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[Norseman]

Just sent this to the ITC...
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Mahindra vs Jeep
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Howdy!

Hopefully this comment will find the right people!

I own a ranch and have cattle, horses and mules. I have owned one Jeep Wrangler and one Polaris Ranger for ranch chores throughout the years. I now own a Mahindra Roxor to fulfill this role. And it by far and away fulfills this need better than either of the others. The Ranger which is sold as a UTV, same as the Roxor, literally cost me almost 10k in repairs. Almost what the machine initially cost! Its a plastic, tube framed, belt driven vehicle. And not to pick on Polaris, its about the same design as other vehicles in that genre, such as Can Am, Yamaha and Textron.

The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon was a capable vehicle except for its “death wobble”. Which after many trips to the dealership and cost it was never solved. And its base price was like 35k at the time. On top of that? We dont need carpet, airbags and all of the anemities of a full on road vehicle for ranch chores.

Lastly the little Mahindra UTV is diesel..... which is huge. Our farm equipment runs on off road diesel. This UTV takes off road diesel! It is a pain to run 5 gallon gasoline cans 30 miles into town just for the ranch UTV. When it can be simply filled from the large tractor tank. On top of all of this? The little diesel pulls and works twice as hard as any gasoline UTV out there!

I think in the end Mahindra will help sell Jeeps. People who have been driving plastic belt driven UTVs around their whole lives such as the Polaris Ranger will be introduced to the old Willys design for the first time. And they will like it so much? They will want to go buy a street legal Jeep Wrangler as well!

Take care!

Wade
Rockin M Ranch

 

[Norseman]

I sent it to the intellectual properties dept.

Contact Us | USITC

 

[BDRAG]

" I sent it to the intellectual properties dept"

Man, I Hopes ya used spell chek! LOL. Give um hell!

BDRAG

 

[Bobby]

My local dealer recently, two weekends ago, attended an executive level dealer conference. I haven’t made the effort to corner him yet, but will. All I have gotten so far, when stopping by to check on my replacement windshield, was from the manager who said he had spoken to him and learned this was a major topic of discussion. Bottom line of what I got second hand was Mahindra knew this fight was coming and are well prepared. He stated they have documentation between all parties involved, design change so as not infringe on the Jeep brand, sign offs, agreements, etc. I will get more intel and advise.

Personally I think this is a big hoopla about nothing .... but heck, even corporate attorneys need to earn their keep.

 

[Bobby]

I’ll make the effort to go run him down tomorrow and post.

 

[Bill Patridge]

Please keep us informed...I have friends that are "On the fence" waiting for the out come...some future dealer friends..

 

[Bobby]

Visited my local dealership to learn my dealer is off to another show for a week. Staff didn't seem to have any definitive information than is shared on here. However, the City of Seneca is sponsoring a "Jeep Fest" tomorrow (big deal locally) and Performance Power Sports will have 3 ROXOR's on display there. More important a Mahindra representative will be there. I will swing by and pick his brain. Standby for more information.

On another note, I had been told that Performance Power Sports was donating a ROXOR to Clemson University. We are 8 miles from Clemson. It was delivered while I was there. I will be anxious to see how CU uses it at their next home game - next weekend.

 

[Bobby]

I knew Popular Mechanics was going to do a review because they picked up the unit they tested from Performance Power Sports here in Seneca. This is the first of the review I have scene. Interesting the comments on no confusion between a ROXOR and and Jeep.....kinda to our point here.
The Outrageously Fun, Michigan-Made 4x4 You've Never Heard Of
Meet the Roxor 4x4. It ain’t that big and it ain’t that fast, but somehow the fun never stops.

Ezra Dyer
Aug 10, 2018
1.1k

MAHINDRA
About 20 years ago, I was in India riding in the back of a Tata Sumo—a sort of Land Rover Defender knockoff—in Corbett National Park, when the driver plunged down a river embankment for a hairy water crossing. The water was a couple feet deep, with a swift current, but the Indian SUV trundled across and then bounced up over the opposite embankment. “Wow,” I said. “It’s amazing what you can do with four-wheel drive.” The driver shook his head. “No four-wheel drive! Two-wheel drive!” In the U.S., we’re conditioned to think we need triple-locking differentials to leave the driveway. Indian off-road culture was decidedly more about technique than equipment. Imagine what that guy could have done with four-wheel drive.
That experience was in my head when I once again plunged into a river in an Indian off-roader, although this time the river was in North Carolina and the vehicle was a Mahindra Roxor, a machine that traces its lineage to the postwar 4x4s that Mahindra began building under license from Willys in 1947. The Roxor is legally a side-by-side, limited to 45 mph. But one glance tells you this thing is a far different creature than a Polaris. It has a steel body, solid axles with leaf springs, and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel hooked to a five-speed manual transmission and a two-speed transfer case. It’s like a Jeep CJ-7 that kept evolving, although Mahindra is careful to say that this is not a Jeep and nobody should confuse it as such, per its agreement with Fiat Chrysler.

