The Roxor Story: Overlanding Comparison UTV vs Side-by-Side vs 4X4

Randy pulls away from the pump after refueling. He catches the view of two more vehicles coming into the station. Finding a shady parking spot, he sees that the first vehicle is towing the second.

The weather is perfect! It’s a warm day, the kind of day that presents calendar photos of the Fall colors along Wisconsin streams and lakes.

But the other group of explorers doesn’t look like they are having a good day. The first vehicle is a tricked-out Jeep, and it is towing a high-powered side-by-side into the station. They slow to a stop and disconnect the tow strap from the Jeep’s hitch.

Two women climb out of the Jeep, dust themselves off, and head for the convenience store. The two men get ready to push the SXS into the shade, and Randy walks over to lend a hand.

“Well, this turned out to be a disaster!” Mike, the first man, apologized as Randy gets nearby.

“Engine problems?” Randy guessed.

“No. First, I ran out of gas. No big deal since I carry an extra can. Then, I blew a belt, and I discovered I didn’t have the tools to install the spare. While I was kicking myself on the side of the trail - and my Wife was swatting deer flies - Jim arrives in his Jeep. Thankfully, between the two of us – and some swearing - we were able to install the new belt.”

“Yeah, that sucks. Well, live and learn. Right?” Randy commented.

“Oh, it gets better! We both needed more gas and our wives wanted a rest stop, so we decided to cut out a section of gravel and run the pavement to here. I couldn’t believe how hot my transmission was when we were changing the belt. You could have fried an egg on the clutch pIates! I checked the air intake, and it was totally clear. We hit the county road and cranked it up to 60 miles an hour. We were only a few miles from here when BANG – the second belt exploded!”

“Obviously, I don’t carry TWO expensive spare belts! Jim was good enough to give us a tow.” Mike finished.

“Wow. Sorry to hear that. Well, hope it gets better from here.” Randy offered.

“Yeah, it has to!” Mike said. “Now I need to impose on Jim one more time to give us a ride back to the trail head to get my truck and trailer.”

Jim shrugs and says, “Hey, no man left behind!”

While this was going on, Laurie, (Randy’s Wife), was paying for some bottles of water and snacks at the register. The two other women entered the store, enroute to the Ladies’ room. They were both sputtering as they waited their turn:

“Having fun yet?”

“I’m hot and dirty and fly bitten. What’s not to like?"

“I’m glad we came along when we did. I wouldn’t want to be out there in another hour. Flies would be the least of my worries. I would be a basket case after dark!”

“Thanks, again. I sure enjoyed the air conditioning when I got to ride in your Jeep!”

“Oh yeah, me too. But to be honest, I’d happily let you have the whole rig for $1,200 per month – just take over the payments.”

“Really, you’re selling the Jeep?”

“No, I wish!” Jim loves trail riding. But he has a nice company car, and I get stuck driving the beast during the week. 10 miles per gallon really sucks - literally. There is always something to fix and there is no way we can afford another vehicle.”

“Well, let me tell you, that side-by-side is no picnic either! Mike said it was something we could enjoy together. But I don’t enjoy wearing a dust mask and ear plugs and a helmet and goggles when it is 80 degrees. Plus, when it’s 80 degrees outside, it’s over 100 degrees in the cab!”

“At least you don’t have to drive it during the week.”

“True. But I’m the one who makes the loan payment. The insurance is more than my car! My Dad would roll over in his grave – he always said that you never borrow money for toys. This is the most expensive toy we have ever bought! Don’t even ask me about the price of new tires for our toy every year!”

“Anyway, we’ll get you back to your truck. I sure hope the two of you can get the side-by-side on the trailer?”

“Well, this is not my first rodeo! I’ve helped push that thing a few times. Speaking of the trailer, that’s another $4,000 that’s not paid off either. Of course, with the UTV and the big trailer, we needed a bigger gas-guzzler truck.”

 “Oh no!”

“This isn’t the first time we have had drive belt problems. The last time we made it back to a dealer when the thing was jerking badly. The belt hadn’t snapped, but it was worn out. Too many burn outs on the corners, I’d be willing to bet. Why drive a 100 mile per hour desert racer when we ride forest trails with a 35 mile per hour limit?"

