So there is a new compact SUV in town and that is Mahindra Bolero Neo also known as the Mahindra TUV300 facelift. So in this article, we will compare Mahindra Bolero Neo to one of the most popular compact SUVs in the market, the Maruti Vitara Brezza. Both cars are very different, but there is one thing in common in both of these that these are Sub-4m SUVs. How improved the Bolero Neo over TUV300 and does it make sense for urban buyers now. Let's find out.
Now if we mention the size of these cars, then there is not much difference in terms of length because the is almost 4 meters long but the Bolero Neo is much taller than the Vitara Brezza. Now if we mention the design of the Bolero Neo, well it is based on the TUV300, and Mahindra has worked on the styling of the car, the car has a ground clearance of 184mm, it has new headlamps, new bumpers, new grills, new taillamps and it also comes with body cladding now. Also just like the older Bolero, Bolero Neo comes with the black strips on the sides of the doors, and Mahindra somehow wants to portray that this is also a Bolero product. Now if we talk about the design of the Vitara Brezza, well it is a very common sight on our roads, the design is nice and pleasant, and it got a facelift in 2020, the won't really offend anyone. The Maruti Vitara Brezza has got LED headlamps, LED DRLs, LED fog lamps, LED tail lamps. Meanwhile, the Bolero Neo gets LED DRLs, whereas the headlamps and fog lamps are regular halogens. The cabin layout of the Bolero Neo is very similar to that of the TUV300 and its a dual-tone black and beige themed interior, yes it does get some new features over the older Bolero, but the Vitara Brezza just trumps it, in terms of features, because it gets a lot more equipment. Some of the common features in both the cars include a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, but the Vitara Brezza also gets Android Auto, Apple Car Play, whereas these features aren't available in the Bolero Neo. Meanwhile, both these cars also come with Central Locking, remote locking, power steering, power windows, but the Maruti Vitara Brezza also gets a keyless push start/stop button, it also gets automatic climate control, meanwhile, the Bolero Neo comes with the manual AC only. The Maruti Vitara Brezza also gets an auto-dimming inside the rearview mirror, and in the top-end variant of Bolero Neo gets a manual day/night rearview mirror. The Brezza also gets automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, and even a reverse parking camera, which is not available on Bolero Neo. The Touchscreen offered on the Vitara Brezza is much easier to use and has a better user interface as well, meanwhile, the touchscreen available in the Bolero Neo is not bad at all, but the sound quality of the Vitara Brezza is again slightly ahead of the Bolero Neo. The overall built quality inside the cabin is pretty decent on both the cars, and the overall fit and finish of the material are slightly better in the Vitara Brezza, and the Bolero Neo does miss out on a lot of features.
Now if we mention the safety features on offer, well both these cars come with dual front airbags as standard, ABS with EBD, and also iso fixed child seat mounts, also the Vitara Brezza automatic comes with Hill hold control as well. The Mahindra Bolero Neo hasn't been crash-tested yet, but the Vitara Brezza has been and has got a nice 4 stars. Now if we talk about the seating and comfort, well both the cars come with comfortable front seats, but the support offered by the Brezza's front seats is much better than the Bolero Neo, but the Bolero Neo offers a higher sitting position and it actually feels like a compact SUV, but the Brezza feels like a grown-up hatchback. The Bolero Neo also has a lot of headroom as well. Now if we move to the rear seats, well both of their rear seats are decent in terms of comfort and support, but the rear seats of Brezza are shaped much better. The Mahindra Bolero Neo also comes with 2 jump seats at the back, so essentially it is a 7 seater but we don't recommend you using the 3rd row of the Bolero Neo, as it is too congested and it would make better sense to fold on the seats and use it for storage. The Maruti Vitara Brezza gets a nice and practical boot but the Bolero Neo has more storage capacity and the Bolero Neo's tailgate opens sideways, meanwhile, the hatch of the Brezza opens upwards. Eventually, Mahindra used to have the TUV300 plus on sale, which was essentially a longer version of the TUV300 and there is a high possibility that we will get the Plus version of Bolero Neo.
