Mahindra Enforcer: The People’s 4x4

Last weekend, we decided to go off the road and test a budget Utility Double Cab Pick-up.  Mind you, we say budget as some Double-cab Pick-ups can cost more than some luxury cars. This one is a budget-friendly option if you can’t afford those well-known branded ones. Presenting the Mahindra Enforcer, an Indian-made Utility Pick-up with a wife-friendly starting price.

If you’ve never heard of the company, Mahindra is an Indian company specializing in industrial and agricultural machinery, first and foremost, though it has been building Utility Vehicles for the past 10 years.

Mahindra introduced the Enforcer to the Philippine Market last July, 2015. Mahindra executives strongly vouches for the Enforcer’s toughness, rigidity and value. Gateway Group, the company handling KIA and BMW among other brands, is handling the dealership of Mahindra in the Visayas. With its operations in full swing, the company promises a “worry-free” ownership by building state of the art facilities all over the country with proficiently trained service technicians, a full inventory stock of spare parts and easy access to preventive maintenance assistance.

So we tested that claim out – and the Mahindra Enforcer proved truly surprising.

Engine

The Enforcer’s 2.5-liter turbo diesel four-cylinder engine isn’t the meanest thing going, producing just 100hp of power, while torque is rated at a somewhat averaged 240Nm. The power was more than enough for city driving but we spent the majority of our time on the winding roads of the Transcentral Highway.  With nothing at the back, we still found it could struggle a bit up hills, requiring a shift back to 2nd on a climb that every other pick-up can manage in 3rd.  Indeed, it feels more at home gingerly rolling along the road at around 60kmh, as the engine is at its best at approximately 1800 rpm to 2500 rpm.

The Enforcer was better off the road.  The engine was always at its sweet spot as we maneuvered through some extra rugged terrain. It did this in a relatively balanced manner, thanks to a rigid chassis and a Limited Slip Rear Differential, though it did allow more slip than you might expect at first, particularly if you’ve experienced a more traditional, less slip, locking differential. But it works very well though.

The Enforcer’s extremely low sweet-spot torque means you can push it up some extremely steep terrain without hassle, although it doesn’t have huge ground clearance (185mm), yet it will scramble for, and successfully find, traction over some of the worst surfaces like mud and rock.

The Enforcer comes only with a five-speed manual transmission, with transfer case built by Borg Warner.  It has high and low range four-wheel drive, which can be operated on the move.

Steering and Suspension

While the steering is tight and exact, it has one of the worst turning radius clearances of any vehicle we’ve driven on the market. Although tight turns and uneven curves are no problem, it’s backing up that’s a pain.

The front double wishbone suspension helps it deal with big  bumps well, despite the robust rear leaf setup trying its best to bounce me off my seat. However, I do understand this as the Enforcer was designed to carry a payload of 825 kilograms in its tub.

The Interior

Firstly, the driving position is not exactly in luxury ergonomics although it is quite comfortable. Add to that the fact the pedal placements aren’t really in proper ergo positions.

Although interior plastic dash parts abound the interior, the dashboard is generally decent, intact and tidy.   Yes, you’ll quickly find yourself sitting in a vehicle build solely for utility purposes. ...no cupholders and gadget pockets..

Space is decent, too, particularly for rear seat passengers. There is excellent head-room, decent knee space  – not too ‘knees-up sticking to front seat’ as some other double cabs in  other company have.

Price

The Enforcer is available in single and dual cab variants, with the choice of 4x2 or 4x4. We’ve tested the top-of-the-line double cab, which you can get for two-thirds of the price of the branded utility pick-ups at P 945,000. The 4x2 Double Cab is priced at P799,000 while the Single Cab 4x4 at P 845,000 and the Single Cab 4x2 at 699,000.

Summary

Given the company’s reputation in India as a rough-and-tough industrial icon with farm-friendly roots, there’s no doubt this Utility Pick-up would be well-suited to budget conscious businessmen  who probably worry less about loading garden soil in a brandnew tub.

In summary, the Enforcer isn’t the perfect Pick-up, but it is an affordable proposition that could prove a very handy alternative.  The Enforcer is probably a Utility Pick-up for the masses, for people who need dependable vehicles at very reasonable prices.

The Enforcer is Mahindra’s answer to a People’s 4x4.

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