Mahindra Bolero 2025 : It also felt like the loaded dirt track leading to Nahargarh Fort was trying to rattle my kidneys loose when I saw it, a camouflaged test mule climbing the conflicting hill. Behind the camouflage there was no disguising those boxy proportions and imposing road stance.
This was obviously the new Mahindra Bolero under some last round of testing, and despite the heavy camouflage, something was immediately apparent even in details – this, was a far more aggressive design than the basic box that has survived rural and semi-urban India the last two decades.
And last week, Mahindra released official pictures of the 2025 Bolero, all but confirming that brief sighting – the beloved Bolero has undergone its most significant facelift yet.
The makeover is, as they might say in the heartland where the Bolero is God, right “dhakad” (impressive).
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Mahindra Bolero 2025 Old but still a beast: The design evolution
Form followed function on the Bolero, and the simple, no-frills design continued generation after generation.
The 2025 model still keeps that underlying honesty, but it’s now clothed in a much, much stronger, and much more contemporary package.
“We had to ensure that we respect the legacy of the Bolero but at the same time understand that customers have moved on,” said Rajesh Kumar, a senior designer at Mahindra, whom I met at a preview in Mumbai.
“The trick was to strike the right balance between modernization and retaining the real Bolero identity.
This equilibrium is immediately evident on the front end, where a traditionally flat grille has been eschewed in favour of a more three-dimensional shape consisting of six aggressive vertical slats in brushed silver.
The rectangular headlamps might still have the old-school design, but with an all-LED set up now standard across the range, their unique light signature does make the Thar appear like no other car, particularly when seen in darkness.
Power bulges on the hood are more prominent, the front bumper gains skid plates that aren’t merely cosmetic — as evidenced when a specially created off-road course was demonstrated over, they offer real protection when you have to get down and dirty.
But what’s most impressive is the way Mahindra has managed to retain the Bolero’s iconic form, while adding so much visual muscle to it.
The nearly vertical windshield is still there, and so is the boxy form, though a set of bolder wheel arches and more accents along the sides give it a sense of purpose that the old model never quite captured.
“Look at the sheet metal work around the wheel arches,” said Vijay Singh, a Bolero owner for years who was visually scanning the new model with me.
“The old one was flat panels from wall to wall. It has real curves and definition but it still reads “Bolero” at first sight.”
This evolutionary design treatment continues to the back with new tail lamps and LED detailing, a newly integrated bumper design, and the tailgate that now has the model’s moniker, Bolero in bold across the width of the tailgate as against the small badge of the current model.
Mahindra Bolero 2025 Inside: Modern Conveniences, Rugged Durability
Where the outside is an evolution, the inside is, quite frankly, a revolution. Which means that the old Bolero’s ugly dash and overall utilitarian design is now replaced by a suitably modern looking layout, thus yanking the Bolero right out of the stone-age where it has been languishing in for the best part of its life.
In my one-hour with a pre-production model, the more upright seating position and clearer sight lines were immediately evident.
The steering wheel is now adjustable for height (a first for the Bolero) and the driver’s seat has been redesigned for better support over longer distance stints.
Up high, soft-touch materials are used on the dashboard, with the upper areas being quite padded, and lower portions are covered in improved but obviously utilizatarian plastics that should be able to take some abuse.
“We trialled dozens of materials,” Kumar said as I slid my hand over the dashboard. “These aren’t selected just because they look nice on day one, but how well they’re going to hold up after years of service in harsh conditions — dust, extremes of temperature and, let’s face it, probably not the gentlest of handling.”
At the higher trims, the new 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which now takes up most of the center console, is the most dramatic update.
It also comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — fancy head units that would have stuck out like sore thumbs in any earlier generation of Bolero but which are indicative of shifting expectations even among rural and semi-urban car buyers.
Entry models are treated to a more basic 7-inch system, complete with bluetooth and basic smartphone connectivity.
While there remained much to be desired once in motion, at standstill I was bowled over by how Mahindra has managed to inject all these contemporary features without diluting Bolero’s simple persona.
Climate controls are still physical buttons and knobs that can be adjusted while wearing gloves.
The USB ports have rubber flaps to keep dust out. Storage pockets have a non-skid surface to ensure your stuff will always come in handy for any off-road adventure.
“The cup holders accommodate a water bottle and a regular chai glass,” showed Kumar, clearly pleased that this is an entirely Indian design thinking. “We investigated how people actually use their Boleros in their lives, not just what looks good in showroom.”
