[moinakg]

The Vehicle
Variant: Scorpio mHawk Vlx, 7 seater, ABS + Airbags
Colour: Fiery Black
Ex Showroom price: 10.5 lakhs (approx)
OTR Price: 12.82 lakhs (price + insurance + std fitment + registration + extended warranty + discounts)
Exchanged car (with Mahindra 1st choice): i10 Magna 1st gen, 3yr, 32K Kms and 35% NCB
Exchange value: 3 lakhs base + 10K exchange offer at that time.
Dealer: SKS Automobiles Bangalore (Koramangala branch)
Named: Rigel (A giant star in the Orion constellation and also a Cruiser ship in Starfleet USS Rigel (NCC-1824) - Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki)
Pre-fitted Accessories:

1. Alloy Wheels (including spare/stepney)
2. Apollo Hawkz A/T tyres
3. Scuff plates
4. Roof rails (no carrier)
5. Rear parking sensor and other gizmos (quite useful)
6. Floor mats
7. Nippon Audio with bluetooth
8. 3M sunfilm.

Extra Accessories:

1. G-Sport Art leather dual-tone seat cover, fitted at Auto Planet Koramangala - Total Rs 10K (approx)
2. Accutire pressure gauge at $14 (via a colleague coming back from the US).

Accessories planned for later:

1. ICE ICE Baby. Auto Planet informed me that the steering mounted controls can be made to work with a different HU via an adapter.
2. Illuminated Scuff plates (procured already, yet to fit).
3. Roof mounted A/C blower.
4. Integrated Mapmyindia with the ICE with touchscreen.
5. Replace interior lights with LEDs and footboard lights with blue LEDs.
6. Angel Eyes (Maybe).
7. Phillips DRLs in the round depression below the front fog lamps.
8. Reverse Camera.
9. Chrome covers for handlebars and ORVM.
10. Transparent Vkool for windscreen.
11. 12V Tyre inflator.
12. Moving lights for brake light on rear spoiler (Maybe).
13. Rear door mounted fake spare wheel cover (Big Maybe).

Waiting time for delivery: less than 2 weeks (dealer stated 4 weeks initially)
PDI: Yes
KMs done till date: 4900

Background
I have been driving for quite some time now and always been fascinated by sedans, yes sedans not SUVs. In childhood I used to stare at the Standard 2000 and later at the Maruti Esteem. My first car was an Opel Corsa 1.4 GLS that I procured in early 2001 by paying a big price of 6.5 lakhs at that time and literally emptying my liquid cash balance! However what an awesome car it was and one of the most technologically advanced of that time.
Anyway over the next decade I drove/owned several other sedans and hatchbacks. Over this period I began to appreciate the space, utility and prowess of the bigger SUVs. Family also played a part, 2 children, parents, in-laws, cousins all visiting staying and increasing long drives in groups. One particularly painful Mysore trip with 5 adults 2 children (one quite big) and luggage cramped in the i10 forced us to start considering an SUV seriously.
I was always a stickler for exterior styling that makes a statement and the Scorpio had caught my fancy when it came out. Of course other cars awed me like the Endeavour, Captiva and Fortuner but I had developed a variety of investment plans and approaches over the years and I was not ready, this time round, to spend a big amount.

Acknowledgements
I have been following T-BHP for close to 2 years and have to thank the numerous reviews and owner feedback which helped me with my selection. The advice section was extremely useful and eye opening. Special thanks go to Off Roadie for this thread.

Selection Process
I started looking at bigger vehicles circa early 2010. I wanted a 7 seater mostly 5 adults + 2 children. My budget was around 13 lakhs OTR. I could stretch another 30K till my redline. This would be my self-driven primary vehicle for both city and highway use. I am not planning for a 2nd car at this time. So I wanted something that is not too long and big for maneuverability and parking in city. I am a technology enthusiast and want good equipment levels. High-tech and gadgets excite me.
It is truely unfortunate that the choices are severely limited here. Very few manufacturers are bringing in useful SUVs and MUVs in the 10L-15L bracket. Below are my views on the various pros and cons of the players in this bracket:

