Bolero - Utility, Value, Looks, Toughness

Ive owned a Bolero Sportz since May 2005.

Great value for money. Looks tough and aggressive. Go anywhere capability. Diesel Driven which means you dont need to think twice before taking an out of town trip.

I love this jeep. I ve enjoyed many outstation drives, hill drives and tend to use it a lot within the city too, because of the sheer feeling of safety within and for the storage space it has.

I ve seen the newer variants of the Bolero and appreciate some of the things theyve added - the new ones have a shorter gear shift making it more sporty and a few more changes, largely cosmetic.

One change made in the front bumper is very good. When you drive in wet conditions, the special bumper front overhang will prevent water splashing onto the bonnet and wind screen, unlike in the earlier versions!

But the new engine DI Turbo sounds like a lorry. Ive got the XDP engine and it is so much smoother. 

I have some suggestions for improvement:

1. Give the Bolero the 2.6 Turbo Crde engine and increase its capabilities , efficiency and performance in terms of BHP,Torque, Fuel efficiency, noise reduction and power!

2. Wish they would make the rear passenger seat foldable 60:40 or even completely foldable in one single piece. One can gain so much more space.

3. Give an AC / Heater as standard in all variants.

4. Pump up the Brakes/ Braking capabilities with better technology to handle the increased Power.

5. Why not change the tyre size to 235/70/R15? This way one gets the wider footprint but not the taller stance, which may impair road holding.

6. Give rear seat headrests and a pair of decent foglamps as standard fitment in all variants.

7. And PLEASE change the cheap sounding, dying goat noise original horn!!! The first thing I did after buying it was to change the original horn to a regular BOSCH Horn.

Frankly if the above changes can be made and charged a reasonable amount for and the Bolero re introduced with the same radiator/ front end as it used to have in the 2005 model, I would choose it ANY DAY OVER A SCORPIO!!

The only real issue I have had with this Jeep was that recently after doing 22000 odd km, the Propeller Shaft assembly started making some little metallic noise while shifting gears, because according to the service centre, some play had developed in the three joints.

I decided to change the entire assembly to keep the car in top condition.

However, this should not happen in a carefully maintained vehicle and after only 22000 odd km run!

But all in all I am one highly satisfied customer.

It is a lovely vehicle.

Shankar Balan

Tough. Go Anywhere. Aggressive Styling.Cheap plastics. Cannot fold rear seat down. Fuel Efficiency. Bumpy in the back.