Mahindra ROXOR: It's a Thing

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

What’s that? You want a Jeep but don’t care for one at its current size? Does a 62 horsepower turbo-diesel engine, four-wheel drive, and front/rear leaf suspension appeal to you? And you have just $15,499 to spend? Does Mahindra now have a deal for you.

Just keep it off-road, mmmkay?

Mahindra has been making noise for ages about entering the North American market, finally pulling the trigger in 2017 by establishing a base of operations and signing up a cadre of powersports dealers.

The company has signed up 215 dealers in the span of four months. Mahindra began hiring its sales staff late in Q3 of 2017 and now has a team of 17 with an average of 20-plus years’ experience. Initial dealer recruitment began in October 2017.

Now, the ROXOR is here. Not street-legal but checking in at a curb weight of just over 3,000 lbs, this off-road only machine has a 2.5-liter inline-four turbo-diesel under its Jeepy hood, making 62 horsepower at 3,200 rpm and 144 lb-ft at 1,400 rpm. It is fuel-injected and liquid-cooled, both observations I thought I’d stop having to make back in the Eighties.

Such clarity is required here, though, because the ROXOR straddles the line between on-road wheelers like the Jeep Wrangler and off-road busters like the Polaris RZR. In fact, the Mahindra neatly splits the difference in length between those two machines, measuring 148 inches end-to-end compared to the two-door Wrangler’s (166.6 inches) and the RZR’s (119 inches) lengths.

It is rated to tow 3,490 lbs … but only up to 15 mph. Unladen, the top speed is said to be 45 mph. Differentiating itself from other off-road side-by-sides in the market is the inclusion of a true five-speed manual with a baseball bat of a shifter sticking through the transmission tunnel like an overgrown larch. Drivers will also be poking at a clutch pedal with their left foot, something else not required in a traditional side-by-side.

Cursory glances at the provided photos reveal a machine that should be simple enough to fix with a hammer, deploying durable technology like leaf springs all around and 11-inch drum brakes in the rear. Naturally, the ROXOR is four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case for getting out of the mucky stuff. The interior is, erm, spartan with what appears to be a single gauge and a bunch of switches.

The model shown at the beginning of this post is the base model. A snazzy LE package is available, adding snazzy paint, a light bar, and a Warn winch. All those items, save for the fancy paint, are optional on the base model. A Dune edition sporting natty sand-colored paint and off-road locator flag will be available later this year for customers in California.

This thing may be just the ticket for busting dunes in the desert and scrambling over craggy rocks in the midwest. Its dimensions put it much more on par with some of its roadgoing brethren but its price point — $15,499 to start — puts it squarely in the burgeoning side-by-side market. A new Polaris RZR XP 1000 opens its bid at $17,999 and can easily top 30 grand for a four-seat model with all the toys.

The two-passenger ROXOR will be fully assembled and supported at Mahindra’s 150,000 square foot facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan, just north of Detroit. The company, while a fairly new name to our shores, has been building gear for over 70 years, including tractors, trucks, and military machines.

And, well, you just know what a future Ace of Base is going to be.

[Images: Mahindra]

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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  • Zipper69 Zipper69 on Mar 07, 2018

    It would get you an '08 with 65k to 190k on the odo, most on Autotrader also have a ton of aftermarket toys fitted, wheels, suspension, lights, winches and upgraded seating...

  • Jdmcomp Jdmcomp on Mar 10, 2018

    Can I get the flat fender model? Please Please Please

  • TCowner We've had a 64.5 Mustang in the family for the past 40 years. It is all original, Rangoon Red coupe with 289 (one of the first instead of the 260), Rally Pac, 4-speed, factory air, every option. Always gets smiles and thumbs ups.
  • ToolGuy This might be a good option for my spouse when it becomes available -- thought about reserving one but the $500 deposit is a little too serious. Oh sorry, that was the Volvo EX30, not the Mustang. Is Volvo part of Ford? Is the Mustang an EV? I'm so confused.
  • Mikey My late wife loved Mustangs ..We alway rented one while travelling . GM blood vetoed me purchasing one . 3 years after retirement bought an 08 rag top, followed by a 15 EB Hard top, In 18 i bought a low low mileage 05 GT rag with a stick.. The car had not been properly stored. That led to rodent issues !! Electrical nightmare. Lots of bucks !! The stick wasn't kind to my aging knees.. The 05 went to a long term dedicated Mustang guy. He loves it .. Today my garage tenant is a sweet 19 Camaro RS rag 6yl Auto. I just might take it out of hibernation this weekend. The Mustang will always hold a place in my heart.. Kudos to Ford for keeping it alive . I refuse to refer to the fake one by that storied name .
  • Ajla On the Mach-E, I still don't like it but my understanding is that it helps allow Ford to continue offering a V8 in the Mustang and F-150. Considering Dodge and Ram jumped off a cliff into 6-cylinder land there's probably some credibility to that story.
  • Ajla If I was Ford I would just troll Stellantis at all times.
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