1. Innova
   1. Pros:
      1. Not really an SUV but would serve my purpose.
      2. Comfortable, 7 seater, low NVH
      3. Car like handling and easy driveability.
      4. Middle seat comfort even in the stomach churning twisty Ooty roads.
      5. At home both in the City and in the Highway.
      6. Light controls.
      7. Above all Toyota reliability.
   2. Cons:
      1. Costlier than Scorpio for similar equipment and safety levels.
      2. Plain jane van looks. From some angles it can appear as an oversize hatch stretched and elongated.
      3. I will never settle for a van. For the same reason I hated the 1st gen soapbox van Wagon R but love the latest redesign of it.
      4. Too many Innova taxis.
      5. Quite long body.
2. Safari
   1. Pros:
      1. Image and road presence.
      2. Ride quality better than Scorpio, esp over broken roads.
      3. Quite good driver ergonomics.
      4. Sofa seats.
      5. Awesome highway beast.
   2. Cons:
      1. Third row cramped even for children, strictly for tiny tots. I need usable 3rd row space.
      2. Niggles
      3. Fit and finish issues that mar the otherwise premium exterior look and also the interiors.
      4. Almost 2L costlier than Scorpio for same equipment and safety levels.
      5. Handling in city, higher turning radius, tough to navigate tight turns corners etc. My office parking is full of tight turns.
      6. Maintenance costs.
      7. Notchy, tough gearshift.
3. Xylo
   1. Pros:
      1. VFM
      2. Spacious. Comfort and features in city. Individual A/C vents for eg.
      3. Low maintenance cost.
      4. Has a dead pedal.
      5. Very good fit and finish.
   2. Cons:
      1. Weird looks. Lack of road presence.
      2. Another van so no no for me.
      3. Too much body roll and bobbing. Major stomach churner when I rode it on Ooty roads.
      4. Highway handling.
      5. Too many Xylo taxis.
4. Scorpio
   1. Pros:
      1. Road presence and butch styling.
      2. Good levels of comfort and space both in City and Highway.
      3. Remarkably easy and fun to drive especially in the City.
      4. I jumped from a small hatch to this one and a single test drive laid to rest my apprehensions about a big vehicle.
      5. Fantastic engine.
      6. Time tested platform with constant improvements and reduction in niggles over time.
      7. Useful technology and safety features at a good price.
      8. Build quality and abuse friendly.
      9. Constant improvements in fit and finish shows in the 2011 model.
      10. Low maintenance costs.
      11. Hardly seen Scorpio Taxis (maybe the EX will change that for the worse).
   2. Cons:
      1. Bumpy ride on bad roads compared to Safari and Innova.
      2. Clutch travel is on the higher side.
      3. Still has some niggles and small quality issues.
      4. Flaws in fit and finish still exist albeit to a lesser degree in the 2011 model.
      5. Comfort levels below Innova.
      6. Body roll issues under certain circumstances.
      7. Driver ergonomics need improvement.
      8. Gearshift is hard in the mornings.

So for my requirements, choices and budget the Scorpio squarely fitted the bill. My wife did find the Innova ride comfort appealing but the price put her off and the styling put me off. I was strictly against a plain jane van with miles of flat sheet metal. Also it was too longish for me to consider as a primary daily use vehicle. Safari is not really meant for the city. It shines on the highway. Xylo has somewhat odd looks and rolls like a drunkard. I had done lots of trips to remote places in the Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas on a variety of Mahindra vehicles thanks to an Uncle who held a senior position in M&M during my college days. I thus came to admire them and got inflicted to some extent with the Jeep DNA.

I had done a test drive of the Scorpio in mid 2010 but was not looking to buy it at that time. I noted a few bad quality parts at that time including the dark coloured panel portions and the flimsy glove box cover. I was happy to see that the 2011 model fixed those. I was additionally debating a couple of other things. Whether to go for 4WD and whether to go for 7 seater or 8 seater config. 4WD happened to land outside my budget being more than a lakh costlier. In addition I have never done any serious offroading and probably will never do, though can't say exactly about the future. 8 seater was more tough to decide but finally went for 7 seater on advice and seating myself for 20 mins in the third row of an 8 seater Scorp.

At the end of the day buying a car is as much of a personal choice and fascination as it is about objective pros and cons. One of my colleagues recently booked a Safari GX. He used to hold the Scorpio in low esteem till he looked at my ride and took a test drive. His complete opinion was changed from that day. When he went to finally make a purchase he was a torn man since he had similar requirements and constraints as me. His head was telling Scorpio and heart was telling Safari. Finally he followed his heart. Heh we even went on my Scorpio into the heart of TATA-land to do a PDI of his ride .

