My new lifestyle ride: The Mahindra Scorpio 2.2 mHawk Vlx

[moinakg]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

thanks.
I really was/ am happy that I bought the Scorp because at the time it was the ideal vehicle. Things however have moved on, and with this evolution, the body and mind are craving greater comfort and greater safety now which is why Im seeking something better overall.

Originally Posted by rm_arjuna

However ergonomics & ride quality to certain extent is a big letdown . IMO if the ride quality is stabilized and interiors redone for a 5 seater spec viz., CRV / Xtrail . Scoprio could be a choice vehicle for many small families who dont need a 7 seater .

There is lots of room to improve the fundamentals of the Scorpio and even the other vehicles in this class. But for that to happen competition is needed. Unfortunately manufacturers seem not to be bothered about the 10L-15L segment leaving only a meagre collection of players. The Renault Duster should be some welcome competition if it is priced reasonably unlike the Koleos.

[Night_Hawk]

Originally Posted by moinakg

The Vehicle
Variant: Scorpio mHawk Vlx, 7 seater, ABS + Airbags
Colour: Fiery Black

Congrats on your purchase . I too own a Fiery black SLE.

No doubt Scorpio is amongst the best vehicles in its segment. Btw i too have upgraded from an i10 and have the exact feelings as yours.
Do install the roof A/C blower. it will be a boon for the last row passengers. I got it installed at Mahindra A.S.S. to avoid warranty problems.
Happy Motoring.

[moinakg]

It had taken me close to 5 months, a few trips around Bangalore and random scooting around the city to get to the 5K KM service mark. I could not plan any long holiday due to challenging and interesting schedules at work but managed a bunch of getaways.

The first long trip on the beast was to Ooty via the Gudalur route. Did not attempt the Masinagudi climb with the new vehicle even though I had earlier done those 36 hairpin bends on the i10. I kept the speed to less than 100 KM/H though I touched 110 KM/H a couple of times by mistake. I was underestimating speed during those initial times. There were 5 adults, 3 children and luggage in the vehicle and no one complained of any discomfort. Rigel was always eager to pull, and never a slouch. Even when completely loaded with A/C on at HI. Overtaking was a breeze though my default action was to yield since I did not want to push too hard.

Subsequently I roamed around various places like the Manchanabele Dam, the Big Banyan Tree, Cauvery riverside at Muthathi, Hogenakkal with office colleagues and several random drives around the city. One skeptical colleague expecting a rattling, creaking, groaning truck was transformed. The last long trip was to Coorg at a homestay near Kutta. Interestingly enough I found a non-descript petrol bunk on the road from Ranganathittu to Hunsur road to be serving some of the best quality diesel I ever filled. After filling there the hawk was simply ready to fly. That road is a shorter alternate but horribly broken route avoiding Mysore. Rigel crunched all that with ease making me forget an earlier bone jarring ride on the same route on the i10.

Eventually I took a day off for the 1st service visit. I had a list of issues and requirements:

• I wanted to fill Mobil Delvac MX and had called up the service advisor to verify that it is allowed. They were okay with it and initially I was told 7ltrs but later it dropped to 6ltrs. Not before I had already purchased a 5ltr and two 1ltr cans though
• There was a small creak coming from the driver side door when going over humps.
• Micro Hybrid was behaving erratic.
• After 4800 KMs RPM would fall momentarily below 1K when the clutch was depressed.
• TPMS telltale would blink after running in mud or flooded streets for 30 mins.
• My wife wanted ORVM indicators so I opted to fit the chrome ORVM covers and the chrome door handles to match.

The service center staff were polite but work was slow. Also I had to keep asking for updates. I was allowed near the work areas to inspect what they were doing. I eventually spent the best part of the day at the service center with the Delvac Cans. They poured exactly 6ltrs. The total experience was fair though I have to say that the experience at Advaith Hyundai service has been a little better than this. The final bill came thus:

Differential OIL 80W90 MAXIMILE 1.8ltrs: Rs 420 (with tax)
Clutch switch replacement: Under Warranty
Oil Filter: Rs 151
Final Service Bill with VAT: Rs 571

Door handle chrome covers: Rs 321
ORVM cover with LED: Rs 1201
Final Body work bill: Rs 1522

Separate purchase:
Mobil Delvac MX 6ltrs @ Rs 291/ltr: Rs 1746

Door was reseated and creak was gone, TPMS was okay. Clutch switch replacement fixed Micro Hybrid behavior and the RPM issue. Subjectively I feel Delvac MX has really made a difference. Engine is super smooth and idling sound is way down. Engine clatter is gone though low frequency grunt has increased somewhat. Turbo lag also seems to have reduced. The fact that I used own engine oil has been noted in the Job Card (I have a copy) and in *** service history.

