One telltale sign that something is a masterpiece is when it inspires people from completely different walks of life. Famous artworks, stories, and songs can transcend our manmade boundaries and speak to human beings of all ages and backgrounds. While none are flawless, works of this caliber are familiar enough to be approachable yet different enough to warrant a closer look; achieving that balance is something creators of all kinds strive for their entire lives.
Regardless of how or where you drive it, the Mahindra Roxor is an impressive machine. It’s equally at home on the freeway in California, at a remote shooting range in Arizona, on the backroads of the Deep South, and on a pedestal at the Detroit Auto Show. And whether you’re young or old, the Roxor is equally capable of putting a smile on anyone’s face. Silly though it may sound, in our book that makes the Mahindra Roxor – and the vintage Jeeps that inspired it – something of a modern masterpiece.
And thanks to advances in augmented reality, putting a shiny new Roxor in your garage is now easier than ever before.
This is Roxor Weekly.
Mahindra Roxors at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show
From Shelby to Toyota, automakers revealed their best new tech and their biggest new announcements at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, otherwise known as the North American International Auto Show. One name you may not have expected to see in attendance was Mahindra, taking the world stage to unveil the 2019 Mahindra Roxor lineup. It’s the Indian automaker’s first time at the event, and they created quite a buzz around the 2019 Roxor, specifically the Roxbox Concept.
With over 3000 Roxors sold already, Mahindra has listened to its fan base and made numerous improvements for 2019. Despite not being street legal from the factory, the Roxor’s presence at NAIAS comes in the wake of Mahindra’s announcement that they’re eyeing the North American market for a new line of roadgoing production cars sometime in the early 2020s.
Or maybe it’s because Mahindra knows how easy it is to make a Roxor street legal, as many Roxor owners have already done.
In this video from PowerDrift, seeing the Roxor UTV alongside actual cars reminds us how carlike the Roxor really is. Host Rohan Albal explains that plenty of people in the Indian home market are a bit disappointed that this chop-top, off-road-focused version of the Mahindra Thar is only available in North America. For once, we’re getting a car that the rest of the world wants!
Build a Custom Roxor with the ROXOR Styler App
Did you notice the seductive splash paint job on one of those Roxors in the Detroit Auto Show video? It’s part of a wide range of new customization options for the Roxor in 2019, and along with their NAIAS debut Mahindra has released an augmented reality app called the ROXOR Styler.
Not only does the ROXOR Styler allow you to apply wraps, paints, and accessories to a virtual Mahindra Roxor, it also lets supported Android and Apple devices display a life-sized Roxor anywhere you want – your garage, your front yard, or even your living room – all in immersive virtual reality. You can even select accessories on the fly and walk around your customized Roxor in real time.
In this video, YouTuber Abiez walks us through the process of creating a virtual Roxor and compares the final product to his real-life example. Our staff spent several hours messing around with this app, and it’s possible to create some pretty unique Roxors without breaking a sweat.
Speaking of having a Roxor anywhere you want, how about the highway?
How Does a Stage 2 Roxor Do on the Freeway?
After driving his Roxor on the highway for several weeks and several hundred miles, Roscoe Bower has some stories to tell.
For starters, a Roxor with a Stage 2 ECU tune will turn about 2500 RPM at 70 MPH on the highway. That puts you right in the powerband, which makes passing slower vehicles a breeze. He mentions that nobody, including the California Highway Patrol, thinks anything of the Roxor driving past them on the freeway. They all think it’s a Jeep!
Considering the Roxor isn’t designed to be a roadgoing vehicle from the factory, it seems to hold up well to regular highway use.
There are some concerns, however. Roscoe mentions that the soft top enclosure starts coming loose at around 60 MPH. The way it’s adhered prevents it from flying off into someone’s windshield, but the corners will start coming undone and Velcro will start working its way apart. Not only does that make for a loud ride (well, louder than it already is), it causes excessive wear to the top which can be difficult to repair.
The solution? Go topless.