She continued, " Anyway, we had been running fast down a long straight road – one of those rural farm roads. The dealer said that is the worst thing you can do – drive it at a steady speed like a car. Not only was the belt shot, but it had also worn grooves in the transmission – the CVT thingy. That was another $1,000 on the credit card we are paying interest on.”

Laurie had joined Randy, outside in the shade. They were resting and enjoying some cool water. Eventually both couples wandered over, interested in their unique 4x4 UTV.

“You two appear to be having a better day.” Mike said. His wife agreed, “You must be tougher than me, no A/C, and all?”

Laurie replied, “No, actually this is perfect Fall weather! No complaints. We can still wear shorts and T-shirts. If it gets a little cool in the shady woods, I can close the vents on the windshield.”

“What about the dust?”

“Well, we’ve had ATVs and side-by-sides, and the dust is at least 90% less, even with the half doors. It must be the raised seating position, above the tires.”

“How about the heat?”

“No, the engine is separated from the cab, in front and not behind the seats so heat isn’t an issue. Even though this is a diesel engine, it is actually a lot quieter than our old UTV.”

“A diesel engine?” Jim asked.

“Yes, this is a Roxor – built by Mahindra – with a turbodiesel. Have you heard of Mahindra tractors? Mahindra is the largest tractor manufacturer in the world.”

“Larger than John Deere, larger than Case?”

“Oh yeah. Larger than Kubota or New Holland – larger than them all. The Roxor uses the Mahindra diesel engine, but the complete vehicle is actually built in Detroit for the U.S. market as a UTV. Mahindra builds different versions in India for both private citizens and the military. Mahindra is a bigger car company than several U.S. brands combined.”

“Diesel engines have lots of power and last forever. How is the mileage?” Jim asked again.

“We average between 25 and 30 miles per gallon when trail riding. The engine has modern fuel-injection, of course. Range is no problem with a 16-gallon tank!”

“Nice! That’s a range of well over 300 miles. Is that an old-fashioned manual transmission?”

“Yep! I call it a ‘millennial anti-theft device’. Seriously, anyone can drive this. It’s nearly impossible to stall this engine. I could teach anyone to drive a clutch in 2 minutes with this thing. But the main advantage is that the manual transmission is connected to a geared transfer case, Shift on the fly from 2-wheel drive to 4-wheel drive. But you need to stop to shift into 4-low. No belts or chains. Between the simple transmission and the dependable diesel engine, with a little maintenance, this vehicle should run for 100,000 miles!”

“At this rate, I’ll go through 10 side-by-sides if I ever ride 100,000 miles.” Mike lamented. His wife rolled her eyes…

“Did you buy this with the roof, doors, and windshield?”

“No, I bought the plain stock version, then added the accessories I wanted for the type of overlanding we enjoy,” Randy replied.

“Overlanding? Like several days at a time,” Jim asked?

Laurie answered, “Randy has been all over the country by motorcycle – from Key West to Alaska. Lots of Backcountry Discovery Routes, off road across many states, for thousands of miles. But he retired his two-wheels and now we can explore together. The route here is part of the Trans-Wisconsin Adventure Trail. We’re headed home after an overnight trip. But then Randy is leaving on a loop of Wisconsin.”

“WHAT! You are driving an overlanding route in this Roxor?”

“Yeah, this has been on my bucket list. I did a similar route a few years back on my dual sport motorcycle – but rode the highway to complete a circuit. This time I am completing the full loop, mainly on gravel farm and forest roads.” Randy answered.

Mike replied, “Well, it looks like this Roxor is built to take it.”

“You’re right.” Randy agreed. “Obviously, the Roxor shares the overall look of the old Willys Jeep. Mahindra was licensed to build the original Willys MB after World War II – and much of the frame and body has changed very little. Simple leaf springs, straight axles, a steel frame and body but now combined with a modern 2.7-liter fuel-injected engine, electronic ignition, and power steering. Just no traction modes. No Bluetooth. No electronic modules that cause most of the aggravations. It fits my kind of travel perfectly.”

Jim added, “Everything you need, nothing you don’t. This is essentially a 1970’s Jeep CJ7 – but now with a diesel engine.”

