[raj_5004]

my uncle in kerela wants to buy a plush comfortable 4x4 jeep in a budget of 10-12 lakhs. the reason being he wants to take this vehicle to his farmhouse and plantations. now his priorites are comfortable cabin, above average performance, good image and nil maintainence.
as far as i know, he is not an automobile freak and not too much into car maintainence. so the vehicle should be very reliable.
he will drive the vehicle himself. i had suggested him the bolero 4x4. he test drove it and was happy. but along with it, he also test drove the scorpio 2.6 and safari 2.2. both are available in 4x4.
now, he does not want a hardcore offroader like the gypsy or gurkha. he wants all creature comforts along with a bit of off roading capability.
i being a mahindra owner myself suggested him the bolero as i think it is better off-road than the scorpio or safari. but he likes the scorpio and safari more than the bolero which is understandable! interestingly, after driving my mHawk, he liked the 2.6 CRDe more than the mHawk! so its not an issue whether the 2.2 scorpio is available with 4x4 or not, he is inclined towards the scorpio 2.6 4x4 or safari 2.2 4x4 whereas i suggest the bolero 4x4.
your suggestions?

[PAVAN KADAM]

Raj,

There are no much options available other than the Scorpio and Safari, if you look at his requirements.

Both the SUV's fit the bill perfectly.

[reignofchaos]

A used Pajero? Certainly more capable than both.

[shankar.balan]

hey raj

I would endorse your suggestion:

The Bolero has a pretty comfortable cabin and creature comforts etc, while being a very capable utility 4x4 in that avatar.
It certainly is capable of a lot more plantation, mud road driving than the Scorpio is, largely because it is much lighter.
Also the Bolero developes excellent low end torque, ideal for hauling purposes or getting one out of deep slush, as compared with the Scorpio Crde 2.6.
The older Scorpio 2.6 Turbo however with 4WD would actually be better than the Crde 2.6 in the 4WD avatar, for estate type work for this precise reason - low end torque is better in that older avatar of the vehicle.

Personally I would automatically choose the Scorpio over the Safari on account of the "compact proportions" and of course the generally proven reliability. Particularly because the vehicle is to be used on plantations and narrow roads etc.
One clear advantage over the Safari is the Scorpio's compact proportions, which will help in those narrow plantation roads.
However, I would still feel that it is a bit too heavy in itself for the deep slushy bits, as compared with the Bolero.

Therefore:
1st Choice Bolero SLX 4WD with XD3PU engine. - waiting period 2-3 months.
2nd Choice Scorpio 2.6 4WD (Old) - but he may not want to buy second hand vehicles however well kept.
3rd Choice Scorpio 2.6 Crde 4WD - waiting period 2-3 months.

Hope this helps - ask Anup Mathur and Behram Dhabhar also for their opinions since both own Scorpios and use them outside of the normal city type usage.
Cheers
Shankar

Originally Posted by raj_5004

my uncle in kerela wants to buy a plush comfortable 4x4 jeep in a budget of 10-12 lakhs. the reason being he wants to take this vehicle to his farmhouse and plantations. now his priorites are comfortable cabin, above average performance, good image and nil maintainence.
as far as i know, he is not an automobile freak and not too much into car maintainence. so the vehicle should be very reliable.
he will drive the vehicle himself. i had suggested him the bolero 4x4. he test drove it and was happy. but along with it, he also test drove the scorpio 2.6 and safari 2.2. both are available in 4x4.
now, he does not want a hardcore offroader like the gypsy or gurkha. he wants all creature comforts along with a bit of off roading capability.
i being a mahindra owner myself suggested him the bolero as i think it is better off-road than the scorpio or safari. but he likes the scorpio and safari more than the bolero which is understandable! interestingly, after driving my mHawk, he liked the 2.6 CRDe more than the mHawk! so its not an issue whether the 2.2 scorpio is available with 4x4 or not, he is inclined towards the scorpio 2.6 4x4 or safari 2.2 4x4 whereas i suggest the bolero 4x4.
your suggestions?

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

the reason being he wants to take this vehicle to his farmhouse and plantations. now his priorites are comfortable cabin, above average performance, good image and nil maintainence.
as far as i know, he is not an automobile freak and not too much into car maintainence. so the vehicle should be very reliable.

If this 'brief' is accurate, I would say the Bolero suits him best. If and when it asks for any maintenance, the cost will be half of what the Scorpio will demand.

The next best thing for him would be a non-CRDe Scorpio. Unfortunately that would have to be 2nd hand; something that I too have never been comfortable with.

Is the M2Di being offered in 4WD avatar? Might be worth a look-see.

I would stay away from the Safari, since he is NOT an enthusiast. The initial niggles alone would frustrate him too much!

[evo]

IMHO the Bolero has a horrible driving position and is a very very irritating car in terms of ergonomics.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by evo

IMHO the Bolero has a horrible driving position and is a very very irritating car in terms of ergonomics.

The Bolero is a jeep, it looks like a jeep & feels like a jeep. don't look for low slung looks & aerodynamic shell in a jeep.

[raj_5004]

@ reignofchaos: he wont go for a used car buddy. as i said, the car should be low on maintainence. but still, will he get a used pajero for 11 lakhs?

@ shankar.balan: very precise info buddy! great! as you can see, even i have recommended the bolero SLX 4x4. but the problem is aftera TD in the scorpio and safari, he feels the bolero's interiors are not upto the mark. though he admitted that it was not uncomfortable for him, what he asks me is "isnt the scorpio or safari as good as the bolero for such terrain?"!!! clearly he is more inclined towards the latter two but due to my suggestion of the bolero, he is confused!

