Scorpio VLX mhawk 4WD with Air Bags EDIT - 43000 kms update

[4x4addict]

Picked up a Scorpio VLX Mhawk 4WD with Air Bags. These are my initial observations after 1300 kms of usage.

Guess this is the 4th or 5th Scorpio 4x4 on this forum. It’s a shame that Mahindra took their own sweet time in launching the mhawk with 4x4 otherwise, I feel that there may have been more takers. Also feel they should offer a 4WD in SLX form with the 2.2 mhawk as it will most likely bring in more buyers who don’t want all the electronic crap/gizmos.

First of let me explain why I went for the Scorpio. I wanted a body on frame 4x4 SUV with Air Bags, ABS, and Low Range Transfer case in the 10 to 12 lakh range so pretty much my choices where down to 2nd hand Endy, 2nd hand Pajero 2.8, new Scorpio 4x4 or new Safari 4x4.

Pajero 2.8 was ruled out because I find the engine underpowered for the size of the vehicle. It is okay in the city due to the short gearing but on the highway you will be outrun by most cars. Also the cars is priced absurdly high for an antiquated model hence the asking prices in the second hand market are ridiculously high. ABS was offered only post 2007 so people are asking about 14 lakhs for a 2007 model which I felt was not worth it for a used car.

I really like the Endy TDCi, but used 4x4 versions are next to impossible to find as most buyers go for the 4x2 variant. I hunted for a very long time and then gave up. There were a few older versions with the IDI engine but that is very underpowered as well.

So the choices were down to new Safari 4x4 and Scorpio 4x4. It was a very close call, but I picked the Scorpio 4x4 over the Safari for the following reasons.

1) A lot of my driving is in the Chennai so the dimensions of the Scorpio and the turning radius make it a much easier-to-handle city and off-road trail vehicle than the Safari.
2) The ex-showroom price with 4x4 and airbags is 10.4 lakhs which is about 1.6 lakhs cheaper than the Safari VX 4x4 which I would have to buy if I wanted the Air Bags. I do feel Safari is a much more classier and comfortable than the Scorpio but not worth 1.6 lakhs more in my opinion.
3) Scorpio is available with captains chairs in the middle and front facing third row, which I felt was the perfect combination when going for a road trip with 4 adults and children in the car. I find side facing third row seats like in the Safari and Scorpio 7 seater (non captains chair) version impractical for long hauls as it is very difficult & unsafe for a person to sit side ways for any length of time. I sincerely hope the revised Safari seen testing under camouflage has a front facing third row.
4) Resale Value and Quality. From my research, I feel that Mahindra SUVs/MUVs have a better reliability record and hence better market acceptance than the ones from Tata resulting in much better resale values. This is important to me as I want to upgrade to the next generation SUV from Mahindra or Tata in a couple of years and would like to get a decent amount for my vehicle when I sell a couple of years down the line.


Gripes/Issues:
These are the issues/gripes I have about my vehicle:

1) The Speed alert monitor is not working.
2) The TPMs monitor is completely gone crazy showing 37 psi on the wheels when I have confirmed in a gas station and with a good gauge that all wheels are at 32 psi.
3) Clock cannot be adjusted as this feature is not working either.
(I saw an electrical connecter disconnected and hanging down from under the instrument console into the drivers foot well. I suspect that this is why some of the features don’t work so I need to have this looked into at the next service.

4) There is some vibrations/rattle from the rear which I need to have looked at.

5) Horn button needs a lot of pressure and is a pain to use. It is slightly easier when you use the outer left/right top ends of the horn pad.
6) The fan blower from 2nd position onwards is very loud. Its like 1 is too mild but put it into 2 and it is loud. Seems like we need another setting in between that would have been a good balance.
7) Turning radius is slightly more than the 2WD version. 11.4 meters for 4WD vs 11.2 for the 2WD.
8) I find the phallic hub caps very ugly. I wish they could integrate the hub locks into the axles like for the Endy/Fortuner or atleast have some negative off-set in the rims like the Pajero so that the hub cap doesn’t stick out so much. Guess not much we can do about this.
9) The auto rain and light sensors are useless in my opinion as anyone who is not senile knows when to put on headlights and wipers. They could have saved the money on this crap and put in auto climate control ac instead which is basically another sensor to check cabin temperature and adjust the ac accordingly. I feel that this would have been a far more useful feature than auto wipers/lights.