Dealership Experience
After zeroing in on my choice I walked into the SKS Automobiles showroom near my office one fine evening with my wife and met the sales exec named Sreedhar Balla. After a discussion and inspection of the Vlx model on display we initially opted to go with the 2WD, BSIV, ABS model but no airbags. On later consideration, not wanting to skimp on safety when spending so much I added airbags to the list. The sales exec was courteous and patiently answered all my queries including selling my i10.

I asked him for a TD and he promised it on the coming Friday with the same model. So I took off from work that day but unfortunately the TD did not happen. Initially I called up a couple of times and Sreedhar asked for some more time. Later However he called me and informed of the problem. It turned out that the Isckon Temple folks had booked a large number of Scorps and delivery was on that day, so he along with others were fully tied up. The TD did happen on the following Saturday.

After the final decision we went for booking on a Sunday when incidentally there was an exchange offer going on. Sreedhar also arranged for a Mahindra First Choice person to come down to the showroom and evaluate my i10 there. I did not bargain too much and settled for 3L 10K as the car had one shaking issue in 1st gear and a long scratch on the side made by a naughty child. After that I applied for loan to SBI which took a while to be processed. Sreedhar mentioned a max 4 weeks waiting time for the particular model and I was okay with that. I worked out a deal whereby I will retain my i10 even after the First choice quote and will give it to them just before taking delivery of the Scorp. Loan processing took about a week and Sreedhar had my vehicle for PDI 8 days after booking. He also arranged a Xylo which picked me up from office along with a couple of colleagues and took us to their godown on Hosur road and dropped us back to office afterwards. The vehicle checked out okay. I'd like to thank the Team-BHP advice regarding the same. I was already feeling the excitement seeing the beast in all it's glory and just couldn't wait to get behind the wheel. I had enquired about the Mahindra branded Mapmyindia device which comes with doorstep delivery and warranty package. It was however not available at that time and had a month's waiting period at least. I dropped the idea for later and went with the mobile maps for my HTC Incredbile S phone for now. You can find a short report on that here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/produc...ml#post2472928

The car was delivered as promised and in fact 2 weeks before the original estimate. The staff including the showroom manager were extremely courteous and treated us like premium customers. They also arranged for the purohit and customary pooja in the showroom itself. The only fly in the ointment being that the vehicle was not cleaned before we reached. So we had to wait for the cleaning and polishing. There was one weird small light patch on the right side of the body which was hardly noticeable after the cleaning and polishing. I chose to ignore it since rest of the vehicle checked out okay and the ODO was reading 67KM. That patch is completely gone by now. Sreedhar did a very thorough job of explaining all the details and gave a demo of every item in the car including tools spare tyre, music system (paired my phone bluetooth), troubleshooting etc. He was able to answer all my technical questions satisfactorily and recommended that I do not exceed 100Km/Hr speed or 2.5K RPM during the first 2000 KMs. About 3hrs later I finally drove out of the dealership with a wide grin on my face.

[moinakg]

Initial Impressions
This is the first time I ever drove a vehicle of this size and first time I owned a diesel vehicle. I had driven a friend's Accent CRDI earlier but only for a short time. In addition I was jumping straight up from a small hatch. The high seating position gives awesome visibility and commanding view/attitude. Seating back on a small hatch (of a friend) after this made me feel as if I was about the scrape the ground. The visibility allowed me to see all the two-wheelers doing their antics trying to overtake or cut across, makes me really scared. The true nature of the antics would not be this clear from within a hatch. The scariest are ladies riding Honda Activas/Scootys, kidding really. The visibility also allows me to see some signals that would otherwise be blocked and choose the correct lane early. I hate curious two-wheeler riders and autorickshaw drivers peering into my vehicle. The higher profile reduces that but does not eliminate it. Getting in and out of the vehicle at first is slightly tricky till one gets the hang of the footboard.

