alloy wheels look a mite smallish for the car’s overall stance.

The Invader GLX gets the Peugeot-derived Mahindra workhorse – the XD3PH IDI diesel. This slow-revving, low-stressed 2498 CC mill produces 72.5 horsepower at 4000 revs. This, given the Invader’s 2,300 kilo heft, is only sufficient to let the car lope along at a relaxed pace – during our testing, the car did an indicated 119 kph while complaining audibly about it. There’s also the Invader DI, which is fitted with Mahindra’s own MDI 3200 direct-injection diesel engine, but since that 2523 CC engine only manages to churn out 58 horsepower at 3200 rpm.

The torquey engine is well suited to chugging along in traffic, or indeed, chugging up rocky, muddy inclines over broken terrain. The XD3PH IDI powered the car over these mountain trails without trouble. The car’s suspension – leaf springs at the back and independent coil springs at front – handled a profusion of deeply corrugated ridges quite well, and the ride was comfortable, not as stiff and bouncy as the Gypsy, for instance.

The Invader struggles somewhat on the road. With power-assistance, low-speed steering is effortless, but at higher speeds, the steering is quite vague and the wheel just doesn’t transmit enough information about what’s happening between tarmac and rubber.  The front bucket seats are not comfortable enough for long-distance driving. The traditional bench seats at the rear are just as comfortable as they’ve been on various Jeep-clones for the last two decades. The long-throw gearshift feels rubbery and imprecise, though the ratios seem to work equally well for trundling along in city traffic as well as crawling up steep mountain trails. And finally, the facia looks cheap and dated.

Mahindra & Mahindra launched Bolero Camper on Indian Road. Clamorous, NVH-marinated torque works extremely hard at lugging around five adults and a bit of farm produce, thanks to that DI motor tucked away below the Bolero bonnet.

The Bolero Camper is the upgraded iteration of Mahindra’s Utility double-cab pick-up is for all practical purposes. The Camper is a great-looking workhorse. The Bolero tag attached does not mean a refined automobile along the lines of the Bolero people mover; this one lacks the independent front suspension system of the latter as also that comparatively refined 2498 CC 72.5 bhp, indirect injection Peugeot engine meshed to the direct linkage 5-speed synchromesh gearbox.

Add to the list of missing goodies aircon, power steering, central locking and a stereo system. While the bucket seats in front (minus the pre-tensioner system for the seat belts) are comfortable enough, your rear passengers, if they’re not whining a bit about the ram-rod straight seatbacks, will definitely miss the kind of leg room the Bolero comes with. And where the aircon vents once figured on the Bolero-derived dashboard, are now little black plastic cubicles to store knickknacks.

The Camper comes with Mahindra’s rugged and rurally preferred, tractor-derived, 2523 CC 58 bhp, MDI 3200 A direct injection mill, coupled to a pectoral and upper-arm-flexing 4-speed gearbox, top speed 107 kph. While the 2WD model is more than capable of handling moderate off-road applications, thanks to the rumbling 16.55 kgm of torque available at an extremely sub-woofer 1500 rpm, the 4WD model deal with the most acidic of terrain thrown at it and emerge totally unscathed.

The Camper might still have been a lot more comfortable in the ride quality department, except for the fact that the suspension system is configured for load-carrying. Which means a tight and choppy ride over tarmac and a jostling one off road, but that’s when there’s just one solitary, lightweight road tester behind the wheel. Add the vehicle’s rated 1,045 kg payload of labourers, farm produce and perhaps a plough to the passenger manifest, and it comes into its element, riding the earth with a lot less upheaval.

The beefy 235/75 15-inch Goodyear Wrangler RT/S radial tyres contribute to on-tarmac performance, while undoubtedly also doing their bit towards filtering ride. But most interestingly, the steering system’s straying vagueness, previously encountered on the Utility, has been rubbed out of the equation, thanks to better rubber available now.