Roscoe also says that the factory switchgear can be cumbersome to use on the highway since it’s all the way up on the dash. He suggests going with an aftermarket turn signal kit that incorporates a turn signal stalk like you’d see on a regular car. He has similar advice about aftermarket mirrors: get a solid set, as the ATV types won’t hold up at speed.
The most notable issue is that there’s a sleeve where the turbo piping meets the intake manifold, and at consistently high speeds the increased backpressure can force this seal apart from the manifold resulting in an air leak. Here’s the part of the video where Roscoe discusses the turbo issue in more detail and talks about how to address it. If you encounter this problem, click the button below to help us determine how common this is and what fixes might exist.
11 Year Old Gets Driving Lessons in a Roxor
Of all the fond memories a gearhead has of their childhood, their first time getting behind a wheel is always among the most significant. A lucky number of us were given an opportunity to drive before reaching legal age, and the rest of us were palpably jealous. It’s rare that we get to see that gift being given to a youth, to witness the exact moment their life changes forever thanks to the feeling of pistons, gears, and gasoline moving under their command.
Today we join YouTuber Arizona 1266 for that most special of moments. “After 3 hours up and down range he asked me to take over,” he said in a comment on the video. Those are three hours that this child will never forget. We can’t think of a better way to learn to drive stick in 2019 – even the most basic new cars of today come with Bluetooth entertainment systems and performance that would have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans just a few decades ago.
To all the concerned parents out there, Arizona 1266 has this to say: “I survived the 60's through 80's without a seat belt and helmet. He'll do fine.”
Godspeed, young man. Your journey has just begun.
Project WOODRAT: Shackle Update and Test Drive
We’re huge fans of Red, White, & Roxor’s Project WOODRAT. Ryan has been pouring tons of effort into this beautiful beast – just look at all the work he’s done to get his Roxor to this point!
With that level of dedication comes a bit of delving into the unknown: after raising his Roxor on aggressive 35” tires and a 4” lift kit, Ryan has come across several problems that not many of us have encountered. Today’s video addresses one in particular: the front shackles are bottoming out, perhaps even binding over tough terrain, and that’s not good.
Your first thought might be to switch the stock shackles with something like TeraFlex Revolvers, a well-known part in the Jeep community. These trick parts allow the leaf springs to rotate when they would usually bind up, something experienced off-road enthusiasts will no doubt be familiar with. That’s the first thing Ryan tried in this video, but to his dismay these too resulted in rubbing from the leaf springs.
Hattiesburg Cycles came to Ryan’s rescue with a set of their newly designed heavy-duty front shackles. Constructed in an H pattern, these beefy steel shackles ensure the leaf springs won’t rub while keeping the Roxor’s front level with the rear.
Stay tuned to Red, White, & Roxor and Roxor Weekly for more Project WOODRAT updates in the coming weeks.
Announcing Mahindra Roxor ECU Tunes from Dirt Legal
We’re excited about the newest addition to our Mahindra Roxor Aftermarket Parts Store: the Max Power ECU Tune! This tune will remove the Roxor’s speed limiter while upping the horsepower from 52 HP and 144 lb/ft of torque to a whopping 115 horsepower and 250 lb/ft of torque!
Take it from Roscoe Bower, the extra power is a huge help on the highway.
We’ve also done away with that pesky 4 to 6-week turnaround: preprogrammed ECUs are waiting on the shelf, and all Max Power ECU Tunes are sent out the same day we receive your ECU in the mail! You’ll be back on the road in no time, going faster than ever – legally, of course 😊
Street Legal Conversions
Speaking of driving a Roxor on the road legally, Dirt Legal can get you a title, license plate, and registration to help make your Mahindra Roxor street legal anywhere in the United States. You’ll receive a title in your name, registered to your home address, all in a matter of weeks. No inspections and no trips to the DMV. Click the button below to learn more.
Dirt Legal
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Cover image source: Instagram @madridmotors
Thinking of buying a Mahindra Roxor? Here are all the parts you need to make one street legal.