[SS-Traveller]

I had been looking at options for a 4WD vehicle, and Koncept Automobiles, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi, offered me a Scorpio VLX Automatic with 4x4 (4WD) transmission for Rs.12.30L on-road. No TD vehiles with him, obviously, he says Mahindra will make it to order in 4-6 weeks. Surprisingly, the VLX/VLS (mHawk engine) does not come in manual transmission 4WD form.

Can any member please throw some light on this? Does anyone have a Scorpio VLX A/T 4WD? or even seen one on the roads anywhere?

[iraghava]

AFAIK the mHawk engined Scorpio has not been launched in 4x4 in either manual or AT guises. According to a chat I had with Mahindra marketing officials a couple of weeks back, a manual 4x4 with the mHawk engine is expected in about 3 months or so.

And my TD of the AT (in a 4x2) was quite disappointing. The integration of the 'box with the motor is quite half-baked and needs a lot of further work on it to bring it up to par with modern automatics.

P.S. The price quoted to you is around what I was quoted for a 4x2 VLX Automatic by Bhasin in South Ex.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

I had been looking at options for a 4WD vehicle, and Koncept Automobiles, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi, offered me a Scorpio VLX Automatic with 4x4 (4WD) transmission for Rs.12.30L on-road. No TD vehiles with him, obviously, he says Mahindra will make it to order in 4-6 weeks. Surprisingly, the VLX/VLS (mHawk engine) does not come in manual transmission 4WD form.

Can any member please throw some light on this? Does anyone have a Scorpio VLX A/T 4WD? or even seen one on the roads anywhere?

Hi,

I think you first need to evaluate why exactly you need 4WD , If the purpose is to do any mild / decent / rough offroading then you actually need a manual .
Automatic transmission 4WD is a product specifically developed for countries where it snows in winters and 4WD in an otherwise city driven vehicle takes away pains of getting stuck in your yard in morning.

In Indian context if you need a 4WD SUV auto is going to be a pain and if
you have no intention of using 4WD ever then save some decent money by buying a 2WD.

If you need a vehicle with creature comfirts and 4WD may I suggest you safari EX 4WD or even better safari Vx 4WD with Airbags which is more important then Auto transmission and cruise control on Indian roads.About niggles yes some safaris have them but so does some Scorpios

Also dealers at leas in Bangalore have sold quite a few Safari 4x4 so service would be easier then a unique Auto + 4WD beast.

If you need a hardcore offroading 4WD order a Gypsy King or buy an old Mahindra Jeep and restore it.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by amitk26

Automatic transmission 4WD is a product specifically developed for countries where it snows in winters and 4WD in an otherwise city driven vehicle takes away pains of getting stuck in your yard in morning.

What has snow got to do with 4WD and how it avoids getting stuck in the yard? Mind explaining...

[sudeepbu]

I test drove the AT Scorpio 2-3 months back. Found it quite noisy even at low speeds. M&M needs to do some more work on this version.

[itwasntme]

Confirm whether M&M actually have such an offering! In my experience, M&M dealers give loads of wrong info about the 4WD as they rarely sell one! Call up their toll free number and speak to Sales directly.

[tanwaramit]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

I had been looking at options for a 4WD vehicle, and Koncept Automobiles, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi, offered me a Scorpio VLX Automatic with 4x4 (4WD) transmission for Rs.12.30L on-road. No TD vehiles with him, obviously, he says Mahindra will make it to order in 4-6 weeks. Surprisingly, the VLX/VLS (mHawk engine) does not come in manual transmission 4WD form.

Can any member please throw some light on this? Does anyone have a Scorpio VLX A/T 4WD? or even seen one on the roads anywhere?

I was also looking for Scorpio AT, but I feel that the vehicle needs to be refined further given the amount that one pays and comfort expectation.

I got a call (in second week of Jan) from the Dealer in Delhi (same Koncept Auto) for the vehicle at a price of 11.07 L OTR for Jan 09 model. The sales guys name is Pawan Kumar. Didnt knew if that price still exists.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by Samurai

What has snow got to do with 4WD and how it avoids getting stuck in the yard? Mind explaining...

If there is a snowfall your front tyres in case of FWD are in loose fresh snow you loose traction and can not drive out , So solution is to fit snow tyres or chains which is cumbersome and not a perfect solution if snowfall is occasional and snowmovers are doing job of clearing roads.

