[diwakarmuthu]

Background
For 4 years my trusted pre-owned esteem (1999 model) was my workhorse. With over 65,000 kms (35k of which was mine). This car was absolutely a driver's delight. Though the engine was in excellent shape for another 20k kms, rust, non-availability of some old generation body parts made it an expensive proposition to own this car further. After lot of deliberation, myself and wifey made a decision to move to a new car. This time, we wanted either a sedan or a SUV within the 8.5 lakhs range.

New Car Selection
The SX4, Fiesta and Scorpio were short-listed after going through a set of sedans, hatches and SUV's. My heart was beating for the Scorpio while Wifey was beating for a Sedan as it oomphed class according to her. After a lot of convincing from my end, we decided to go for the Scorpio LX BS-IV and thus the booking happened in July with a 6 week wait period.

Booking Experience
After getting some initial recommendation from T-BHP for buying the Scorpio, I set up on looking at India Garage and MPL Automobiles in Chennai. After going through the pros and cons, the decision to go with MPL was done and the booking experience was smooth. Though I have grudges about the sales person's experience in selling a car, I was happy with the booking. After 6 long weeks of waiting, I got to know that the car is available in their Yard.

Going through the T-BHP checklist for PDI, I went ahead and looked at the car from top to bottom. After satisfactory nod from my end, the car was sent for Registration. I had pulled up a list to do one more PDI after the registration was done.

Finally the offer I got for the car. I had booked the car while I had the 50% discount on insurance. But the offer changed while I took delivery, hence I got Rs.5070 worth of accessories (Scuff plates, fog lamps and wheel hubs) and 2 years extended warranty

Also, I had the insurance done outside that saved a good 5k

– Not a bad deal I guess

On an auspicious Friday, I got to take my black beast home to the joy of everyone including wifey

Initial Ownership Experience
Its been a week since I have owned the mighty muscular fellow. Its been a good experience to un-learn your sedan driving style and adjust to the city traffic with the big monster. Here are my observations:

+VEs

• Brutal muscular looks really pulls you towards the car. From the chorme filled central grill to the intimidating bonnet scoop, every inch of the front oozes muscular tone. Once you sit in the driver's seat you can see the huge front that displays pure power. I really loved it. I personally preferred the LX because of its one tone colour and its mean appearance
• Comfortable driving position, with tilts steering wheel. Visibility is extremely good thanks to the old-school design of this SUV and the large mirrors.
• The 2.2L Mhawk engine is definitely a feather in Mahindra's cap. I have earlier driven the 2.6 CRDe and one can find the difference. Apart from the weight, its handling and refinement levels are appreciable. I was apprehensive about driving it in peak traffic, but after going through a couple of such scenarios, I feel more confident right now
• Nice and sturdy braking. I quite like this kind of braking to the ones I have been used to
• I no more have any autos or some crazy bikes overtake through the left side or through some tight corners through the inside. Its nice to see some people make way for the big man at times.
• The air-conditioning unit is extremely effective and chills the cabin on the hottest days in a very short period of time. I rarely move beyond the 2nd level. Maybe during summer it may require higher levels of cooling
• Finally, a good value for money buy in this segment

-VEs

• The plastic quality is another area in which Mahindra needs to improve – the hard, shiny dashboard coupled with the steering-mounted buttons that don’t have tactile feel make owners feel like they’re in a car that’s not as expensive as it actually is.
• Bouncy ride at rear (though it is not of a concern if the vehicle is loaded with passengers)
• Gearbox vibration – Though I have got used to this, at time I find some problems while engaging 2nd or 3rd gear while driving. Maybe need to get used to it
• The clutch needs to be floored completely for the shifts. A huge change from my erstwhile Japanese workhorse.
• I asked for the Bridgestone Dueller tyres and I got JK Elanzo factory fitted. I was told by the dealer that the decision on what tyre is being made by Mahindra. It would be great if they stick to one OEM supplying the tyres.
• Mahindra Dealers are not providing enough information about the vehicle and every bit of information the customer needs to probe and find out. I had a very tough time to get information from them

It would have been great if:

• The spare wheel was mounted on the rear door. It would have enhanced the real SUV kind of looks
• Some basic safety features on the base version. At least the door locking signals or the seat belt signals is definitely a good buy
• The salesman who is selling the car has some good knowledge about the mechanics of the car and also helps their customer to have a good buying experience

I have started to enjoy the ownership of the big fellow and I intend to accessorize it as time goes on. My plan is to have the following accessories as we go on. Any suggests in this regard most welcome

• Basic and functional ICE (Thinking about a 2 din HU with bluetooth profiling, but may opt for 1 din on account of cost differences)
• Sun film
• Anti-theft system – Autocop, Xenon or Linda or anything else
• Bull Bar
• Alloy wheels (Probably after a year)
• Painting of grill and bumper to body color, though the difference is very minimal
• GPS Navigation extension

To all the T-BHP bros, this is my first post and my first attempt in writing a review. If it is not meeting your standards, please let me know. Also, please suggest on how I keep the car in good shape for the years to come.

Photographs will be uploaded shortly. I seem to face some problems here.

