[Sheel]

Probably, this was the last nail in the coffin of my ownership of the Figo. And no, this was not at any sea beach, it was on my way to the mango orchard.





The ownership had been flawless so far. I cannot ask for much. No issues in the 47 months of my ownership. Not a bulb/fuse gone kaput. But the infrastructure is to be entirely blamed as the reason for parting ways with my Figo. And that, I was slowly driving SUV's that much more and didn't enjoy driving the Figo or any hatch/sedan as much.

[Sheel]

Alternatives Considered

The itch to change started with the launch of Ford EcoSport, it had everything over and above my Figo, most importantly the GC as well as high seating position, but the ladder on frame SUV's had completely spoilt me. In checking out the EcoSport in person, space was a turn off for me as was GC and that it didn't come in an AWD avatar.

Next in line was the XUV 5OO AWD. Thanks to Anshuman's thread, I knew almost everything about the AWD variant. Have driven few & was being driven in few. I knew what I was getting, but somehow the car didn't pull heart strings. Monocoque have their advantages but I wanted ladder on frames + the GC of the XUV wasn't as generous as SUV's. And I wanted good GC.

I always knew that the Scorpio 4WD was going to be my next car purchase but wasn't committing because of the W105's scoop pics doing rounds. Once launched, me & I believe most of us were not really warming up to its looks, but after seeing the car in black (on various WWW.) I knew it will look good.

Booking & Waiting

Went to my local dealer (friend) to book. Seeing the spec sheet (S10, Black, Captain seats in middle and 4WD) he asked me, if I was willing to wait at least 2 months or maybe even 3 months. I didn't have any other option, but asked him to see as to what can be done.

This is where I had to take help. A fellow BHPian [1100D] and a 4WD owner had very good contacts with higher ups at Mahindra, he was instrumental in involving the right guys and I got an ETA of 15/12/'14 after his escalation.

Waiting is never kind to us fellow enthusiasts. And this is where I started contemplating other options, but there weren't many. If my heart absolutely destroyed my head in a d0g fight, I would have been penning a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport or Toyota Fortuner 4X4 thread. But there were few other investments lined up, hence I had to stay at my 15L ball park.

The Storme was the fiercest (and its most natural) contender, the facelift rumors were a damper, still, went to the Tata showroom. 4x4's available with a waiting of 3 weeks. This was in the 1st week of November. Asked 1100D to check upon if they would stick to their promised date. Got a promising reply that my Scorpio will be billed in November. And in November it happened, but on 29th.

[Sheel]

I had gone to the dealer on Friday [12/12/'14] to check out the car in general and to show to a friend who was going away for a couple of days. I had done a general PDI there and found everything to be okay. Upon arriving, I found my car washed & covered with a new car cover. It was already parked in the vehicle delivery area. Keys were with the GM Sales and not with the guy who oversees TD.

Delivery:

On the D-Day, confirmed from my friend as to what time would he arrive to hand over the keys, upon confirmation, called up my my cousin and nephew and asked them to accompany me. Upon arriving, it took around an hour and a bit more to do the formalities and then we were handed over the keys.

That is me (to your right) taking my keys from my friend. The kid is my nephew and has a lot of interest in cars (obvious)


I only got woolen mats and that car cover from the dealer. No push for any accessories as such. I anyways have no plans to add anything. Maybe a decent set of speakers and good quality seats. The ex-showroom price listed on the website is - 13,01,xxx. With taxes and insurance the amount comes to around the 14.5L figure.

Make - Mahindra
Model - Scorpio
Variant - S10
Special variant - 4WD & Captain seats
Engine - 2.2 M-Hawk
Type of fuel - Diesel

This is why specifically got the 4WD variant. Seems, it is me who has wrote this, but SS-Traveller wrote what I exactly thought.
Post #355
Post #356

Extended warranty is not yet available for the new Scorpio. The S10 variant comes with a lot of goodies. While the earlier variant too had tire pressure monitoring system [TPMS],cruise control, automatic wipers and head-lamps, this in addition comes with a touchscreen infotainment system, GPS navigation, dual projector headlamps [with additional bulb added as cornering lamps which works] & LED eyebrows, LED tail-lamps, 17" alloy wheels, climate control and lots of others. ABS & Airbags are default from S8 variants.

