In line with new safety requirements mandated for passenger vehicles, Mahindra has updated the Bolero range with advanced safety features such as ABS, driver’s side airbag, speed warning system, seatbelt reminder for driver and co-driver, rear parking sensors, and manual override for central locking system.
For units meant for fleet and taxi operators, the child locks will be removed at the dealer level. These updated safety features are now available on both Bolero Power Plus and 9-seat Bolero Plus.
To accommodate driver’s side airbag, Bolero gets a new steering wheel that has been borrowed from TUV300. Apart from this, there are no major changes on the inside. The only other significant change is in the variants on offer. The 7-seater Bolero (LX, EX, SLE, SLX and ZLX) that came with 2.5-litre engine (63 hp / 195 Nm) has been discontinued. This will now be offered in the 9-seat Bolero Plus range and its engine will be upgraded to BS-VI, as per company’s policy.
Engine used on 7-seat Bolero Power Plus will be same as earlier, the mHawk 1.5-litre, three-cylinder, turbo-diesel unit that generates 71 hp of max power @ 3600 rpm and 195 Nm of max torque @ 1400-2200 rpm. TUV300 also has the same engine, which will be upgraded before April 1, 2020 to comply with BS-VI emission norms.
Apart from the engine upgrade to BS-VI, Bolero has to upgrade its structure and design to meet new crash test norms. These will become effective from October 1, 2019. Existing Bolero does not meet safety norms for front and side impact. Bolero will also have to comply with pedestrian safety norms, which will kick in from August 2020.
Pre-update Bolero Power Plus is priced in the range of Rs 7.01 – 8.35 lakh (ex-sh, Mumbai) whereas 2019 Mahindra Bolero prices range from Rs 7.99 – 8.55 lakh (All prices are ex-sh). With the addition of new safety features, prices of updated models could increase in the range of Rs 30k-50k, depending on the variant. Bookings for updated models are now open at Mahindra dealerships and on Bolero’s website as well.
Mahindra is now working on updating their engine line-up to meet BS6 standards. Recently, all Mahindra cars, ranging from new gen Thar and Scorpio to current XUV500, XUV300, Bolero, Marazzo, were spied together in a fleet. All were wearing BS6 testing stickers.
