Team-BHP - Mahindra Scorpio : Official Review

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Quote:

Originally Posted by roy_libran (Post 3770707)

I'm taking delivery of the S4+ 4WD today. Fingers crossed. Will follow up with my Initial Impressions of the vehicle. :)

That's great news Royclap:
Your's will be the 1st S4+ 4WD in TBHP. What's the final OTR price you paid? Did you get any discounts?
In Mumbai the OTR price is 12,83,913/- Of this 23K will be waived off as discount.
Plese put up some pics. There's hardly any pics of the S4 4wd on the forum.

Regards,
Varun

Quote:

Originally Posted by powertrain (Post 3770890)

Thanks Varun. I wasn't aware that I'm the first to report this, although I'd still imagine that there are, maybe, some others in the forum, who have this, but may not have reported. I'll make sure, I have pics alongwith my initial impressions.

The price structure-
Ex-Showroom - 10.98 Lakhs
Discount - 27699
Road Tax & Regn. - 1 Lakh

Waiting period -
The Truck was booked on 7th July and I was advised a waiting period of 6 Weeks. In practice, it has taken 4, so not too bad.

Congrats roy_libran ! The S4+ 4wd is really VFM.

Looking forward to a detailed ownership review. The previous gen Lx 4wd was usually made on order and had a substantial waiting period and advance payment - don't about the case now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roy_libran (Post 3770707)

I'm taking delivery of the S4+ 4WD today. Fingers crossed. Will follow up with my Initial Impressions of the vehicle. :)

Congrats! At one point in time, I was also seriously tempted to trade my 2010 SLE for the new generation S4+ 4WD, but had to postpone it due to various reasons.

Keep it as stock as possible, and it will serve you well for a long long time.

Wish you a million miles of safe and happy driving! :)

Cheers,
Vikram

Quote:

Originally Posted by roy_libran (Post 3770707)

I'm taking delivery of the S4+ 4WD today. Fingers crossed. Will follow up with my Initial Impressions of the vehicle. :)

Congrats Roy.. There are hardly any pics of S4+ version on internet.. Please do post exterior and interior pictures.

With the recent launches of Creta and Scorss.. Scorpio looks like a real VFM now...

Probably buy one by end of this year when discounts are on :)

Also looking forward for an ownership review from you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shashidl (Post 3768609)

Fellow bhpians, I need your help in selecting my new car. I have been contemplating buying a new gen Scorpio S10 2wd.

1) How is the ride comfort for long distance trips?

2) What are the service charges one can expect i.e. once the free ones are done with?

3) Am I being stupid considering the Scorpio over something like an Ertiga or the Lodgy like my friends opine? their point is why to go for such an expensive vehicle(~14.5 lac OTR) considering you get everything if not more in a much more cheaper Ertiga(~10.5lac OTR)

4) How bad is the body roll over ghat roads? would the passengers start complaining if one were to maintain good speeds?

5) How does it perform on broken/poorly surfaced roads?

6) Once while doing a td on the previous gen Scorp I tried testing the brakes and the nose dive i encountered was like I have bungee jumped off the 2nd floor of an apartment building and am at the verge of giving a high five to the watchman sitting in the basement. the TD vehicle was 85k kms old though. How does the new gen scorp behave under panic braking?

7) And lastly, how is it living with it in the long run?

Looking at your message I look back 7 years when I upgraded from a WagonR to Scorpio VLX. To answer your queries:

1. The ride is at best average (to bad in the 3rd row) but a high driving position and large tyres make it a pleasure.

2. The maintenance is not very expensive after the warranty / extended warranty period you can carry on with a neighborhood mechanic. Just maintain the service intervals and timely oil changes and you will not have to worry much.

3. You cant compare an Ertiga / Lodgy with a Scorpio, it is not a mind but a heart thing lol:

4. Its is a pleasure driving on the ghats, not much of a body roll if you drive within speed limits. However, on the expressway if you put the pedal to the metal then it will rock like a boat on a choppy sea.