Likes:

These are what I like about the Scorpio 4x4:

1) Engine is sweet. Good torque and power.
2) Headlights are very bright and I don’t feel the need to upgrade to 90/100. Maybe the Philips blue vision bulbs help. They are white and not blue btw.
3) Dimensions of the car are very easy to handle in the city.
4) Price is very good VFM for what you get.
5) Gradability of the Scorpio 4x4 is 30 degrees vs 15 degrees for the 2WD.
6) The auto locking feature of doors is very useful especially with kids at the back. Doors lock automatically at a certain speed.
7) Captains chairs in the middle are very comfy. Feels like business class seats when chauffeured around. Safari middle row is very comfortable too but it’s a shame that they cannot be reclined due to the interference from the side facing third row seats. Funny that Tata has put a reclining feature for the middle row in the Sumo Grande but not in their premium product.
8) Latest and greatest immobilizer without a human readable/settable code helps to keep the Scorpio in the garage over night J.
9) Third row seats can be removed without any tools. I keep them at home most of the time so as not to lug the extra weight around which helps with mileage to a little extend.
10) Parking sensors are nice. Camera would have been better I guess..
11) Head lamp leveling actually works and you can see the beam go up and down.
12) I never thought I would, but I actually used the cruise control in couple of stretches on my drive from Kottayam to Chennai.
13) 4x4 version has good handling around corners due to the Torsion bar set up. See this thread for more detailed information. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-te...afari-4x4.html (Handling with Torsion Bar Set up in Scorpio/Safari 4x4)


I have so far not pushed it over a hundred but on may here I was at 100 for most of the Krishnagiri – Chennai stretch and it felt stable at all curves at that speed. Either way, I rarely plan to push it beyond 120 to 130 given the history of the Scorpio. I guess things may have improved, but I sure don’t want to prove it J.

[raj_5004]

let me the first one to congratulate you.

in your gripes, you have not mentioned the most common one- the ride quality!

i really liked the 2nd pic for some reason!

by the way, nice seat covers. original or art leather?

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

let me the first one to congratulate you.

in your gripes, you have not mentioned the most common one- the ride quality!

by the way, i really liked the 2nd pic for some reason!

by the way, nice seat covers. original or art leather?

Thanks buddy.

Actually the ride quality is fine with me. Maybe I have been driving my mm540 for too long . Also the 4WD actually handles better on curves due to the torsion bar suspension set up. See the link to the other thread where Mr. Behram and spike have opined on it.

Those seat covers are OEM Mahindra Art leather. I don't suggest them as he fit on the headrests is very poor due the mismatch of the seat and the cut. Get some good after market set up. I got them free so I had them put. I will probably upgrade to leather at some point.

I forgot to another major gripe. The sound quality from the OEM ice is very average. I don't want to loose the blue tooth set up so I will try to retain the HU and upgrade to better speakers to see if it makes a difference.

[Blue Thunder]

Congrats once again, 4x4addict !

The seat covers are very good. Please do add more pics : engine bay, and most importantly the under-sides (especially the front) if possible, thanks !

[rocky080]

congratulations 4x4addict its a beauty. How much did it cost OTR? were the 3rd row seats removed by you or did you have an option of no 3rd row seats.anyhow enjoy the new ride and happy driving on and off the road.

Regards
rocky

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

I forgot to another major gripe. The sound quality from the OEM ice is very average. I don't want to loose the blue tooth set up so I will try to retain the HU and upgrade to better speakers to see if it makes a difference.

you can upgrade to a head unit with bluetooth feature but you will loose the steering mounted controls.

yes, first try adding better speakers & an amp.

[adzegeek]

4x4, cool looking black (sigh..) - congrats on the aquisition.

Is there something that can be done about the horn - I find it quite hard to use as well. I think this has been a pet complaint from scorp owners for a long long time.

about squeaks/rattles - I keep WD40 handy in the Scorp now - has solved a few squeaks and rattles and keeps to me happy till the next visit to service station.


"Third row seats can be removed without any tools. I keep them at home most of the time so as not to lug the extra weight around which helps with mileage to a little extend."

I do the same - however I need a rachet (as a tool) to do this. is it different in front facing 3rd row.

I also feel that the scorpio 4wd backside is quite ugly and somewhat out of proportion - with the extended step on the back and two hook - its quite wierd to look at when you see from side view.

[Utopian]

Congrats 4x4. The interiors are uber cool. Does the Micro Hybrid technology work well on the fuel efficiency front??

[Red Liner]

Awesome. But I thought you were getting a full on silver. What gave?

I agree with all your gripes. Have listed them out before in many threads myself. Honestly, M&M is killing themself without a 4x4 in the SLE variant.

No tyre upgrade?

No gripes about the casio style fuel indicator?

[pramods]

I noticed in my AT the 4wd switch is on left side, while in manual it on the right side adjacent to driver side.
Few other changes, the cup holders are different on AT, they have a well cushioned attachment to hold almost all type of cup size plus the 4WD switch is on slightly on back side, attached is the Image.


-Pramod

[MileCruncher]

Thats a cool looking car ..oops .. SUV you got there.

Btw on the ICE front, changing speakers or adding wouldn't help much as its the HU which is absolutely lame. So unless you change the chip that processes the audio signals, things wouldn't change much.