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Beneath the more aggressive veneer, there’s a heavily revised powertrain. The new Bolero 2025 has a new 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine that produces 120 bhp and 280 Nm of torque – a significant jump from the 75 bhp and 210 Nm that the outgoing model produced.
This is mated to a 6 speed manual transmission along with an automatic for the first time ever in Bolero.
Improved refinement was immediately apparent during the brief trip around a designated course near the event venue.
The engine gets the typical diesel rattle Bolero owners are used to, but it isn’t as intrusive any more, and the delivery of power is also more linear through the rev band.
“We did not want it to feel out of place from the original vehicle,” said Sanjay Mathur, a powertrain engineer at Mahindra.
“Bolero customers have certain expectations in terms of how their vehicle behaves. We’ve modernized and polished it without altering the familiar character.
This school of thought also applies to the chassis and suspension, which are improved for more comfort over smooth pavement without compromising the strength required to handle rough road.
One thing that remains is the no-frills, ladder-frame built for toughness that has earned the Bolero respect in places where roads are yet to find their way.
What’s even more impressive is the NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) levels. In the cabin, the upgraded sound insulation makes it much more pleasant to spend time in during highway travel — conversations no longer need to be shouted at highway speeds.
“I have to shout to speak to passengers in the back seat of my Bolero while driving on a highway,” said one attendee of the preview, Ramesh Yadav, a taxi operator from Jaipur.
“This one is quiet enough that I could probably make business calls while driving and no one would know I’m in a car,” he says.
Mahindra Bolero 2025 Technology, but With a Purpose
Mahindra has also been smart in introducing technology that improves the Bolero experience than make it unnecessarily confusing.
The safety package enjoys the biggest improvements, dual airbags, ABS, EBD and rear parking sensors are now standard on all models.
Options on high-end trims include side and curtain airbags, electronic stability control, hill-hold assist, and a reversing camera.
The 4WD system is electronically controlled with several selectable modes to chose from, instead of a manual shifter on older models.
On the climb into the Montana hills, I saw the vehicle’s capabilities as it made easy work of a 35-degree side slope that would daunt many pricier SUVs.
“We’re not trying to build a luxury car,” Kumar said. “Every feature must justify its existence by contributing tangible value for Bolero customers.”
This ideology drives the decision to include utilitarian touches such as a drainable interior floor, drain plugs that are easily removable to hose out the floor of the cabin after a mud-bogging or duck-hunting event, and seat fabric selected for durability and stain resistance.
Mahindra Bolero 2025 Positioning and Anticipated Impact in the Market
With prices likely to begin upwards of ₹10.5 lakh for the base model and range upto around ₹15 lakh for the top-end fully loaded 4×4, the 2025 Bolero is expected to be costlier than the outgoing version.
But whatever the reason, despite being massively improved, the Mahindra still finds itself where the company expects it to in relation to other typical Indian consumers.
“The Bolero has always been about providing honest ability at a reasonable price,” said automotive analyst Vikram Gour when I gave him a call to try and get some perspective on the new model. “This update brings it further into the modern day without leaving that base philosophy behind.”
The Bolero is a key product for Mahindra, though, even as the company has increasingly shifted its focus to more lifestyle-oriented models in the form of Thar and XUV series.
With more than 1.3 million cars already on the road since launch, no other model in the Mahindra Catalogue has been as successful in commercial terms, especially in tier 3 markets and rural areas, where practical and serviceable comes before nifty and trendy.
The 2025 version does appear to have the potential to maintain this success and perhaps even broaden the Bolero’s appeal to a broader range of urban-oriented buyers who’d previously have looked askance at it because of its work ute image.
“You could park this in a corporate office lot and it’s not ‘rural vehicle’,” said Nisha Mehta, a marketing executive checking out the vehicle at the preview. “It’s clearly still a Bolero, but finally there’s some presence and style to go with its versatility.”
That newfound measure of substance with a dash of style, is what the 2025 Bolero is all about – a revolution, not without, but within; a re-imagining of the familiar, complete Indian atmance of the new Bolero’s more in your face, it will be less of something-from-the-yesteryears’ miniboxie and more of something that starts conversations.
With the tried-and-tested Bolero now made dhakad but without losing its true-blue identity, Mahindra has possibly made sure that its workhorse is here to stay for many more years.
