[vinod_nookala]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear 4*4 addict - I totally agree with you. The Scorpio LX is a very sensible VFM proposition and it must have a 4 wheel drive option to choose from. I drive a black Scorpio LX model. If I had the 4 wheel drive option open to me, I would have taken it. Alas! Que Sera Sera!

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Sir,
Wish people there had some one like you in product planning department. The only reason iam not keen on SLX 4wd in a Bolero is involvement of electric 4wd. In my opinion when fortuner, endevour and Pajero's and even montero's can have 4wd lever then why not a Bolero? Who has asked for a electric switch for 4wd? Unnecessary offering i must say.

I must add few top end 4wd's even though have gear lever to operate 4wd esentially trigger the electric motor to engage 4wd. Even thats fine! Less said the better about flimsy headlight leveling switch like 4wd selector on safari. Looks and feels crap.

I always dreamt about SLE bolero wih brog 4wd and manual shift with power steering and A/c.

Scorpio can have 4wd in lowest version with all the goddies already on offer. ABs and air bags must be optional on order. This is the way to go

p.s- I think way back in 2003 Scorpio (GD) base version had manual transfercase with BA10 and brog warner combo if iam not wrong!

[Off Roadie]

i am currently in singapore so i will be booking on my return.
lets face it the scorpio is not a heavy duty 4x4 machine and its weight results in an overworked suspension. have seen videos on this forum and you can see the poor thing slipping and sliding around a lot more than other vehicles. what i want is a touring class vehicle which can let me do a tad more adventurous stuff than the 2wd suv.
so yes i am gonna use the cruise control, will like the fact that the wipers are rain sensing and the headlights will switch on in tunnels. if they stop working thats what the extended warranty is for. plus as already pointed out it is not a necessity so their inability to function wont coz any problems to me but to the service advisors facing my polite but always on music. although i must add that the location of the air bag sensor must be known to guys taking it off the road.
however i do agree that the 4x4 option should be available across the entire model range.
i had seriously toyed with the gurkha but liked the fully loaded and relatively hasselfree scorp. i am not saying that things should be like this or i am right and this view point is the best or anything, each individual has his own wants, likes, dislikes and most importantly limitations or we would all own a diesel hummer =)

edit i had once mentioned that a 4x4 bolero storm would have been a really nice vehicle but its too bad that mahindra is not enhancing its portfolio. my only worry with boleros are their smaller tyres and after having beached my differential on a rock in ladakh i have been a little skeptical however the boleros seem to be performing really well and will be a lot easier to maintain.

[4x4addict]

Update: Both dealers in Chennai have sent me quotes and as I correctly guessed, it is for the 2WD version in spite of me repeating a hundred times over the phone that I am interested in the 4x4 version. Sad !!

[4x4addict]

This is really frustrating: MPL has send me three quotes and all for 2WD vehicles. !!

Finally the sales manager called and promised a quote for 4WD.

[ram.west]

@4x4 : Why don't you contact the India Garage, Mount Road guys ?? I felt they were a pretty quick in responding and the sales guy did tell me that there is 4wd option.

[4x4addict]

Finally, some helpful persons from Mahindra Corporate in Mumbai got involved and I received a call from a nice gentleman from M&M in Chennai and the quote from a sales manager in MPL shortly after. Finally have the correct quote.

Manufacturers believe there is little demand for 4WD vehicles, which we all believe is not true given the number of 4x4s on this forum. How does it help with demand when little is done to promote the 4x4 feature and a customer cannot even get a quote without company officials in Mahindra getting involved?

@Ram: Same thing happened with India Garage. Atleast the Sales person in India Garage acknowledged the existence of the Mhawk 4WD and said she would send the quote through the a sales person who was coming near my house in Besant Nagar. He promptly dropped the quote off and when I opened it, it was for 2WD version as I expected. I called her back and she emailed me another quote. This had the right price but the description on the computer print out said 2WD but was corrected by hand.

I asked her about this and she said that the system that generates the quote doesn't have an option to select the 4WD variant so she had to correct 2WD to 4WD by hand after the print out was taken.

I wanted to get a quote from both places just to see how customer friendly both are..

[SS-Traveller]

@4X4A: You seem to be going down the same street I walked when I went to buy my car! It's not funny how poorly informed the sales and marketing chaps are, even in M&M's regional offices; never mind the Sales Execs.