An all wheel drive car helps out in such situation enabling to get on the road. Most of the cars have AT in devloped market.
AT + AWD combo is for such markets.
This is what i learnt from my limited exp. of driving in snow without fitting chains.

AT is of little use if you are looking for an 4x4 SUV to do offroading

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by amitk26

If there is a snowfall your front tyres in case of FWD are in loose fresh snow you loose traction and can not drive out , So solution is to fit snow tyres or chains which is cumbersome and not a perfect solution if snowfall is occasional and snowmovers are doing job of clearing roads.

If the front tyres are in the snow, generally the rear tyres too would be in snow. Best solution is to pull out the snow shovel and clean up around all the tyres. The advantage of 4WD under snowy condition is very minimal, it only makes the driver overconfident. Generally after a snow fall, you would find more 4x4 SUVs crashed out of the road than normal sedans.

But we don't know whether SS-Traveller is even thinking about snow driving, if so 4WD is not a great advantage anyway.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Samurai

The advantage of 4WD under snowy condition is very minimal, it only makes the driver overconfident. Generally after a snow fall, you would find more 4x4 SUVs crashed out of the road than normal sedans.

Would beg to disagree there, Samurai!
4WD has substantial benefit in snow, though Low Ratio might work against you at times.
More SUVs might go off the road for the reason you mentioned: overconfidence!

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by Samurai

If the front tyres are in the snow, generally the rear tyres too would be in snow. Best solution is to pull out the snow shovel and clean up around all the tyres. The advantage of 4WD under snowy condition is very minimal, it only makes the driver overconfident. Generally after a snow fall, you would find more 4x4 SUVs crashed out of the road than normal sedans.

But we don't know whether SS-Traveller is even thinking about snow driving, if so 4WD is not a great advantage anyway.

Samurai the AWD with Automatic transmissions I am talking of are mostly sedans , They are not designed for off road use but to get you out of snow in cold countries.

Case in point is SX4 which is AWD abroad but only 2WD is offered in India because and AWD Sedan has no practical utility in tropical climate.

I do not know what utility Auto transmission has in an 4x4 SUV though looks like Mahindra has designed AT + 4WD targeting Soccer moms for their possible US launch. cruise control kinda confirms this theory

[GTO]

Cars are cheaper in Delhi, and you want to pay 12 1/2 lakhs for a Scorpio! No ways, it is simply not worth it. The fit & finish is not fitting of the price and (as Iraghava posted) the AT is not a perfect mate for that engine.

Originally Posted by amitk26

AT is of little use if you are looking for an 4x4 SUV to do offroading

You are kidding right? One of the best offroaders in the world - the Landcruiser - comes with an AT. Personally, I'd prefer a manual but AT's can manage just as well.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Confirm whether M&M actually have such an offering! In my experience,

That is right! M&M do not offer the Autobox in 4WD variant!

[Torque-ative]

Originally Posted by GTO

You are kidding right? One of the best offroaders in the world - the Landcruiser - comes with an AT. Personally, I'd prefer a manual but AT's can manage just as well.

I agree 100%,...having driven the TLC Auto in my very first NIOC OTR !!
At times throttle modulation is all you need instead of worrying about Low ratio first or Low ratio second to go up the hill.
All you do is select Hi or Low ratio's and let the car do the rest,..yeah easier said than done,..but in capable hands they are as good as a full spec Manual 4x4.

The same with my city CVT (even though FWD), I have had to take her off-road to get to my destination multiple times,..and I am talking fording washed out bridges,...with the Auto boxes it is all about riding the Torque Curve and you will not slip your tyres or loose traction.

[hondadude]

Originally Posted by Samurai

If the front tyres are in the snow, generally the rear tyres too would be in snow. Best solution is to pull out the snow shovel and clean up around all the tyres. The advantage of 4WD under snowy condition is very minimal, it only makes the driver overconfident. Generally after a snow fall, you would find more 4x4 SUVs crashed out of the road than normal sedans.

When I was in Bay Area, I used to own Subaru Outback (which is AWD). Every time we traveled to Lake Tahoe in winters (for skiing), we didn't have to put snow chains while normal sedans had to (depending on snow conditions, for severe conditions even AWD needed chains but we never ran into those).

Subaru inspired a lot of confidence when driving on snow. I could see big 4X4s skidding sometimes but my Subaru never did skid.

So while AWD/4X4 may not help to get the car moving after heavy snow, once you are on the road, it really helps.