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Mumbai to Malshej Ghat in a petrol Mahindra Scorpio N: Drive Experience

By now I’ve gotten used to a lot of things about the Mahindra Scorpio-N, the mStallion engine is, however, something which continues to impress

BHPian scorpi0N recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

A Drive to the Picturesque Malshej Ghat

Malshej Ghat is a mountain pass in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, situated amidst the Sahaydri range. It’s located about 150 kms from Mumbai. The region is known for its natural beauty, with greenery, waterfalls, and a variety of wildlife.

As with any other part of the Western Ghats, the place and the route really come alive during monsoons with lush greenery all-around and beautiful natural waterfalls. I had, accordingly, planned this trip for July/August last year. But, it didn’t materialize. However, the thought of visiting Malshej remained at the back of my mind.

Some close relatives were planning for a visit from US in January, and so I thought maybe we could all go out for a short stay there and made all the bookings for stay.

However, the Trump election changed everything. It was getting riskier to travel after the new administration takes over, and so their visit was preponed to December. Their visit was also cut short so we only had 1-2 days maximum for any trip. Short on time, and as we had heard about camping near Pawna lake, we planned for a day camping at Pawna with everyone. It turned out to be a bittersweet experience, and I would not recommend those Pawna camps to families.

Anyway, the earlier booking to Malshej was still there and I hadn’t cancelled it. Had kept it, just in case we felt like going. As it turned out, things sort of worked out. We didn’t have a busy schedule and the weather was quite pleasant, so we thought may be we’ll just go visit. So, off we went.

During this time of the year, as expected the drive wasn’t particularly scenic. However, it turned out to be very peaceful experience, and there was a quiet charm in driving through the winters on a sunny day. The drive takes about 4 - 5 hours from Mumbai. We chose the route via Karjat.

The initial stretch till Karjat is expressways and wide-laned highways. We broke the journey near Karjat, at The Plate restaurant. Can happily recommend this wonderful place.

After that, it was mainly two-laned roads through villages, with long quiet stretches followed by 5-10 minutes through the village market area. We had started about 10 AM and were driving through this stretch in the afternoon. The atmosphere felt serene—most people seemed to be indoors, likely resting during their siesta. Occasionally there were signs of activity here and there. Leaves drifted down as a gentle breeze was passing through. It was an enjoyable ride.

The last stretch was half-an hour drive through the ghats.



The car returned about 10.3 KMPL for the trip. Wife sitting in the second row did mention that body roll was more noticeable during this trip relative to the last one for Pawna, where there were six occupants against three of us in the current one.

While by now I’ve gotten used to a lot of things about the Scorpio-N, the mStallion engine is, however, something which continues to impress. Its refinement is truly amazing and it has never disappointed when power is needed, whether its for a quick launch after standstill or overtakes in a narrow window. It has made the Scorpio into such a fun-to-drive vehicle.

We reached the place were we were staying around 3 PM and stayed for a couple of days. At this time of the year Malshej Ghat is very picturesque. Days are sunny and very pleasant. Its neither very cold nor warm. The temperature is just right. One can just roam around or lay down by the lake side with a good book and some cakes!

Pictures from the outing





















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