Mahindra Bolero Neo Safety Rating

The Bolero Neo looks the part with the boxy feel of the TUV300, although the body shell has been lowered and integrated into the ladder-frame chassis for reducing ride height. The bonnet is positioned lower than earlier. The Bolero Neo has a slightly different stance, with a tinier gap in the wheel arches alongside. The ground clearance figures remain the same. The Neo has a sleeker and more modern design as compared to the regular Bolero SUV. The front grille and front bumper are key design elements along with the shoulder cladding in black and the round-shaped fog lamps. The look is more attractive this time around, although the 15-inch wheels seem slightly smaller for the SUV, considering its size. The tail lamps get a red tint this time and there is also a roof-mounted spoiler along with rear parking sensors. The spare wheel also remains from the earlier version.

The engine is the three-cylinder 1.5 litre diesel powerhouse, although the tune state is now higher than before. The electronically controlled variable geometry turbocharger is also new, with more torque than before as well. The engine has a grunt at the low-end while there is sufficient torque at the mid-range as well. The engine sound, however, scales up with the higher revving range as well. You will, however, miss an automatic transmission system while driving the Bolero Neo in congested traffic city traffic, due to its heavy clutch. The maximum torque band covers around 1750-2250 RPM. The engine is refined and smooth while the performance is higher in the low-end and is fused with shorter gear ratios. It is also extremely responsive. Power delivery is absolutely liner, and the engine will pull smoothly from idling-level RPMs with no effort. If revved beyond the 3500 RPM mark, there is not much power to be garnered.

The Bolero Neo offers great mileage of approximately 15 kmpl while it can cruise comfortably at higher speeds as well.

The Bolero Neo makes use of a tough body and offers reasonable ride and handling as well. The MLD engages at lower traction levels or stickier scenarios, whenever it finds rear wheels with faster spinning ratios as compared to the others, thereby locking wheels and shifting power to the wheel with higher traction. This enhances overall road grip of the Bolero Neo at crawling and lower speeds as well. There is, however, a metallic note of the MLD setup while it locks up the spinning wheel and this may surprise some drivers as well.