2007 Mahindra Pikup 4×4 Road Test
August 16, 2007 by Alborz Fallah
2007 Mahindra PikUp 4×4 Road Test
CarAdvice rating: 
Model Tested: 2007 Mahindra Pik-Up 2dr Man 5sp 4×4 2.5DT
Recommended Retail Price: $26,990 (manual only, metallic paint extra)
Can I just start by getting the hardest part out of the way? I can’t ignore this, the Mahindra Pikup, is indisputably, ugly, and its not ugly like a Smart car that you can eventually grow to love hate less, there is no doubt about it, from any angle you look at it, the Pikup is hideous.
Originating from a nation that produces as many cars as movies, no amount of dancing, singing or even the Hindu God of beauty (Lakshmi) can cure the ugly curse cast upon this 4×4 ute.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get on with it. Mahindra isn’t exactly a recognised brand in Australia, originally invading back in 1990 with the 4×4 BushRanger and Stockman, Mahindra’s invasion lasted for only 3 years before pulling out of the Australian market.
Currently in talks with another Indian manufacturer (Tata motors) to jointly buy Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford, this time around, Mahindra is here to stay.
It was a cold Monday morning when I went to pick up the Mahindra in south Brisbane, I was initially suppose to get the Dual Cab PikUp but a bit of confusion here and there, I ended up with the single cab 4×4.
The very first thing I noticed as I sat my rear end inside the cabin, was the god awful smell, but ignoring that, the seats were actually rather comfortable. Once I got my self settled, I turned the ignition key and the 2.5-litre Turbo-Diesel engine came to life.
With only 79kW of power, I quickly realised, it was going to be a long week, thankfully though, that feeling only lasted a few minutes as I felt the 247Nm of torque pulling me up the hill. Driven via a Five-speed manual gearbox mated to a hydraulic, diaphragm type single plate clutch, the PikUp is very easy to drive.
Prices start from $23,990 for the single cab rear-wheel-drive and go all the way to $29,990 for the dual cab 4×4.
Here is the truth, I am no four-wheel drive expert, and I didn’t put a ton of stock in the back or fill the ute up with work tools or test towing capacity etc etc, so if you’re expecting me to go into detail as to how I climbed a mountain in this, keep reading as I have a joke for you at the end. The reality is, this is the only Indian made car currently in Australia, so how could I miss the opportunity to see what our friends in the east have come up with.
Mahindra fact one. This is the only car that I have ever sat in that comes with a stereo capable of not only playing CDs/MP3s/iPods but also has the ability to accept memory cards from your camera and phone, as well as a USB connection to plug in your USB flash drive. How can a ute from India come with such a stereo system when cars worth 5x the price still lack some of these features?
The headunit appears to be a last minute thought, it has a very aftermarket look to it. Unfortunately though, the sound of the Diesel engine coupled with next to useless speakers mean that unless you keep turning that knob, you are not going to hear that much.
Mahindra fact two. The interior of the PikUp is not very well made. With an odd looking Carbon Fibre like plastic centre console, the PikUp appears to be a little confused about its personality.
My aim was to take the PikUp outback and give it a workout, before I did that, I packed all sorts of supplies incase it died on me half way in. Firstly, I decided to put my wallet, phone and sunglasses in the glovebox, bad idea, it broke.
Yep, the glovebox opened, and decided it no longer felt like closing, the clip had broken. That’s okay, a similar thing happened to the Lamborghini Murcielago I drove earlier this year.
As I locked the car to go and find some sticky tape, the headlights turned on, that’s odd, why would the headlights turn on when I lock the car? I opened the door and turned the headlight switch to on and then back to off, headlights turned off, walked out, pressed the lock button… headlights turned on again… so I took a deep breath and decided to let it be.
My partner and I headed north towards Australia Zoo to find a 4WD track to put the Mahindra to some use. On our 2 hour journey, a few things became obvious, one, every single person that drove past gave us the “what the heck is that” look, two, the engine and road noise had become unbearably loud on the highway, three, the interior was made out of some really cheap stuff as everything we touched literally broke.
