The Mahindra Roxor Rebirth and How You Can Drive on the Road

The Mahindra Roxor might be the most underappreciated side-by-side (SXS) on the market today - or to have ever been on the market. It boasts an advanced drivetrain powered by a stout turbo diesel engine, a useful load capacity of 349 lbs, and a towing capacity of 3,490 lbs. But the sailing was not always smooth for the Roxor; it almost went extinct.

However, Mahindra believes in the design enough to rebirth it anew. In fact, the only real downside we can think of is that it is not a street-legal machine right out the gate. But, of course, we can help fix that.

Have you ever thought about buying a Roxor and making it a street-legal beast? We are here to help you get to the next level by making your new Roxor street legal. But first, how did we get here? Why isn’t it road legal to begin with?

Roxor History

Talking about the history of the Mahindra Roxor can go in two directions: we can talk about the Roxor itself or the Jeep CJ series that it was clearly based on. Okay, so we might even say the CJ series that it completely ripped off. But imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? 

Well, FCA (makers of Jeep) didn't quite see the element of flattery since they slapped Mahindra with a lawsuit for infringing on the classic Jeep’s iconic design. Unfortunately for Mahindra, the FCA prevailed and forced production to cease on the Roxor line. But that is getting a little ahead of the story.

Mahindra & Mahindra

Mahindra is a lot more significant in the global transportation economy than many people might think. 

For one thing, their tractor market. We think of John Deere, Case-IH, and even Kubota as the big boys in the market. Still, Mahindra tractors are the largest tractor manufacturer in the world. Mind you, this is tractors only and not agricultural equipment; John Deere has that market cornered. 

Mahindra is an Indian company headquartered in Mumbai and has existed since it was founded in 1945. Interestingly enough, Mahindra is an old pro at the Willys Jeep, having once produced it themselves through wartime contracts with the United States. They clearly cloned it for the original Roxor as well as an Indian-market street-legal SUV called the Mahindra Thar.

Over the decades, Mahindra has continued to expand into many different markets, and they have a lineup of fairly typical SXSs that are made to support blue-collar work. But the Roxor is built different. 

Let's be honest: the Roxor is not a UTV. It is not really an SXS either. The Roxor is straight-up a modernized Willys Jeep that is powered by a clean-burning, 2.5L turbo diesel engine. Okay, so let's look at this, though. The Roxor has a curb weight of 2,990 lbs and is, well, a small full-size vehicle. It is hardly a UTV by the numbers.

Roxor 1.0

The original Roxor bore more than an uncanny resemblance to a Willys Jeep. Some people might go as far as saying it was virtually identical. We certainly did.

The Roxor rolls on solid axles similar in size and composition to the infamous Dana 44. The Dana is a heavy-duty axle that found itself under International Harvester Scouts, Jeep CJs, and a slew of other light-duty trucks. 

This heavy running gear is all mounted to a steel box frame. Power is transferred through manual or automatic transmissions. As I said, the Mahindra Roxor is far more truck than UTV, always has been. And that's because it is just a ripped-off Willys with an excellent diesel engine and updated running gear. By the way, don't order a Roxor with an automatic transmission. Just don't. 

Anyway, there was never anything wrong with the design; if anything, it is about as proven a design as you can get. According to normal people, that is.

Legal Woes

Like we talked about earlier, Mahindra ran into some legal issues with the Roxor because, well, it’s a direct copy of the Jeep design. Although Mahindra did try to change the physical appearance enough to skirt this issue, they could not make a compelling enough case to appease the FTC. 

Everyone in the Roxor circle, including yours truly, honestly expected that Roxor was dead in the water. The pandemic did not help matters either, with shipping log-jammed all over the world. As a result, parts weren’t arriving when they needed them, and ultimately they had zero new sales in 2021. That’s right, none. It’s tough to run a product line on zero sales.

If you have to say anything about Mahindra, it’s that they are tenacious. Well, and they haven’t lost their sense of humor. 

Mahindra not only didn't shut down their product line, they completely facelifted the Roxor. Then, they got it back out to the consuming public in just about 18 months during a pandemic. Now that is impressive. Apparently, Jeep is not thrilled about the Roxor rebirth. Still, the restyled design is far enough off from the Willys that the FTC was not willing to throw FCA a bone this time. So the Roxor stays, and production is ramping back up. 

Roxor 2.0

You have to give Mahindra credit where it is due; they are not quitters. Instead of just walking away from the Roxor program and letting it die, they took it back to the drawing board and made it, well, acceptable to the FTC. The design itself did not change all that much beyond the aesthetics, and it didn’t need to. The design internals was never the issue, to begin with; it was always the body. 

The issues addressed in the redesign were mainly the grille and the fenders. Once they made the appropriate adjustments on these two areas, the Mahindra Roxor was blessed and made acceptable for American sales again. Of course, it is still sold as a UTV. What’s the deal there?

Can a Roxor Be Street Legal?

So, just how far away from hitting the asphalt (legally) is a standard production Roxor? Truthfully, not very far at all. 

