[klassics45]

Background:
I started to drive only from the last July. All my driving was in my office scorpio. I have never driven any other car other than scorpio and little bit on innova. When i planned to buy a car it was either a SUV or hatchback. Either buy a car that can take 5 with enough luggage or just buy a car that can zip through in traffic. To be precise, i always dreamed about a mini SUV, high GC and can be easy in traffic and take 4-5 easily.


Selection process:

Not much confusion here, if SUV then scorpio or safari else swift or punto. But like many here, the dream was towards safari. I get out of any conversation the moment i see a safari on road. but everything changed when i took the TD. it was BIG, Very big. even for someone used to scorpio, it was like another leap and the fit and finish, i have heard about it here but i felt it when i saw inside for the first time. Didnt even think about innova, there are 3 innovas in the office and i dont want to add one more and make it a taxi stand, moreover i always liked the jeepish looks than MUV.

Then i started to look for a swift or punto, the waiting period in swift pushed me to look for a second hand swift but i didnt have much luck. it was a bit hard(atleast for me) to find a good swift in white. punto disappeared from the selection along with swift when the last rain hit chennai. Travelling from medavakkam to santhome in a hatchback in between the little elephants, share autos and cabs was really a big question for me. since i was used to SUV it always a doubt to try hatchback and the bitter experiences in the rainy season in the broken roads of velachery and medavakkam made my mind to say SUV. Rain is less in chennai but still those few days are a pain to drive around.

After all the if and buts, i settled to scorpio. I felt it was the right choice. Not a big SUV, compact and enough space inside. the engine performance is appreciated a lot here. so decided to book a scorp. Color, since i used a black one i decided to look for a different color and white looked way better than any other color for the new facelift. Variant, my budget was for LX but i wanted a white one and also with ABS so i pushed a bit and went for SLE 7 seater.


Dealer experience:

I didnt have any high expectation in the buying experience. but I must say, customer service was great in india garage, especially I must thank kavitha for the same. I later came to know that she was a newbie which was a surprise to me. 'cos she handled way better than any sales executives i have come across. Everything happened as she promised. I made the booking in the end of december, She made it clear that i cannot get before the 4th week of jan but she will do her best. I received a call before pongal that my vehicle has been dispatched and it will be here in 10 days and she called up again on 20th to say that the vehicle has arrived. i requested whether i can see the vehicle and she said they need 2-3 days for their PDI and so i can see on saturday. As promised,i received a call on saturday morning that i can come to see the vehicle. I looked at the vehicle and was happy with the vehicle. it has done only 36kms in the odo. I did the regular PDI and approved it to for the registration. she was pretty
surprised with the PDI list and the chasis number details. I gave the sheet to her and explained about the chasis number and also told her to verify the pdi list herself before i take delivery.

There was some delay on monday for the loan process so the vehicle went for registration on wednesday. i was not in a hurry since i have already decided to take the delivery on friday. again, as promised the vehicle was registered on wednesday and the number was sent as sms on thursday morning. I told her i will take the delivery on friday and went there on friday evening. As usual, everything was verified and she herself went through the sheet about the documents and gave everything to me before the delivery. Another good thing was the odo was only 56kms.

Then the usual process of chit chat with friends and their round of testing and comments on all possible items. It was a very pleasant moment and i wanted to make sure everyone who is contributing should be happy. I gifted everyone over there, the one who tied the balloons, who serves coffee, the security, the one who cleaned the car, did the pooja. Its always a great feelling to see smiling faces all around you.

The final show arrived. the keys were given to me and i acknowledged the great service by presenting her with a titan watch. Afterall when we expect a good service it is our duty to appreciate and
motivate them to continue so.


About scorp:

Well a lot has been said already so i dont have much to add. Its unfair to compare a 1.6L kms 2004 scorp with a new Mhawk, but still the difference made the driving experience a breeze. The Mhawk is really powerful as stated by many here. For someone who drove a old scorpio, it was a bit hard to keep the vehicle under control. I would hardly realize that she is in 90 when i think im going in 60. Another reason was i was using my brother's estilo for a month. my first small car experience. Suddenly when i went back to SUV i started to feel its too big to handle. and with additional power, it was a bit too much for me. Presently, I am trying to drive slowly till i get comfortable to push her.

Pros:

Powerful engine.
Less engine noise.
Less body roll (comparing to the old version)
Build quality is impressive. it feels so strong that sometimes i get scared to see the bikes coming close.
Suspension are really good. i never looked at potholes in velachery road where usually i keep turning right and left to avoid them.

Cons:

I didnt like the gear knob. Round one was a bit more comfortable.
AC noise is heavy even in level 2.
i hate the new tiny buttons in the center console. comeon it has so much space and they have made the AC buttons so tiny.
Personally i prefer black/grey but no option in SLE.
Ride is a bit bumpy. Maybe 'cos its new. i dont know.

Note: Here, I must thank Mission_safari for providing me the chasis number details and regular inputs in IM. He suggested that stating about T-bhp might help in getting freebies. But no luck. They still said the only freebies that they can give is their best wishes. Anyway, thanks a lot manu.


