Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Test Drive of Bolero CRDE

I happened to test drive the Bolero CRDE recenlty again. This thing is pretty impressive in terms of power delivery it is a point and shoot kind of a thing no hassles at all it can definitely give the scorpios and the safaris a run for their money and definitely so called power full hatches. The test drive was for arround 30 kms. The engine i found was lot quiter than the scorpio. I am not sure whether this is the earlier engine block from the scorpio 2.6 CRDE detuned to match the body weight to power ratio.. i am not sure others can definitely throw some light here. I found out that the cost of maintainance is double that of the XD3P or the DI turbo's.

The other good fact is that definitely this is a mile cruncher very good for long hauls, it comfortably moves up to 120 kms and stays there without a fuss, and definitly there is scope for more but i did not push it all the way. Now i herd that they have done a break improvement on this machine but i just hated it and it lockedup for all the silly reasons and felt really unsafe. I think they need to think about ABS. The suspension up front is completely different as compared to the earlier models it is an IFS setup and at normal road conditions is beautifull, at low speeds on broken tarmac its kind of fine, but at speeds you bet you dont want to be in here, the thing pitches like crazy and i was totally non plused about this characteristic.

I damm dont understand why the hell they cant give better interiors, the dash is ancient as can be, the quality of plastic less said the better and the build quality not as good as the earlier versions. The metal guage feels light and not strong at all. The steering could have been improved to sustain the new engine with speed sensor or something of that kind but it still feels vague. overall it is a bit to pricey i feel and these Mahindra guys have such an attitude cause of the number of sales that they are carring forward with 5000+ units a month they care two hoots about discounts on the bolero. They just dont budge.

Over all i liked the engine and feel.. but nothing more than that. I would rather pick up a DI turbo and be happy about the cost effectiveness of the machine. Now this machine can be very potent if it is offered in the 4X4 version with the CRDE engine.. it could be a killer..

3 comments:

Mathew Varghese said...

Great posts man. Keep em coming.

Hemanth.das said...

Sure will matt!!

Bolero Mahindra said...

Mahindra Bolero is one of the pioneering attempts by Mahindra brand to create a multi-utility vehicle. The exteriors and interiors of the Bolero have been designed in way that liked by the younger generation of car buyers.