It’s time once again for our weekly roundup of Mahindra Roxor videos from around the world. This week’s edition starts and ends in Missouri: there’s a dose of cultural history, some helpful tips like the cost of OEM parts and the fastest way to change your oil, and a cameo appearance from a controversial public figure who also happens to love the Mahindra Roxor.
I’ll give you a hint: it’s not Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Trump, or any of the Kardashians.
That should help narrow it down.
Roxor Weekly
Two Mahindra Roxors Have Driven the Pony Express Trail
Okay everybody, gather ‘round for a little history lesson. For this we travel back to the 1850s to consider the quandary of how to quickly transport mail to the booming West Coast.
With the California Gold Rush in full swing and the Civil War looming on the horizon, it had become imperative to find a way to quickly deliver letters, money, and most importantly news to settlers out west. Your first thought might be to use a train, but the First Transcontinental Railroad wasn’t completed until 1869. Telegraph lines ended in Nevada, the fastest water route took two months, and the fastest established overland route was the six-month, 3000-mile trek of the Oregon-California Trail. A more direct route was in order – one whose sole purpose was delivering the mail.
Enter the Pony Express Trail, a 1900-mile path from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California that a dedicated horseback rider could cover in just over a week. This video chronicles the travels of Eric Anderson of Mahindra Automotive North America, whose team recently took two Roxors across what remains of the legendary Pony Express trail. What’s more, they appear to have made it without breaking down. Horses… who needs ‘em?
There are some epic shots in this teaser video, and we have our fingers crossed that there’s a longer version in store. For now, just knowing these machines are capable of such an epic journey is pretty cool in itself.
Stay tuned.
How Expensive are OEM Roxor Parts?
With so many people interested in the Mahindra Roxor as a UTV or daily driver, there are those among us who see a tiny turbodiesel engine and think, “I wonder what I could swap that into.” Others wonder, “if I hit that tree over there, what will replacement parts cost me?” Thankfully, Abiez has the answers.
Let’s start with the engine. It’s a 2.5-liter turbodiesel mill that’s capable of over 100 horsepower with very minor modifications. Despite its displacement it holds a whopping 7.4 quarts of oil (that’s 7 liters!), meaning it can idle through muck and mire all day without breaking a sweat. It’s also a fairly affordable powerplant – according to Abie it will set you back just a hair under $6,000 USD without a Roxor attached to it.
Other parts are reasonably priced as well. The stock ECU costs about $900 USD, its mounting bracket is $90, and each headlight is $80. Ironically, the infamous front grill – the source of so many legal troubles with Jeep and Fiat Chrysler – is just $150. A small price to pay for a piece of automotive history.
The video includes several other prices from the Mahindra parts list. These figures reveal that almost everything is fairly priced, quelling the notion that the Roxor is yet another expensive-to-repair foreign vehicle. That’s good news for people who use the Roxor to its fullest potential, because sooner or later, something’s gonna break.
A Tour of a Canadian-Model Roxor LE
The Mahindra Roxor only recently arrived in Canada, and it’s already gaining ground thanks to its plethora of features and relative affordability. The LE model is chock-full of optional extras, and this one lives just outside Toronto.
As of December 2018, the Mahindra Roxor LE goes for about $24,000 CAD; that includes the enclosed cab, 8000lb Warn winch, 40” KC light bar, interior grab handles, exterior mirrors, and improved BF Goodrich KO2 all-terrain tires. According to Stephen Elmer of TFLoffroad, “The Roxor is totally unique in the side-by-side segment [with a 62-horsepower] turbodiesel engine, a fully-boxed steel frame, solid axles front and rear, leaf springs, and a 5-speed manual transmission.”
Of course, you already know how unique this bad boy is. There’s just nothing like it anywhere else – even the legendary CJ Jeeps are a different beast altogether.
This Roxor LE also features a factory windshield and heater core. If you didn’t order those, it’s not too late to pick them up. Follow the links to see more (spoiler alert: our heater is way better than the factory one!).
A Faster Way to Change a Roxor’s Oil
YouTuber TlcBister put together this short video which proves that you don’t need a dealer to change the oil on your Roxor – you can easily do it yourself.
What it boils down to is this: there’s a baffle inside the valve cover. It reduces the speed at which you can fill the oil – that is, until you take out the dipstick. This little trick speeds up the flow of oil by a huge factor. It’s worth noting that the baffle means you shouldn’t push your funnel into the valve cover. Instead, set it in there gently to free up your hands for pouring those liquid dinosaurs.
Of course, the baffle’s purpose is to catch any sizable dirt or debris that might have otherwise gone into the engine. That might sound pointless from the perspective of your garage, but if you ever need to change your oil mid-trek, in the Alaskan wilderness or the Mojave Desert, that baffle might just save your skin.
Willy’s DNA All the Way
Rick at Cowtown USA is back again. Sadly, the snow has thawed in Cuba, Missouri so we won’t see any of those epic powerslides and sweet donuts like we saw a few weeks ago. This week Rick is bringing us a Willys-inspired Mahindra Roxor that’s proud to have “Willys DNA all the way.” It even says so on the tailgate.
As you may know, the Roxor is descended from actual Jeeps. It’s been over 75 years since the concept of the Jeep was born, and like the best things in life it’s gotten much better with time.
With so many of this year’s SEMA builds going wild with custom panels, huge lifts, and crazy interiors, it’s refreshing to see such a clean custom Mahindra that’s not shouting for attention. This Roxor has an olive drab paint job, plenty of military decals (like the ones in our store), and a one-off POW-MIA grill that firmly and proudly asserts “You are not forgotten.” What a powerful message, one that looks right on the front of a modern-day vintage Jeep.
Celebrity cameo: The Nuge is the proud owner of not one, but two Mahindra Roxors. Take that as you will. From Instagram @roxoroffroad
Roxor Weekly
That concludes another edition of Roxor Weekly, brought to you by Dirt Legal. Our specialty is getting out-of-state titles for powersports toys like the Mahindra Roxor. We can get you a street legal title, license plate, and registration to help make your Roxor street legal anywhere in the United States. Click the link below to learn more.
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Cover image source: Instagram @grant_the_concrete_man
This is everything currently known about the Mahindra Roxor and FCA legal battle.