There is a lot of difference in the performance of both these cars, now the Maruti Vitara Brezza comes with a 1.5-liter petrol engine, its a 4 cylinder naturally aspirated unit, making 105 horsepower, and 138 NM torque and this is offered by a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed torque converter automatic, meanwhile the Bolero Neo gets a 1.5-liter diesel engine which is a 3 cylinder engine making 100 horsepower and 260 Nm torque offered by a 5-speed manual but there is a possibility of an AMT coming shortly. In terms of refinement, the Vitara Brezza is leagues ahead of the Bolero Neo, because the engine is very silent, it produces very little vibration, and the overall NVH levels of the Vitara Brezza is are much better than the Mahindra Bolero Neo, whereas the Bolero Neo vibrates a little more because it has a 3 cylinder engine and even the NVH levels could have been better. Now both the engines of these compact SUVs offer quite good reliability, the 1.5-liter petrol engine on Vitara Brezza has a good low-end response, it lacks some punch in the mid-range but again the top end is very lively, meanwhile, the diesel engine in Bolero Neo has some lag initially, but then in the mid-range, it is quite good and it is much better than the older Bolero. The clutch and the gear shifts on the Vitara Brezza are very light and easy to use, meanwhile, the clutch and the gear shifts in the Bolero Neo feel a bit heavier in comparison. Also, the Vitara Brezza feels a bit more polished, whereas the Bolero Neo feels a bit crude.
Both the Car comes with an automatic start/stop technology when the engine shuts off when you bring the car to halt, Maruti calls it HSVS, and Mahindra calls it Micro Hybrid, and the aim of this is to conserve the fuel. The Maruti Vitara Brezza is a Monocoque front-wheel-drive compact SUV, meanwhile, the Mahindra Bolero Neo shares its platform with the Thar and the Scorpio, and it gets a ladder frame rear-wheel-drive layout. The suspension in the Vitara Brezza is quite comfortable and it's tuned better than the pre-facelift Vitara Brezza and it offers a pretty nice ride both in the city and the highways, and on the bad roads, the suspension does a superb job of tackling all the potholes and all the undulations, meanwhile, the ride of the Bolero Neo feels quite bumpy in comparison, and same was the case with the older TUV300 as well. Now, while the Bolero Neo ride is bumpier than the Vitara Brezza, this suspension can take a lot more abuse and the same case is applicable with the older Bolero as well, which is why this suspension can take a lot more abuse MUV is so popular. Just like the older Bolero, the Bolero Neo also feels it is built to last, it is very abuse friendly and for driving in rural areas, areas with no roads, broken roads, the Bolero Neo makes a lot of sense. The Mahindra Bolero Neo also comes with the Mechanical Locking Differential in the top-end variant, while the Neo doesn't get 4X4, this MLD basically senses the traction on both the rear wheels and if one of the wheels have less traction, it helps the vehicle to get out of sticky situations. This feature gives the Bolero Neo a nice edge because none of the cars in this segment come with this.
In comparison, the Maruti Vitara Brezza feels more car-like and feels more liveable and practical daily and in urban conditions. The steering on the Maruti Vitara Brezza is very light, just how the customers like it, while the steering on the Bolero Neo has some heft to it. Braking performance is decent in both cars, the bite in the Vitara Brezza is more confidence-inspiring and the Vitara Brezza also has better high-speed manners.
Now if we talk about service, well both the automakers have good reach in terms of service network across the country, and it is a fact that Maruti has more service centers than Mahindra, and Vitara Brezza is also a reliable car. It was launched in 2016 and it has proven itself to be a fuss-free easy on the pocket car, meanwhile, the Mahindra TUV300 was also launched the first half a decade back and it is a fairly reliable car. Mahindra claims that the Bolero Neo will have a similar maintenance cost as the older Bolero, which is good because the older Bolero was very easy to maintain.
So there's a reason why the Maruti Vitara Brezza is so popular, it offers the Indian customers exactly what they want, it offers a fuss-free experience, and it is one of the better Maruti cars on sale today, meanwhile, there is the reason why the Mahindra brand is so popular. Now the Bolero is known for its additional nature, its high resale value, and Mahindra is encashing on the Bolero legacy with the Bolero Neo, which is a far improved package and it is likely to be as abuse friendly as the older Bolero. Now if you're driving your car mainly in urban conditions like driving in the city or going on drives with your family, then Vitara Brezza makes a lot of sense, but if you want a car that can take over a lot of abuse and if you want to drive regularly which have poor roads and no roads at all then the Mahindra Bolero is the one to go for.
That's all for this post, stay tuned to CERadar for more such news.
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