There are a handful of vehicle designs that have stood the test of time, and can be recognized by almost anyone on earth. These include the Volkswagen Beetle, the classic Mini Cooper, and the Willys Jeep, a true American icon. The Willys Jeep might not be in production, but it has spawned the highly successful Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator, both of which still sell in massive quantities. Jeep's dominance in the stripped-down off-roader market was threatened when the Mahindra Roxor appeared on the scene a few years ago. This Indian-built Jeep lookalike offered basic off-road capability and cool looks for not a lot of money, but was eventually banned from the US by the FCA for looking too similar to Jeep's products. Mahindra isn't backing down however, and has changed the styling of the Roxor once again.
The new Roxor is offered in two trims; a base model, and an "All-Weather" model. Both have the same Jeep-esque look, but the front end now features a more rounded look with horizontal grille slats and a jutting bumper. These little off-roaders look like toy cars, and we love them. The Roxor has a wheelbase of 96 inches, and a total length of 148 inches. The base curb weight is only 2,990 lbs for the base model, and there's nine inches of ground clearance on offer. The exterior features 16-inch wheels wrapped in 235 / 70R16 Goodyear Wrangler Trailrunner AT tires and a set of headlights and indicators. The All-Weather model comes with, you guessed it, a roof.
"The fast-growing rural lifestyle segment presents a great opportunity for Roxor," said Rich Ansell, VP of Marketing for Mahindra Automotive North America. "The demand for the Roxor with farmers and ranchers is strong due to the vehicle's ability to take on the tough jobs around their property. They already know and like the Mahindra brand because of how successful we've been with our tractors, and we intend to build on this strong reputation for tough, easy-to-use products."
These Indian Jeeps are quite capable off-road thanks to a rugged boxed steel frame and a two-speed low range transfer case. Power comes from a 2.5-liter turbo diesel four-cylinder producing a massive 62 horsepower and 144 lb-ft of torque.
These numbers allow the Roxor to reach a top speed of 55 mph. Power is sent to the rear, or all four wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. These cars are actually assembled in the USA, and you can have one in any color as long as it's Red or Black. Mahindra also offers tons of accessories for the Roxor, including snow tracks, actual windshields, and even high performance suspension systems. You can really go to town on one of these, and still undercut a brand new Jeep Wrangler by a substantial margin, but unfortunately you'll only ever be able to use one off-road; they're not road legal in the US.