[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by sachin_cs

Hey, wonderful write up mate. I really enjoyed reading through and I felt like a part of your ownership. TBH I'm more of a sedan guy but I will have to admit that Scorpio in white used to be my teenage dream, specially with that checkered flag stickers it used to come with.

They called it some Nano coat paint those days, it sure worked a treat with it's potential buyers! The salesman asked if I wanted it installed and I drew a blank in disbelief.

In the garage, there was one guy peeling that sticker off of an older vehicle. I asked him why and he said, owner wants to put a new one as the old sticker is getting a bit faded!! The sticker's price was ~ INR 5K!

[Sasanka_Sanga]

Your detailed review had taken me to the good olden days where I used to be fascinated by the Scorpio and its advertisement that says "Nothing Else Will Do" and yes even now nothing else will do.

The charisma of the car, the locations, the models, literally everything made me awestruck. An absolute machismo to almost every guy then and now.

[Kosfactor]

This Vehicle Matters!

Senior BHPian SidIndica has posted a comprehensive history of the vehicle. That thread was locked long time ago but it is the best reference there is on Scorpio's history I believe.

Posting the link here. A must read.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...a-scorpio.html (A tribute - Mahindra Scorpio)

Scorpio man Pawan Goenka has some story to tell, please read through the text just before the video starts. It's about Society of Automotive Engineers India (SAE India).

https://youtu.be/rBnZG1Oa3DQ

I have to admit that I did not know any of these things before I got this one home, it wasn't there in the list at that time.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Sasanka_Sanga

Your detailed review had taken me to the good olden days where I used to be fascinated by the Scorpio and its advertisement that says "Nothing Else Will Do" and yes even now nothing else will do.

The charisma of the car, the locations, the models, literally everything made me awestruck. An absolute machismo to almost every guy then and now.

True, the old ads were good, the ones from Tata was good as well. While Safari was about adventure and reclaiming your life. Scorpio was dragging a sports car over fields and streams playing James Bond bully.

My wife has driven most of the KMs, she finds it difficult once in a while when she drives some other vehicles, she complains "It doesn't move" .

For my hobby, It's Nikon - Nothing else will do. It used to be Canon earlier.

It's like your first DSLR, whatever picture you take comes worse than your old point and shoot, it took a good 3 months for me to learn how to use it properly. This vehicle too had a learning curve.

[Tgo]

I must admit that I hated the Scorpio when it was launched, for the same reason one hates the kid in school who gets all the praises. We had the humble Qualis serving us at the time and there was no need to replace it or the means too. Toyota was and still is Toyota for my dad.

However, a close relative had one, a neighbour had one, it looked tougher, went faster and was the first vehicle through which I got acquainted to the turbo-whistle. I really wanted to have one. During the later part of the Qualis ownership we kept the Qualis just because the bouncy ride of the Scorpio was a deterrent and it had gotten more out of our financial reach.

Years later, I put up the following post on SS-Traveller's thread:

Originally Posted by Tgo

I borrowed a relative's 2006 Scorpio 2.6 (Pre-M-Hawk) during a recent short trip in December. Had seen this one in the family for a long time, but got to drive it for the first time. The moment I turned the key I noticed the ODO which was at 1,99,670 Km.

This silent mile muncher was as good as any current car as far as the drive train is concerned. Stable idle, responsive throttle, sure shifting gears, nice steering feel, I was quite impressed by the condition the truck was in. Have never driven any Mahindra vehicle before this, so a bit of change in perception also happened. It was fun climbing in and out and sitting in the wide cabin which made it feel like a truck.

I now understand what makes Scorpio owners love their cars.

The car mentioned above was a replacement for the first edition Scorpio for the owner who had till then owned Jeeps in different forms starting from Willys and Kaisers. It is still serving in the family. Which reminds me that I should check its ODO someday.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Senior BHPian SidIndica has posted a comprehensive history of the vehicle. That thread was locked long time ago but it is the best reference there is on Scorpio's history I believe.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...a-scorpio.html (A tribute - Mahindra Scorpio)

Regarding the thread shared above, even I didn't know such facts about the development of the Scorpio until today. People used to say that it has a Renault engine and I though that the diesel was from Renault. Turns out it was the Petrol.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Tgo

Regarding the thread shared above, even I didn't know such facts about the development of the Scorpio until today. People used to say that it has a Renault engine and I though that the diesel was from Renault. Turns out it was the Petrol.

While I do not have affinity towards any brand in particular, there are certain factors that I weigh in on, wherever utility is of prime importance - I have observed the preference of certain Mahindra vehicles over others in many areas. I know business owners who place bulk orders for Bolero for instance, they have tried vehicles like Eeco & Ertiga but they simply did not last nor their clients were happy that they transport very expensive cargo in such vehicles, they want a Bolero instead.

Some have tried Tata 207 over there in the hills of Ooty due to its ease of driving and comfort, but the suspension and gearbox gave up a lot sooner , so back to Bolero Pik up as everyone else in the hills.

My relatives and friends who live in hilly areas in Kerala & TN wont buy anything else as a work vehicle & general utility, Boleros (of all types), Scorpio etc.

You are right, it did come with a petrol engine from Renault , a V8 petrol would be the sweetest thing to have now, along with a petrol bunk at my disposal!!

