Bolero Neo+ Aims Low

Gobar NCRAP announces a 'Not Recommended' rating for the 9-seat Mahindra BOLERO NEO PLUS midsize three-row launched last week.

The Bolero Neo Plus is the 9-seat counterpart of the 7-seat Mahindra BOLERO NEO compact SUV. The extra seating capacity comes in the form of two side-facing "jump seats" in the boot. These seating positions are convenient to access but are not fitted with safety belts or head restraints; yet they seem to be popular among the kind of buyer the Bolero Neo Plus aims to cater to.

Mahindra's clear stance on the model's positioning also reflects in other areas of safety: it must comply with crashworthiness legislation and include some active and passive safety features, but has scant little to offer otherwise. There are no active safety aids like electronic stability control, seats without safety belts, and crashworthiness only barely complies with legislation, as demonstrated earlier this week when UK-based Global NCAP released the results of their consumer crash-testing on the related seven-seat Mahindra BOLERO NEO.

A pleasant surprise is the inclusion of ISOFIX anchorages on the highest P10 trim level, but even so, the Bolero Neo+ goes for 'Not Recommended' regardless of trim level.

MIDSIZE THREE-ROW RATINGS (updated)

Questions or corrections? Reach out to @GobarNCRAP on X, or email theyawningchihuahua@gmail.com.