[padmrajravi]

I watched a lot of reviews today and all of them seem to agree on one point. The third row is the achilles heal. It can neither carry people nor luggage like similar SUVs. Wonder what prevented Mahindra from adding a few more centimeters of length to the body. The wheelbase is anyway higher than Fortuner, but the overall length is lesser. I think a few more cms in the rear would have improved the aesthetics too.

[ChetanM6]

The car looks huge and definitely this car is not a urban focused car like XUV 700. Also it misses some features and has a poor 3rd row design. But all that said , I am awaiting to test drive the petrol engine . 200 bhp and RWD!! Sounds yummy .Thanks Mahindra for still bringing products that can also be aspired by the middle class enthusiasts.

[Venkatesh]

Anand Mahindra regarding the suffix N in the Scorpio-N, can call it ScorpioN with a Sting.









Link

[Vikram9193]

There’s just something about a ladder frame that tugs at the heartstrings in a way that an XUV700 or other monocoque SUV doesn’t.

But truth be told, my back to back test drives of the Hexa and Nexon had shown me that even the Hexa with its exemplary road manners could not match the reassuring poise of a monocoque doing a 100 plus down the highway.

Compared to the Thar though, the Scorpio probably makes a more apt trade off between high speed road manners and ultimate off-road ability.

Personally though the Jimny is the ladder frame that excites me. The Gypsy is more fun on road than it has any right to be. And epic off it.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by padmrajravi

Wonder what prevented Mahindra from adding a few more centimeters of length to the body. The wheelbase is anyway higher than Fortuner, but the overall length is lesser. I think a few more cms in the rear would have improved the aesthetics too.

I guess issues concerns with increased length at the back could be:

• Increased weight at the back affecting dynamics of the SUV. Weight at the rear-extreme matters more while cornering. Dynamics of a tall vehicle are rather challenging to manage, and this one goes to 185kmph despite it's immense height (more than Fortuner, Alturas, Endeavour etc) within the limitations of the price it sells for.
• Lesser departure angle.
• Overall increase in size tends to bother those with parking issues and overall city friendliness.

I agree that the 3rd row not being split is a rather strange decision, as is to provide a hydraulic steering in the cheaper models of diesel (Z2 &Z4) only, when typically hydraulic steerings are more expensive and complicated to make.

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

How can Mahindra have two flagship products which heavily overlap each other in terms of features, engines, size and of course the price. Wouldn't Scorpio N make a dent on XUV7OO sales and vice versa?

Good to see you active, Ajay . Some extracts from an old post from the now closed thread might help:

... RC Bhargava of Maruti had effectively said long back when Maruti was set to lose the dominance it had over the market, that they will introduce many small cars to give choice to the customer from within the Maruti stables. While they may compete with each other, it would help keep the customer with Maruti.

One can expect something similar from Mahindra. To have overlapping products at competing price points, but having other differentiating characteristics.
...
Target segment:
Abuse friendly vehicle to handle poor roads and highways and be acceptably city-friendly.
Easy pocket friendly repairs across the country.
Ability to carry more passengers even if in a bit less comfort, as an affluent rural/semi-rural fellow might want; and an urbanite who often travels on poor roads might happily settle for.
Though good finish and sophistication would be desired, I don't see that being a design priority over the above points, so expect moderate interiors and finish
With learnings from XUV700, incorporating some of the nifty features into higher variants also makes sense. It might eat a bit into the lower variants of the XUV700 (those customers remain with Mahindra - a-la-RC Bhargava), it would attract some from competitors.
...
Another thought: They just might want it to also tap into buyers who like the Innova, but find it overpriced - overlapping partly with the segment between the Carens and Innova. This is a valid space for them to look into. A vehicle not built for performance, but practicality, with features added to make it more appealing - it would be an interesting VFM proposition for them. Highway focused people mover with a bit of the Stingy-Swag, possibly even with some bragging rights...

[mtk]

The Scorpio never looked or felt premium for me. But this facelift changed my opinion. This is probably the best-looking car in the sub-20L bracket at the moment. I can imagine the road presence it will claim

I hope they do have a 5-seater version. From the pictures and videos, my only issue is the way the third-row seats fold. From the back, it looks super ugly. Only if the folding was made flush with the floor.

[sidtan]

Wow! That's quite a review for just a day spent with the car. Thank you.

The Scorpio is just such a classic Indian SUV/people-mover and its nice to see it 'grow-up'.

I do also feel that Tata could have leveraged the same idea and kept an upgraded version of the classic Safari alongside the new one. The new Safari looks brilliant but I do yearn for a smarter, grown-up version of the old one simply because of how imposing it looked and how commanding the driving position was.

Anyway, back to the Scorpio-N. Love the car and it'll probably win the hearts and wallets of many of us!

[aniketi]

Nice review but I will wait for detailed T-BHP style review which will cover each and every aspect of the car. Looks like Mahindra has done tremendous job for this car and review just shows that. This is going to be a blockbuster car for next 10 years for sure.