The ORVM chrome cover had ugly edges that were sticking out and I did not like that a bit. Even the LED wires were visiblly dangling out ugh. I did some DIY here:

1. Stick the wires to the ORVM underside with black silicone sealant. They are not visible any more. The silicone sealant hardens to a rubber and can easily be removed without damaging body/paint if required.
2. Use Hawkins pressure cooker gasket to line the ORVM cover edges. I stuck them to the cover with liberal amounts of Feviquick.

I sourced a set of the illuminated Scorpio door sill plates from Ebay and got it fixed at a local car accessories shop. They made holes in a couple of the plastic caps on the floor and connected the wires to the footboard lights. By mistake they forgot to fix one of the caps. So I resorted to DIY again and fixed the cap and also sealed the holes with silicone sealant. Otherwise I would have got a damp floor. One good thing is that they did not cut the footboard light wires but made slits on the insulation and connected the sill plate wires to those. I tightened those as one was loose and sealed them once again with the wonderful silicone sealant to make the joints water proof.

Finally I sourced blue T10 leds from Ebay to replace the footboard lights to match with the blue EL sill plates. It was easy enough to replace those myself. One crap is that Mahindra has dispensed with nuts for the footboard light holder bolts. It depends on the weak threads on the plastic holders and they can't be tightened properly. Aww God how much does it cost Mahindra to put proper nuts. Add the cost to the vehicle's price if they are so concerned! I have to get the nuts now. Anyway the end result looks nice:

[aviorp]

Congratulations moinakg. Superb pictures and it was a wonderful read. Loved the comparison list. Wish you more sets of 5K kms.

[supratim07]

I too booked my Mahindra Scorpio Zlx - Diamond White which i am expecting to be delivered on 9th Nov...eagerly waiting for that day. Ur review caught my attention before i decided to book mine. Few things have been changed which i have noticed:
1. Head Lights are something called blue vision now.
2. Alloys have changed.
I have asked for spare wheel to be alloy and if possible with tyre pressure sensor but the sales guy was not sure about it.
ICE unit feels little better not sure why though or i may be just carried away by the test drive .
By the way where did u get to buy Mobil Delvac MX in Bangalore.

[moinakg]

Originally Posted by supratim07

I too booked my Mahindra Scorpio Zlx - Diamond White which i am expecting to be delivered on 9th Nov...eagerly waiting for that day. Ur review caught my attention before i decided to book mine. Few things have been changed which i have noticed:
1. Head Lights are something called blue vision now.
2. Alloys have changed.
I have asked for spare wheel to be alloy and if possible with tyre pressure sensor but the sales guy was not sure about it.
ICE unit feels little better not sure why though or i may be just carried away by the test drive .
By the way where did u get to buy Mobil Delvac MX in Bangalore.

Congrats. White looks great. Do you mean Zlx or Vlx ? I too got the Blue Vision headlamps. The light is white bordering on a blue tint. The showrooms have some additional alloy designs should you want to change.

The ICE unit comes with ugly default settings. I could get quite a bit of improvement playing with the bass, treble and bvol settings. So do that first thing after delivery. I got Delvac MX from a Mobil authorized dealer M/S Speed Away Ltd, Near JC Road, Contact#: 41496502.

[supratim07]

Originally Posted by supratim07

I too booked my Mahindra Scorpio VLX - Diamond White which i am expecting to be delivered on 9th Nov...
------------
By the way where did u get to buy Mobil Delvac MX in Bangalore.

I have not received my SUV as promised so need to wait for some more time as it looks like.

[supratim07]

Originally Posted by supratim07

I have not received my SUV as promised so need to wait for some more time as it looks like.

Finally got my new ride yesterday

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by supratim07

Finally got my new ride yesterday

Congrats Supratim,

Please start a new initial owner ship review thread and post all you pics, delivery experience etc there.

looking forward to it.

[Mohanan]

Hi,

Did you get a chance to upgrade your ICE? If so, does the aftermarket ICE's work with the steering mounted controls? An accessories sales person said that 2DIN players can be connected to the OEM steering controls without the need of additional adapters etc., do not know how much of it is true. BTW, this was from Sireesh, Hosur Road.

Cheers!

[triedeverything]

One of your plans for a future upgrade was projectors with angel eyes. How far away is that? Curious to know if you've done any research on good installers in and around Bangalore. There was a guy in Salem who had posted pictures in the classifieds, but can't seem to locate the post.