March 2023 - Mahindra Bolero Diesel Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

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What Are The Pros And Cons Of Mahindra Bolero Diesel?

The pros or advantages of Mahindra Bolero diesel are:

• Rugged and abuse-friendly body-on-frame construction with a rear-wheel drivetrain
• Bolero has a strong brand recall in smaller towns and villages across the country
• 7 seats in a sub-4m vehicle
• Traditional boxy styling with quintessential tailgate-mounted spare wheel give it a proper SUV road presence

The Mahindra Bolero diesel has the following shortcomings or problems:

• Lacks several must-have features we expect from a car at this price
• Power and torque output are fairly low for a 1.5L diesel engine
• Low-performance figures combined with a 1.6-tonne kerb weight give it a very low torque-to-weight ratio; so you should expect poor drivability
• The top variant costs more than Rs. 10.0 lakh (ex-showroom) making it even more expensive for customers in certain states where it falls in a higher tax bracket

What Is The Price Of Mahindra Bolero Diesel Variants?

The Mahindra Bolero diesel is available in 3 variants with ex-showroom prices between Rs. 9.53 lakh and Rs. 10.48 lakh.

Mahindra Bolero Diesel B4 - Base Model Standard Features

The base B4 variant of the Bolero costs Rs. 9.53 lakh and gets the following notable features:

• Side cladding
• Digital instrument cluster
• Idle start/stop
• Manual AC
• 15-inch steel wheels
• Steel wheels
• Black mirrors
• Vinyl leather upholstery
• Tailgate-mounted spare wheel cover

The base variant doesn’t get several must-have features such as:

• Tilt steering
• Power mirrors
• Auto AC
• Music system
• Remote central locking
• Rear washer wiper
• Rear defogger
• Wheel covers
• Power windows

So, we won’t recommend buying the base B4 variant of the Bolero.

Mahindra Bolero Diesel B4 Vs B6 Variant - Price & Feature Comparison

The B6 variant of the Bolero diesel costs Rs. 10.0 lakh (ex-showroom). This price is Rs. 46,594 more than the B4 variant and it adds the following features:

• All power windows
• Front door pockets
• Fabric upholstery
• Music system
• 12V socket
• Music system

While it’s still missing a few features we expect from a Rs. 10.0 lakh car, it’s getting enough features to get by. Moreover, a sub-Rs. 10.0 lakh price point will help with keeping the on-road price lower in some states. On the value front, this variant almost justifies the price jump over the base variant. After the recent price change, we're comfortable recommending the B6 instead of the higher B6 (O). The price jump to the B6 variant is now smaller while the gap is wider between the B6 and B6 (O).

Mahindra Bolero Diesel B6 Vs B6 (O) Variant - Price & Feature Comparison

The top-spec B6 (O) variant costs Rs. 10.48 lakh, which is Rs. 48,406 higher than what the B6 costs. It gets only fog lamps with cornering function, rear washer wiper and a digital MID.

This is an expensive upgrade considering the value of the features. Moreover, the 7-figure price point will make this an even-more expensive upgrade in states where it falls in a higher tax slab. So, we’ll not suggest upgrading to the B6 (O).

Which Variant Of The Mahindra Bolero Diesel Should You Buy?

The 2023 Bolero diesel is available in 3 variants. Even the top variant doesn’t get several must-have features like a tilt steering, touchscreen, armrests, rear defogger, auto AC, rear AC vents, power mirrors and steering-mounted controls. So, clearly, it’s not suitable for a city-dweller looking for features. In exchange, it offers a rugged body-on-frame construction with a diesel engine for tackling broken and non-existent village roads.

If that’s your use case, then the B6 variant is our top recommendation. The B4 is too basic even for a non-demanding village customer. Meanwhile, the B6 (O) is too expensive for what it offers. On top of that, the Rs. 10.0 lakh plus price point will make it substantially more expensive in some states because of a higher tax slab. This will make it even more difficult to recommend the B6 (O) variant considering the several missing features.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The Mahindra Bolero Diesel?

In terms of the engine specs, the Bolero’s closest rival is the Bolero Neo, which is a more modern and city-friendly version of the body-on-frame Bolero. Just like the Bolero standard, the Neo also has a rear-wheel drivetrain.

While the Bolero Neo also uses the same engine, it offers considerably more power and torque than the standard Bolero. Therefore, its torque-to-weight and power-to-weight ratios are also considerably higher than the Bolero’s. So, you can expect the Neo to offer better drivability.

On a positive note, besides the better power and torque output, the Bolero Neo also has a 0.6kmpl better mileage figure while weighing about the same as the Bolero standard.

*Estimated

You can use our Fuel Cost Calculator to see how much any petrol, diesel or CNG car will cost to run based on the latest fuel price in your city.

V3Cars Fuel Cost Calculator

What Are The Dimensions Of The Mahindra Bolero?

In terms of dimensions, the Bolero is taller than the Bolero Neo but the Neo is wider. Both the cars have a similar ground clearance. Although, the ground clearance is not much of an issue with body-on-frame vehicles because even if they rub against an obstacle, it only scrapes the rigid frame and the critical components.

Just like the Bolero, the Neo also has a couple of jump seats in the boot and once they’re folded, the Bolero Neo offers 384 litres of boot space. The Bolero’s boot space details aren’t available right now but we expect it to offer at least 350 litres of cargo capacity considering that it also uses the same frame as the Neo and is equally long too.

*Estimated based on Bolero ZLX and Bolero Neo

Find out how you can get the best mileage or fuel efficiency from your car:

10 Tips To Get Better Mileage From Your Petrol, Diesel Or CNG Car

What Are The Colour Options Of The Mahindra Bolero?

The 2023 Bolero is available in the following 3 colours:

• Silver
• Brown
• White

Note: Here is a quick look at our length-based segmentation of cars to give you an idea of how we classify cars based on their size.