5. It swallows the bad roads and potholes without any issues.

6. The diving behavior exists however not to the extent that you mentioned. In panic braking situations if you keep your cool it would stop over a coin.

7. I have had it for the last seven years and still going strong, the Scorpio kind of grows on you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joybhowmik (Post 3763822)

Anyone knows if the new generation Scorpio S10 4WD Manual is available in an 8 seat configuration?

**Grape vine has it that a few years ago M&M stopped offering this as an option, due to low demand, and since then has not bothered to even get this ARAI certified**

:confused:

Quote:

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb (Post 3763880)

It should be, as 2WD/4WD shouldn't matter while choosing a seating config.
Only thing is that it might take a while to be delivered :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by navpreet318 (Post 3764209)

Their Production Schedules are fixed. They will not budge from those schedule even if it means changing to a different bolt.
So once you place an order, expect it to be made in the next production schedule.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joybhowmik (Post 3766575)

I remain hopeful of a positive outcome.

An update.
I had been following up with the assigned Brand Manager - Piran Merchant at Mumbai H.O. for the last five days- and I got an insight into M&M's customer focus.

The first thing this gentleman did was to check with R&D if there was any reason such as homologation that prevented configuring an 8 seater for an S10 4wd manual.

Then next he checked with CPPC - central planning and production control , if production planning would support this, if the customer placed an order. This was necessary because apparently the relevant model code had been obliterated from their systems and processes after years of non-production of this variant.

I got a call back from the Brand Manager today at 6:00 PM. Pricing, Sales, Central Planning and Production Control, IT and Dealer have been instructed to support my order.

Minutes after, the dealer guy called back "saab, aapka gaari ka order approve ho gaya - kaise kiya? ".
Same guy who said - it would not be ARAI certified! So much for so called experts at our Indian dealerships.
:I Rule:

So, in a nutshell:

Mahindra Scorpio : Official Review-2015061810h39m01dsc_1140.jpg

I get to place the order tomorrow.

Thanks to both of you for the idea to escalate this to the right people in Mahindra!

Thanks a ton for your valuable inputs. I have shared this info with my wife. This really helps and i appreciate it

Quote:

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb (Post 3768670)

If you are going to make frequent use of the 7 seats, then I agree with your friends when they say you should consider other options like Lodgy, Ertiga etc. Btw, the Xylo is also a good option, IMO.

If your heart is set on the Scorpio, then you will have to choose a variant which has a bench as the 3rd row of seats instead of side facing jump seats. There's no way anyone can feel comfortable (forget safe) in the latter, irrespective of the distance being traveled.

Cheers,
Vikram

Thank you Vikram for the information. I even test drove the Xylo but found it to be crude and lack luster and lacks character when it comes to the looks department. Also it has got a taxi image nowadays primarily due to the fact that its closest competitor the Innova is priced way higher. 15.5lac otr Pune for the base model:Shockked:. The taxiwalas have no other option but to go for a Xylo.

I am thinking of going for a captain seat setup. which has a front face 3rd row

Quote:

Originally Posted by n.devdath (Post 3768836)

It is very good. In fact, the cruising ability of the MHawk engine along with the current suspension set up makes the Scorpio a much more capable cruiser now.

You can expect your average service bill to be around INR 5k per service if you get the wheel alignment and balancing done outside.

The Scorpio is a vehicle with a lot of character unlike most MPVs, which, to me, are just commuting tools. So, it depends on what you like. As a tool, an MPV is better and cheaper but as something which you connect to, it is the Scorpio which you will like.
Remember that bollywood line "Degree Vs Pedigree"? That is what it is.

This is a high vehicle and compared to sedan/hatch, it will have body roll. However, it is something you will get used to, once you begin driving it. Look at all those old Scorpios doing taxi duty in Ladakh.

The ride quality is now at least 2x better than the old one and it is very stable as well.

