[atluri_rkc]

Originally Posted by slylenser

Is there a way to get the message across to Mahindra? Time for a Twitter campaign?

I sent an email to customer care and the same (as expected) was forwarded to dealership service team. Initially they were clueless but when I pointed that it was done from Feb'23 manufactured vehicles, they are checking. I also shared a few online reviews where the changes have been highlighted.

Keeping low expectations low for now.

[Rahkehs]

Originally Posted by slylenser

The fact the Mahindra has so quickly modified the boot space to flatten it, suggests that the initial lot of Scorpio's were delivered in an unfinished design state. The boot of the old Scorpio N is practically unusable even after folding the rear seat due to the bump in between.

Having spent that much extra for a Z8L over a Z8, it does feel like the least Mahindra could do is offer a retrofit of that boot tray and cover. It's not available as an accessory and for those who got the Z8L only to avoid installing after-market kits, it would be comforting if the ASCs did a proper installation of the genuine kit. Is there a way to get the message across to Mahindra? Time for a Twitter campaign?

I tweeted to Mr. Mahindra regarding Roof Speaker Cover & Boot Tray and got a call back wherein I wasted my 20 mins in making the person understand firstly, about the changes that have been made discreetly, secondly Mahindra should make a recall of the earlier delivered vehicle and should fit these free of cost as these all are almost new vehicles and it is unfair!
But, the person did not understand and told me that I will get a call back from Dealership and Service Centre. I did get a call from both and was informed that they do not have any idea, so I forwarded them the images of changes made in boot on whatsapp, since then both have gone silent and I am waiting for the updates!!

[acquillew]

10,000 KM Update – First Service and Uttarakhand Drive

My ScorpioN has now completed 10000 km and I recently got the second service done. I drive a 4Explor Z8L Auto and will be describing my experience so far with the vehicle.

The Drive So Far
I have had no complaints so far from the vehicle. Mentioned earlier – I have completed 10,000 km with the vehicle after receiving the car in September 2022. This includes an equal mix of city and highway drives. The car has typical body on frame characteristics, and I feel it is excellent to drive at about 90-95 kmph. At these speeds on the highway, I have found the car to be performing at its optimum in terms of mileage and drive smoothness. Top gear hits at about 90 and the odometer stays at about 1700 RPM in 6th gear at 100 kmph. I have seen fuel economies hovering around the 15 kmpL when driving with a light foot at 90-95 kmph and around 12-12.5 in the cities. I like quick accelerations but not high speeds – and that probably is the reason why I get better economy on the highways compared to the city. The Air Conditioning is excellent and one of the best I have seen in a car. I can’t talk about the third row since that seat is hardly ever used in my car. Temperatures in Ahmedabad have started to go north of 40 degrees daily and even during that time, the car becomes cold in a couple of minutes. I keep the temperatures at 23 degrees at Auto.

I am impressed by how the car feels on patchy roads and small/large potholes. They are not a challenge for this vehicle. You don’t feel unsettled when doing 70 kmph+ when on patchy roads, small road bumps, and even small to medium potholes. The damping works well too, and you can kind of feel that it works a little too much.

Here are a few things that could have been better:
a) The bottle holders: I have had the car for 6 months now and I still can’t get a hang on how to find these bottle holders in the car without scratching my hand on the door insides. Very poor design.
b) Flat boot space: I have seen the flat boot space in the newer cars, and it looks better than my model.
c) Power socket: There is no 12V power socket in front. I bought an extender in case I want to use the air compressor for front tires.
d) Odd tire size: Almost no options if you wish to stay at the current tire size and wish to change to an AT.
e) Poor departure angle: A lot has been discussed here and I would add to that. You must be super careful with the rear of the car when on tough terrain.

Dealership and Service
When I bought the car, I was skeptical about Mahindra – heard too many horror stories from YouTubers and elsewhere. My experience so far has been good and excellent. I had a pleasant sales experience and have had several conversations with the dealership after sales. My service experience was excellent too and I paid about INR 3500 for the service. Second key assignment took a while but all tasks during the service were completed carefully with attention to detail. Car was cleaned and delivered post service.

