A brawny bakkie with a bold attitude

Mahindra's Karoo special edition doesn't try to impress with fancy extras. It simply gets the job done - and looks good doing it.

- Words and photos by Leon Botha

The first thing you notice about the Karoo Special Edition Dawn are the bullbars front and rear - and the rugged roof rack. It's the kind of bakkie that gets your imagination going: you can almost see yourself behind the wheel, exploring new tracks through the African bush without breaking a sweat.

The Dawn is one of four models in the Karoo range's special edition line-up, and the good news for campers is that every one of them comes with a tow bar.

We put this bakkie through its paces and racked up 1 800 km in total. We hitched an off-road camper and drove it through just about every weather condition imaginable. We toured the sandstone koppies of the Eastern Free State, camped in the calm of the Gariep Dam and even braved a few days of city traffic, commuting between Pretoria and Johannesburg. With every kilometre, this bakkie grew on us - and when it was time to hand it back to the Mahindra team, we did so a little reluctantly.

Four of a kind

The four Karoo models are named the Dawn, Dusk, Dew and Storm, and each one gives off serious American monster truck energy.

Aside from the roof rack on the Dawn, our test model, the differences between the four aren't immediately obvious. That said, you'll want to watch your clearance with that roof rack - its highest point is 2,173 m off the ground, which is too tall for some parking garages. (The tyres also play a role here, but more on that later.)

The side rails, made from 60 mm pipe, are solid - sturdy enough to stand on when accessing the roof rack. The Dawn, Dew and Storm each come with a tonneau cover, while the Dusk is fitted with a roller shutter. The Storm also stands out with off-road wheel arches at the back.