“Pretty close! Like this Roxor, almost everything was an option back then. The big difference is that Mahindra didn’t try to build a street-legal vehicle for the U.S. Too many regulations, bumpers, emissions, air bags, and no diesel DEF. Before you know it, this vehicle would cost over $40,000.” Randy concluded.

Jim gasped, “I wish I could buy a Jeep for $40,000. You can’t even build a really capable Rubicon for twice that anymore!”

Mike joined in, “I’ve seen plenty of UTVs that cost WAY over $40,000! Recreation requires a second mortgage these days. I hate to ask – but what does something like this cost?”

Randy answered, “Mahindra currently sells two models. The bare bones model is less than $20,000 – but that is no doors, windshield, or roof. They want their tractor owners to be able to afford a dependable utility vehicle for hauling feed, running fence lines, pulling wagons – you know, day in, day out chores.”

“Then there is the ‘All Weather’ model that includes a cab, heat and air conditioning, and a few other goodies. That will run you about $25,000.”

“As I said, I started with the bare bones model. The Roxor is like the erector set I had when I was a kid. You can bolt on anything. So far, I’ve added wider all terrain truck tires, the roof, windshield, and back panel, the half doors. I kept one of the stock wheels for a spare tire. I didn’t want the factory heater and A/C – so I’m well under the $25,000 All Weather price tag.” Randy concluded.

“I’m impressed.” Jim said. “It’s retro, old school cool.” Mike added.

“Yeah, I grew up with older Jeeps. My Dad even had an old Willys when I was a kid! Mainly, I wanted the toughest, most dependable, lowest maintenance vehicle for overlanding. I have a perfectly capable Nissan Frontier Pro-4X pickup. I’ve been off road, all over the U.S. and Canada. But I just can’t bring myself to scratch up my daily driver. At today’s prices, I’m happy to limit the off-road abuse and make it last longer.”

Then Randy added, “Honestly, I never expect to wear out this Roxor. I bet my grandson will still be driving this long after I’m gone.”

Jim said, “Well, it was cool to run into you. I had never seen a Roxor up close. None of the powersports dealerships I visit sell these.”

“No,” Randy replied. “Roxors are only sold and services at Mahindra dealers. You really need to go out of your way to find one. On the other hand, I don’t miss visiting dealerships.”

Mike agreed, “You got that right. Buying my side-by-side was just as bad as a car dealer. I never saw so many fees and added charges. Then there was the coercion to buy their extended warranty… Does the Roxor have a decent warranty?”

“Oh yeah, that was one of the things I wanted.” Randy said. “You get a two-year, 10,000-mile warranty! As a Jeep fan, I watched when the Roxor was introduced back in 2018. When I started shopping around, I asked what the dealers had experienced with warranty claims – and the answer was basically none. One dealer told me that they had sold over 100 and they never saw most of them again. Another said they had tractor models with over 10,000 hours in the field – that’s way over 100,000 miles on a regular vehicle. Another dealer sold over 70 Roxors to a mining company. No one buys a second one if they have problems, much less 70 more!”

“Ok – we better get started back to your truck and trailer.” Jim said to Mike.

Which reminded Mike, who asked, “Can you trailer the Roxor, just like a side-by-side?” 

Randy replied, “Sure, you can use a tandem trailer, just like your side-by-side. Or you can rent a car hauler trailer – and that’s what we plan to do if we go out West for a month or longer this Winter. But you can also flat tow the Roxor – just like Jim’s Rubicon with a transfer case. In fact, I added lock-out hubs and tow bar brackets to the bumper for that reason. We recently towed the Roxor out to the Black Hills in South Dakota for some trail riding and it was great! With four tires on the ground, it actually tows better than any trailer.”

“Now you have totally blown my mind.” Mike moaned. Jim nodded and said, “The Roxor costs less, but is built more ruggedly. It has more power and gets better mileage. Between the rugged frame, truck tires, and diesel engine the maintenance should be almost zero. It is the back-to-basics off roader and overlander that is both minimalist and perfectly complete.”

Randy finally said, “You guys, take care. If you want to read about my travels and future Roxor modifications, I have a blog at GreatOutThere.online. And then you can also connect through links to my Facebook page, YouTube channel, Instagram, and Pinterest account.”

“So great to meet you,” both Mike and Jim said almost simultaneously. We will look you up and follow you online!