JOIN USReborn Scorpio melds power with grace
Homegrown auto major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is leaving no stone unturned when it combats competition from formidable rivals in the burgeoning Indian SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) market.
The company has added a new face to one of the most famous members of its stable, launching an upgraded Scorpio. Mahindra had launched the Scorpio in 2002, garnering over 4.5 lakh customers in India and 75,000 patrons overseas, taking on markets in the SAARC, South Africa, Latin America and Australia.
The company has managed to sell an average of 50,000 Scorpios each year despite the stiff competition in the segment. Mahindra has taken people in India to the remotest parts of the country.
From the mountainous Siachen glacier to the backwaters of Kuttanad (Kerala), one thing you will surely find is a Mahindra, toiling its diesel motor, racing up and down the hills, estates, run-down roads and bridges, and on green pastures, without complaining.
On a recent trip to a coffee estate in Coorg, we heard a proud father and son duo, who ran the estate, tell us that they just bought their 18th Mahindra in the family. Not a car, but an 18th Mahindra! Such is the charm and legacy of the dear Mahindra.
It was only in the 90s, that they decided to build an affordable indigenous SUV. Anand Mahindra planned carefully and appointed Pawan Goenka to head the research and development department. Goenka brought all his pioneering effort from General Motors, USA, where he had made a name for himself for 14 years. In 2002, the brawny Scorpio was born.
Scorpio reloaded
In September 2014, Mahindra launched the new generation Scorpio with refreshing contours reflecting in each part of the car. With the new refurbished beast already in the market, all that Mahindra had to do was add beauty to the Scorpio.
In doing so, the company addressed common issues that owners had — it was boxy, the instrument cluster and dashboard were rather dull, and the suspension was rigid. We wanted to push the car to the limit, i.e, try to take on a curve at 120-plus kmph, which we wouldn’t dare do in the old Scorpio, go hard and fast on bumps and potholes without passengers jumping off their seats, and park it like you would a hatchback.
Guess what, we could do all that in style and finesse. The new Scorpio gets anti-roll bars in the front which minimises the body rolls. Interestingly, because of the new double-wishbone suspension setup, with independent and multi-link coil springs at the front and the rear, we were confident of taking on curves at triple-digit speeds.
So it was to be seen if the new Scorpio is really new, or is it just ‘old wine in a new bottle’. We tested the new Scorpio on a bright sunny Sunday. The diamond-white Scorpio has an appealing touch.
The car, though massive, was quite inviting at first glance. With a contemporary, more aggressive look, the new Scorpio is a different breed altogether.
A few exterior features that make the car stand out are dual-projector headlamps, and static bending technology to light up those hairpin bends at every turn.
Striking LED eyebrows, signature grille with premium chrome accents, and the new generation Scorpio’s grille comes with premium chrome accents, giving it an imposing road presence.
Plush on the inside
A brand-new dual tone dashboard, gives the interior a fresh premium coat. Luxurious blue-grey interiors, featuring a futuristic instrument cluster with a 3D effect design, are stunningly illuminated, and display vital information like gear position, trip meter, odometer, fuel and temperature.
The steering impressed us the most. It has been borrowed from the XUV 500 with buttons controlling the audio, phone connectivity, and cruise control. Also to mention, these buttons are ergonomically positioned and do not ache your fingers while operating, unlike in the old Scorpio.
Turn on the ignition and the engine makes you feel that you’re in control. In order to exit Bengaluru, with an idea of driving to Mysuru, we decided to take short cuts, and yes, driving a big machine like the Scorpio through the city’s narrow by-lanes, is challenging, and the Scorpio has already begun scoring.
Full marks to the new Scorpio’s power steering which is smooth and helps to easily manoeuvre the car without hassle. High cushioning and greater shock absorption enable a smooth ride even on uneven roads.
The much-improved turning radius of 5.4 metres enables easy negotiation even in the most congested places.The highway encouraged testing the Scorpio’s raw power as we decided to push the vehicle as much as we could.
Even though the 150-km road lay dotted with few humps and blemishes, the gear-box and lever are so smooth that you don’t feel tired to change every now and then.
The new 5MT320 gearbox helps you shift gears effortlessly for a fatigue-free driving experience. The combination of power band at lower speeds and at higher rpm is a pleasure. We were, in fact, driving in third and fourth gear at speeds as low as 35 kmph without it throwing tantrums and asking for gear shifts.
The car can cruise at higher speeds, though the new Scorpio cries for a sixth gear.The new Scorpio gets the same time-tested 2.2 litre mHawk turbo diesel engine which produces 120bhp and churns out 280Nm of torque. And you could pull the second and third gear to maximum revs all day long, just to hear the turbo squeal.
The company has invested Rs 150 crore in the development of the new generation flagship SUV, the Scorpio and over Rs 100 crore on building a new chassis. Mahindra’s new platform will be embraced in future Mahindra models. There is also rumour that a petrol SUV is in the offering on this platform (fingers crossed).
The new Scorpio is available in variants like the S2 (with M2diCR engine); S4, S4+, S6, S6+, S8 and S10 (all powered by the 2.2l mHawk engine). It will be available in multiple-seating configurations allowing owners to choose from seven-, eight-, and nine-seater options to match their needs.
The new Scorpio variants are priced in the Rs 8.28 lakh to Rs 12.29 lakh (ex-showroom Bengaluru) range. It is also available in a 4x4 option. The shift-on-fly four-wheel drive gives you the freedom of driving the vehicle in any kind of terrain at Rs 13.45 lakh (ex-showroom Bengaluru). According to ARAI the mileage of the new Scorpio is around 15.4 kmpl.