The plastic cover over the seatbelt bolt came apart as we hit a few potholes… this was not very reassuring given the car has no airbags, yes, no airbags. I have a feeling, if or when this car gets tested by ANCAP, the results will not be that comforting.
There are unfinished edges everywhere, from the carpet to the upholstery and even to the mirrors outside. By this stage, the sticky tape holding the glove box had come loose and we had to pull over to get some more.
We finally found a nice stretch of dirt road to test the Mahindra, and the truth, despite its downfalls, as a 4×4 ute, the PikUp is a great buy. Comparing this to the Mazda BT-50, to get an equivalent dual-cab 4×4, the Mazda will set you back at least an extra $10,000. Toyota Hilux? Same deal. No matter what I say, I really can’t argue with the price.
Turn the plastic knob and the car changes from rear-wheel-drive to 4×4, low or high ratios. Driven through 16 inch steel rims wrapped in 245/75 tyres and with a 210mm ground clearance, you can literally drive this over anything.
Cargo space varies from 1489 x 1520 x 550 (mm) for the dual cab (pictured below) to 2294 x 1520 x 550 (mm) for the single cab. It consumes a reasonable 9.9 litres of diesel per 100kms from its 80 litre fuel tank. For more info check out the specification sheet here.
For the front, the PikUp gets independent suspension, a torsion bar with stabiliser bar & hydraulic shock absorbers, the rear makes do with a multi-layered semi elliptical leaf springs (underslung).
I drove it through some stubborn terrain and time and time again, I was pleased with the cars ability to overcome obstacles. For those who don’t need a 4×4 system, the standard rear-wheel-drive is also a reasonable buy at just $23,990 for the single and $25,990 for the dual cab!
At the end of the day, the decision is simple, although it’s ugly and most likely not the best built or safest vehicle in its class, with a $10,000+ saving over its competitors, more cargo space and Mahindra’s commitment to maintain its reputation (3 year/100,000km warranty plus 1 year road side assist), for a farmer or a tradesmen, you would be foolish not to check out the Mahindra PikUp.
Now for that joke I promised our 4WD fans.
The Australian National Transportation Safety Board recently revealed they had covertly funded a project with the manufactures by installing black boxes in four-wheel drive pickup trucks in an effort to determine, in fatal accidents, the circumstances in the last 15 seconds before the crash.
They were surprised to find in 7 of the 8 states and territories the last words of drivers in 61.2 percent of fatal crashes were, “Oh, S#$%!”
Only Tasmania was different, where over 89.3 percent of the final words were: “Hold my beer and watch this!”
Alborz Fallah
Print it: 
0 
1 
The Bushranger looks OK though. Perhaps they should bring on the new version.
ALBORZ FALLAH…..I know that smell in the car, you won’t forget it??? Did smell go away or is it a priest job that smell needs to be exorcised out???? Car is just butch and fit is cheap crap!
The smell in the car is Cow repellant…..
That joke has made my morning. :D
Having just returned from the Apple isle, I can totally relate.
Nice review Alborz. I’ve been interested to see how the Mahindra would fare under scrutiny…and you have to laugh at some of the quality issues but at the end of the day $10k buys a lot of self-tappers and duct tape…
If your looking for a vehicle thats going to cop a bit of punishment, its fair share of scratches and carry a load then the Mahindra would have to be worth a look. Why spend more on something that is going to cop a caning, provided it is reliable?
Reliablity will be the big issue at the end of the day, if you want to tear country folk out of their Toyotas and Nissans.
Like the Japanese, Koreans and Malaysians and hopefully the Chinese, India will get better at building cars.
The mere saving of $10K will quickly erode if you factor in the horrendous depreciation, repeated trips back to the dealer for warranty repairs and the uncoveted title of being a “tight-arse” your friends and family will no doubt bestow upon you.
Oh, and not to mention that you obviously value your wallet over your own life. Perhaps one can put the $10K towards a funeral plan or a life insurance policy.
FRUGAL ONE… spot on!!!!!
FURTHER…….
HOW LONG, LIKE LAST TIME, BEFORE THEY PULL UP STUMPS AND LEAVE AUSTRALIA AGAIN?
