Straight-piped: The automotive crocodiles
This last month, I ended up spending quite a bit of time around tough ladder-frame SUVs, and the spectrum couldn't be wider. On one end was the Land Cruiser 300, a car that will seem wildly overpriced if you were to judge it on the surface or from the spec sheet. At the other end was the new Mahindra Bolero, a car that seems a far cry from what passes as SUVs in Indian cities today, but one that has built a heritage that still seems strong in the hinterland and among casual automotive enthusiasts.
Now, it's highly unlikely that anyone will be cross-shopping between these two, or even spare a passing thought for the other when they are putting their money down in the showroom. But I think there will be a sense of mutual respect. Of being in the know, so to speak.
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Objectively, these ladder-frame SUVs are the crocodiles of the automotive world. Ancient, lumpy and fairly inefficient both inside and out. A monocoque is lighter, more spacious, more efficient, lets you pack all the gizmos you want, and as cars like the Defender have shown, you can get quite close to their rough-road capability with tech.
But just like a crocodile, you will want to show respect to a Bolero or a Land Cruiser when it is in its element. Nothing still comes close to the raw toughness and ruggedness that these cars seem to show when the going gets rough. For example, you wouldn't want to cross a desert in Africa in anything but a Land Cruiser. And if you have a wedding party that needs to get to a far-flung village in Rajasthan in good time, a Bolero is the one for the job.
These cars are so likeable because of just how unpretentious they are. In the modern age, where everything is marketable, these just come across as honest and reliable. The people buying these cars aren't swayed by a catchy screen or a gimmicky phone app, they need a machine to keep them on the move, even when the situation isn't ideal. It's a kind of honesty that we could do with more of when we are choosing our cars. In the end, as you keep seeing over and over again, you will be happiest with your car when it does the everyday without stressing you out.
Maybe this is why the people who buy these cars have a certain image. They seem to be the ones who aren't up for nonsense. They have a job to do and a car to do it with.
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