Instead of red, Mahindra should have launched Scorpio N in Brown or navy blue shade. Red doesn't suit this car that much. Also I am keen to see how it will look in dual color, I guess it will look better.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by Sheel

we ideally would have loved to play with lowering PSI by few units and checking how it does. Recommended PSI is 34 and the SUV had 34 PSI throughout.

I would not lower the psi more than recommended PSI. A lot of R&D is done to get the pressures right based on rolling efficiency, fuel efficiency, load, contact patch for handling and braking and compound of the tyre itself.

Any lowering of PSI causes heat build up due to rubbing of the steel bands - especially in the sidewall area - which is the weakest - and damages the tyre which will eventually lead to a tyres burst - the most common reason for accidents on our highways.

I'd always err on the side of high pressure rather than lower.

A little off topic but I think it's important to share this:

A lot of folks who go for long drives with a full laden car forget to increase the psi to compensate for the increased weight or sometimes reduce the psi for either better comfort or thinking that high psi causes tyre burst (misconception).

These same folks would drive for a couple of 100kms and then stop at the next food mall on the highway to top up fuel and then as habit go and check air as well.

Under filled tyres heat up fast and PSI increases by more than 4psi. The air attendant will say, sir you are way above normal and now reduces air.

So for example if your manufacturer recommended 30psi and you started with 28, and now your psi shows 36, the air attendant is going to reduce 6. But that's going to be incorrect pressure on a hot tyre.

You start driving more and now you have an even more underfilled tyre and BAM! the tyre bursts.

So this is what I do and recommend - I will check psi on my tyres cold in the morning with my own gauge and top up air with my compressor before I do highway drives.

Now when I stop for fuel and for some reason I think I have lesser air pressure and am lazy to check on my own I will go to the air attendant and tell him to check - but with clear instructions - if the pressure is more - DO NOT REMOVE THE AIR - only if less, then top up!

Remember, higher pressure don't cause tyre bursts!

[iTNerd]

Thank you Sheel and Omkar for the quick initial impressions. Since my Skoda Yeti 4x4 got sold off last year due to 10 years restriction, I have been looking for a replacement, one that is affordable, abusable, reliable and off-roadable. And the Scorpion N seems to fit my requirements for a SUV down to the T, especially, the 4x4 MT/AT Z8 variant.

Looking forward to a detailed review in the coming days as it would help potential buyers, like me, in making a concise decision.

[purohitanuj]

Fun Fact / Joke
Mahindra needs to put its QC in place. I got a Scorpio N with right side tail light and front head light missing (in the 360 explore view). I tried refreshing/clearing cache, still the same.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

I would not lower the psi more than recommended PSI.

Any lowering of PSI causes heat build up due to rubbing of the steel bands - especially in the sidewall area - which is the weakest - and damages the tyre which will eventually lead to a tyres burst - the most common reason for accidents on our highways.

Hi Tejas!

I do get your point.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Ride - In my books, if I give the new BS-6 Fortuner and Endeavour a 6 out of 10, will give this a 3.5 / 4. The old Scorpio or the Classic at 2 out of 10. Had we got more time in our hands, we ideally would have loved to play with lowering PSI by few units and checking how it does. Recommended PSI is 34 and the SUV had 34 PSI throughout.

High speed stability - This is where it slightly bridges the gap with the D segment SUV's, there still is a gap, but, it is much improved than earlier iterations. We followed the speed limits strictly which is 120 kmph so the impression is unto that speed.

I never mentioned about lowering the PSI in the high speed stability section. While driving over bad / no road / B-roads it was pouring where tires were mostly cooled as there were pools of water everywhere & speeds were low. We could not spot a pump and wherever we did, it was not working. Ideally, I would have liked to play with a 2 PSI difference (& not more) in bad roads & would have filled it up with recommended pressure before hitting highway (post waiting a bit & letting the tire cool off).

Thanks for your detailed input on low / high / ideal tire pressure, will sure help many . Thanks.

[One]

Originally Posted by purohitanuj

Fun Fact / Joke
Mahindra needs to put its QC in place. I got a Scorpio N with right side tail light and front head light missing (in the 360 explore view). I tried refreshing/clearing cache, still the same.
Attachment 2327841

Maybe it's a feature by QC to let you know in advance what to expect in the first couple of years

[Vinay3832]

Hello Everyone! Had 2 questions:
1. Can anyone explain the watts linkage and its advantage (read somewhere that the Endeavour had this and could be one of the reasons for it's superior ride quality for a BoF SUV).
2. Is the ScorpioN a full time 4x4 and you can switch between 4H and 4L only? - Visible from the pics, but could it also be that by default it is in 2WD and Switch to 4H or 4L when required?

[Diesel4959]

One important update missing is the water wading depth it can handle. Very important for people in Chennai Also safety rating is being spoken ...probably the crash test not done yet

Originally Posted by lordrayden

Awesome review of an awesome car. Loved the detailed description of the suspension changes and how it affects the ride (which was the weak link of the earlier Scorpio).