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.

Filed under: Mahindra Cars in India