[shankar.balan]

Diwakar - good start man!

Thanks for sharing the experience. And enjoy your new vehicle.
Drive safe!

[4x4addict]

@diwakar:

Congrats man.

LX mostly comes with JK Elanzo and higher variants comes with Bridgestone.

I found the travel of the clutch very long too and something you need to get used to.

[klassics45]

Congratulations!!!

Yes if you get used to it, i bet you would prefer it more than any vehicle in the city traffic. You get so much peace of mind that you dont worry about traffic.

[HappyRoadie]

Congratulations diwakarmuthu. Nice writeup. It is definitely a very good buy and its really a true VFM. Wish you many happy miles and safe motoring.

[abhi1309]

Can we have some more snaps of the sides and interiors. I was thinking of purchasing one. So it will be great if we could have more elaborate snaps. It is not easy to find an LX Scorpio on the roads, hence asked.

Thanks

[NFS]

Congrats on your new buy and the detailed writeup. I had been to India Garage and wanted to look at MPL and Zulaikha (new dealer at Velachery, Chennai). What were your thoughts when you choose MPL as your preferred dealer.

Also, why there was a 6week wait time? I was told by India Garage Sales Man in July/Aug that they had some vehicles in stock. Even if there was a wait time it was lesser if I remember. I thought you asked for a 4x4, but then realized only VLx has 4x4.

Sorry, if I missed something here.

Once again good buy and Congratulations.

NFS

[comfortablynumb]

Congratulations, diwakarmuthu!

If I weren't too lazy to write my ownership review, I would have penned it almost like this one. Your justification for choosing a Scorpio, the pros and cons etc are almost ditto to mine.

Wish you a million miles of trouble free ownership and safe & happy driving!

Cheers,
Vikram

[n.devdath]

Hmmm, seeing an LX on the forum after quite some time. Welcome to the club and enjoy your truck. By the way, what was the cost of it?
Also, does your steering wheel have audio controls?

[tanwaramit]

congrats on the car, you dont have to worry about body colored bumpers.

Black LX is something rarely seen.

Have a good time cleaning it

devdath: LX doesnt has factory fitted audio system itself so providing controls would not be that easy.

[aks_karthik]

Congrats diwakarmuthu.

Wonderful car and good for city and highway.
But you would have chosen Model with ABS.
Enjoy and Drive Safe

[Ricky_63]

First of all congratulations !!

I'd suggest not painting the bumpers. As your Scorpio is Black, the matt contrast looks nice to me. Also practical reasons..a scrape on paint will show up while on the unpainted black bumper it'd not stand out. Just my view point.

Enjoy the drive. What is the ride like ?? The same boat as in 2004 or has it improved a lot ? You will surely enjoy driving this after the Esteem. In the esteem one is almost lying down while in the Scorpio you are sitting at the Esteem's roof height !! LOL



Cheers

[anjan_c2007]

Congratulations, diwakarmuthu on your new buy. It will surely prove that its indeed VFM.
My ownership is about a year and 5 months old now.I too own a LX but I too feel that they can offer the ABS option for the LX !
After all, the LX occupants' safety should also be a matter of concern for M&M.
You may be experiencing the turbo lag at the 1800-2000 rpm levels @ 30-45 kmph. This will go after crossing about 2500-300 kms on the odo.
The gearbox is quite a pain to operate. No doubt it gets a bit matured and smoothens out but the gear lever rattling at neutral and gear engagement blues persist.
Rather than go for those Autocop/Xenon and so on a gear lock is better and desirable.

[sdp1975]

Congrats diwakar.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

My ownership is about a year and 5 months old now.I too own a LX but I too feel that they can offer the ABS option for the LX !
After all, the LX occupants' safety should also be a matter of concern for M&M.

Exactly my thoughts. If the LX had an ABS option it would probably be in my garage. I could not afford the SLE.

[diwakarmuthu]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Diwakar - good start man!

Thanks for sharing the experience. And enjoy your new vehicle.
Drive safe!

Thanks Shankar for your wishes

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

@diwakar:

Congrats man.

LX mostly comes with JK Elanzo and higher variants comes with Bridgestone.

I found the travel of the clutch very long too and something you need to get used to.

Yeah @4x4 addict, it does take some time. I am slowly getting used to it, the gear shifts are coming in pretty smooth now

Originally Posted by klassics45

Congratulations!!!

Yes if you get used to it, i bet you would prefer it more than any vehicle in the city traffic. You get so much peace of mind that you dont worry about traffic.

@klassic45, you're right. I am now enjoying it so much that I don't mind taking it even on bumper to bumper traffic.

Originally Posted by HappyRoadie

Congratulations diwakarmuthu. Nice writeup. It is definitely a very good buy and its really a true VFM. Wish you many happy miles and safe motoring.

@Happy Roadie, thanks a ton

Originally Posted by abhi1309

Can we have some more snaps of the sides and interiors. I was thinking of purchasing one. So it will be great if we could have more elaborate snaps. It is not easy to find an LX Scorpio on the roads, hence asked.

