The Mahindra Scorpio is one of the most popular SUVs in the market and is India's top-selling ladder frame SUV. While many compact SUVs have taken over the sales chart, owing to being easier to drive, lighter on the pocket and also more fuel efficient, the Scorpio's fan following is hard to tumble. Often used in action films as well, the Mahindra Scorpio has got a crazy amount of updates in the past few years, the current generation model got an update along with a more powerful diesel engine.
Exteriors - The design of the Mahindra Scorpio stays true to the original model which was launched in the early 2000s. It looks butch and the styling of the SUV has only evolved over time. Bold, tall and muscular, the Scorpio does look imposing. The wheels look nice, the rear spoiler gives it the sporty appeal while there are plenty of badges, especially at the rear, including Scorpio embedded in the tail-light.
Interiors - The interiors of the Mahindra Scorpio look good, the dashboard is a bit flat and the seats are supportive. There are plenty of features on offer including some standout ones like voice assist, auto roll-up of driver side window after leaving the car to automatic headlights, automatic wipers, projector headlights, cornering lights, etc. The second row of seats also has decent space while the last row gets jump seats which lack seat-belts. The last row is thus best used with the seats folded up for luggage.
Quality levels aren't great with some hard plastics inside the cabin, with fit finish levels leaving a lot to be desired from. The other issue is ergonomics, especially the super small door pockets which can't hold a bottle and even accessing the door pockets needs you to open the doors. The car does feel solid though, it's heavy, the cluster does a full swipe on startup and the seating position is commanding too.
Performance - Mahindra offers the Scorpio with 3 engine options, the one we are driving today is the top-of-the-line which uses a 2.2-litre diesel engine to output an impressive 140 BHP of power and 320 Nm of torque. The motor is decently refined and gives the Scorpio punchy performance as it goes from 0-100 km/hr in just 12.59 seconds. Turbo lag is well contained and there is good mid-range on offer although it lacks a top-end and feels bogged down near the redline.
The diesel engine is so good with performance that whether it be city or highway, it simply pulls strongly and you don't feel the need for more output from the oil burner. The ton is achieved in third gear itself and the car also gets Micro Hybrid technology which switches off the vehicle when you come to a halt. Fuel economy is around 10-12 km/l. The 6-speed gearbox isn't the smoothest with shifts while the clutch isn't heavy although an automatic is missed on the Scorpio.
Driving Dynamics - The Mahindra Scorpio is a heavy car as it is underpinned by a ladder frame but you can't really feel the weight of the vehicle as the steering is light at low speeds and it's easy to drive this car. Yes, it could have done with more feel and feedback at high speeds as it simply feels disconnected and doesn't inspire much confidence. The Scorpio's suspension is on the soft side, more-so the rear suspension and thus it feels bouncy. The ride quality is far from great and passengers in the second and third row feel the brunt of it. The handling too isn't great and there is a ton of body roll on offer. The car gets better brakes to enable improved stopping due to the added output from the motor.
Verdict - The Mahindra Scorpio has started to show its age in this era of monocoque SUVs but you can't deny that this vehicle has the feel of an SUV. It might be pricey and does lack in terms of dynamics but the overall performance and feel good factor makes the Scorpio the popular choice among hardcore SUV fans. The top spec trim costs upwards of Rs. 19 lakhs but comes with 4-wheel drive although one expects more at this price point.