Mahindra more or less made it clear that it is an off-road vehicle. But, you really do have to be dense to miss the obvious truth: the Roxor is only masquerading as an exclusively off-road vehicle. Don't you believe me? Receipts:

• Sold only with full-size light truck tires (235 / 70R16; Goodyear Wrangler Trailrunner AT™). These are not retrofitted ATV tires or whatever; these are straight-up highway tires. 

• Solid axles made for ½ ton trucks. Why would you put Dana 44-ish axles under a box-framed vehicle just to drive around on trails? 

• Curb weight of almost 3,000 lbs empty. This is fully 1,300 lbs heavier than the Honda Talon 1000X-4, a large UTV by anyone’s standards.

• Fuel capacity of 12 gallons and 35 mpg. That is a full-size fuel tank that will get you a full-size distance of almost 400 miles. 

I don't care what you come at me with; the Roxor Is. Not. An. Off-road. Vehicle. It is just being marketed as one. 

Is the Mahindra Roxor Street Legal?

Because of its prominent appearance as a Jeep clone, its size, and its design is taken directly from on-road vehicles, the question "is the Mahindra Roxor street legal?" is often asked. 

No, the Mahindra Roxor is not a street-legal machine. The Roxor comes from the factory in a 'slick' configuration, meaning it does not have:

• Turn signals

• Horn

• Windshield

• Mirrors 

• License plate bracket and lights

But, the building blocks are all there for a competent street-legal machine. Every Roxor leaves the factory with a full roll cage attached to a body built onto a boxed frame. So, when Mahindra says it's "built like a fist," they aren't lying. 

The Roxor comes from the factory governed to 55mph. Still, the restricting device can be unlocked to allow the Roxor access to much higher speeds. The word on the street is that 70 mph is about as high as you want to take it, but that is adequate for everything up to the interstate (unless you live in Texas). 

Like I said earlier, I don't think they put grown-up disc brakes with actual wheels and tires on there to drive around the pasture. A John Deere Gator can do that just fine with golf course tires. The Roxor is made to drive on roads because the Roxor is a Willys Jeep. 

Can You Make A Mahindra Roxor Street-Legal?

Can you make a Mahindra Roxor street-legal? Yes, you can, and we are glad you asked. This is a two-part question so let’s tackle it accordingly. 

First is the mechanical component of driving on public roads rather than OHV trails. Since the factory configures the Roxor as an OHV, it lacks the necessary DOT equipment for legal roadway operation.

To be honest, fixing this is the easy part. Anything you need to make an OHV street-legal is easy to come by, including parts tailored for the Roxor. You can put all the parts on your Roxor to make it a bonafide street-legal machine with these kits.

The second part of the equation is the more significant hurdle: making it administratively legal. Titled, registered, and plated for on-road use. 

Now, here is where things get a little sticky: not every state is keen on registering and plating a vehicle designed as an OHV for on-road use. But the caveat is that, once it is legally registered and plated, most locations will not give you any grief about driving it there with out-of-state plates. Reciprocity is widely accepted in vehicle registration and plates, so it is good for all if it is suitable for one. 

Dirt Legal has entered the chat. 

The Dirt Legal Process to Make Your Roxor Street-Legal

Nothing to see here, just a handful of Mahindra’s parked in a picturesque Villa.

Okay, so we're on the home stretch now. 

You’ve got your Roxor. You want to drive it on the road (totally understandable). You have installed everything necessary to make it street-legal. What next?

When you purchased your Roxor, you came away with some sort of proof of ownership. This is what we must have to ensure you are, in fact, the owner of the vehicle before we can proceed. We need one of the following forms of ownership to move forward:

• A title or transferable registration

• Certificate of Origin (MCO)

• Financing (except Synchrony Bank)

• A bill of sale

Okay, so with one of the approved methods in hand, the rest of the process is straightforward. You just add the service to your cart and buy it on our site.

From there, we will send you the necessary paperwork to fill out and return to us and along with your proof of ownership (this is very important). 

In return, you will receive:

• An out-of-state motorcycle-sized tag and registration proving that your Roxor is registered as a street legal four-wheel motorcycle. You do not need a motorcycle license. You should get this in about 2 to 4 weeks, although it could take up to 3 months if your Roxor is financed. 

• A new proof of ownership. You will get a brand new title in the mail about 3 to 6 weeks after the request is initiated.

• We provide dedicated agent support throughout the process. 

• Our sister site, GritShift, is your one-stop shop for all of the parts and accessories to take your bare-bones Roxor to a street-legal machine. And it’s not limited to the parts for street-legal use; GritShift has the parts you want to make it next-level awesome. 

Look, we get it. The Roxor is clearly a highly-capable on-road vehicle masquerading as a typical farm-and-ranch UTV. You can see through the ruse, and so can we. When you want to get the most out of your Mahindra Roxor, you need to get it titled, registered, and tagged, and we are your one-stop-shop to do it. So don't waffle; call us today and start enjoying your Roxor the way it was designed to be used 80 years ago.