Long Mountain Drive
I took the car last December to Uttarakhand. Unfortunately, 2022 did not see snow even in the higher reaches of the Himalayas, and I could not test the car in snow. But I enjoyed driving the car. The climbs are nothing for the engine and there is enough torque available even if you wish to overtake when on a climb. The automatic gearbox is no DSG but is quick and smooth. Since the 4Explore always stays in the Zoom mode, the gearshifts happen at 2000 RPM. Downhills, the car could do with more engine braking in lower gears. I found that the car keeps speeding even though very slightly when downhill and you have to slow it down using the brakes or shifting manually to a lower gear. I got an average of 10.5 kmpL (Rishikesh – Ukhimath – Chopta – Joshimath – Tapovan - Rishikesh) whereas my overall trip mileage was around 15 kmpL for my drive from Ahmedabad. Passengers were extremely comfortable during the journey. I did remove the rear seats to pack luggage for the trip. At Joshimath, the early morning temperatures were subzero and the car started in one crank.

Despite the shortcomings which are too glaring IMO, and should not be present in this car, I think I love the vehicle. I like the road presence and everyday after parking it in office, I do turn back and look back at it.

[siddarthab]

Has anyone changed to AT Tyres for Z8 4X4 Manual? If yes, what are the options available with prices that you may have seen.

Also, Facebook groups have mentioned cost of 17 inch alloys to be as low as 10000/- each whereas Dealer is quoting 68000/- for four. Any heads up on this will be appreciated. I am from Kolkata.

Thanks in advance.

[krinpit]

Reposting in this forum {Mods may take appropriate action in case of violation of guidelines}

Can someone shed light on the current warranty being offered on the Scorpio-N? And under what circumstances should one subscribe to the same?


TIA

[sallubhai]

Originally Posted by acquillew

I did remove the rear seats to pack luggage for the trip.

Thanks for your 10000 km review, feeling lot more confident now. My delivery is very near. Please share if you have any picture of the boot space after removal of third row of seats?

[Rahkehs]

Originally Posted by acquillew

10,000 KM Update – First Service and Uttarakhand Drive

My ScorpioN has now completed 10000 km and I recently got the second service done. I drive a 4Explor Z8L Auto and will be describing my experience so far with the vehicle.
-----------------------
d) Odd tire size: Almost no options if you wish to stay at the current tire size and wish to change to an AT.
-----------------------

Continental has launched AX6 AT tires in the size 255/60 R18!

[clearmusiclover]

I am trying to decide between Z6 D AT and Z8 D AT.

In Z8, I like all the features except leather seats; I prefer fabric seats for the comfort they offer.
Z6 works for me in most cases except the hard plastics on side panel and dash. I also like the idea of this variant being VFM.

The primary differences (that matter to me) are -
Fabric seats, Leather side panels, Rear camera, Chrome elements on the front grill, LED head/tail lamps, DRLs and LED fog lamps, alloy wheels

Q1) How much of a difference does leather vs. fabric make for comfort? Please consider both city driving and long journeys on highways. Also, consider summer heat vs. the rest of seasons.

Q2) How much of a difference does the hard plastic make? I believe that is irreplaceable as opposed to other aspects of Z6 (that can be replaced/added) like steel wheels, rear camera, etc

Q3) How much of a difference do alloys make for wheels? Is it basically a look and feel factor or does it help otherwise?

[clearmusiclover]

Please help me decide between AT and MT for Scorpio N diesel.
This is especially directed at Bangalore folks who struggle through traffic for city commute.

Q1) How much of a difference has an AT made to your city commutes?

Q2) Would it become too boring to drive an AT once you hit highways?

Q3) Did you ever get the feeling that you are missing an MT and that opportunity is gone forever (assuming I can afford only 1 car)?

[KumarS]

Originally Posted by clearmusiclover

I am trying to decide between Z6 D AT and Z8 D AT.

I would suggest Z8.

You can have some jugad for the seat comfort, like breathable addons as battery operated ventilation, memory foam cushion etc.
You will not have to worry about anything apart from front sensors and camera.

From all visual and lighting miss in z6, two crucial downgrades are auto AC and airbags.
These things can't be retrofitted.

I had booking for both and have now only Z6 which I wish was otherwise.

BTW, take AT considering city usecase.

[kushgandhi]

Originally Posted by slylenser

it would be comforting if the ASCs did a proper installation of the genuine kit. Is there a way to get the message across to Mahindra? Time for a Twitter campaign?

Originally Posted by atluri_rkc

I sent an email to customer care and the same (as expected) was forwarded to dealership service team. Initially they were clueless but when I pointed that it was done from Feb'23 manufactured vehicles, they are checking.

Originally Posted by Rahkehs

I did get a call from both and was informed that they do not have any idea, so I forwarded them the images of changes made in boot on whatsapp, since then both have gone silent and I am waiting for the updates!!

As a Day 1 delivery customer I too was upset about the space management in the boot and even I feel that Mahindra should offer a genuine kit for 2022 manf models.

