My first stint with the Rhino was way back in early 2006. Being new to the world of automotive journalism , this MUV was my first real test of evaluating a vehicle independently which meant i acted like a nervous teenager appearing for his CAT exams. At the same time , I was excited too as there wouldn’t be anyone bossing over me and I had all the liberty in the world to do what I felt like. At the end of the day’s drive (and test around ICML’s test track) the Rhino felt like a commendable product by a company that had its roots firmly planted in the world of tractors.

Last month , after a gap of three years , I got to experience the Rhino again and boy , what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be. Even before I was handed over the keys , the vehicle had me impressed. The paint quality had gone up by a huge margin , panel gaps had reduced and with frills like alloy wheels , roof rails and two-tone paint , this latest iteration from ICML’s manufacturing plant turned out to be quite pleasing.

Make no mistake , the Rhino still looks like a nicely spruced up Toyota Qualis at first glance. For instance , the headlamps with the twin-pod effect (for the bulbs) and a vertically stacked grille with the prominent ICML badge look nice. The top end version comes with standard fog lamps too. Features like rear view mirror integrated indicators , running footboard and the already mentioned roof rails and alloy wheels further enhance the visual appeal. At the rear , the tail lamps get the twin-pod look (of the headlamps) as well. The Rhino certainly has a better visual appeal than a few of its competitors though the vehicle does have a slightly top heavy look to it.

Step , or rather climb inside , and the two-tone colour theme continues. The interiors have seen a massive change from the first iteration of the Rhino I drove three years back. The black and beige treatment looks very nice and the design of the central console especially with the Honda Civic inspired steering wheel gives a plush feel. The idea of a blue back light for the speedometer console too seems to have been taken from the Honda. We see no harm in this as once it gets dark , the cockpit of the Rhino looks smashing for this category. The quality of plastics may not be the best here and ergonomics too could be better especially the location of the aircon controls and the music system. Space up front is very good even for a well built person like me.

The middle row , though not as spacious as the front , can comfortably accomodate three adults. Dedicated roof mounted blower vents are a welcome feature. The third row is tight on space , but given the fact that this seat configuration can allow eight passengers , taxi owners won’t have a reason to complain. Lifting the third row frees up a lot of space for luggage and was a boon for us on the trip. We even stacked logs of wood in the car for a bonfire on One of the nights!

The Rhino has come a long way in terms of the powerplant it utilizes. ICML started off by using the 75bhp Isuzu engine which frankly was underpowered but the Rover unit that develops 100bhp with 240Nm of torque turned out to be a good performer. What we got for the drive as an exclusive was the latest CRDI variant of the unit which means the power further jumps to an impressive 120bhp with 285Nm of torque. These figures make the Rhino the most powerful and torquiest among MUVs in India. The mighty punch from the motor combined with the intoxicating turbo whistle pesters you into driving this vehicle fast , which it can easily manage.

Power is mated to a five- speed gearbox with the first three ratios being short which means that the Rhino is a boon for City traffic as well as for negotiating steep inclines -the kind we encountered while driving it in Himachal Pradesh. The gear shift quality , however , could be better especially while shifting from the fourth to the fifth. The vehicle never feels out of steam. Anything over 1750rpm (at which point the engine is churning out all the torque) and the Rhino really zips ahead on the road. Cruising at triple digit speeds is effortless and even with a load of three adults and all that luggage , we loved munching miles on the highway. But , at the same time , if the rpm needle drops below 1750rpm , the Rhino takes its own sweet time gathering pace with a very disturbing and loud resonance boom that can get irritating during daily city drives. The company claims a real world fuel economy of around 15kmpl. We got close to 11kmpl in the hills with a rather heavy foot.

It is a little known fact that Lotus engineering has been responsible for tweaking the Rhino’s suspension. Make no mistake , this is a heavy vehicle (over 1700 kilos) and with a height of 1885mm , there is a certain degree of a top heavy feel while cornering. The vehicle behaves predictably , the brakes work superbly but you cannot throw it into corners with reckless abandon. The 205/65 Apollo tyres start squealing once you start pushing it - its best to back off at this stage. Though , for the kind of driving this vehicle will be subjected to , the suspension works adequately. What is of a worthy mention here is the Rhino’s ability to soak up bumps once the speeds increase. Even at moderately low speeds , when we had to go off the road on many occasions for letting oncoming traffic pass , the Rhino did exude confidence in its abilities.

The current turbo-charged model sells for more than Rs 8 lakhs (OTR , Pune) for the top end variant. It may not offer a shattering value for money but head up to Punjab and Himachal , and you will be amazed with the increasing number of Rhinos on the road. There are reasons for this of course. The ICML comes loaded with features and the base variant offers good value for money. Not to mention that the engine is very frugal. With an improved and powerful CRDI option , the Rhino has the ammunition to stir if not shake up the competition. It may well be ICML’s lucky mascot in the growing world of Indian MUVs.