Mahindra Bolero Neo Fuel Efficiency: Claimed vs Real

Mahindra promises that the Bolero Neo will return 17.29kmpl in ideal conditions. But what happens when you start driving in the real world?

Mahindra’s Bolero Neo was recently launched in India as a successor to the previously discontinued TUV300. It houses an updated 1.5-litre diesel engine that makes 100PS/260Nm and is only offered with a 5-speed manual transmission. Mahindra claims that the SUV will return 17.29kmpl for every litre of diesel it consumes. Now of course, this is in ideal conditions and real world conditions are often a whole different story. So we put the Bolero Neo through our city and highway fuel efficiency test to find out how economical it really is.

Now, it was expected that the Bolero Neo (or any other vehicle, for that matter) would fall short of the claimed fuel efficiency mark in the city. But the Mahindra SUV couldn’t surpass it in highway conditions either. One of the primary reasons for this shortcoming is the 5-speed manual transmission. Even in its highest gear, the diesel engine spins at around 2600RPMs when going at 100kmph, which is too high if you want to extract decent fuel efficiency. A sixth gear could have helped reduce this number, bringing it closer to the 2000RPM mark, thereby boosting fuel efficiency on the highways.

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If you want to know how much fuel efficiency you can expect based on a combination of city and highway driving, take a look at the table below:

As you see from the table above, the Bolero Neo will return anywhere between 13kmpl and 15kmpl in most scenarios. A trick to improve this figure would be to bring your cruising speed down to between 80 and 90kmph on the highways.

Please note that fuel efficiency depends on driving conditions, the car’s condition, and your driving style. So, chances are your experience will vary from ours. If you own a Bolero Neo, feel free to share your findings with us in the comments.

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