MAHINDRA BOLERO MAXITRUCK PLUS - EXPERT REVIEW

Overview

Mahindra & Mahindra is the undisputed champion in the Indian pickup truck segment. The Bolero range of pickup trucks offered by Mahindra are the most trusted commercial vehicles in the country. Features like low maintenance costs, good mileage and handsome payload capacities separate the whole range of Bolero pickup vehicles from their competition in the country.

Mahindra Bolero Maxitruck Plus is a pickup truck developed by Mahindra on the design patterns of their legendary Bolero pickup truck. The truck is available in three engine options which are DI Turbo, m2DICR and CNG. Also, Mahindra has given consumers choices between the body options available for buying. The pickup is available in full built as well as CBS options. The fully built option offers a payload capacity of 1150 kgs, whereas the CBC variant can offer up to 1255 kgs of payload after being built.

Specs

Engine - DI Turbo

GVW and Payload Capacity - 1150 kg

Wheelbase and Turining Radius - 3150 mm and 5500 mm

Mileage - 17.7 Km/l

Engine and Performance

The Mahindra Bolero Maxitruck Plus is available in three engine options—DI Turbo, m2DICR and CNG. While Mahindra claims the pickup to be a perfect match for city commercial transportation needs, we found the diesel versions especially the DI Turbo variant to be compatible for longer hauls as well. However, the CNG and the m2DICR variants have more than sufficient power for city transportation. The torque can be easily felt even in the low gears, hinting towards the best in class pick up power for the maximum payload.

Vehicle Built and Load Capacity

Good body strength and excellent built qualities are among the top reasons that Mahindra Bolero pickup range is one of the bestselling pickup truck range in India. And the Maxitruck Plus from the CV manufacturer stands up to the benchmarks set by the Bolero range of vehicles. The built looks strong, made to last even in toughest of the conditions. However, as the consumers would get the deck built for the CBC version themselves, it is up to them to decide how rigid they want the deck body to be. The fully built options offer highest payload capacity of 1155 kgs, whereas, the CBC options on being built fully may offer up to 1250 kgs as the maximum payload.

Handling and Suspension

People buying the truck have the options of choosing between the manual and power steering. We recommend power steering with all the versions as the manual one feels a little heavy. Given the fact that most of transporters would want this pick up to be used inside the city, power steering would substantially help in reducing the driver fatigue.

Mahindra has used rigid with semi-elliptical leaf springs suspension in the front and rigid with semi-elliptical leaf springs suspension at the back. The anti-roll bar feature has also been used generously at the front end. Surprisingly, the ride is a lot bumpier at smaller or no loads. But the suspension acts in a fair manner when loaded above 400 kgs. Overall, for a pickup truck the suspension is nice enough.

Braking and Safety

Disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear not only make the ride feel safer but also endows drivers with confidence while maneuvering the vehicle both in and out of the city. Though the vehicle can be easily be equipped with speed limiters, braking still feels a lot improved than the previous versions.

Strong built quality also adds to overall safety ratings for the pickup truck.

Design and Comfort

This is probably one front that Mahindra has significantly improved upon. The interiors have been completely revised and feel more luxury oriented in comparison to the previous versions. Seats feel comfortable and the new dual tone interiors add a swanky feeling to the pickup. A provision for mobile charger and holder add on to the new feature list available with the pickup.

In terms of design, the Bolero Maxitruck Plus looks identical to Bolero SUV offered by Mahindra. The front is very much identical to the SUV, especially the front grille part. Though, the pickup has been available in the country for many years, but Mahindra has made sure it does not look outdated at any point in time.