[The Rainmaker]

I would strongly suggest going in for an Isuzu D-Max V Cross in that price range. You get real Japanese workmanship and the quality of the engine, drivetrain, transmission, interiors, paint etc. will be head and shoulders above these Indian manufacturers. And given your requirements of traveling to all those places, this is probably the best truck in that price range. Alternatively, you can also consider a pre-owned Pajero Sport for way lesser price than that.

Honestly, I'm done with Korean and Indian manufacturers. Since I've worked on almost all cars available in India, I've come to the conclusion that Indian manufacturers are the worst in terms of quality, fit, finish and performance. Koreans are better but still way below Japanese and Germans. At the end of the day it's your money. So you gotta decide who you want to pay your hard earned money to. Also, do remember Indian manufacturers do not spend that kind of money on R&D and the end consumer is the guinea pig, so unless you want to be a test subject for them, buying a Tata or a Mahindra really doesn't make sense.

[Kosfactor]

A series of videos from Evo magazine on how it's like to live with.

https://youtu.be/2WgA1YNrfJc

https://youtu.be/MyZ_K3mq2gY

https://youtu.be/UiTb8ncJzeU

[Cresterk]

After a lot of thought, I have decided to book the ScorpioN diesel AT 4x4 right on opening day. I couldn't bring myself to buy the Thar due to it essentially being a two seater and a bit too barebones for comfort. The XUV700 and the Safari are not proper offroad vehicles and honestly, I just don't like the design of the XUV. The Safari looks great and I tried to compromise on the 4wd part but my attempt to buy it had ended in disaster. The only thing left to decide now is whether to get the Z8 or Z8L variant. From what I can see, the Z8L commands a 2 lakh premium over the regular Z8 and for that you get a wireless charger, basic powered driver seat, front parking sensors, front camera, 12 speaker Sony Audio system and driver drowsiness detection. In Kerala, Z8 is priced at 28l onroad and the Z8L at 30.5l after taxes. That is a difference of 2.5 lakhs or approximately 9% more than the Z8.

I do not see how any of these justify a 2.5 lakh premium. The powered seats are only for the driver and more importantly, are just 6 directions, not like the powered seats in premium cars so that feature is basically a gimmick. I have been using a cheap wireless charger I got from amazon for about 1k for years now without any issues on my current car so that is yet another unimportant feature. The front parking sensors are actually useful but is it really worth 2.5l more? Probably not. Front camera resolution is poor, it looks worse than my hyundai and I don't see how it would add much value to my life unlike a rear camera. The Sony audio system could be nice and is probably the only thing that is worth this hefty price but I will reserve judgement until I manage to hear the sound quality of both the normal Z8 and the Z8L. Anyone who has experienced both, feel free to chime in. Drowsiness detection is another gimmick I don't care about.

I don't mind the 4l premium charged for 4x4 (24l vs 28l onroad) because the 4x4 is the main thing making the Scorpio relevant over the countless options in this price range. If you are getting the RWD, then you are basically getting a heavier, slower, inefficient car with less space as compared to a XUV700 or even the Tata safari or harrier for no reason. All the people wondering why they should be bothered to buy the ScorpioN compared to the XUV700 would be correct if the scorpioN didn't come with serious offroading hardware.


I would have mindlessly paid the 2.5l+ premium for the top most Z8L model if it included:

1. The more powerful engine tune from the XUV
2. Proper electric seats for both driver and passenger with 8 or 12 way adjustment. Or they could have just given manual but ventilated seats which are pretty useful.
3. Electronic parking brake with auto hold. Very practical feature I loved in the safari. Mainly because I have found myself absent minded forgetting to pull the handbrake up sometimes. Also, its just so much more convenient to just slot into park/drive and have your car automatically engage or disengage the handbrake for you.
4. A full digital instrument cluster. Though this is pretty low on my list. I think the good current cluster looks good and the MID displaying navigation is more than enough.
5. A proper panoramic sunroof. Honestly just having a panoramic sunroof would have made me fork over the 2.5l even if nothing else. Normal small sunroof doesn't have that premium appeal or even much use if we are being honest. They could have deleted the small sunroof altogether in the Z8 and I wouldn't have been disappointed.
6. Different DRLs to differentiate it from the z8?

Honestly, they should have just added all this and called it the Z9.

[dew]

Originally Posted by Ulysses

Today I got to TD Scorpio N at India Garage, Mysuru. Initially I got a message from the Sales guy that Z4 MT 4WD is available, but when I reached dealership for TD, it was mysteriously absent. When inquired, I was told that the vehicle has gone for service . Anyway, since I wanted to experience how the MT works in Scorpio N, I drove the Z4 Diesel MT version in green color.

Z4? I have not seen any lower variant yet, online or offline. How was the interior? The dashboard was like the top end z8?

Please share if you took any pics, Thanks

[ajayc123]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

After a lot of thought, I have decided to book the ScorpioN diesel AT 4x4 right on opening day.
...

Very well articulated thought process, about focusing on the core, which is the driving aspects, and rejecting the low value features at a high cost.

In another post, it was quite amusing to see a poster reaching a decision on a 30L plus car between two brands solely on the static features, like headlamps, music system, etc, without any analysis about the drivability aspects.

[Car Stalker]

Originally Posted by Ulysses

Anyway, since I wanted to experience how the MT works in Scorpio N, I drove the Z4 Diesel MT version in green color.