[Samurai]

There were only 4 modern machines in the Coorg OTR which was held on Dec 21st 2009.

Three Scorpios and one Tata Telcoline. Rest were all Jeeps and Gypsies of various flavours.

Guess the only vehicles that didn't complete the event?

All 3 Scorpios!

The 4x4 system failed on two of the vehicles in the middle of the trail. I think Mahindra should throw away the electronic 4WD and give the manual system on Scorpio. Anybody who buys Scorpio 4WD paying so much more money should have a right not be humiliated by ancient Jeeps and Gypsies. It was gut-wrenching to see the sad faces of those Scorpio drivers and their family at the end of the event. They deserved better than this after putting so much faith and money into Mahindra Scorpio.

[pramods]

This is a very disappointing fact, I sold my 2WD VLX and booked 4WD AT and expecting this to get delivered sometime next week, even though, I won't be taking part in OTR but would love to see places were 2WD would have difficulties, but now it will always be at back that this system may fail!
-Pramod

[bigman]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Guess the only vehicles that didn't complete the event?

All 3 Scorpios!

I guess they are not worth buying then and are nothing but soft offroaders not really meant for anything that requires a half decent 4x4.

After reading what Samurai has written I fail to see why people still want these. The dealers apppear to deny they exist so I doubt they will have any techs capable of sorting out any serious issues with the 4x4 system.

[tsk1979]

IIRC, at an older Great escape too the 4x4 system of the scorpios failed. Looks like it has a fundamental flaw or something, and when its needed it fails!
I have done water wading, sand driving, and rock climbing in the safari, but no 4x4 electronic failure. Maybe the transfer case sits higher up, so less chance of water damage etc.?

Since the Telcoline did this with the same borg warner system, the problem may not be in the system, but the way its installed on the scorpio?

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by Samurai

....The 4x4 system failed on two of the vehicles in the middle of the trail. I think Mahindra should throw away the electronic 4WD and give the manual system on Scorpio. Anybody who buys Scorpio 4WD paying so much more money should have a right not be humiliated by ancient Jeeps and Gypsies. It was gut-wrenching to see the sad faces of those Scorpio drivers and their family at the end of the event. They deserved better than this after putting so much faith and money into Mahindra Scorpio.

The main issue is of RELIABILITY. I am sure, in other countries, the owners would have taken MM to court (and rightly so) for the shoddy job they have done on the 4x4 mechanism reliability.

The scorpio owners have got it fixed some 3-4 times in past and spent ENORMOUS amount of money, effort & time to get it rectified and it fails again..

Looks like their 4x4 mechanism reliability is rivaling the legendary Skoda A.S.S.

Originally Posted by pramods

...even though, I won't be taking part in OTR but would love to see places were 2WD would have difficulties, but now it will always be at back that this system may fail!

Yes, that feeling of that it would fail would always be at the back of your mind.

Originally Posted by bigman

I guess they are not worth buying then and are nothing but soft offroaders not really meant for anything that requires a half decent 4x4. ...

I think that Scorpio with right equipment is a MORE than decent off-roader and shines when it performs BUT the issue is reliability. Imagine you clear only 2 of the 10 obstacles in style and then your 4x4 gives away.!! What good is that.

[Jaggu]

What exactly gave away? Was it stuck in any ratio or the transfer case itself failed?

[Samurai]

They were well equipped there. I am borrowing Akash's pics here from the event.



With the addition of Mud tyres and removal of bumper, it looks amazing. Everytime I see them at the OTR beginning, I feel like "Forget Thar, just get a 4WD Scorpio". By the end of the event, I shudder at the very thought.

I have heard that Thar has manual 4x4 system. If that is not true, I am pretty sure that every informed buyer would drop it like hot potato.

[4x4addict]

Guys I have my concerns about the Electric 4WD. Unfortunately at the 10 lakh range the only choices for a 4x4 family car is Scorpio/Safari. Safari is not exactly bullet proof either. So you have to pick one of either. If the electric 4x4 system fails. Rather than repair it, I will source the manual 4x4 transfer case from Thar and install it or get Suresh's help to fabricate a manual lever system like he has done in is Armanda Grand. I also plan to take the extra effort and waterproof the connectors for the 4WD system. The rest is upto god and mahindra ;-).