NEVER TRUST A INDIAN, THEY ADD NEW MEANING TO THE WORD…..SHONK!
OTHER THAN THAT, THEY ARE OK:-)
FINALLY C/ADVICE WEBSITE IS CORUPT,HOW HOW HOW CAN A PIECE OF HSIT GET 3 STAR RATING?DID YOU MEAN NEG. 3 STAR?
HOPE AUTOSPEED/JUILIAN TESTS IT, HE WILL REALLY RATE IT LIKE IT IS
CHEERS
F-0
FRUGAL ONE… you are throwing another dart on the bullseye. PS Does it have on visors a warning note:
THE USE OF THIS VEHICLE BY FOREIGNERS REQUIRES THE USE OF A RESPIRATOR MASK, IF PROBLEMS PERSIST PLEASE CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR
F-O, mate some poor farmers don’t have one spare dollar to buy a Jap workhorse, so the Mahindra will get the job jone and that’s that.
I don’t like the look of it either, but for $23K as a struggling farmer – it’s going to look damn nice!
tony said
August 16 2007 @ 11:01 am
F-O, mate some poor farmers don’t have one spare dollar to buy a Jap workhorse, so the Mahindra will get the job jone and that’s that.
I don’t like the look of it either, but for $23K as a struggling farmer – it’s going to look damn nice!
**************************************************8
THIS IS TRUE, BUT NO NEED TO RAPE YOURSELF.
BUY 2ND HAND LATE MODEL WITH WARRANTY
WIN X WIN X WIN!~!
CHEERS
F-0
Regardless of the fact it may be cheap, simple facts remain, it is cheap & nasty, & comparitively unsafe.
Another concern is that you give it an overall review rating of 3 stars. Aside from all the quality issues how can you possibly give it a satisfaction rating of 3 when you factor in the safety concerns. The more this great country of ours starts to think & act more in line with the Europeans in regards to vehicle safety & actively promoting it the better of & safer we will be from junk like this.
The only reasons I gave it three stars is for the price, you can’t compare this to the BT50 and Hilux is you want to be fare, this is far far far cheaper, and you get what you pay for.
I think for a struggling farmer or a tradie starting out, this is a car worth considering, but if you have the extra $ then go for the BT50, it is undoubtedly the better car!
Okaaaaay, You guys just put us back in the dark ages with your comments on the origins of the car and its people.
Take the piss out of the car…. leave those that have feelings, blood, brains and are one of the largest growing and forward thinking country.
I’m not Indian. You guys should be more pissed at the cheap arse Aussie companies that are shipping our jobs of-shore.
All in all, it’s still a POS car.
OK Steve… It would be different if the car was much normal looking (i.e. not butch ugly)
I certainly agree with the comment that it turns heads, i certainly looked twice when i saw one parked on the side of the road (someones buying them), sorta looks like the landcruiser utes with the body tray – cant say i dislike it altogether
I agree with all the comments about this POS not being worth a 3 star rating. It’s a 0 star death trap.
For a struggling farmer, there is the 2nd hand option already mentioned, or a new SSanyong, which is 20,000 leagues or so better, and the price is very little more. At least you get a motor vehicle.
Sorry Alborz – have you ever tried Black&Gold baked beans? Like the Mahindra, they are crap – life is too short to do that to yourself.
When goods are bought on quality not price, the price is soon forgotten.
When goods are bought only on price, the crap quality keeps biting your arse until you get rid of it and do what you should have done in the first place.
AGREE with what Reckless1 said! I know people who get items like this or motorbikes called HYOSUNG = like really way behind Hyundai – they all complain that items fall off and it is crap. The fact you took a vehicle out and things started to fall apart sums it up. Better to go to an auction and pay for inspection of some sort than go down this road with a terrible poor excuse for a vehicle! This is not being racist either!
SORRY ALBORZ…
MAYBE THE SMELL IN THE INTERIOR ARE SPICES THE WORKERS LEFT BEHIND DIRING THERE LUNCH BREAKS.
LENNY>>>>Thousand apologises… you cannot say that as racist (I said similar and got pulled up… I think you can read me mind on what I cannot say and want to, I know I have been over places like that!)