@ anup: the cost of the parts or service wont bother him much but frequent problems definetely will! hence the focus on reliabilty. for the non-CRDe, he wont go for a second hand car. and as far as i know, the M2Di is not available with 4x4.

@ evo: thats right evo, nobody cares a damn about ergonomics in a jeep! but i think my uncle will! LOL! so the point you mentioned is acceptable since he is not a hardcore off roader.

[itwasntme]

How about a new Scorpio 2.6 CRDE SLX 4x4 (ex-showroom Bangalore is 9.7 lakhs) with a Petes tuning box and some serious 'mudplugger' tyres?

Won't that fit the bill exactly? The Petes box will bump up the power/torque into mHawk territory (unsure of the new low-end torque curve though) while the mudpluggers will add traction.

[Brutus]

Hi,
I been using a bolero for the past 5 years. Even though i have a safari(really crappy vehicle), a merc,a crv, etc, i usually drive the bolero(infact i dont even touch the others, they are better off with my family members). You can say that i got the hang of it, but out of all the cars i have, i really do find the bolero the most comfortable(the front 2 seats that is, the rear ones werent meant for human...lol, i mean thats what the company thinks). Believe me, the front seats are more comfortable than the merc on long route(you dont feel tired all all), but i would'nt say i havn't done anything to the seats(just added 1 inch of foam to every seat), and besides, I love the look over the others seating posture.
If you are looking for comfort and ergonomics, then maybe you should look elsewhere, Coz even after all these years , the company simply could not even make a windshield defroster/blower for it, let alone other things.
But if its about cross country, then nothing in India even comes close (leaving aside the jeep/Jonga, but i would not say the gurkha, coz the only thing that makes it more capable is the diff-lock, which you can order for the bolero from ARB, but it certainly is the best out of all the brand new vehicles). The solid live axles front and rear, make it more capable than independent suspension vehicles ,and whats more, its even a hell lot easier to clean all the knooks and corners after its been through a thorough mud bath, which can turn out to be a really sore experiance on independent suspension vehicles, coz its all just so cramped up. Even the 4x2 Bolero can take you places that other 4x2s cannot. Why is that? maybe the company unknowingly created just the right mix of wheelbase, weight distribution and crawl ratios.
If i had a choice to make the bolero better, it would be certainly a better interior with all the goodies that a scorpio has(especially a defroster, coz with all the window area the bolero has, it mists up in seconds, especially in the hills), a scorpio engine with the older non- crde motor(dont trust electronis motors offroad, especially while wading through water, and also dont need those good for nothing mahindra gearboxes, all based on either the BA10 or isuzu gearboxes) and maybe Bomb it with a fiddled ve injection pump, a pdr noxzzle set and dual turbos(aurora over kkk), and keep the solid live axles but use a coil suspension instead of the leaves(but then its going to be a bit difficult to put that 1.5 ton trailer that i used to,but nevermind that), G600 gearbox(tata) shoehorned to a advance adaptor transfer case(its got independent engagement and high/low ratios for the front and rear axles), add an ARB Dana44 locker,a few 35 inch boggers, a couple of warns front and rear, some skid pans under the engine,etc,etc and the list goes on.

[shankar.balan]

Raj: Please clarify:
Do you mean that he is more inclined towards the former two or the latter two? Exactly which two is he more inclined towards, if left completely to himself?

Originally Posted by raj_5004

@ shankar.balan: though he admitted that it was not uncomfortable for him, what he asks me is "isnt the scorpio or safari as good as the bolero for such terrain?"!!! clearly he is more inclined towards the latter two but due to my suggestion of the bolero, he is confused!

[raj_5004]

i am very very sorry. somehow i asked your opinions & then did not update this thread. that is because my uncle's car buying decision went on hold for some time due to some problems.

anyways, the result is- he bought a scorpio 4x4!!! till now he is happy with the car & as he said, the has used the 4X4 extensively, though it would be far from hardcore off roading!

he had some problems with the AC cooling initially which has been solved & has no issues with the vehicle now.

[4x4addict]

Just as an FYI to anyone interested the VLX 4x4 comes with the 2.2 mhawk engine and the SLX 4x4 comes with the older 2.6 CRDe engine. So right now the only Scorpios you can buy new with the 2.6 CRDe engine are the SLX 4x4 and the Getaway.

Bolero 4WD with underpowered XD3P engine is almost 8 lakhs and is a huge compromise in terms of comfort/refinement etc. Better to spend another lakh or so and spring for the SLX 4WD.

[gaurav_chopra04]

Scorpio is a good entry level SUV. Congratulations to your uncle.

I would prefer it over Bolero.

Good choice

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

Just as an FYI to anyone interested the VLX 4x4 comes with the 2.2 mhawk engine and the SLX 4x4 comes with the older 2.6 CRDe engine. So right now the only Scorpios you can buy new with the 2.6 CRDe engine are the SLX 4x4 and the Getaway.

hey is the SLX 4WD (with 2.6 CRDe) still available? i thought its discontinued after the launch of the 4WD VLX (with mHawk).

this video here says the whole scorpio range except M2Di comes with mHawk engine. of course, they dint consider the getaway & are talking only about the scorpio. so i think the 2.6 is discontinued.
http://mahindrascorpio.com/walk_around.asp