I reached out to my dealership and I am lucky to have a service station that is knowledgable and actually listens to the customer. It took them less than a minute to find the part and it was immediately ordered by the dealership. Although I will have to pay for it (around 3000/-) I feel this will be a much needed upgrade for the boot management and will allow me to carry extra tools that I always have in my car without them dangling with the luggage.

Below is the part number that you can show to Mahindra for ordering this for your car.

[Rahkehs]

Originally Posted by kushgandhi

As a Day 1 delivery customer I too was upset about the space management in the boot and even I feel that Mahindra should offer a genuine kit for 2022 manf models.

...................

Below is the part number that you can show to Mahindra for ordering this for your car.

Attachment 2442037

Thank You, I have also forwarded this part no. to the Service Centre, did you enquire about the covers for the roof speakers whether retrofitting is possible?

[kushgandhi]

Originally Posted by Rahkehs

Thank You, I have also forwarded this part no. to the Service Centre, did you enquire about the covers for the roof speakers whether retrofitting is possible?

I have asked for the foam cover of the speakers as well but that was not there in the catalogue. But the dealer has said they will keep an eye on this particular thing.

[Mustang Sammy]

Background:
My 2020 Petrol S-Cross (Chetak) had been a faithful companion for the past 2.5 years, and had almost 40,000 km under his timing belt. However, his build quality was starting to show. Rattles were creeping in, and the lack of safety features was glaring in comparison to his peers: no ESC, traction control, only 2 airbags. The saving grace was the all-disc brakes setup. His suspensions had also started to degrade from the 20k mark, and 3 sets of Maruti service centers
The kids were also bigger and more boisterous than before, and space was becoming tight, especially when the entire family piled into the vehicle.
Despite my middle-class genes rebelling against it, and the numerous admonitions from the Maharathis on this forum to keep one's steed for as long as possible, it was clear that Chetak was running out of room. His engine was fine, and the AT was responsive enough to be able to zip through traffic, and he was just the perfect combination of size and power to be suitable for both city traffic and the highways. If the suspensions were better, and he had better safety features and AWD, we would likely have managed with the tight space and kept him till the end of his days.

The Search & Selection:
Since the end of the IC engine era is nigh, and diesels are heading to the chopping block first, it was decided that the next vehicle needs to be a proper SUV with a diesel mill, with 4WD for the OP to indulge his midlife crisis urge to go offroading. AT was a must, as were safety features like ESC, traction control, 6 airbags, all-disc brakes and a good NCAP rating. A good sound system was also mandatory.

Started checking out the various options available. Options considered are summarized below:

Very high level and lazy summary

After a careful consideration of the above options, a few test drives, long hard look at the bank balance, and channeling my inner Rohit Shetty, the ScorpioN was selected by me unanimously. The Z8 D-AT 4WD Napoli Black was immediately booked online, with the expectation of a loooong wait, by when most of the bugs would have hopefully been ironed out.

The Delivery, more painful than a C-section
As luck would have it, one day yours truly received a call from Voldemort, aka the dealer who shall not be named. They had a Z8L available in Black, for immediate delivery, due to a booking cancelation. They demanded immediate payment so the car could be blocked for me. My desi fraud detector went on high alert, considering the backlog was so long that Virat Kohli has booked one for his grandkids. A call was promptly placed to my buddy at M&M, who asked me to stay put while he checked things out. The dealer kept applying his pressure tactics, and was given the below response. (Un)surprisingly he stayed put.

After the vehicle was confirmed to be genuine by my buddy, I checked out the VIN and verified the vehicle was a Feb 2023 unit, and inspected it in the extremely dusty stockyard. Once again the dealer asked me to make a decision, but I insisted on a proper PDI after the vehicle was cleaned up. After their usual litany of excuses, another escalation call resulted in the shiny black version being made available for inspection. Seeing him in his glory, the name "Vader" sprung to mind, and was enthusiastically embraced by the parivar.
The trusty TBHP PDI checklist was invoked, and the vehicle passed unconditionally. Thanks once again to the veterans for creating and maintaining this comprehensive guide for us non-experts.
The only accessories selected were the 7D mats, mudflaps, sun shades and corner protectors. Not a chrome fan, so skipped the bling, and might in fact de-chrome some parts down the line.
Now the wait began. Once the money was paid, the dealer started dragging his feet, saying some "booking adjustment" had to be made in the back end. A week went by, then another, with no updates. The n=n+1 formula started wearing thin, resulting in a call to the dealer management threatening some khaki action. This resulted in the final invoice showing up in my inbox within an hour, the registration formalities getting done in 4 days, and the car delivered at the end of the week with much pomp and ceremony. Upon closer inspection, sticky tape residue on some of the chrome, the front tires under-inflated and a poorly installed rear mud-flap (2 screws missing) was observed, resulting in another yelling session, and the vehicle was again sent off to the dealer to be fixed.
Beginning of a beautiful friendship, it was not. Lets see how it goes longer term.