Well, I know someone who just brought a 4×4 PikUP, a farmer. He understands the risk with purchasing such a new model, but after driving if from Sydney to Rockhampton and using it for farmwork he absolutly loves the Pikup, plenty of power, tray size and of course the price (which was about 3000 less then quoted on the website). It is a simple vehicle, something which he can work on himself without to much trouble. Which is exactly the type of thing the Pikup is aiming for. The rural sector especially don’t want all the electronics and garbage that are in some of the new 4WD’s.
It still has to last the time, wait and see, but so far it is excelling in everything he does with it. And he will truley give it a workout.
The bloke had 4 Rodeos previously to this, over a period of 10 years, the first three were great, however after the 4th (03)he will never buy a Rodeo again. Anything would be an improvement on it.
If the mahindra tractors are anything to go by, the will be a good reliable ute. The Mahindra tractors are now the 4th most selling tractor in the world and have been in australia for a while, haven’t gone bust or left the country running back home.
thanks for sharing that barry
please let us know if your mate has any problems in the future
yep price price price!!
thats the big and prob only seller.
you only have to look at the kia pregio vs toyota hiace to figure that one out.
i was amazed to see how well a kia.. yes a kia sells when you give people a diesel van to do the job a hell of a lot less than the hiace.
barry, yep to add further rodeos have absolutely gone to shit. especially since they had the design change in 2002. the latest model is even worse. i know someone who has had the engine changed and still getting vibrations and after the dealer had it for 2 weeks and couldnt figure out what was wrong with it now, i pointed out that it was leaking coolant as they pulled up. yep i see why your farmer mate has a “well nothing to lose” attitude on this one
but by the same token have people heard of buying second hand?? thats what i would do if i couldnt afford the real deal. you know something with 30,000k’s on it still with 2yrs warranty left and $10,000 less than new
Oh deary me, my elephant can ride better than this !
I dont understand there are literally billions of unemployed industrial designers all over the world, how can this car shape and interior ever be produced is beyond me. Please at least employ a design uni student, and you will get some real results. These companies have got to stop employing their wives and cousains as designers..
Personally, I like the look of the 2 door. I would be happy to give one a fair run over time. Lets face it, the Commodore and Falcon had problems that needed to be ironed out over time.
I already drive a car that has no air bag so that is not too much of an issue although I am surprised that it is allowed in OZ without one.
Finish jobs and sound, easily fixed. Lets give it a go.
I drove my mates PikUp on the weekend, was fine to drive, very similar to my 99 rodeo. No more noisy inside the cab, plenty of pick up. The tray was nice and big. His is a dark colour, almost back and it looked quite good. You are sitting alot hire then what I thought you would be.
The problem described in the artcile is actually a feature you can turn on and off, The lights will stay on for a certain amount of time after you lock it, can be useful e.g. if you park in a shed and want to see where you are walking after you have locked the vehicle. But if you have no use for the feature you can turn it off.
$23k will get you a good 5 year old Hilux – nicer, safer and will still be going strong in 10 years.
ah thats a borrowed US joke surely.. since when do we refer to 4wd utes as ‘pickup trucks’ ?
honestly you cant hit styling that hard then say the landcruiser is the best looking thing either. the mahindra must have stolen styling tips from the landcruiser
Why don’t some of you guys e.g.frugal one, refrain from letting your ignorance and bias getting in the way of making some intelligent comments in your posts.
You might have a bit more credibility if you focused on the vehicle’s actual shortcomings such as the terrible dropoff in torque once the engine passes 2200rpm which makes it bad news for passing on the open road. ‘Reckless’ started mouthing on about Mahindra tractors being crap and yet they sell a 20hp FEL tractor here for $8950 which is good value.I get the feeling that if I went to the VE ute site I’d find the same people talking S..t
See you can’t even undrestand a feature (light’s turn on after lock)meant for guiding you in dark.
