Summary: Don’t buy it unless you need it. If you live in a hill station where u need to climb uphill- go for it. Else do not buy.
Bolero is a vehicle which I fancied since my college days. It had the tough looks and looked rugged. The very first day I bought a bolero M2DiCR SLX, I noticed diesel leakage from the direct injection pump side. You can imgine the kind of production quality!! I had to shout at the dealer for 1 hour and wait for 1 day to get it repaired. Lost a good amount of fuel due to leakage. TVS did fix the problem on time and gave me 2000 INR as damages. But the brand image was tarnished beyond doubt. The leakage was in the sealing system-which they claimed was minor one. I talked casually with a junior executive who informed me that 50 vehicle at kochi needed repair within 2-3 days of delivery( wiring replacement-also associated with fuel injection system). Reason for all this is that they do no pre-delivery inspection which is a standard practice at most car companies.
Problem No.2 was with the brakes. There is wobbling in the brake pedal and steering vibration when braking at above 60Km/hr. This can be due to faulty disc brakes- I’m awaiting 1st service to repair the same.
Problem 3- vibration: You can shift to 4th gear at 44Km/hr. There is vibration between 44 km/hr till 60km/hr which is bizzare. @44 there is no vibration. I heard that all m2dicr engines have this problem(i’d rather call it a feature)
Pick Up: You can’t compare it to a car when it comes to pick up. Its like driving a heavy duty truck. You gotta get used to the low pick up.
Riding comfort is absolute 0. The vehicle handles well in worst roads or even mud roads. But when the road surface is uneven, it jerks like hell-courtesy leaf suspension at the rear. Seating arrangement is also improper and non-ergonomic. I got a back ache after a 200Km drive. As a general rule, if I sit on the driver seat for more than 2 hrs I get a back pain. Once the vehicle is fully loaded with 7 people, the riding comfort improves and there is no jerking up and down in bad roads.
Service: Yet to do first service. but I think TVS service is the worst-from what ever interaction I had with them. They have told me that they are a monopoly which underscores the fact that they can really treat you like trash and there is nothing you can do about it.
I’m appalled at the kind of quality that mahindra can deliver and they have failed my expectation in M2Dicr. Diesel leakage on day 1- I cant imagine it in a japaneese vehicle ( I personally own a corolla and a swift)
Having said all the negative aspects of bolero, the best part of the vehicle is in its looks and its utility on ghat roads and hills terrain. The best feature perhaps is it’s ability to climb hills with ease. It can also be useful in villages for farmers who need to transport stuff and have a big family.
I was amazed at the way the SUV cruised on ghat roads and muddy tracts. The earlier bolero model was known for its sturdiness and reliability. It had 3 year warranty and the new M2dicr has only 1 year warranty, which I perfectly understand now, given the flaws I found in my Bolero.
The best buy in this category would be Renault Duster which is approximately 8.5 Lakhs above bolero and gives mileage of 20 Km/ltr.