While the i10 used to be barely audible during idling in the Scorpio engine sound was clearly audible and loud. Dear boy this is a diesel SUV I told myself. The engine sound reduced after 1000 Kms and then again after 4000 Kms. The overall finish and styling impact from outside looked impressive to me. While many in this forum do not like the stickering job, I find it quite appealing. Rigel appears boxy from some angles but the roof rails mitigate that. Front and side profiles give it the muscular look. Road presence is punchy but not imposing like the Safari for example. Overall fit and finish impressed me, both inside and outside knowing that this is an Indian product. Build feels solid and doors close with a reassuring sound. I felt quite safe inside. I did not find any major portion that appeared weak and flimsy. The footboard and cladding also serve the nice purpose of preventing autorickshaws and two wheelers scratching against Rigel's body. A couple of times autos have scratched against the footboard trying to squeeze through. I cared two hoots about that. The vehicle also does command a respect on the road though in Bangalore that's little. The contoured bonnet looked appealing. The side cladding surface was flat. It did not have any waviness. The interiors are spacious and the light color gives an airy feeling. The third row is not cramped though the jump seats are good primarily for children. My elder daughter likes to lie down on long drives. So after putting luggage on the floor, I cover that with thick folds of cloth and plonk a pillow and she gets a bed.

The A/C vents and the inside door opening levers feel flimsy and cheap. The Plastic cover below the steering column is of poor quality and has uneven gaps. I am short, 5'3'', and to me the Safari driver ergonomics seemed a little better. Having said that it is not too bad and I have got completely settled with Rigel after 4000KMs. Since I am sitting close to the steering I am considering getting a steering wheel spinner knob. Overall, it was a positive first impression with this Indian product.

Driving and subsequent Experience
Given the bulk, it is very easy to drive and navigate even crowded road. After taking delivery I went straight to Auto Planet, Koramangala to place an order for seat covers and got stuck in the crowded narrow road behind Koramangala BDA complex. I had a bout of nervousness before I surprised myself with the ease with which I could navigate out of that place. Steering and clutch are light. The engine power delivery is linear and smooth which aids in driving in traffic and on bad roads without a fuss. However as mentioned earlier the driver ergonomics can be improved and the ride is bumpy on bad roads. The clutch travel is long and since I am short I find it a trouble. I have to pull the seat forward but even then I do not get proper lumbar support. So I have plonked a tiny custom-made cotton pillow earlier used by my younger daughter, onto the seat back which works well. Steering should have had reach adjustment. The gear lever is however easy to reach but gearshift is slightly notchy. Gearshift is very hard in the morning before the optimum operating temperature is reached, but the gear knob is easy to reach and the shifts are short enough. Of course this cannot be compared with the i10's wire-shift gear lever which is like operating a joystick on a gamepad but for the big brute that is okay. I did not find the gear knob shape a problem since I normally hold it in the way it is shaped.

I noticed brake dust on the wheels during the initial 400KMs. That went away later. Upgrading from an i10 it is somewhat tricky initially get proper control of the vehicle. Initially one does not feel the speed inside and tends to overspeed. Braking feedback is different and I had a few hard braking occasions. Turning a big vehicle is also quite different from a small one. It took me a couple of weeks to properly settle down. The biggest thing to be careful of is the tendency to underestimate speed. I had a couple of panicky screeching braking occasions.

I like the micro-hybrid feature but it requires fully depressing the clutch as much as it can go. I tend to switch off the engine on signals where I can see the countdown timer or I know they take a long time. So micro-hybrid is a useful feature for me. Though I follow the engine idling process properly. The micro-hybrid sensor on my ride is not aligned properly and is slightly offset to the right which I will get fixed during 1st service. The rubber floor mat on the driver's side is of ridiculous design and goes and fouls with the micro-hybrid sensor so I have removed it.

The car accelerates smoothly and the engine has really opened up after 4000 KMs. A slight tap on the throttle hence elicits an eager response. Turbo lag is marginal and can be felt only under certain circumstances like when accelerating from a crawl in 2nd gear with AC in HI and going up in a light slope. I can easily use 2nd gear in situations where an i10 will stall without 1st gear. In fact it will go over a speed breaker or off-road stretches on 2nd gear without throttle input. I found that following 11 seconds idling in the morning after start and idling before switching off keeps engine responsive and very smooth. Overall awesome power and smoothness even when accelerating hard. The engine has enough torque to climb over obstacles as high as the ground clearance of some hatches. Rigel though feels somewhat hairy to handle at speeds exceeding 120 KM/h. I get a feeling that it is floating off the ground. I am generally a sedate driver and do 110+ quite less. Till date I reached 130 KM/h only once for 10 mins - in any case the vehicle is new and havent got it's first service yet. I hear a lot about bad handling when cornering Scorpio at high speed. I really do not think that an SUV is meant for that, and that cornering at high speed is not a good idea at all regardless of vehicle. In-gear acceleration is smooth and there is enough power in reserve to give me that extra grunt whenever required without having to downshift, even when fully loaded.

