Is Mahindra’s Roxor a reincarnated Willys Jeep?

“Hey, that looks just like the Willys Jeep from the M.A.S.H. TV series,” I said to myself.

Meet Roxor, Willys’ look-alike grandson. The actual lineage of the original general purpose four-wheel-drive vehicle that was commonly used in the Second World War is a bit confusing. Suffice it to say there were multiple manufacturers of this competent off-road platform built to military specifications.

Mahindra is the world’s largest manufacturer of tractors by volume and sells more than 750,000 cars annually to European and Asian markets. Their brands include BSA motorcycles, Peugeot two-wheelers and the Italian coach-builder and design firm Pininfarina. Mahindra now produces the Roxor, a capable off-road vehicle much like the original Willys Jeep which is now available in Canada.

Mahindra knows a thing or two about manufacturing rugged vehicles and diesel power plants, based on their experience with tractors. The Roxor’s 2.5-litre turbo diesel motor generates 62 hp and 144 foot-pounds of torque. Roxor is a serious off-road vehicle with an overall length of 3.75 metres (148 inches) and a height of 1.9 metres (75 inches). Its wheelbase is 2.4 metres (96 inches) and its ground clearance is 22.5 centimetres (9 inches). The machine has the ability to flat tow 1,586 kilograms (3,490 pounds).

With a curb-weight of 1,380 kilograms (3,035 pounds), Roxor is too big and too heavy to load on the deck of a pickup. Many users trailer their Roxors or order the lockers to flat tow it behind the truck.

Roxor is your UTV if you want a serious off-road, truck-like machine in a compact package with bullet-proof analog systems based on a 70-year heritage of getting people and gear off the grid and to where they need to be.

Roxor allows buyers a tremendous choice of options to customize your vehicle including locking differentials, full cab covers, heat and air conditioning, doors and even a track option to convert your Roxor from wheels to tracks.

Tim Maryniak, sales manager at Cycle Works Motorsports in Acheson, near Edmonton said, “In addition to recreational users, Roxor has appeal for farm and ranch, search and rescue, mining and railroads. Pick the right colour because it’s going to be in the family for a long time.”

I have wanted one of these since I was a kid. On the Roxor website, I launched the Roxor Configurator, starting with a base model at $21,088. By the time I was done with build-your-own, I found myself pushing up against $40,000 and I hadn’t added tracks yet. I am still a kid.