Did you know that the Bolero marque will complete twenty years in August 2020? Also, do you know how well the rugged, honest-to-god engineered SUV sells every year? Here’s a point of reference, over the first ten months of the current fiscal year, the Bolero racked-up average monthly sales of well over 5,000 units. To put it in simple words, the Bolero is and has been a strong seller for nearly two decades. With the new crash, safety and emission norms coming in, Mahindra had to make some changes to the SUV’s recipe. And now, we have the finished product.

What you see here is the 2020 Mahindra Bolero. There are three variants to choose from – B4, B6 and B6 Opt. Their prices, in the same order, are Rs 7.98 lakh, Rs 8.64 lakh and Rs 8.99 lakh. In addition to gaining the vital BS6 (Bharat Stage 6) compliance, the updated Bolero meet the safety and crash-test norms. Also, as you can see, it has received some styling tweaks too. That includes a new grille, a restyled front bumper and revised headlamp enclosures. In terms of dimensions, the Bolero is under four metres in length.

Propulsion in all three variants of the Bolero comes from the combination of a 1.5-litre diesel engine, which produces 75bhp/210Nm, and a 5-speed manual transmission. The standard list of features includes ABS, a driver’s airbag, rear parking sensors, micro-hybrid technology, a 7-seat layout, seatbelt reminder for the front occupants and an AC with heater. Go for the range-topper and gizmos such as static bending headlamps, a music system, MID, fog lamps, keyless entry and rear washer with wiper come part of the package.

For the time being, Mahindra has priced the BS6-compliant Bolero at par with the BSIV range. Later in the year, the automaker will increase the prices to pass on the costs to customers. Since the Bolero is a subcompact SUV, you’d expect it to rival the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon and the Mahindra XUV300. But its charm is much more simple. It appeals to an audience outside metro cities.