Body roll is clearly there but not to an extent that it becomes an issue with us. There are situations where body roll does become an issue like cross winds with window open, uneven tyre pressure etc. On bad roads one has to trust the vehicle and not get nervous by the bumpiness and yawing. It will not let the driver down. However having driven the i10 on the worst roads and non-roads that Bangalore has to offer I can vouch that the Scorpio is a world of difference. On really broken roads, dug-up sections the i10 throws the occupants violently from side to side. In addition every little imperfection can really be felt upto the bones. I recently had a major tooth surgery with 10 stiches and would be unable to speak due to pain by the time I reached office in the i10. The problem disappeared with the Scorpio. The distance to my office is 11KM one way through some of the worst traffic but I do not feel tired. On the highway I used to feel slight fatigue after 220KM on the i10. On this one I have zero fatigue even after 300KM of driving. Of course I never drive continuously and take half hour breaks in the middle.

I do get opportunities to use cruise mode on the so called NICE road (BMIC) that links several major highways out of Bangalore. The NICE road is a literally nice toll road with proper entry and exit points, no humans and animals jaywalking out of the blue, a proper trumpet interchange in the middle. I am told that cruise can also be used on Tumkur road or NH4 in the toll sections. Finally I use cruise when going on the BETL, Bangalore Elevated Tollway from Silk board junction to Electronic City. The speed limit there is 80, radar enforced. I put cruise at 79 approx and enjoy a chuckle when morons overtake at 100 only to be caught in the middle. Once I was cruising at 100 in NICE road and had to slow down. Then I hit resume at 75 in 5th gear. The car accelerated like a greyhound on a scent without leash and the rpm went all the way up to 4000. All the vehicles around me were gone, left back in the haze in seconds. I did not like it a bit and quickly came out of cruise to reach 100 more sanely. I will not repeat this again. Initially I was getting an FE of 8.5 which has now increased to 11 in the city with AC half the time. Rigel presents a large surface area to the wind which causes drag and can cause pull drift. I have experienced pull drift with strong cross wind on NICE road.

Till date no major rattling or clacking has happened but I have started to get a creak from the driver side door panel after 3500KM. This happens when going over a speed hump. I had a small rattling issue due to the OBD cover that had come off by someone's mistake. The co-passenger seat belt also gave some rattle on bad roads. It turned out that the plastic bush is loose and of bad quality where the belt goes into the B pillar. I fixed it with a drop of feviquik. Finally there is also a small sound when I go over large pot holes and the left rear seat belt hook hits the C pillar. Will fix that shortly.

The voice assist is very useful especially the handbrake one. Though I find the Welcome to Scorpio ... message irritating every morning and disabled it only to have to re-enable due to my elder daughter's demand Will disable it again later. I keep the light sensor on always and the headlights come and go as appropriate. I have been told several times by well-meaning people that my headlights are on, after parking, when I had to explain the follow-me-home feature. The rain sensor worked well especially when I was going around in Wayanad, Kerala with intermittent drizzles though the wiper can go nuts with unneeded speed infrequently. The reverse parking sensors are a boon to me as I have to park and move about in cramped places in my office parking. AC cooling of third row is ineffectual and even middle row cooling is uneven initially but the AC chills quickly till 2nd row. I keep the driver side blow level low to maximize middle row cooling and keep the vent closed mostly. I am planning to get a roof mounted AC blower. The TPMS tell-tale blinking have come on a few times by now and gone away by itself especially when going through flooded streets. Will report it at first service.

