India’s Craziest Mahindra Bolero Is NOT A Bolero! (Video)
The Mahindra Bolero is quite popular in many parts of India. People love it for its boxy, utilitarian design and capabilities. A video recently surfaced on Instagram, showing a Tata Magic Iris that has been modified to look like a Bolero. It is seen driving through a smooth road, carrying people. The video sparked discussions online, and many suspected it to be AI-generated. Here’s everything we have to say about this ‘build’.
In the video, the vehicle is seen driving smoothly on a well-paved road with passengers onboard. At first glance, it resembles a Bolero, but with a chopped bonnet and noticeably narrower body. The body lines, panels, and design do justice to those of the original Bolero. It is longer than the Iris but not as long as a full-size Bolero. Front three-quarter, side, and rear three-quarter views of the vehicle can be had here.
The design of the headlamps and front grille is similar to that of the original Bolero’s. The front bumper has a similar design as well. What you’ll notice in the front is that the width is significantly less than that of the actual car.
In the rear view, we observe an upright design for the D-pillar, a side-opening tailgate, and a rectangular tail lamp cluster. The spare-wheel is mounted on the tailgate. There’s even a footrest that sits on the rear bumper. This vehicle seems to be on its stock wheels. All in all, it seems to have a heavily modified version of the actual Bolero body shell.
The video soon gained massive traction online and attracted a lot of comments. Truth be told, it left people confused. Some wondered if it was an AI-generated video. The proportions looked too strange to be true. Those who did not believe in the ‘AI theory’ were clueless about the donor vehicle that formed the base for this conversion. Some said it is a Maruti Omni, others claimed it to be an Eeco.
Let’s clear the fog now. It is a Tata Magic Iris that has been modified heavily to accommodate a Bolero body! Look carefully, and you’ll notice that the rear differential is not visible like it is in the Eeco. It seems to be slightly offset, like we see on an Iris. We checked the vehicle’s number plate (HR69 B 0898) to confirm the same.
Firstly, this build is significantly longer than the Magic Iris. The wheelbase here seems to be as long as that of an Omni or an Eeco. The original Iris has a wheelbase of just 1650 mm, and the Eeco spans around 2,350 mm in wheelbase. The garage that built this vehicle seems to have given the chassis a notable extension.
The width of the Bolero body has also been reduced. It is unclear how they managed to do this. Interestingly, the front grille may have also been made less wide, but without losing its charm. The short bonnet design is interesting, as well.
The interior design is quite amusing. The vehicle in this video seems to be a six-seater! A bench seat is given at the front, which in this video, has just the driver. Two people are seen seated in the second row. Two side-facing seats can be seen at the extreme rear. A woman is seated on one of these. The original Bolero comes with side-facing seats at the extreme rear, which can be folded up, if not in use. This build does justice to the SUV even in its seating configuration!
The engine and transmission on this vehicle are likely kept the same as the actual Iris. The Iris, in fact, has a 611cc, single-cylinder, water-cooled diesel engine that makes around 10.8 hp and comes mated to a 4-speed manual transmission.