Thanks

@abhi1309, snaps will be uploaded today. I had to clean the car over the weekend and take fresh snaps

Originally Posted by NFS

Congrats on your new buy and the detailed writeup. I had been to India Garage and wanted to look at MPL and Zulaikha (new dealer at Velachery, Chennai). What were your thoughts when you choose MPL as your preferred dealer.

Also, why there was a 6week wait time? I was told by India Garage Sales Man in July/Aug that they had some vehicles in stock. Even if there was a wait time it was lesser if I remember. I thought you asked for a 4x4, but then realized only VLx has 4x4.

Sorry, if I missed something here.

Once again good buy and Congratulations.

NFS

@NFS, thanks for the wishes, In terms of offers rolled out all the dealers are the same. You will need to look at the delivery timelines and the eagerness showed by the dealer in selling the vehicle to you. I choose MPL as my experience at India Garage was below par. In terms of Zulakhia, they are pretty new shop and my assumption is that they will have some vehicles on stock. If you are lucky enough, you may get the vehicle before the long wait period.

I checked for vehicle available at Stock in India Garage and they had only VLX and SLX available in stock. LX is generally made to order vehicle as there are very limited takers for the vehicle. 4-6 weeks is the timeline quoted by the dealers and it is always the maximum. 4x4 would have been a dream, but the wallet was never so deep to plunge in, so settled for the 2WD

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Congratulations, diwakarmuthu!

If I weren't too lazy to write my ownership review, I would have penned it almost like this one. Your justification for choosing a Scorpio, the pros and cons etc are almost ditto to mine.

Wish you a million miles of trouble free ownership and safe & happy driving!

Cheers,
Vikram

@Vikram, thanks for your wishes man. I guess we all have the initial start-up syndrome to write something that we all love (I mean our cars, especially the Scorpio). I had this thought brewing over many times before I put this thread up. Let me suggest you, open your word editor and start scribbling something and you will come up with some good words and there you go.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Hmmm, seeing an LX on the forum after quite some time. Welcome to the club and enjoy your truck. By the way, what was the cost of it?
Also, does your steering wheel have audio controls?

@n.devdath, thanks....I loved the LX because of its single tone color and its really brute appeal. The on-road cost worked out 8.6L. The LX comes with just the Power Steering and AC and nothing much

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

congrats on the car, you dont have to worry about body colored bumpers.

Black LX is something rarely seen.

Have a good time cleaning it

@tanwar, you are right, I read somewhere that cleaning the car helps you burn approximately 100 calories. I burn close to 200 calories a day. I've bought the Jopasu duster, hope to gain some calories.

devdath: LX doesnt has factory fitted audio system itself so providing controls would not be that easy.

Originally Posted by aks_karthik

Congrats diwakarmuthu.

Wonderful car and good for city and highway.
But you would have chosen Model with ABS.
Enjoy and Drive Safe

@Karthik, thanks for your wishes. ABS is available only from the SLX version (optional) and VLX

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

First of all congratulations !!

I'd suggest not painting the bumpers. As your Scorpio is Black, the matt contrast looks nice to me. Also practical reasons..a scrape on paint will show up while on the unpainted black bumper it'd not stand out. Just my view point.

Enjoy the drive. What is the ride like ?? The same boat as in 2004 or has it improved a lot ? You will surely enjoy driving this after the Esteem. In the esteem one is almost lying down while in the Scorpio you are sitting at the Esteem's roof height !! LOL

@Ricky, I did think about it a lot of times and have postponed the decision currently. I quite like the mat finish and if the color doesn't fade, I would be happy to continue.

The ride is bumpy at times. If the vehicle is fully loaded with passengers (min 6 people) then the ride is really smooth. More than the esteem, I am sitting on top of most of the sedans at the moment and I am loving it.


Cheers

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Congratulations, diwakarmuthu on your new buy. It will surely prove that its indeed VFM.
My ownership is about a year and 5 months old now.I too own a LX but I too feel that they can offer the ABS option for the LX !
After all, the LX occupants' safety should also be a matter of concern for M&M.
You may be experiencing the turbo lag at the 1800-2000 rpm levels @ 30-45 kmph. This will go after crossing about 2500-300 kms on the odo.
The gearbox is quite a pain to operate. No doubt it gets a bit matured and smoothens out but the gear lever rattling at neutral and gear engagement blues persist.
Rather than go for those Autocop/Xenon and so on a gear lock is better and desirable.

@Anjan, thanks for your wishes. I have to say your thread a year back sort of made my mind to go for the big fellow. I am getting used to it. It is done about 300kms till now and I do experience the turbo lag and the dealer mentioned this during the delivery of the vehicle (I asked for this specifially). Oh yes, Mahindra should think about having ABS as a standard fitment in all their models.

I may end up buying a gear / steering lock. I am not going in for remote lock as the prices seem to be very high for these items.

Originally Posted by sdp1975

Congrats diwakar.

Exactly my thoughts. If the LX had an ABS option it would probably be in my garage. I could not afford the SLE.

@sdp1975 thanks for your wises. ABS is definetely a good add on for the big vehicle. But I have to say the breaks bite pretty good. If you read through the ABS manual for the Scorp, you will find that the ABS kicks in only after 80kms/h so you can work out how the brakes will be for city traffic.