2022 Mahindra Bolero Neo Review, Road Test

The Mahindra Bolero needs no introduction. The iconic SUV has been doing rounds even before most of us were born! The SUV is known for its simple, robust, and practical nature that has pleased the people from the urban areas to the far hinterlands of the country. However, as we know, this was earlier the TUV 300 which is now named the Bolero Neo. We think this is a move that is better late than ever. We always thought the TUV 300 could have been the Bolero, but the TUV made itself heard too in the beginning. Now, with this move, the Bolero Neo has more gravitas than it ever could.

Mahindra sub four meter SUV with a ladder on frame chassis has always made it stand out as the only true SUV in a market of raised hatchbacks. Mahindra has an aggressive strategy ahead and bringing out new models to make sure they stand out and grab sales numbers. This iconic nameplate is going to do so for them as it is now set to be a crowd-pleaser unlike ever before. Be it on the inside and outside, it has what it takes to impress a set of consumers. Like always there are core strengths and weaknesses of any product that comes from the Mahindra stable. We find out what the Thar offers and doesn’t to its prospective buyers.

On the outside the SUV still has a proportionate stance and very good design grab attention. The elements such as the front grille, is a job well done in this new facelift version as it sits flush with the square headlamps. The rectangular tail lamps at the back stand out despite being not so shouty. The large 16-inch wheels, boxy design with the C-pillar tilt giving it a battle tank look makes this butch SUV stance thanks fantastic. More SUV features include a spare wheel mounted on the tail-gate makes it look macho.

On the inside, the build and quality are good, not great. The stowage is good, charging points are in plenty, but with a lack of a dedicated place for phone and wallet in the lower section of the dashboard makes it not so convenient. The feature list, we have explained time and again in our launch reports. The power windows near the gear lever are as always unusual to interact with at first but then you get used to it. The infotainment system is good by segment standards and it is the same as the Thar and XUV 300. Sound system is good, Bluetooth connects well. Lack of apple car play and android auto is a bit shocking and the Urban consumer might find it a miss.

Space is quite good too. The shoulder, head, leg, and knee rooms are segment standard and more than adequate in the four-seater version of course. The boot space is negligible with seats up, with seats down, there is over 600 litres. Road and wind noise inside the cabin can be better controlled as it can get intrusive. Wind noise creeps in, but after 120 km/hr. The safety kit includes ABS and EBD with two airbags that come as standard. Overall, cabin experience is conventional and vanilla but it isn’t remotely bad as the previous generation Bolero and it deserves applause for plastic quality and good enough refinement on offer.

We drove the 1.5-litre diesel making 100 PS and 260 Nm. The motor is a free-revving and low on NVH unit by a big margin but some intrusion does happen when you start pushing the car in the rev range. This motor is a gem given the refinement on offer despite a 3-cylinder layout. We have been always impressed with this engine in the Quanto, Nuvosport and TUV 300. Low and mid-range are good and the top-end is adequate as it runs out of steam after 3500 RPM. However, it ends up cruising at speeds, legal and above it, quite speeds easily. This makes good enough for city and highway duties.The gearbox is smooth and light and the tall lever fall to hand nicely. Bolero Neo still delivers good fuel economy on the highway and city. 16 km/l on the highway and 10 km/l in the city is a very good number for diesel.

The low to medium ride quality has underlying stiffness means it takes bad roads well enough at all speeds. The high-speed ride is stable and well-judged too. Clearly, the newly tuned suspension on both ends makes things so much better. Body roll increases as speeds get higher while taking a corner or changing lanes at high speeds. Steering is light, precise, and has bare minimum feedback on offer.

However, it is confidence-inspiring most driving situation making the Bolero Neo worth that all-rounder tag. The steering kickback is quite high and that is a trait of every ladder on frame SUV. Brakes are good with a well-done pedal bite but the overall power could be better. That can be done with the addition of an rear disc brake. Overall, the Bolero Neo can be your every day SUV if you really want this SUV to tackle really bad roads every day.

2022 Mahindra Bolero Neo Review, Verdict

The Bolero Neo in all its form has been our favorite sub-four meter SUV. The true-blue SUV feel of the ladder on frame chassis, a great 3-cylinder motor, a lot of space inside, and enough practicality and overdose of robustness makes the Bolero Neo an SUV to be considered if you deal with bad roads, no roads on a daily basis. Sure, it is not easy to drive the vehicle on a daily basis in our traffic situation but as the journey progresses in the Bolero Neo things become clear why this SUV will always find buyers in bulk. The name is enough but it is everything else which so simple that appeals to an audience that they can never get enough of it.