[Leoshashi]

A used Grand Vitara 2.4 MT/2.0MT would be my ideal choice, for its great off-roading capability and creature comforts on offer. It is actually a glorified and refined Gypsy. But it is very hard to find a good example.
A brand new Thar with AC, hardtop and winches is also a good choice. Plus the economy of diesel.

Do keep us posted.

Regards,
Shashi

[GTO]

Ah, the search for that 'perfect SUV'

Honestly, you'll need to give in on some area (price, space etc.).

You obviously aren't looking at hardcore offroading, hence I wholeheartedly recommend the Duster AWD to you. It's got superb ground clearance, healthy approach / departure angles and is supremely comfortable on bad roads. Add all-terrain tyres, polish up on your offroading skills and you'll be amazed at the places its capable of taking you. The Duster is smaller + lighter than the Scorpio / Safari / Fortuner and therefore, far more agile. It's capable enough for the requirements of 90% of folk out there. Why I recommend the Duster AWD here? Because it's good on tarmac too and is easier to drive / live with than the large body-on-frames.

Another option I'd consider is the XUV500 AWD.

If you absolutely need more 4x4 capability, a well-maintained pre-owned Pajero, Grand Vitara (hard to find) or Fortuner might fit in your budget.

Originally Posted by manupriyam

So forget about true off-roading, these so called sub 20 lacs 4X4 are even struggling on basic off beat track.

Don't make your judgement based on youtube videos. Search through Team-BHP; owners of these SUVs have a done a lot more with their SUVs than you'd believe.

End of the day, whether you make it out of a rough patch or not depends as much on the driver as his vehicle.

[manupriyam]

Originally Posted by YaeJay

I would rate driver skills on any 4X2, 4X4, AWD etc. than any of the vehicles that are available. like most of us here would suggest, have two sets of wheels. There is a wealth of information right here on this website. Dig deeper. Happy Birding!

Yes, I agree on the driver skills. Many a times I have seen birders getting stuck in their Innova's and water tanker drivers get them out. But second set of wheels are out. Rather upgrade my lens

Originally Posted by gypsyFreak

I would suggest you first drive Scorpio/Storme in 4 low mode, then you will realise the potential of 4x4. A simple test could be try climbing a steep footpath from standstill position in 4x2 and 4x4.

Agree. First I need to find a test to understand 4x4 capability

Originally Posted by GTO

You obviously aren't looking at hardcore offroading, hence I wholeheartedly recommend the Duster AWD to you. It's got superb ground clearance, healthy approach / departure angles and is supremely comfortable on bad roads. Add all-terrain tyres, polish up on your offroading skills and you'll be amazed at the places its capable of taking you. The Duster is smaller + lighter than the Scorpio / Safari / Fortuner and therefore, far more agile. It's capable enough for the requirements of 90% of folk out there. Why I recommend the Duster AWD here? Because it's good on tarmac too and is easier to drive / live with than the large body-on-frames.

Another option I'd consider is the XUV500 AWD.

Exactly what I am greeting inclined to as well. Duster option looks promising but price is touching other bigger SUVs.

[shankar.balan]

If the Duster were available in AWD avatar with Petrol engine then I guess it would be a good choice. Mainly on account of the quietness of the engine. It is a great car and as many have said, far more agile and far likely to be good off road, than any other other heavier "people carrier" SUV's. However, certainly NOT in its Diesel engine avatar.

For that matter so is the Yeti an excellent choice because it is highly capable etc - but it does have a clattery VW Diesel which rules it out.

If the Ford EcoSport would be offered to an enthusiastic audience, with its beautiful little gem of the 1 litre EcoBoost engine along with AWD, then that would be near perfect.

As of now, if you have the money, then the Grand Vitara is probably the only vehicle which fits.

Else, as I ve said before, it is only a Gypsy which can do the job in a "near perfect" manner.

All the Diesel variants fail because however refined they may be, they still announce their arrival a long way away, on account of their terrible diesel clatter. You can hear even a gear change on a quiet night, from many many miles away as I can testify from personal experience, because the kind of quiet that one experiences when one goes off to plantation country has to be experienced to be believed.

With the noise that all these Diesels make, no bird worth his salt will hang about to be photographed!

[sudev]

Originally Posted by Samurai

It is mentioned in the official review of DMax.

Same thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/commer...u-d-max-5.html

White plate is possible. The one I drove was white plate. Did not ask details of how he managed that.

[Samurai]

Hmm, you need a court order...

