Take a quick look at the ROXOR, and you might think it's an early-model jeep. Although that's not exactly the case, it does share some ancestry. Back in the 1940s, Willys — the manufacturer of the World War II “jeep” — issued manufacturing licenses to a few other companies, permitting them to reproduce the jeep design. One of these companies was India's Mahindra corporation. Fast-forward to present-day, and Mahindra is still producing off-road vehicles that descended from this Willys inspiration. The latest is known as the ROXOR.

The ROXOR was designed and created by Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA) as a small off-road vehicle for the North-American market. It's built in America and based around a 2.5-liter M2DICR turbo-diesel engine, which produces 62 horsepower and 144 ft-lbs of torque. That may not sound like much, but it's enough to carry two occupants, up to 349 pounds of gear in the rear cargo area, and tow an impressive 3,490 pounds. Top speed is 45mph, or 15mph while towing.

The rest of the drivetrain consists of a 5-speed manual transmission, 2-speed Dana T-18 transfer case, selectable 2WD/4WD, and 3.73:1 floating axles in front and rear. Brakes are 9-inch discs in the front and 11-inch drums in the rear, with hydraulic assist and parking brake standard. The boxed steel frame is supported by leaf springs and shock absorbers, plus a stabilizer bar up front. Ground clearance is 9 inches on the 16-inch 5-lug wheels and 235/70R16 mud tires.

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Standard conveniences on the ROXOR include hydraulic power steering, halogen headlights, a 12V power port, and two seat boxes. However, many other optional parts can be installed, including a HD bumper with winch, light bar, mirrors, aluminum wheels, a soft top or hard top, and grab handles. Standard colors for the steel body are blue, red, white, and black, but special editions are available with more colors and graphics. For example, there's a tan Dune Edition, a olive-drab green Military Edition, and a RealTree camo package.

As an off-road-only vehicle, the ROXOR competes with other side-by-sides, but MANA claims its turbo-diesel engine, sturdy boxed frame, and simplicity set it apart from more conventional UTVs. Pricing for the ROXOR Classic starts at $14,999 — to see pricing with options, check out the interactive ROXOR vehicle builder. For more info, go to RoxorOffroad.com or watch the video below.

Written by Patrick McCarthy