Mahindra Bolero Invader - 10,000 kilometers & Counting

10,000 Kilometers and counting!

Mahindra and Mahindra's Bolero Invader is perhaps the quintessential niche vehicle. The jeep in it's many formats/avatars has held the crown of ultimate off-roader ever since it was introduced to the to the general public (a.k.a. civilians). This SUV's lineage goes back more than 60 years to the original military "Jeep," the now-legendary 4x4 that transported World War II soldiers and supplies over very rough terrain. The original story of the Jeep would however be too long to be part of this small review I am trying to do...

For a little background, The Invader replaces (in my opinion), the MM540. The MM540 was good. With all its quirks and problems it was still good enough to have sold vast numbers across India, in both urban, rural and in between markets.
The Bolero Invader betters the MM540 in almost every way, and can be clearly labeled a major revision. Perhaps the most important of the Invader's refinements is suspension. On my 2WD Invader the suspension is far better than the MM540's. The front suspension is independent coil springs and while the rear still rides on ancient leaf springs, from the WWII Willy's. I also felt that the Invader has far better wheel travel, ground clearance and articulation on rough surfaces.

Under the bonnet, is the reliable and muscular Turbo Charged 2.6 DI engine, variants of which have been fitted an many platforms from Mahindra. I did feel that there should have been an option for a larger engine for enthusiasts. Of course, if your Bolero Invader is more likely to be parked at a mall or a disco than on the raging riverbed in the middle of nowhere, this may not be of great interest.

What will really warm you up is the outstanding paint job, very good quality nylon soft top, ruggedness and engineering. I have now taken the Invader out a few times, to places where there were no roads, or even paths for that matter. I have taken the jeep to places where the "roads" was that wide space between tree lines, that I assumed did have roads a few decades ago. At all these places the Invader excelled. The ride is far better than the old Gypsy and more torquey than the CJ3xx Jeeps (later renamed as Classic), and of course the MM540s. The Invader develops more than enough torque, which translates to pulling power, to keep you chugging along all day. Whether you are straddled in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway, or off-road. Off road, is where the Bolero Invader shines! If your tyre can climb it, the rest of the Invader will follow.

The raised roof is a wonderful thing, in the Bolero Invader. Very nice for extremely tall mutants, or if you own a pet giraffe.

The steering, is not power assisted, and I do tend to break a sweat when I try to park in congested places, which is usually rare. In really congested places, or when I am hitting the town, I just choose to take my Fiat Palio 1.6 GTX instead. I have been driving the Invader to office since November, and I have not had a single day or instance where I was not happy with it's performance or reliability. That includes sitting in the drivers seat for long durations, waiting for traffic jams on Old Madras Road to clear.

The Invader is pretty well behaved at speed on the highways and the Golden Quadrilateral, although it's not the most lithesome lane-changer ever created. The clutch and brakes are both power assisted and the effort is as expected. The brakes though, can surprise you with loud howling tyres, when you jab it sharply. See, the brakes do not have a very good "feel" to it, as like in more refined cars (like my Fiat Palio 1.6 GTX), the braking is not progressive in modulation...

Built on a ladder chassis, the Invader displays remarkable rigidity, inspite of it.

The gears are easy to shift and operate. Mine is smoother than a Japanese vehicle's. The gearing, I think is well spread, though the overdrive (5th gear) seems a little too tall at 0.75.
Fuel economy. Now this is where Mahindra actually reaches to the masses. The Invader shines with a City average of about 13.7 kilometers to a litre of Diesel, and on the highway, I get a class beating 17.5...! If I need any more economy, I can very well use a bicycle.

Service and support, is very good. I have been getting calls on a fortnightly basis from both the dealer, India Garage, and also from Mahindra & Mahindra, Mumbai asking me for feedback and to check if I was having any issues that needed to be addressed. They are prompt and fastidious in their work. Workmanship is good, and I have not had a need for revisits to the dealer's.

And now, the beatings...

The dashboard is the crappiest, cheapest and worst plastics I have ever seen in my lifetime. I think the old Premier Padmini had better plastics than the Invader. The plastics suck. The steering wheel plastics suck. The trim inside, sucks. Mahindra & Mahindra, urgently needs to replace the front bucket seats into something that is more touring friendly. Even the Scorpio's front bucket seats will do. But change, they must. The current seats do not provide adequate lower back support.

The turbocharged 2.6 DI engine is a fine thing if you are lugging 16 people in some God forsaken village in the boondocks with the jeep as a people carrier, or crossing a rocky river bed where it performs swimmingly, but in Bangalore city, where we have to compete for road space and eyeballs with the likes of the Pajero, the Endeavor and Porches, the Bolero Invader with all that noise and brouhaha, accelerates with the élan and fizz of a constipated bowel movement.

Concluding-ly, why did I get me a Bolero Invader, instead of a Scorpio, or even a Bolero SLX or similar? Simple - Affordability (and a few other reasons).

The Bolero Invader is so insanely affordable to own and maintain. It costs next to nothing in Bangalore, about Rs.5,25,000. It's very frugal with fuel (see numbers in article above). It can be repaired by anyone with a hammer, including yours truly and also by bicycle mechanics.

When I sit in the driver's seat, I can see the whole world. When the streets of Bangalore are flooding in the rains, I know that I can make it home without getting my shoes wet, or stalling in the rain. When I turn the key on that ignition, I know that I am going get the ride of my life.
I absolutely enjoy it.
Every time.