The new Scorpio is extremely well behaved in the braking, handling and suspension departments. Take a detailed test drive once again and you will know.

I have lived with one for 7 years and it is very easy. Spares are available, nothing serious breaks down, and the more you use it, the more you begin to understand the vehicle.

Look at the repeat buyers of the Scorpio and you will understand.

Thank you Devdat for sharing your experience with your Scorp. As you said it is a vehicle with which one can connect with, so true. We have test driven nearly all the vehicles in the Mpv-suv cross segment and every time after the td we say naah this is not meant for us and go back to the scorpio

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajivrt (Post 3770015)

Hi, I drove my scorpio 2005 model for about 3 lac km before selling it last year, and after having driven several cars in between to decide which would be my next SUV, I am still about to zero down on a Scorpio again!

If you can manage the 3rd bench seat (i.e., the 8 seater), there is no lack of space. We could have 11 adults (10/11 used to be the routine for our office weekend getaways to the hills or the often cricket outings) and yes, the boys at the back used to squirm and complain, but fitted in nevertheless.

Thank you Rajiv for sharing your experience with your Scorp. 3 lac:Shockked: I am sure it would have been a tough time parting with your old friend

Quote:

Originally Posted by ACM (Post 3770254)

The Scoprio will perform much better than the Ertiga over rough roads. The Lodgy would be good but the Scorpio would be better.

The key difference is likely to be in the ownership of a Maruti vs a M&M. The Ertiga is likely to be totally without any issues in it's lifetime vs the Scorpio which will most likely have some issues from time to time. For many this is quite acceptable but it may note be as event less as a maruti ownership.

The New Scorpio is a vehicle with a lot of character and many things about it may make you fall in the love with it. The driving experience will be totally different from that of the Ertiga. Here the Auto guys will move out of your way and you would have superb visibility. Also the Scoprio S10 will imply features that you may not have used prior to this vehicle and you are likely to love the vehicle for those features and yet there will be times when these same feature will malfunction and you will then hate the same vehicle.

So it is to some extent about how much of character you wish to introduce into you life. You will seat like a king in the Scorpio and oversee the world and not so much in the Ertiga or the Lodgy.

The Scorpio is likely to be as reliable in general but is also likely to have minor niggles and squeaks. These irritate you too much then rethink.

Whichever vehicle you select to make it a point to keep you kid's in the second row only and preferably in a car seat. Do Not ever get tempted to have the kid in the front row as that is very dangerous in case of an accident even at a slow speed with the airbag going off in all the vehicles in question.

Parent will find entering the Ertiga easier that the Scorpio especially if they are aged but they will manage whichever vehicle you get as unlike us our parents are in general able to cope with all kinds on minor inconveniences that we find to be major.

Go with the vehicle you love more and I guess it may be the Scorpio in your case.

Thank you very much for sharing your views Sir.
You are absolutely right when you said that the parents would like the Ertiga more for the ease of use, entry/exit like a sedan, Maruti brand name, mileage(~20) and nearly 4lc less on road. My heart says go for the mighty Scorpio.

OT: While on the Ertiga TD i managed to test the ABS, handling and cornering and boy was I impressed!!! it has all the dna of a Swift and i feel its even better due to the increased wheelbase

Quote:

Originally Posted by m_upreti (Post 3771255)

Thank you very much for sharing your experience and for the detailed explanation Sir on each of my queries. I am sure I exaggerated the breaking behavior part.

Going through all the stuff on brand Scorpio available on the internet I think:
1. It managed to create a cult following
2. Many of the buyers of the new Scorpio have already been owners (of the previous gen). There is person who has owned all the 5 generations of the Scorpio
3. The owners take pride of their possession and also have some fond memories to share.