****UNAUSTRALIAN****
AS A WORLD WAR II VETERAN TODAY I AM ASHAMED TO CALL MYSELF AUSTRALIAN AFTER READING SOME OF THE COMMENTS ON THIS WEBSITE ABOUT INDIA AND ITS PEOPLE. AND ITS A SHAME ON THE OWNERS OF THIS WEBSITE TO ALLOW THIS RUBBISH TO BE PUBLISHED. MY FAMILY IS STILL STRUGGLING FROM THE DROUGHT AND THIS VEHICLE DELIVERED EXACTLY WHAT IT PROMISED. FOR SOME OF US IT’S ABOUT SAVING A FEW PENNIES THAN LOOKING “COOL”.
Guys,
I drove a Mahindra pikup and must say that it is worth its money. Again “worth its money”. The company is offering a very good warranty and that is what poor farmers want.
If you want to show off with your flashy ute then spend $10-$20 grand more and live with its high maintainence cost.
Also, I see a lot of reference to people sticking to buy old 2nd hand Hilux etc. Mates! when will you come out of living by “Garage Sales” mentality? Ofcourse a used vehicle is a used vehicle. A friend of mine is a bit like you, He bought a 79 Volvo for nothing and since then he has been paying through his nose for repairs. He recently spent more than $500 dollars or so on a packed-up Alternator and he has no warranty.
Last I heard was that he is now settling down for a new Hyundai ( Atleast he is getting a new Car with Warranty)
So accept changes and be realistic!
So
Guys,
Check this link out as well.
http://www.pickuptruck.com/htm.....perez.html
Targeted to sell an initial 45,000 units in USA in the first year – for both trucks and SUVs [Mahindra will also import two SUVs to sell in the U.S., starting in 2009].
This is what Aussies Customer’s should ask:
Excerpts from the link above:
PUTC: The mileage warranty mentioned on your website says it will last 60,000-miles, but we didn’t see the time duration. For what time period will the factory warranty be available?
JP: It will be for four-years, 60,000-miles, bumper-to-bumper. And we’re working on the same time period to also include free maintenance and urea (refills) too. It’s not a certainty yet, but it’s 90%.
When we are paying the same $$$$$ why are we not getting
four-years, 60,000-miles, bumper-to-bumper?
I liked the comment about the supposedly bad depreciation on this vehicle.
But what about depreciation on local vehicles. Try $5-6K per annum on Ford or Holden. Thats about $15K drop over 3 years – hardly inspiring.
And check out the 4×4 Rodeo owner reviews – absolute crap vehicle. Oh was that bang my front diff going again?
And Toyota are hardly immune from problems.
I think its best to wait and see how these utes actually go before mouthing off at Indian vehicles.
,
I have a Mahindra Tractor. Its the Best. No body can build a similar tractor. Its a beauty.
Kind of makes a Ssangyong Musso dual-cab look respectable.
Doesnt look so bad but build quailty is crap and same with the safety! i’d never buy it just to save a bit of money! And is their even one Mahindra Pikup in the country?
Seeing such stupid comments from Frugal One makes me wonder if this guys even have the interlect to write a comment. Outrightly discarding the car because its Indian is crazy. India has been making world class cars ( mercerdese, hondas, toyotas, opels etc) for years. MATE what has Australia developed on its own without the backing of GM??? Nada…I have driven the 4×4 Scorpio and man Its a Solid car. With regards the car smelling etc ,even if you take a Merc there is a smell or leathe/plastic which goes away after a while. Some might even argue that Ozzies smell like piss heads. Does that mean we can generalise that to every one….Use some commen sense and grow up MATE!!!!
The segment and the price the car is made for what do you expect a BLOODY AUSTIN MARTIN????? May be rich kids like you can afford HOLDON Utes ( which inspite of being very expensive still falls apart if driven in harsh conditions like the bush) but for the Farmers its a bloody good buy.
People think that farmers cant afford a ute…..gggggggggggggeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, some farmers are quite capable!!!!!!!!!!!
If the bush people from Australia are buying Mahindra vehicles, then maybe its a good vehicle and I shoul dgo ahead and buy one myself! Thanks guys. Incidentally, why do you guys need refinement anyway?
James, Indian living in INDIA.
No James!
Farmers are NOT buying them at all.
I [and they] would rather a clapped out rusted Toyota or Nissan Ute.