This key is NOT included

Meet the parents

Chetak was sold off within 10 days of Vader's arrival. The dealer offered a ridiculous trade-in value, and so did Cars24. Spinny & OLX were a lot more reasonable, and the vehicle was picked up by the latter after a few days negotiation. The process was seamless and very professionally managed, and worth the loss of any potential upside from selling to an unknown individual.

Initial Impressions of Vader:

The kids approve of him, so I can breathe a sigh of relief.

The official review (Mahindra Scorpio-N Review) is far more comprehensive, and is gratefully acknowledged. Below is what I have observed, warts and all.

Exterior:
The vehicle has PRESENCE. After driving crossovers, sedans and coupes all my life, it is an experience to be floating above them all. People also treat it with a lot more respect, including autorickshaw drivers, thanks to the tough looking front face. The doors, hood, handles, mirrors are all solidly constructed and reassuringly heavy, especially compared to the Maruti. Roof rails are sturdy and load bearing, as befits a vehicle in this class. Front and rear tow hook points (and tow hooks) are included and easily accessible. The engine hood is well insulated and HEAVY - hydraulic struts are missed.
The headlight throw is not the best though, and will likely present a problem when driving in dark areas. No rear fog lamps.
ORVMs are large and auto-fold/unfold upon locking the car/starting it up. Haven't figure out a way to do this manually in the tight situations of urban India and on narrow mountain roads.

Interior:
It is extremely spacious and airy on the inside, more so thanks to the large windows. The sunroof is well positioned and sized. This car doesn't need a panoramic one IMHO.
The 2nd row is spacious enough for 3 adults, with more than enough legroom. Interior lamps are powerful and provide sufficient illumination. Only 1 cupholder in the front row! The front passenger will have to stay sleepy, unless (s)he is quite intimate with the driver. Storage space in the doors is reasonable, but the interior compartments are small, including the cooled glove box, which feels flimsy to the touch.
The 3rd row tumbles forward easily, although the final position is TERRIBLY Designed, resulting in much wasted space.

Driving:
Handling is extremely easy for such a bulky vehicle. The steering is light and responsive, and there are plenty of horses available for any quick maneuvers. Haven't yet let the engine go beyond 2000 rpm, staying within 80-85 kmph. The transmission is well mated to the engine, although it does tend to stay in 4th gear for longer than I would like, even between 60-70kmph.
Fuel economy is at 10kmpl so far, thanks to mostly driving on the cratered surface of LBS Road & the Eastern Crawl Highway.

Features:
Features are a-plenty in this behemoth, and most are thoughtfully designed.

Driving & Safety: ESC, Traction Control, All-disc brakes, 6 airbags, Cruise control, hill hold & descent control. auto headlamps, rain sensing wipers, front foglamps, rear wipers. TPMS, auto start stop (is this even a feature ), front and rear bumper sensors, front and rear cameras, driver drowsiness detection

Some more Pics:

Not a fan of Mahindra (over)badging. Prefer the more understated Jeep and VAG style


Welcome to the family

Interior Comfort: 6-way adjustable power drivers seat with manual (sigh) lumbar adjustment, Motorized sunroof, 12 speaker music system with immersive surround and ability to localize the output for when passengers need to rest, Dual zone AC for front row, 2nd row AC with fan speed control (no temperature control), wireless charging, 2 USB points in the front and 1 USB-c point for the 2nd row, illuminated driver side window buttons

The MID has a yuuuge number of options, including the ability to set the volume and tones of the various sounds, an alert window for matters that need immediate attention, multiple trip meters, real time fuel efficiency and range monitoring (have to compare against tankful method) with the ability to set it for auto-reset upon filling up and a mini navigation screen.
both
Have not really explored the Infotainment screen much, but don't have much to say that is positive. It has inbuilt navigation from MapmyIndia, Bluetooth audio connectivity and radio with ability to pre-program stations. Apple CarPlay is missing though, despite being advertised on the brochure. Not acceptable, Mahindra, considering how integrated our phones and their apps are into our daily lives, and when even sub-10L cars come equipped with this feature.
The front camera allows capture of images real time and storing them locally, in the off chance of an accident on our ultra-safe roads.

