General Comments:

I write for a car mag, Auto India.

I took one of these cars up a mountain that had no road. Believe me, this car can make its own road.

Even at an incline at a 45-degree angle and a heavy payload, the Cj handles like a dream.

But you need time to get used to it. It is inherently unstable while driving, but very predictable in its instability... therefore not beyond a certain realm of control (you need some skill to drive one).

If you want a cushy car, go buy one of those pretentious ‘American’ SUV's.

If you want to go off-road (and I mean the kind of off-road that would snap a land rover like a twig, then look no further.

Sriram Nair.

Faults:

The engine (a Peugeot unit built in India) was utter rubbish. It was really noisy and smelly, and would sometimes blow black sooty smoke from the exhaust.

The engine would cut out at traffic lights and roundabouts for no apparent reason.

Aside from the engine: The gearbox was very stubborn, especially when selecting reverse.

It leaked terribly. Its convertible top was a terrible fit and let in water in rain heavier than drizzle.

Terrible build quality: The doors sagged when opened. The dashboard was of similar quality to an '80s Lada.

General Comments:

The Mahindra is a poor Indian-built copy of an AMC Jeep. Whereas the American Jeeps were constantly developed and upgraded, the Mahindra still drove like a 1940s Jeep, only without the ruggedness and build quality.

It looked like a US Jeep, but that's where the similarities ended.

It was uncomfortable, dangerously slow, unstable, badly built, and unreliable.

I bought it because it was different, cheap, and low-mileage. What a mistake.

I can see why it was low-mileage now. I suspect the previous owners used any excuse not to drive it.

If you see one for sale, forget it.