Farmers have good memories, they remember last time that Mahindra sold [dumped] its rubbish here and then left town.
PASS, its junk, rather a horse or donkey and carriage.
Cheers
F-0
So you guys will soon not buy Range Rover or Jag coz very soon it will be owned by Indian company Tata. So what is the arguments guys….. keep searching for some mature argument this time. And do you know that shock abs. in Benz come from India. No wonder suddently you have started feeling those jolts in your Benz true. Grow up guys grow up. It takes courage and some mettle to venture into foreign market and Mahindra has done it.
Neil..
Mate a Range Rover will never be that ugly though……..even if yo dream that dream!
Well, 20 000kms since august and counting for one of my mates that has one, still loves it. By looking at the most of the comments here you would think most people don’t rate it. But the response he has gotten from people is amazing, has had numerous people come up asking for test drives, many people looking over it.
Frugal One – “Farmers are not buying them at all”… My mates a farmer, and is getting a ton of interest from the farmers around his area. And I don’t know to many farmers that would turn down a new ute over a “clapped out rusted toyota or nissan”. Sure not many people are driving them yet, but it was only launced in aus in June 07, intrest in them is high.
I didn’t think they were the prettiest ute when the first came out, but its growing on me, I didn’t particularly like the new rodeos or tritons either, but the grew on me.
Racist remarks aside and to be expected, India has for long been hub of heavy industrial goods. MB has had a long term tech tie up with Force Motors for the Tempo vehicles since the 60s, so does BEHR, BOSCH, ZF etc, also MAN and HINO and various others as well. The famous Gurkha off roader is build in India. India today has technology and scientists to go with the best. Having said all that, this Indian now living in India warns you that Mahindra and Tata vehicles are nowhere close to quality and they have a long ladder to climb before they are considered reliable. Please don’t judge India by these two vehicles and condemn it for good. We Indians not only do phone jobs, we also work in huge numbers at NASA, Jet Propulsion, Microsoft, Sun and you will find us at various colleges as professors and at various hospitals as doctors. This goes for US, UK and Aus.
G’day Mates.
Hi,
Guys This read has been a really intresting one. To see how many people in this country hate people and the country which is a $5 trillion economy and has about 5 indigenous Car making companies who are short of filling the demands to their own market.
Appart from being rasists….Australian market has been ponderd by forigen manufacturing Car companies from ages where as they struggel to have any market in India, there is not one car that I can see as Austrlaian. Holden has nissan moters and they even dont have their own steel. Comapnies like TATA and mahindra have their own steel plants. HILUX is TOYOTA its not an Austrlaian car.
Mr F.O. is that your real name ….I think you should get some education Mate. I think cars like mahindra will still sell, if they dont …thats Ok too as they have a huge demand in india which actually helps their country to prosper more as the cash is not going out…so I think companies like those will always do good I think the proce is good and i will buy it my self.
Hi my name is Luis i am Portuguese, i want to support my cause to bring the classic Jeep Mahindra mm540 dp new model thar to Porugal
please contact Sino Motors on Portugal and leave a note saying that you want to have a Mahindra thar cj7 clone
luisfilipesilvasantos@hotmail.com
I am surprised that some people find the build quality crappy. Maybe the workers werent paying much attention to this one while building it.
I am wondering why Mahindra isnt offering a the 2.6L turbodiesel in Australia ? The 2.5L comes from some Mahindra’s smaller commercial vehicles, and it isnt that cool, believe me. The 2.6 has excellent refinement (seriously, not joking) and goes about its business quietly. There is also a new DOHC 2.2 diesel,which is even more refined and torquey than the pushrod 2.6,but it is for sale in India only.
I have been in a few Scorpios in India (mumbai and delhi, mostly)and most of them felt quite well screwed together, even after 80-90,000kms of hard use as a Taxi.
But I wouldnt buy one, because the interior space is quite a bit less than the exterior suggests. And the steering gives the word vague a whole different meaning.
But most of all, its ride and handling is absolutely horrid. Sure, its a capable offroader, but a little tradeoff would be hugely beneficial to “normal” users, like me.