Barely enough space in the parking spot

Now let's get the Number of this Beast. What is making the light saber sputter?
Some points are repeated from the first post, which indicates either how strongly I feel about them, or sheer laziness and lack of proofreading ability.

Design:

• Rear View Mirror: Very small and clunky to use. No auto dimming capability is unacceptable at this price point
• Request sensor unlocks all doors, and not just the driver side door. Even my old S-Cross was better set up. The Fob can be programmed to open only driver side door, but this is a miss.
• No Cruise "Cancel" button. Have to press the brakes
• No Apple CarPlay. Cannot highlight this enough
• Integrated navigation uses MapmyIndia. There is a reason every. single. person. I know uses Google maps. The navigation directions are often hilariously bad. eg driving from Colaba to Thane in the evening it asked us to exit the Eastern Freeway at Wadala
• A LOT more storage needed, including the glove box and the storage compartment between the driver and passenger.
• The rear wheel jack point is VERY awkwardly located and hard to access using the provided jack. Will need an electric jack.
• Rear wiper coverage is too small.
• The 3rd row tumble position has been mentioned before, by many people already.
• Lumbar support doesn't work for me at least.

Bugs:

• Auto Start Stop: The feature is quite choosy about when to activate. It sometimes does not work when the car has been driven for a while and is nice and cool, and sometimes turns on when the car has barely been started with the AC on full blast, serving us a stream of hot summer air in the process. If I disable it while the car is stopped with engine off, not only does it NOT turn on immediately, it stays shut off even when I release the brakes. Have to put the car in park and restart the engine. Also shows oil low alert when active, which is kinda scary to see on a new car. The restart is also quits sluggish, which may be a diesel thing. NONE of the above issues were present in my old S-Cross which had the same feature.

Auto Stop is not the same as engine shut off, or is it?

• Front sensors randomly activate and deactivate: does not always follow the status of the included activation button
• Front and Rear Cameras: Very laggy and resolution is not the best. Once both stopped working for several hours despite restarting the car multiple times (the Windows best practice).
• Bluetooth Music: Music from the phone often doesn't play when it is charging via USB. When it does work, the response is sluggish, and control of the music randomly shifts between the device and the Infotainment screen. The screen is also creative with what it chooses to display when a particular song is playing, as can be seen below.

Since Eminem is not in the picture, I guess it IS the song "Without Me"

• The ORVMs occasionally refuse to unfold after starting the car. The first time it happened was in the presence of a valet, who seemed to know his way around this buggy implementation, and was able to quickly get them to open up.

To their credit, M&M have responded to these issues and will be taking the vehicle for a software check and update. Will keep the forum updated.

[Zinger_Winger]

Congratulations on getting the BEASTLY Daddy, Sammy!

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy

Fuel economy is at 10kmpl so far, thanks to mostly driving on the cratered surface of LBS Road & the Eastern Crawl Highway.

Buddy! If Eastern Crawl Highway is Crawl then Western Slumber Highway is akin to going asleep, between the Airport to Oberoi Mall patch, it's literal HELL! I recently shifted to the Western side and am sort of regretting my decision now. Bitterly missing the Central Railways and Eastern Crawl Highway.

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy

[*]Integrated navigation uses MapmyIndia. There is a reason every. single. person. I know uses Google maps. The navigation directions are often hilariously bad. eg driving from Colaba to Thane in the evening it asked us to exit the Eastern Freeway at Wadala

That's a constant gripe of mine, the MMI navigation is downright pathetic, it just keeps changing the routes midway and leads you off-route in the middle of a route you've already taken. Stopped using it altogether. Google Maps needs to be allowed to installed, considering the infotainment system is Android based.

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy

Bugs:

• Auto Start Stop: The feature is quite choosy about when to activate. It sometimes does not work when the car has been driven for a while and is nice and cool, and sometimes turns on when the car has barely been started with the AC on full blast, serving us a stream of hot summer air in the process.

Very very irritating feature! Worst part is that it doesn't remember if it's been switched off before and extremely frustratingly keeps getting turned on whenever the car is switched off and on.

Another one of my really major gripes is the car just cannot remember the drive modes that are set and keeps resetting back to Zap mode every single time you restart the car.

M&M seriously needs to work on some sort of memory mode incorporation that remembers the last settings for Auto-Start-Stop and Drive modes. Other than that and the mediocre service experience at NBS Goregaon, the mHawk brothers are gems.