5. Also, even with 370 nm of torque, I could not experience the pressed-back-to-seat kind of pulling effect, while speeding up in low gears. It pulls, but rather uneventfully. Here also Duster 110 ps a bit more exhilarating.

Scorpio N Z4 Diesel comes with 130bhp and 300 nm of torque.

Originally Posted by naru80

I think the Z2 (petrol) makes the most sense for those on a budget.

What do you think of the Z2 diesel ? Will the 130 bhp /300 nm torque be a very poor heart for a car of this size ? FE will be the best among all variants without a doubt.

[naru80]

Originally Posted by Car Stalker

What do you think of the Z2 diesel ? Will the 130 bhp /300 nm torque be a very poor heart for a car of this size ? FE will be the best among all variants without a doubt.

You can Td a higher spec diesel and drive in the Zip mode. That can give an indication.

Z2/Z4 diesel manual produces an output of 130bhp at 3,750rpm. The Zip mode will produce an output of 136bhp.

Zap and Zoom produce 172bhp.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Car Stalker

What do you think of the Z2 diesel ? Will the 130 bhp /300 nm torque be a very poor heart for a car of this size ? FE will be the best among all variants without a doubt.

It is probably a bad idea to compare such things on paper and then put money on a car. A Bolero with its small 1.5L engine and ~ 75 bhp can run at triple digit speeds all day and then run up and down Jeep trails.

Try the Thar with that same 130bhp engine, not much difference in weight anyways.

[krinpit]

Greetings,

Can someone share the Booking process tomorrow? What I mean is all the details that need to be kept in handy to try and make it to the top 25000.

Thanks in advance

[rahulya007]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

The only thing left to decide now is whether to get the Z8 or Z8L variant. From what I can see, the Z8L commands a 2 lakh premium over the regular Z8 and for that you get a wireless charger, basic powered driver seat, front parking sensors, front camera, 12 speaker Sony Audio system and driver drowsiness detection.

I guess along with all that you mentioned, Z8L comes with 18" alloys and tires where as in Z8 it is 17" and that too in AT. Z8 MT still gets steel rims i guess. Though it seems to be 1" difference, the tire and rim prices also adds to the cost. I am not trying to justify the price but just adding a point.

Originally Posted by Cresterk

I have been using a cheap wireless charger I got from amazon for about 1k for years now without any issues on my current car so that is yet another unimportant feature.

Can you post a pic how this is done, would be interesting to know.

Originally Posted by Cresterk

Front camera resolution is poor, it looks worse than my hyundai and I don't see how it would add much value to my life unlike a rear camera.

I think, what we are seeing are the pre-production units which have this grainy view. looks like with a software update, this issue should be sorted.

Originally Posted by Cresterk

3. Electronic parking brake with auto hold. Very practical feature I loved in the safari. Mainly because I have found myself absent mindedly forgetting to pull the handbrake up sometimes. Also, its just so much more convenient to just slot into park/drive and have your car automatically engage or disengage the handbrake for you.

I don't think electronic parking brake is useful in an off-roader as they often have a water wading depth of 500-600 mm and in such cases, the electronic motors are prone to get submerged in water and malfunction. Some things are always good in a mechanical way. Have read some threads of electronic parking brake motors jamming during the last year south India rains where many cars got submerged in basement parking. Safari, XUV7OO are not meant for that purpose hence the electronic brake can make sense on the feature list.

Again, owing to scooped top, there is no panoramic sunroof. Also this could cause issues during serious off-roading as there could be stresses on the whole body during articulated drives over surfaces..

[XRoader_001]

Press release from Mahindra for All-New Scorpio-N bookings details announced.

Key Highlights:

Bookings commence on 30th July 2022, 11 am onwards, online and at Mahindra Dealerships

Customers can book their desired variant of Scorpio-N with a booking amount of ₹21,000

The deliveries of the Scorpio-N will begin during the forthcoming festive season, starting 26 September 2022.

[atluri_rkc]

Originally Posted by krinpit

Greetings,

Can someone share the Booking process tomorrow? What I mean is all the details that need to be kept in handy to try and make it to the top 25000.

Thanks in advance

Log in to the cart and be ready to press the "book now" button. Ensure you have good mobile network and internet connectivity. As experienced by many during XUV700, delay from payment gateway could be the deal breaker - OTP could also be an issue.

Good luck. Basis what I heard from a couple of distributors (these are genuine connects) this morning, the demand is overwhelming (not surprising) and they are also worried if they can manage more than 10 allotments. So, I am keeping my fingers crossed.

[Harshavarthan]

Which is the preferred way to book? Is it through the dealer or we do it ourselves online? Do the dealer get any preference?

[krinpit]

Thanks,

Do we need to input additional information as part of the booking process? They just have the Name, Email ID and Phone on record.

Thanks. Keeping fingers crossed. :-)

Originally Posted by atluri_rkc

Good luck. Basis what I heard from a couple of distributors (these are genuine connects) this morning, the demand is overwhelming (not surprising) and they are also worried if they can manage more than 10 allotments. So, I am keeping my fingers crossed.

[sunnsood]

Originally Posted by Harshavarthan

Which is the preferred way to book? Is it through the dealer or we do it ourselves online? Do the dealer get any preference?

If you absolutely want it, go for both. For dealers its easier than us where we need to enter card details and OTP and what not.