The Nippon audio system has a bunch of features but sound quality is okay. Tonal quality is flat and there is lack of bass. However it is usable. I plan to change it later. Auto Planet informed me that the steering mounted controls can be used with another HU via an adapter. If I pair my phone bluetooth with the HU and then want silence, no tuner or CD/USB, I can select AUX as the source. However once I get a call or make a call it switches back to tuner after that. I am also experimenting with Vlingo voice recognition for Android and it is starting to look promising. However if I pair phone with HU and invoke Vlingo's car feature, source switches to Tuner. Of course then Vlingo is unable to understand my spoken commands because of the ambient sound from the Tuner programmes. So I am trying it out using my phone speakerfone feature and not pairing, only when not listening to music that is. Looks like I can't get everything. Ideal will be pair initially, then Music -> I say "Hey Vlingo" -> Music stops -> Vlingo listens -> I place my order. All without taking my eyes off the road.

The safety sensors on the vehicle are useful and the bonnet open sensor saved me from an accident as detailed in this post: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post2489977
Till date I have made only one visit to the SKS ASC on Bannerghatta road when the Micro Hybrid seemed erratic by the third day after delivery. That is when then pointed out the rubber mat issue.

What I like

• Awesome responsive and torquey engine.
• Light pedals and steering.
• Contemporary steering styling and thick steering grip. Do not feel the need for a thickening cover.
• Spacious interiors. Comfortable with 5 adults. Awesome legroom.
• Head does not hit the roof during accidental jump over a speed breaker.
• The panel gaps are consistent for the most part.
• The interior fabrics are decent.
• The window border rubber is of fair quality and the joins are covered with plastic angles - a nice touch.
• I had done a TD of the Scorpio back in mid 2010 and noticed the glove box lid to be very flimsy and of poor quality. I am happy to see that fixed now.
• No cigarette lighter socket. I do not smoke and do not like anyone smoking in my vehicle.
• Large number of cubby holes.
• Separate swivel lights on the roof.
• Digital display in the instrument panel.
• Rear demister, wash and wipe.
• Good under thigh support.
• Blower sound appears to be reduced compared to earlier. Level 2 does not affect conversation.
• ORVMS provide good visibility.
• Follow-me-home feature is useful in dark parking areas.
• Headlight is bright, do not feel the need to upgrade.
• High seating position prevents me from getting blinded by high-beamed sedans and hatches.
• Remote lock has excellent range. Appears to be an improvement from other reviews on this forum, or I may be lucky.
• Rugged solid build quality.
• Compact dimensions, just large enough for both city and highway.
• Compact turning radius makes in-city U-turns simpler in spite of the bulk.
• Lifestyle symbolism.

What I do not like

• The wipers look cheap and do not go with the rest of the styling. I will change them.
• The rear door hinge sticks out.
• The metal harness of the front seats stick out badly. They could have been covered with moulded plastic or fibre covers.
• The driver seat belt sensor wire dangles out.
• Side door pockets on the front doors cannot be accessed easily with doors closed. Weird design.
• Power window switches in the center is weird and takes some getting ued to.
• Cheap door lock handles in the inside.
• Poor quality plastic below the steering.
• No stowage area above glove box with airbags.
• Glove box could have been larger and needs a specific closing technique.
• Headrest locking switches can be difficult to operate.
• Central lock switch is awkward and hard to operate.
• Remove lock switches are hard.
• Lack of additional storage compartments.
• Steering is not speed-sensitive. My 2001 model Opel Corsa had it!
• OEM alloy wheels have good design but could have had a chrome finish.
• Filling air into the spare tyre is a hassle.
• Spelling/grammatical mistakes in the manual.
• No dead pedal though I do not particularly need one.
• Gear lever vibration - I do not use it as an armrest so not a big deal.
• A little Bumpy ride on bad roads - not a deal breaker though.

Overall Summary
Overall I felt the Scorpio is a great package at the price. While comfort level and handling can be improved those are not bad really speaking. There are a few niggles but the versatility of both city and highway driving coupled with a gem of an engine makes it an enjoyable and fun ride. The solid hardy build quality inspires confidence and is safe, especially when driven responsibly.

Contrary to some comments in the forum I find the gizmos useful and am using them readily. The rear parking sensor is a boon that I could not have managed without. The steering mounted controls for cruise and audio are extremely useful to me. Whether they work reliably in the long run is another story which I am going to find out of course. Till date I am having a fun and exciting time driving this beast and have the urge to get behind the wheel every once in a while. I really get a childish excitement leveraging the capabilities of Rigel and feeling the awesome refined turbo power pulsing at my beck and call - first time driving an SUV mind you. Rigel allows me to choose the path avoided by others: non-road stretches, flooded roads (without splashing water on others), etc. Every opportunity to drive him brings a smile to my face. I do miss the 4WD capability having faced a few tricky situations but it was out of my budget.