[raj_5004]

infact the entire central console is different in the automatic. the maual 4WD has 3 cupholders & a rectangular cavity besides the handbrake.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

Congrats once again, 4x4addict !

The seat covers are very good. Please do add more pics : engine bay, and most importantly the under-sides (especially the front) if possible, thanks !

The OEM seat covers are okay for the backrest and seats, but due to the odd shape of the Scorpio middle and last row headrests,the fit is very poor. I avoided taking a close up due to that.

Will try to get some pics of the under-sides. SS-Traveller has posted some pics of the front underside in his ownership thread.

Originally Posted by rocky080

How much did it cost OTR?

Ex-Showroom is 10.46 lakhs in Kerala. Life tax is is only 6 % in kerala so about 11.3 on the road.

Originally Posted by rocky080

were the 3rd row seats removed by you or did you have an option of no 3rd row seats.

Originally Posted by adzegeek

I do the same - however I need a rachet (as a tool) to do this. is it different in front facing 3rd row.

I have front facing third row seats. TFront facing third row can be removed without any tools. Once you fold them and release the rear bracket, they can be lifted out of the front hinge. I keep them at home to reduce the dead weight I am carrying. It will help with the mileage.

Originally Posted by adzegeek

4x4, cool looking black (sigh..) - congrats on the aquisition.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Awesome. But I thought you were getting a full on silver. What gave?

Regarding the colors, atleast Mahindra is a 100% more flexible than the Ford when Model T was made only in black. The Scorpio can be had in Black or White. Very generous of Mahindra to give us a choice of two colors for the most expensive vehicles in their inventory. Since these vehicles are made only after booking, I don't understand why they cannot offer any of the existing colors. This is pure arrogance lack of customer respect on their part. But as I mentioned earlier in the 10 lakh range you have to pick between the Scorp and Safari if you want 4x4 .

Originally Posted by adzegeek

I also feel that the scorpio 4wd backside is quite ugly and somewhat out of proportion - with the extended step on the back and two hook - its quite wierd to look at when you see from side view.

I am not a big fan of the design as well. Frankly I feel the Safari looks much classier without all the bling/skirts etc that the Mahindra designers go crazy with. But, I guess, beggers with a 10 lakh budget can't be choosers in India !!

Originally Posted by adzegeek

Is there something that can be done about the horn -

As Pramod suggested, I have been using the top outer ends of the horn and that seems to be okay. Guess the design team has never ventured outside the factory into a true urban setting where the horn has to used liberally due to the poor hearing of auto drivers and indicab drivers in chennai.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Congrats 4x4. The interiors are uber cool. Does the Micro Hybrid technology work well on the fuel efficiency front??

The funny thing is that Micro hybrid kicks off only after 10 kilometers from the start cycle and for most of my intra city trips to office etc, I rarely have gone more than 10 kms between start cycles so it has not kicked in yet. I din't turn it on until after 1200 kms so it is too early to give feed back on it.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I agree with all your gripes. Have listed them out before in many threads myself. Honestly, M&M is killing them self without a 4x4 in the SLE variant.

No tyre upgrade?

No gripes about the casio style fuel indicator?

SLE 4x4 is very essential if they care about selling 4x4 in large numbers, but the reality is that they don't particularly care about it.

Although it is 4x4, I don't plan to use it like my MM540. It will be mostly for peace of mind when I go off the beaten track and some usage in the estates in the monsoon time etc. The Bridgestone HT actually have decent tread blocks that are good enough for mild to moderate off-roading. I was offered BFG AT with exchange + 1000 Rs. more per tire but didn't follow up on it.

I prefer the regular fuel and temp gauges, but I guess LCD gauges are cheaper for a manufacturer as the same LCD can be used for multiple purposes purely by adjusting the sensor and software.

Originally Posted by pramods

I noticed in my AT the 4wd switch is on left side, while in manual it on the right side adjacent to driver side.
Few other changes, the cup holders are different on AT, they have a well cushioned attachment to hold almost all type of cup size plus the 4WD switch is on slightly on back side, attached is the Image.

-Pramod

The 4x2MT has two large and two cup holders. The 4x4 MT loses one large cup holder for the 4WD Selector switch. The AT 4WD looses the two large ones in front due to the AT gear console so the remaining two are bigger with the sleeve inside to hold smaller cups.

Another awkard thing about the MT cup holders are that the smaller ones are open in the sides so they cannot be used to keep anything like coins or cell phones inside as it will fall through the opening in the sides. Only the big cup holder and the rectangle one can be used to hold anything.

[pramods]

In my previous VLX one of these smaller one used to come with ashtray fixed which you can remove and fix on the other side, looks like they removed the ashtray but didn't changed the design!!
-Pramod

[mooza]

Hi 4x4addict, that's a wonderful looking beast there, with lots of features! Are the 3rd row windows closed, or do they roll down?

Congrats on the buy!