Mahindra & Mahindra has launched an extended wheelbase Bolero XLS. Mahindra & Mahindra has made an art form of stretching the 80-inch Willys chassis to spawn a whole range of vehicles, and the Bolero itself comes as the medium-wheelbase original, the short-wheelbase Invader and the long, 110-inch wheelbase XLS.

The Bolero is a good looking machine; it has good proportions and a rugged vehicle. The nose is interesting, with rectangular headlamps and a traditional Jeep grille flanked by smart bumpers and body shell, but there is evidence of the great age of the design in the combine harvester-like doors and the guttering above the windows. There is a distinct military air about it, especially in the flat windscreen and sides, and in the general purposefulness of the design.

The huge rear overhang gives it a real commercial-vehicle look. Fit and finish, although durable-looking, is still average and lacks the polish you expect these days — paint quality is fair, but the panel gaps are wide and inconsistent.

Inside, Mahindra has been making many improvements to the very basic utilitarian cabin, though it is clear there’s still some way to go. The dashboard is very basic, the switches fragile and the ergonomics too are still quite poor. Equipment levels are decent, and the air-con is excellent.

In city, the XLS is quite easy to drive, in spite of its overall length. The gear ratios are spaced in such a manner as to get you to fourth and fifth as soon as possible, but once you get to 90 kph and above, you realise that this machine can get really noisy. If the Bolero XLS is expected to spend more time out on the highways rather than urban environments, Mahindra would do well to refine its high speed performance, especially since you can expect it to be full of people. Over the years, Mahindra has improved the ride quality of their various utility vehicles, and that shows in their new range of products.

Each version comes with its own seating pattern. The Bolero has buckets in front, a middle bench and two jump seats to seat seven, the Invader has buckets and side-facing benches to seat eight (at a pinch, and is best kept for troops or luggage), and the XLS has three rows of forward-facing benches to seat nine. In all versions, the seats are comfortable. Bolero has a distinct dearth of legroom and even in the XLS; the middle row is cramped, though the last row is comfy enough.

The Bolero XLS has the 2498cc IDI diesel engine of Peugeot origin, good for 72.5 bhp at 4000 rpm and 15.5 kgm at 2000 revs, mated to a five-speed gearbox. The Bolero and Invader GLX use the This indirect-injection diesel doesn’t need revving, and will happily go all day in third or fourth gear, which is great, because the gearshift is poor; refinement is surprisingly good unless you really push it. The Bolero returns 9.4 and 11.4kpl, the Invader doing the same in the city but it’s slightly taller gearing helping it return 12.4kpl on the highway. The Bolero and Invader GLX use the Peugeot-based XDP-3 engine and BA-10 gearbox, which isn’t very fast, with only 72bhp, but with 15.3kgm of torque, has the sort of low-speed drivability owners are looking for.

The Invader DI and the XLS use the Peugeot XD3-PH indirect-injection diesel, with 2523cc compared to the XDP-3’s 2498; it has the same power output but only 13.6kgm of torque. In the city, the XLS returns a decent 8.7kpl, but the short gearing gives it only 10.1kpl on the highway.

The standard Bolero and Invader still use the old steering system, which is awfully cumbersome, like the pedals, which make driving around town a real chore; the XLS, however, uses a newer and much lighter system of controls, which is fairly strain-free around town and has a surprising amount of feel. Ride quality on all three is surprisingly good, especially on the long wheelbase XLS, which is also fairly predictable and stable at highway speeds. The Bolero has a decent set of engines, reasonable comfort, and excellent durability, which make it a great utility vehicle. You could cross any field with the Bolero.

Mahindra has also introduced the entry-level Bolero XL, which is powered by the 2523cc 58 bhp DI engine, and does not come with power steering. Between the two, it looks like Mahindra can garner some more market share in the people-mover segment. What they can also do is give a revised front-end treatment to distinguish the XL and the XLS from the regular Bolero.