If Mahindra can sort out and improve the ride quality over bad roads, body roll and handling at high speeds it will really become one hell of a vehicle at this price.

Points to note
I have gleaned some useful tips and points from reading various forum posts (like Off Roadie's one) and my own experience that I am summarizing below:

• Do not use Micro Hybrid for first 1500 Kms. I used it for 500 Kms till I came across Off Roadie's post.
• Upshift at 2500 RPM when accelerating. It is the smoothest.
• Tips to minimize Body roll -
  • Keep tyre pressures proper and same across all tyres. Uneven pressures in tyres can cause body roll significantly.
  • Keep windows closed at high speed and when there is high cross wind. This also reduces drag.
  • Avoid constantly twiching the steering left and right in attempts to overtake. Causes discomfort to rear passengers.
• On dark to pitch-black road sections in the night I put high-beam and set the headlight level to 3. Gives me road visibility without blinding others.
• Giving the rear door a sharp push from a close distance closes it without fuss especially with all other doors closed. No need to slam it.
• Similarly closing the glove box with a sharp push from a short distance works without slamming it. The trick is to press with one finger in the middle just above the the open lever.
• I religiously follow idling engine for 11 seconds or more after starting it in the morning and idling for a few seconds before switching off for proper responsive engine. In the morning I wait for the engine sound to settle down before driving off.
• I drive sedately but found that a spirited drive once in a while is needed to keep the turbo happy.
• Use Mobil Delvac MX engine oil. I plan to put it at first service.
• Close the AC vent for faster cooling.
• Cleaning your air filter by just dusting the dust off it every couple of months or so will keep you engine breathing nice and clean.
• Press the top corners of the wheel hub to honk. Though this can be awkward if you are turning the car. Pressing the center is too hard.

[moinakg]

Pictures

The beast after delivery

G-Sport art Leather

Enough cubby holes

Near Manchanabele DAM

Verdant Tea Estates near Ooty

Rigel Enjoying a drizzle near Ooty while we sip hot tea.

Another vista at misty Coorg

Rigel enjoying the dew at misty Coorg

At home with nature near Hogenakkal

Beckoning the Hawk to glide

Road cruncher and soil cruncher

The footboard light wire was hanging loose as plastic plug came out. Re-routed it over the footboard's metal angle. I think it is safer that way.

Some ugly finishing below the rear door. Attempted cover up using black tape is lame. The tapes fall off. It is not visible normally though.

Bad plastic and uneven joins below the steering.

Bad uneven rubber lining on third row window.

Uneven panel gap near windscreen.

No waviness on cladding.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Guderian]

Wow ! Moinak - that is one juicy report. Well done indeed.
Congratulations on acquiring Rigel. Have a great time.
Of course don't forget storing Rigel's naming papers in the glove box as promised elsewhere !!!

Just a suggestion - would have been great if you could have placed the snaps in the body of the report. Would have made the report superlicious !

[ghodlur]

@Moinakg

Great review, congratulations on the buy. Truly the Scorpio (aka Rigel) has a good road presence.

By any chance did you find the gear know so close to the dashboard a bit different.

Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

[moinakg]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

@Moinakg

By any chance did you find the gear know so close to the dashboard a bit different.

It is not too different from the i10 since that one has the gear further up on the central column. But it is a little trouble to operate the various switches down there without taking eyes off the road.

[comfortablynumb]

Very well compiled report, Moinak On Your Android Phone! ;-) Hope you will keep this thread updated as the kms roll by. Rating it 5 *s.

Many many congratulations, and wish you a million miles of safe & happy ownership!

Cheers,
Vikram

[shankar.balan]

nice report. thanks for sharing the details.

can you tell me how comfortable the back seats are?

any complaints from those seated there about bumpiness in the ride?

[rangakishen]

Hey!!
Congrats on your new ride!! Nicely compiled report. Hope you have fun with the Scorpio and the beastly road presence it gives!!

Wishing you many happy miles!!

[moinakg]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

can you tell me how comfortable the back seats are?

any complaints from those seated there about bumpiness in the ride?