Originally Posted by Tgo

I borrowed a relative's 2006 Scorpio 2.6 (Pre-M-Hawk) during a recent short trip in December. Had seen this one in the family for a long time, but got to drive it for the first time. The moment I turned the key I noticed the ODO which was at 1,99,670 Km.

This silent mile muncher was as good as any current car as far as the drive train is concerned. Stable idle, responsive throttle, sure shifting gears, nice steering feel, I was quite impressed by the condition the truck was in. Have never driven any Mahindra vehicle before this, so a bit of change in perception also happened. It was fun climbing in and out and sitting in the wide cabin which made it feel like a truck.

I now understand what makes Scorpio owners love their cars.

Thats some KMs under its belt, I hope mine will last just as well - Or hope that my Wife would keep Polar Bear for that long. Right now, its actually a little bit better than how it came from the factory, perhaps because of the wheel and tire combination I have selected.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

If my wife and salesman had not had their way, I would have had an Lx as well!!

For us the choice of LX was more driven by budget, as the vehicle was being leased.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

I hope you have found another Bocchio, as you said, it's a character. Mahindra's coffee table book calls it the bully.

In our new world, this is our current ride.
Not as sprightly as the Scorpio, but a perfect vehicle in many ways, IMHO.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

In our new world, this is our current ride.
Not as sprightly as the Scorpio, but a perfect vehicle in many ways, IMHO.

Looks smashing, way to go! Me and my wife always liked Pajero, some of my uncles had them back in those days , with chrome bumper and Pajero written on the side.

I was trying a few vehicles last year as a second car for myself, that is when I realized how much we were used to the Mhawk, everything else felt a bit lazy.

[Kosfactor]

Took a picture of the spare headlight bulb carton box while I was cleaning the vehicle.

This is what I have currently on both my vehicles.



Although I did not take a picture of the actual bulb itself. Whenever I pull out a bulb after ~ 200 hours, I have seen a bit of haziness in the glass , towards the base of the bulb. I prefer to keep such bulbs as a spare.

[Kosfactor]

Since Philips India website does not have any information on this bulb anymore, i`m attaching the Spec sheet that I found online. It says Philips Vision, but the model number is the same as well as the wattage.

[ATTACH=12342prc1_pss_[1].pdf]1947392[/ATTACH]

[Kosfactor]

Some updates on Polar Bear.

ODO is now at 74K!



Recently I managed to get the driver door misaligned, The car was being pushed back while cleaning and I left the driver door open which crashed into the nearby concrete pillar :( , while the door closed just fine afterwards, it was not sealing properly.

Sireesh Auto`s HSR body shop fixed the hinge, stopper, realigned the door and then went about realigning all the remaining doors, hinges, window glass etc. Sudhakar and team took good care of her in a few hours. The vehicle is as good as new. They recommend getting the doors aligned every few years, this is the second or third time I`m doing it.

As she rides into the sunset (near Ramanagara)



View from Ramadevara Betta. (Sholay movie was shot here)

[condor]

Nicely maintained Scorp, there @Kosfactor ! and a nice pic at Ramadevara betta.


2 sets of tyres for less than 70k running looks on the higher side. Any issues with the tyres ?

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by condor

Nicely maintained Scorp, there @Kosfactor ! and a nice pic at Ramadevara betta.


2 sets of tyres for less than 70k running looks on the higher side. Any issues with the tyres ?

Thanks Condor

Yes its the 3rd set. I will tell you how.

The first set from factory was JK Elanzo, They were good, however as the vehicle was around ~40K it developed surface cracks (these are normal as I`m aware now) , I was a little panicked looking at this and got JK tyre to replace them with their pro-rata warranty. So we are now on the second set - JK Ranger ATs mounted on Neo Claw alloys (6.5J). These were good too, runs a bit wide on corners but more comfortable offroad.

Later on when I got my Jeep, I swapped the new Bridgestone Dueler 689 that came with the Jeep onto the Scorpio along with new alloys from Onyx (8J)! Bridgestone 689s are OE for Scorpio Vlx, and Jeep looks cool on ATs, both are happy now!!

[condor]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Later on when I got my Jeep, I swapped the new Bridgestone Dueler 689 that came with the Jeep onto the Scorpio along with new alloys from Onyx (8J)! Bridgestone 689s are OE for Scorpio Vlx, and Jeep looks cool on ATs, both are happy now!!

Those 689's are tough/hard - my stock set lasted a whooping 97k on my Sumo.

[Kosfactor]

Polar bear went over to a few places over the past two months, Udhagai, Kodi Kanal, Udupi, Mangalore.

@Udhagamandalam \ Ooty.

On the way to Thangadu Via Lovedale for a Baduga wedding.



Lovedale Landscape



@ Kodi Kanal \ Kodaikanal

On the way to Kookal Via Poombarai for a look-see.



The landscape at Poombarai, the road also takes you to Mannavanur.

Originally Posted by condor

Those 689's are tough/hard - my stock set lasted a whooping 97k on my Sumo.

True! Sumos, Boleros etc used to come with these as OE.

My friend who runs an estate near Ooty (lovedale) swears by them, 70 ~ 80K tire life was not uncommon even on those tough terrain in their Marshal \ Boleros.