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/commer...ml#post3534462

[nilanjanray]

A fellow wildlife enthusiast here, thought not a birder. I do take my vehicle inside forests wherever possible.

If you are going to take the vehicle inside the forest on bad trails, I would recommend a 4WD with low range. Peace of mind, less wear and tear on the vehicle.

I was in Satpura National Park last year, just after the park opened. Many trails were unprepared, or not yet ready. The low range helped a lot.

I have had similar experiences in the Himalayas, around Sitabani (near Corbett) in the buffer zones of many Central Indian forests, and in the Nilgiris too.

[rajneeesh]

The newly launched Scorpio has 4WD option. It is about a week since it was launched. Any body try the 4WD variant and if so how does it fare? It has a decent engine and is significantly lighter than Storme. With the new suspension set up and the new chassis it it any good. It is also lower priced than the Storme VX 4WD and the Duster AWD.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

It has a decent engine and is significantly lighter than Storme.

Mahindra does not advertise the Kerb Weight of the Scorpio, but various sources seem to indicate a kerb weight of 2,050 kg for the 4x4 (LX, previous version), which is about 45kg lighter than the Storme. If that is true, how exactly is it 'significantly lighter'?

[sudev]

New Scorpio also have very low ground clearance of just 165mm.

@Nilanjanray : Low Gear and open diffs vs Intelli AWD rearing its head here. A winch add on is a safest option.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

The newly launched Scorpio has 4WD option.

The earlier iteration too had a 4WD, but with new suspension etc, I am sure it will prove to a different thing to drive (not being specific about going off-road)

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

It is about a week since it was launched. Any body try the 4WD variant and if so how does it fare? It is also lower priced than Duster AWD.

For that we have to wait for the Team-BHP Official Review. And Duster is not priced higher, Duster is priced at 12.99 ex-showroom & the S10 variant is priced at 13.05 ex-showroom.

Yes, it is cheaper than the Storme.

Originally Posted by sudev

New Scorpio also have very low ground clearance of just 165mm.

Sir jee, that is the same GC which my Figo has and I am changing the car just because of GC issues.

M&M plays with the GC on paper. In, on the road scenarios, I have tried to scrape the Scorpio's bottom, but have failed and unintentionally, have scraped the Yeti's multiple times. The center protruding part (center differential? as well as dampers) might be a hamper on trails, but I believe, that is it.

[sudev]

Remember Sheel the older Scorpio had 180 (185??) clearance.

You are right that it is not just GC but the combination of wheelbase and GC - break over angle - that is important.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by sudev

New Scorpio also have very low ground clearance of just 165mm.

@Nilanjanray : Low Gear and open diffs vs Intelli AWD rearing its head here. A winch add on is a safest option.

That is very low. So focus is towards improving road manners...which makes sense for Mahindra.

Yes, a winch is safest - self winch setup, since one is sometimes alone in the forest, and there might not be mobile signal. But I was thinking of a stock vehicle when I commented.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by sudev

Remember Sheel the older Scorpio had 180 (185??) clearance.

180mm Sudev.

However, the bigger advantage was that it was 180mm above the ground at the diff, the rigid mudflaps and the footboards. Removing the footboards and the mudflaps coupled with slightly careful driving to avoid hitting the diff would almost give it 210mm.

Sadly, the newer Scorpio is lower at the front bumper which is more complex to remove during/for an off-road stint.

[rajneeesh]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Mahindra does not advertise the Kerb Weight of the Scorpio, but various sources seem to indicate a kerb weight of 2,050 kg for the 4x4 (LX, previous version), which is about 45kg lighter than the Storme. If that is true, how exactly is it 'significantly lighter'?

Steeroid,

The official Mahindra Scorpio website gives the GVW at 2550 KG for the four wheel drive version. However if you check the Autocar review by Shapur Kotwal the vehicle weight mentioned is 1750 - 1820 kg. if this is correct then the new vehicle is indeed significantly lighter.

Originally Posted by Sheel

The earlier iteration too had a 4WD, but with new suspension etc, I am sure it will prove to a different thing to drive (not being specific about going off-road)
For that we have to wait for the Team-BHP Official Review. And Duster is not priced higher, Duster is priced at 12.99 ex-showroom & the S10 variant is priced at 13.05 ex-showroom.

Sheel, I have not gone through the official price list but by the price listed by AutoCar magazine . As per them it is priced at at Rs 12.54 lakh ex showroom Mumbai for Scorpio S10 4WD.

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