Mahindra Bolero vs Mahindra Bolero Neo: The Battle of Old vs ‘NEO’

The Mahindra Bolero has been a steady workhorse for the Indian brand, and has been consistently ranking among the highest selling UVs in India. The simple mechanicals, ease of driving and maintaining and high resale value has made it an undisputed choice among its target audience.

Banking on this immense success of success, Mahindra has re-introduced the almost forgotten TUV300 with a slew of updates and re-branding it as the all new Mahindra Bolero Neo. Like the standard Bolero, it has an angular silhouette, tractable powertrain and rugged ladder-on-frame chassis – all with an added touch of modernity.

Here’s out comprehensive comparison to find out which one of the two is the one to go for:

Exterior

Both the Mahindra Bolero and Bolero Neo come with an upright and angular stance, however, it is the new Mahindra Bolero Neo which definitely looks the more modern of the two. The sleeker headlamp, daytime running LEDs, blacked out pillars, pull-back type door handles and alloy wheels certainly give the Bolero Neo an impression of the car of modern world. All these features are missed out in the Bolero.

However, the standard Mahindra Bolero too isn’t left far behind, and looks decent enough for the purpose. The chunky looking wheel covers, flared wheel arches and beefy looking front bumper give it a macho personality.

Both the Bolero and Bolero Neo come with fog lamps, halogen headlamps and tail lamps, a sleek black garnish running across the side profile, rear windshield wiper, semi-covers for the spare wheel mounted at the back and body colored rear view mirrors.

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Dimensions

The Mahindra Bolero as well as Mahindra Bolero Neo fall under the category of sun four meter compact SUVs. If you put them side by side, the Bolero Neo might look the bigger of the two, however, there is a clearer picture of the story which needs to be discussed.

This is pretty evident from their dimensions as well. Although both the SUVs share the exactly same lengths and wheelbases, the Mahindra Bolero Neo is the wider of the two SUVs. However, the standard Bolero is taller than the Bolero Neo by almost 63 mm. In addition to it, the fuel tank of the Mahindra Bolero can hold ten additional liters of fuel over that of the Bolero Neo.

Interior

Compared to the utilitarian looking brown-themed cabin of the Mahindra Bolero, the dual tone black and beige upholstery of the Mahindra Bolero Neo feels much plusher in comparison. Both these seven seater SUVs (flat bench for second row and two jump seats in the back) have a very different approach when it comes to equipment levels and feel.

The standard Bolero looks quite plain, however, the sleek off-set fully digital instrument panel adds a modern touch to the cabin. The center console, which houses primitive 1-DIN audio system, and AC vents get faux wooden surrounds, while the door panels get dark brown upholstery for the hand rests.

In comparison, the Bolero Neo looks much more modern with a more comprehensive dual-pod instrument console, 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, piano black surround for center console and front and rear center armrests.

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Engine and Performance

The Mahindra Bolero as well as Mahindra Bolero Neo are powered by the same 1.5-liter three cylinder BS6 compliant diesel engine present under their hoods. However, the major difference lies behind in the way the same engine has been tuned differently in both the SUVs.

While the engine in the Bolero makes 76 bhp of power @ 3600 rpm and 210 Nm of torque @ 1600-2200 rpm, the same engine in the Bolero Neo has been tuned to make higher numbers – 100 bhp of power @ 3750 rpm and 260 Nm of torque @ 1750-2250 rpm. The engine in both the SUVs are mated to a common 5-speed manual gearbox as standard.

Features

Unlike the new generation sub-compact monocoque SUVs which are betting high on modern comfort and convenience features, the Mahindra Bolero and Mahindra Bolero Neo have been kept quite plain and basic on this front.

The Mahindra Bolero Neo feels the better equipped of the two, with features like 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth (which misses out on Android Auto and Apple Carplay), steering mounted audio and Bluetooth controls, cruise control, height adjustment for driver seat and tilt adjustable steering. The Bolero, on the other hand, feels a bit archaic, with a simple 1-DIN audio system in its center console, while missing out on all the other aforementioned features.

Both the SUVs come with power window switches on the lower center console and manual AC controls in their main center console.

Safety

Both the Mahindra Bolero as well as Mahindra Bolero Neo are equipped with all the compulsory safety features like driver side airbag, ABS, reverse parking sensors and seat belt reminders for front seats. However, the Bolero Neo understandably gets a couple of extras like passenger side front airbag, EBD and ISOFIX mounts for child seats in second row.

Price

Both the Mahindra Bolero and Mahindra Bolero Neo are available in three variants each. The range of Bolero includes B4, B6 and B6 (O), the prices of which range between Rs. 8.41-9.41 lakh. The Bolero Neo, on the other hand, has three variants on offer – N4, N8 and N10 – the prices of which range between Rs. 8.48-9.99 lakh.

Verdict

Both the Mahindra Bolero as well as Mahindra Bolero Neo are targeted towards the rural and semi-urban markets of India. The Bolero already has a commendable reputation in these markets, and is preferred for its reliability and versatility in tough conditions.

The Mahindra Bolero Neo is a more modern take in this direction, and while it retains all the positive attributes of standard Bolero, it comes with a hint of modernity, if not as much as the XUV300. The small premium it commands over the standard Bolero is justified, for the added features it offers, and this makes the Mahindra Bolero Neo a better option of the two.

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