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.

Filed under: Mahindra Cars in India