Mahindra keeps it simple: leaf springs and solid axles front and rear, with a two-speed transfer case and 144 lb-ft of diesel torque.
MAHINDRA

I don’t think any Wrangler owners are going to mistakenly walk up to a Roxor in the Target parking lot. For one thing, a Roxor probably won’t be in that parking lot because it’s not street legal—although that varies in states that allow UTVs on the street, like Utah and West Virginia. And a Roxor makes a Wrangler look like a Rolls-Royce Cullinan. The Roxor Classic has only two switches on the dashboard: headlights and the horn. Step up to the LE and you get 50 percent more switches, since you need one for the 40-inch KC HiLites light bar. It really doesn’t get more elemental than this.
Roxor Specs

• Top speed: 45 mph
• Towing capacity: 3,490 pounds
• Base price: $15,500

But back to the water crossing. We’re on my friend Steve’s farm, and he’s encouraging me to size up the Mahindra’s fording ability in a rain-swollen stream. “Stay where the ripples are and I think you’ll make it,” he says. “No ripples means deep water.” With this country wisdom in mind, I drop in and pause to assess my path. “Don’t wait there too long,” Steve calls from the bank. “The bottom’s eroding under your tires.” He’s right, so I rev up the 64-hp diesel and head for a sandbar, upstream on the opposite side. There’s a moment when the front end dips low enough that the water’s over one of the headlights (and pouring in the sides), but the little 4x4 marches right along and finds shallow water on the other side.

“DON’T WAIT THERE TOO LONG,” STEVE CALLS FROM THE BANK. “THE BOTTOM’S ERODING UNDER YOUR TIRES.”​

After executing a nervous three-point turn, I make my return. My boots are wet but the Roxor is fine. A little cleaner, maybe. And I’m jacked up on adrenaline. That’s what off-roading is about—giving yourself that moment when you’re not entirely sure you’re going to make it. You don’t need complicated equipment for that. The Roxor is thrilling in an utterly simple, throwback way. It’s you and a machine tackling a problem. Your choices are limited to whether or not you want to use low-range. That’s pretty much it. Mahindra expects that as the Roxor develops a U.S. following, the vehicle could get somewhat more extravagant—you know, like adding back seats. I’d go for that, but I’d be ambivalent about adding any of the usual off-road mods to a Roxor—lift kit, big tires, gears, and locking diffs. The whole appeal of this Roxor lies in its ability to go places you don’t think it should go. It’s like a Suzuki Samurai that way, relying on tidy size and favorable angles rather than brute force.
American-Made? Almost. Mahindra is based in Mumbai, India, but it assembles the Roxor in a 150,000-square-foot factory in Auburn Hills, Michigan, that employs 350 people. “We’re at 30 percent American-parts content,” says Dan Proffer, marketing manager. “But we’re trying to get it to 50 percent, because then we’d be American-made.”
We head over to an old gravel pit, where I try the ol’ “Let’s see how far I can drive up this ridiculously steep wall” gambit. The Mahindra keeps climbing long after I figure it would give up, so I back up and try again a little faster. This time I make it higher. I keep going, charging the hill, until finally I have the momentum to triumphantly blast over the summit. I didn’t think there was any way the Roxor could make that climb, but here I am. Just for fun, we try the same hill with another 4x4 on hand, a jacked-up full-size pickup on 35-inch tires. The truck storms the embankment, throws its front tires over the top . . . and spins to a halt. It’s too big.
This appears in the September 2018 issue. Want more Popular Mechanics? Get Instant Access!


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[loboost]

Dyer nailed it

 

[Bobby]

I went to Jeep Fest here in Seneca this morning and did talk with a Mahindra Rep. He was reluctant to be quoted directly on pending litigation but did say it was business as usual and they felt they were on solid ground given agreements reach with Chrysler in 2009. That has all been covered earlier so I will not re hash all that.

Did learn Mahindra has dedicated $2.2 million in advertising on ESPN dedicated to the ROXOR, and NASCAR has purchased 5 ROXOS they plan to use at races.

Picture from Jeep Fest. A few Willy’s lined up

 

[Norseman]

How did the Jeep guys recieve the Roxor? Ive met a few purists on youtube that do not like them at all.... They are perceived as a foreign clone hell bent on putting Jeep out of business. Even though the Roxor is a UTV and competes with Rangers....not Wranglers.

 

[Shortbus]

Do jeepers really want a back to basics trail machine you can’t drive on the road?

 

[Bobby]

I would say everyone is intrigued with the ROXOR. Most of the Jeep guys there today wouldn’t run their ride thru a mud puddle for fear of getting it dirty, etc. in my opinion the ROXOR is such a throw back to the CJ5 that if you are a Jeep guy, you got to love it.

Addional comments taken from the Mahindra Rep, it was his observation that the initial market has been Jeep enthusiasts. The next market they want to break into is the rancher farmer guys who will appreciate for a work vehicle and its longevity vs. the completion in the market today. Then then the third tier of market is the week Enders that are buying side by sides and putsing around.

 

[Norseman]

Tell him he is there.

My Roxor is building barb wire fence today.

 

[BDRAG]

So then Norseman, can you be quoted as " your on the fence where the Roxor is concerned?

:-0 HAhaaaaaa. Sorry, I have had to much Ice tea tonight!

BDRAG

 

[BDRAG]

So that's it for pics? I figured you would have some pics of all the ooooglers and lookers at the roxors there. Maybe have an autograph session with the rep. No really.

BDRAG

Picture from Jeep Fest. A few Willy’s lined up

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