Every 4x4 ‘Jeep’-like vehicle should be painted orange or yellow, like a Tonka toy truck. This should not be an unwritten rule but a written one as it makes even a brand like Mahindra seem ultra cool. Check out their pimped out Bolero, which is a success in its home, India. With over 70,000 Boleros sold last year, it is first SUV/UV/MPV type of vehicle to hit and cross over this figure over there.

I suppose color aside (as this is a show car) with its Tonka Toy looks, Hummer type grille, Willys Jeep, Land Rover Defender, Toyota Land Cruiser DNA all combined into a great big mash, the Mahindra Bolero is indeed a tough yet cheeky looking vehicle. The Mahindra Bolero comes with the all of the features that are known in the SUVs above. Solid, reliable, good looking in a utilitarian way and best of all, affordable (hey, its made in India, where labour costs are cheap).

This utility car has a 2498cc diesel engine, with dimensions of 4260(L) X 1815(W) X 1810(H) mm and weights 1615kg. It has a ground clearance 200mm (quite decent) and a wheelbase of 2680mm, a turning radius of 5.4 meters (which is also quite good for a 4X4). First produced 2001, the Bolero was more of the 'tough and rugged' SUV. Evolving over the years it combines the ruggedness with state-of –the-art luxury Tonka toy too. This basically happened circa 2007, and what it has culminated in is a very nice looking vehicle indeed.

Of course, some of it still looks cheap (especially the interior - where even the leather looks shiny and therefore cheap), or very utilitarian, but Mahindra isn't after the Range Rover end of the market. The Bolero Attitude, or so its called here is for the mass market. A little bit of cool for not too much money. Sometimes, working with what you have can be successful.

The Bolero has long been a favourite with the Indian Army, Police and other law enforcement agencies over in India. Of course, supporting the local car industry would be why it is popular, but it also features in all those Bollywood movies too. If you do watch these movies, you can see the base models going around, doing the same illogical stunts that we all come to love watching in those movies.

Mahindra, Bolero, Bolero Attitude and 1 more...

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