Last but not the least, pictures. I didn't take many. But i would post a lot more when i am done with accessories.

Before registration:




On delivery:

[sdp1975]

Congrats , and nice writeup ! Keep the pics coming.

I too was considering between a Scorp and a Punto - but it was the Punto for me finally

[hondadude]

Congratulations for your new scorp. What accessories are you considering ?

[adzegeek]

congrats on your new scorp, it will certainly deliver miles of joy.

4 weeks for delivery of SLE - is that normal? I thought it wouldnt take more than a week or 10 days in Hyd. 6 weeks is what they take for 4wd made on order.

regarding your comment on a/c switches, yup it is a bit puny/tiny - mine A/C lo got mind of its own - had to get it replaced. Be gentle with those switches.

[triedeverything]

Congratulations on your new ride! So do they say it is Bharat stage 4 now? It does seem big initially, but I guess you'll get used to it.

You booked in December, so did you get any of the December offers from Mahindra?

[scorpio_fan]

Hey Congratulation for your white beauty!!

Scorpio looks great in white, post few more pictures with interiors..
Did you select the ICE as well? Please update the details.

Anyway wish you long and trouble free rides..

[Off Roadie]

congrats on the scorp how come there are no wheel caps on the left had side wheels???
yes the older one had a better gear knob with zero vibration even after 71000 kms and the ac switches and thermostat knobs have taken a step down. please check your tyre pressures as i believe the old scorps were recommended to maintain a pressure of 29/30 while the new ones are recommended to maintain a pressure of 32 which could make the ride bumpier.

[Anand123]

Congrats on your new Scorp. It looks the best in white. Hope you got some good discounts as its a 09 model. What are the extras planned?

[klassics45]

Thanks all!!

@adzegeek, the 2010 production started on 7 jan so it took extra time to get the 2010 variant.

@triedeverything, offers were applicable only to 2009 variant so i didnt get any offers.

@Off Roadie, do you mean i have to keep less than 32 to avoid bumpy rides? about wheel caps, they were in a box in the back seat. those pics were taken before registration.


About ICE, im planning to do after seeing manu's (mission_safari) setup. He is getting his scorp in a week or so. But below list is what i heard from him except HU. I am a novice in this regard so i am planning to do the same setup that he will do.

Pioneer FH-6050UB
JBL GTO 608C components at the front
JBL GTO 638 coaxials at the rear
JBL GT5-S644 amp

About HU, im looking for a 2din. so any suggestion or advice will be helpful.

Music that i hear:
Regular rahman scores, illayaraja and all tamil and hindi hits. hip-hops and country music. rock is rare, maybe when i go alone. i dont prefer high volume so good mid range with great clarity would be great.

Other accessories:

1. Stanley leather (color suggestion is welcome.)
2. Alloys - no idea yet. may settle for the default one.
3. Sun film

What else? do i need to change the tyres? are the default tyres good?
i dont like bull bars so its not in my list. parking sensors, im quite comfortable doing in scorpio so didnt plan it yet.

[shankar.balan]

klassics! well done! Congrats!

nice writeup and I especially liked your little gesture of appreciation to the Sales Executive and others who handled you as a customer.

ref the gear knob - yes the older round one was better than this new one. the build quality of the Scorpio was always solid but it appears to have improved over time.

I hope you have taken that extended warranty from Mahindra - it costs about Rs 12999/- and is worth every bit, considering the exhaustive list of parts covered.

Ref Stanley leather upholstery - yes, you will love it because their execution is really excellent. the luxurious smell of leather will pervade your entire cabin. as far as I know it will set you back by about Rs 45000 or so atleast.

For a white Scorpio I would suggest a rich tan shade of leather upholstery - it looks really classic and stands up to occasional dirt etc much better than the light beige shades. Plus, as you use it more and more, rich tan leather looks really lovely - it ages very gracefully.

about the bumpy ride do check your air pressure in the tyres - try and stick with the recommended 32 psi all around or if most of the time it is only yourself in the vehicle, then reduce it to 30psi. and keep some kind of load in the rear boot area, just to ensure that the rear sits well. the Scorpio feels good to drive when loaded down at the rear.

all the best!

[getsurya]

Klassics, congratulations, good ride there! Lovely colour and rightly said by you-Refresh looks better in white than any other colour.

Happy motoring & welcome to the bull community!

[hondadude]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I hope you have taken that extended warranty from Mahindra - it costs about Rs 12999/- and is worth every bit, considering the exhaustive list of parts covered.

Extended warranty should cost 9999/-.

[MileCruncher]

@Klassics: The White Scorpio does look good but gives a politician vehicle feel . Congrats on the ride and may you have a trouble free ownership.

[vraghuz]

Congrats Klassics , Welcome to the world of Hawks ... Enjoy the ride, the power, the feel..

Cheers
Raghu.

[ananth_iy]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I hope you have taken that extended warranty from Mahindra - it costs about Rs 12999/- and is worth every bit, considering the exhaustive list of parts covered.

Shankar,
I thought the extended warranty is only 9999/- At least that is what the dealer told me. I am getting my scorp the day after. What is this 12999/- price? Does it differ from city to city?