Lastly, even though I am sure i wont be able to express in words the feeling but still I will try: Once while on a long trip in my Alto (somewhere between Vijayawada and Hyderabad) i was kind of driving on the limit while negotiating a slightly uphill curve and just then a Vlx just flew by me and all the other cars( including some C seg sedans) like it were to be a plain straight road and that's when i thought I would like to own it one day. I am sure the guy on the wheel of the Scorp had lot of experience and great driving skills, it did not feel scary at all looking at the monster zip by

Quote:

Originally Posted by joybhowmik (Post 3771421)

An update.

Wow! To think that some people call today's scenario a buyer's market, when so much of follow up is needed to buy a vehicle that is explicitly advertised on the manufacturers website, and not something that is made for 007 stupid:

But I have to say, your patience and desire to own the Scorpio must be applauded clap:

All the best!

Cheers,
Vikram

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanwaranil (Post 3768291)

Mcroadster, Interesting thought. So finally did you arrive the additional cost for these goodies (necessities) ?

Unfortunately the Mahindra guys were not forthcoming with the pricing as well as their availability! The turning headlamps, although are definitely not functioning for a S4, even if upgraded.

Automatic version of the Scorpio has been recently launched, and by the pics it appears to be using the same transmission as the previous gen scorpio. Does this auto box have any adverse issues? Is it advisable to go for it or should one wait till a better auto box (same as XUV500) is offered?

Quote:

Originally Posted by windiesel (Post 3773781)

Is it advisable to go for it or should one wait till a better auto box (same as XUV500) is offered?

The 6 Speed Autobox is sourced from a company called DSI based in Australia which went into bankruptcy and subsequently got acquired by Geely automotive of China (The same chaps who own Volvo).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drivet..._International

Mahindra has switched to the transmission maker ASIN for the next generation of Autoboxes for the XUV and subsequently Scorpio also.

I think in the long run, spares and resale for this model will take a hit, so unless you are in a tearing hurry, I think it is better to wait.

Some people on this forum were fooled by the dealer and they think that the automatic box in Scorpio is sourced from Bosch. Bosch doesn't not make transmissions and has never been a vendor/supplier of transmissions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4x4addict (Post 3773924)

Absolutely spot on advice 4x4 addict. The Scorpio is a beast of a vehicle and the new version has only made it more appealing. I plan to buy an XUV soon but waiting for the A/T. I was planning to pick up the W10 and thought it made more sense to wait for the A/T with rumors of it coming out during the festive season. Do you anticipate any problems with the vehicle after going automatic and will the gearbox be more like the Scorpio, the Ssangyong or completely different. It's odd that they have the autobox for the Scorpio but omitted it out for the facelift Xuv.

I was driving to Chennai on Friday and was not in a hurry. Little or no luggage/single person and Shell fuel. Maintained speed between 60-80 KMPH on good stretch between Vaynimbadi to Vellore. I did not go into neutral and take advantage of Idle run since that would defeat the purpose. AC was a 25-26 deg C (outside was 33-34 deg C) and took advantage of the compressor short start stop cycles.

I was amazed by the mileage it returned- 20.5KMPL. Even if the fuel info is off by 1-2 KMPL. 17-18 is not bad for a car of this size and power.

My little Alto K10( earlier Version) used to give me 26-32KMPL with similar driving habits and people were amazed with the figure.

Now the secret-

I did an engine oil change at 1000KM to get rid of the machining burr and other gunk
I again did an engine oil + GB oil change at 5000KM for the rings would have gust got enough carbon to seat the pistons with mostly city (stat-stop driving) under varying loads
Finally at 10000KM I changed all 3 fluids and the the New Scorpio is as quiet as any petrol car. Barely any smoke in any type of driving condition and milage depending on driving condition and fuel quality.

While the oil quantities are also less and used oil has a number of uses including to make soap and cutting oil (and spurious 2 T oil) , I think it's more environmentally friendly to have a car that returns better FE than worry about the oil changes. If handled properly, oils can be managed better than air pollution. Please correct me on this topic.

I have attached some pictures...!!!!

Miyer what type and brand of oil did you use? Engine, gearbox and differential oil? What was the expense per service?