Both body roll and bumpiness can be felt amplified in the back seats as compared to the front ones. However as per my family overall harshness is nowhere to be felt compared to the i10. There were very few complaints from the back benchers in the long drives we made. The children in the 3rd row did have nausea/vomiting when navigating the very twisty route to Ooty after Gudalur.

It also depends on the environmental factors already alluded to and the driving style. I have sat myself in the 2nd row with a couple of different colleagues driving, one very careful and one quite rash. With the rash guy I'd lurch forward every now and then as he applied hard brakes and acceleration in traffic, finally getting a nausea. This will not happen in a hatch or sedan even with a rash driver.

Bad stretches cause bumpiness if driven over fast but once again not the violent jolt that an i10 will deliver. Not getting the harsh ride is a big positive for my family. There were a few complaints when I accidentally went over low speed breakers without slowing down but nothing major.

[n.devdath]

Congrats on your purchase moinakg. The Scorpio is indeed amongst the best vehicles in its segment today and a well established market leader.

Did you manage to get any discounts from SKS?

Can you pl post a few pics once you have fitted the illuminated scuff plates? They might find more takers on the forum.

Happy Motoring.

[moinakg]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Did you manage to get any discounts from SKS?

The original OTR was coming to 13.1L but I ended up paying 12.8L. This included some corporate discount, std fitment waiver etc. Also I got a 10K exchange bonus on my i10.

[shankar.balan]

thanks.
you see - the regular scorpio alloys and tyres sit more or less within the overall body frame.

I had bought aftermarket Aura wheels for my Scorp and those are slightly wider than the ones you get in the scorpio showroom. my tyres are the original stock tyres though. my vehicle has a slightly wider stance on account of this above fact and hence I ve found that stability around curves and in the hilly sections etc is better than the stock scorpio.
with ref to the vehicle's pitching, swaying and general bumpiness, I am finding it difficult nowadays to bear with it. the non existent roads in Bangalore and the large ruts and pot holes on one's daily commute do contribute to this a lot.

I was wondering if they've made any improvements at all in overall ride and handling of the new Scorp like yours, in comparison to mine. I was not able to perceive a difference when I recently re-tested a new Scorp.

It appears from your explanation that they havent made any real improvements and possibly cannot do so on account of the ladder frame chassis, the height of the vehicle, its higher GC and of course, the fact that they have softened the suspension to make it more friendly to typical city users.

My friend however says that the 4WD Scorpio does feel better than the 2WD one - this might be on account of the overall weight of the vehicle and possibly also because they may have hardened the rear suspension a bit for its off road duties. I am frankly unable to perceive this difference though I have driven the 4WD and the 4WD AT as a test. Need to re-check and re-test this - whether I can actually feel a difference or not.

I really was/ am happy that I bought the Scorp because at the time it was the ideal vehicle. Things however have moved on, and with this evolution, the body and mind are craving greater comfort and greater safety now which is why Im seeking something better overall.

thank you for your info!

Originally Posted by moinakg

Both body roll and bumpiness can be felt amplified in the back seats as compared to the front ones. However as per my family overall harshness is nowhere to be felt compared to the i10. There were very few complaints from the back benchers in the long drives we made. The children in the 3rd row did have nausea/vomiting when navigating the very twisty route to Ooty after Gudalur.

It also depends on the environmental factors already alluded to and the driving style. I have sat myself in the 2nd row with a couple of different colleagues driving, one very careful and one quite rash. With the rash guy I'd lurch forward every now and then as he applied hard brakes and acceleration in traffic, finally getting a nausea. This will not happen in a hatch or sedan even with a rash driver.

Bad stretches cause bumpiness if driven over fast but once again not the violent jolt that an i10 will deliver. Not getting the harsh ride is a big positive for my family. There were a few complaints when I accidentally went over low speed breakers without slowing down but nothing major.

[rm_arjuna]

Congrats on your new ride and wishing many happy miles . Like you i too upgraded from a hatch ,Getz in my case .Initial 2 days i was paranoid of bumping someone , after getting used to the size it is breeze to drive in city or highway .

However ergonomics & ride quality to certain extent is a big letdown . IMO if the ride quality is stabilized and interiors redone for a 5 seater spec viz., CRV / Xtrail . Scoprio could be a choice vehicle for many small families who dont need a 7 seater .