From the earlier variant, the cruise control is more convenient to activate. I particularly like the cornering lamps, TPMS and the touch screen infotainment system.

The speakers are of average quality. They will be changed to better ones.

Why didn't they provide autofold ORVM's? That is an omission I do not like.

And don't get me started on the gate trim from the inside. It is all plastics and it is same from the M2Di varaint to the EX to the S2 and now to the S10. It is pathetic.

At this price, the S10 should have been kitted up with leather. But M&M knows how to milk the customers else how do you explain a Xylo M9 coming with leather seats but a S10 not.

Overall impression about the car [Build, looks etc]

I usually hop off from a Skoda or a Toyota (nowadays) and if I am not looking at the Scorpio skin deep, I find things to be ok. But scratching the surface reveals a bit more. Let us not even get into plastics or trim levels or finesse, there is nothing such. I knew all along, I was buying a Jeep and that it is with some comfort and some techno wizardy. The paint on the Toyota Fortuner appears more lustrous and even on the inside (the feel is utilitarian) but appears better build.

And then you factor in the price.

No comparison with the Skoda, it is better built overall. In 2 years, if waxed, it still appears new. But when the 3 are parked together, the Scorpio doesn't appear any less. In fact, just yesterday, an old gen Fortuner, a new Q7 and a modified Scorpio VLX (oversize tires, antenna, Hellas) were parked together and from a distance the trio appeared in sync (I was at a crematorium & hence resisted taking pics). As of now, everything is new, tight, shiny. Nothing is loose or falling over. You, at places may see an indigenous manufacturer marking its territory, but that is it.

The new generation W105 Scorpio appears more butch especially in black and people are slowly warming up to its design.

Driving Impression [Ride/Handling, Braking etc]

Fortuner has better, bolstered seats, but sans that arm rest. And that arm rest is one of the reason I was sticking with the Storme/Scorpio. The view from the driver seat is very good. I am somehow not warming up to the front LH area, so I keep a bit more distance than normal. No, I am not someone who judges by seeing the bonnet (it is visible though). The view is all good, till you look into your IRVM (for parking purpose/inside congested traffic) That lower kink in the rear hatch door eats a lot of rear visibility and is one of the Scorpio's negative point.

The ride and handling (as mentioned earlier) is good and as expected from a 2 tonne 7 feet+ SUV [Benchmark for me, is still the good old Pajero SFX] Tires are the Bridgestone HT in 235/65 17" spec and comes with those sweet looking 5 spoke alloys. If those alloys weren't 5 spoke, I might have changed them. For a 4WD, I don't see an extension for the hubs, maybe there was a workaround.

Took few corners yesterday (a place where I practiced cornering) and the SUV appeared in sync. In fact, I was surprised to see it tracking true. There was no nervousness and never appeared that the rear will overtake the front. The ride is very good as well, unlike the old/2WD Scorpios, this one doesn't bounce around the passengers or bobs, pitches or rolls. It is nice. And the ladder on frames do rule the roost on expansion joints, road irregularities and obstacles where you cannot swerve.

While it is very easy (now, wrt the earlier gen Scorpio) to slot reverse and 3rd gear (was matter of getting used to) the gear lever still vibes when you start and shut down your SUV. But doesn't vibe on accelerating (like the Fortuner).

I would have appreciated had the infotainment system been at a more higher level than where it currently sits at. It would have been easier to spot the GPS as well as see what tracks are lined up in my media drive or what economy am I getting in the MID.

Mirrors are carried over, while the visibility is great, they aren't as flush fitted. I have had multiple hits in my Figo's ORVM (RH) and not once it broke off. At a very fierce hit, there was slight misalignment. I know, I will have to be careful with my mirrors.

Brakes are good and I find ém okay, as while driving the Scorpio, I always have its girth in my mind. But, with those 17" wheels addition, M&M should have added rear disc brakes as well. Should have done good in emergency braking situation. Anticipate and Drive. I always do and for the past few years, I did not have to panic brake. (Not boasting, but a fact)

Interiors

I was expecting the middle captain seat variant to be more accommodating, say the way, Innova's middle seat is. The seats should have been better, but I am not complaining as I have done multiple 500/800 kms a day drive (as a driver) and I never felt any amount of fatigue/discomfort, come rain, shine. With all seats in place, there is not much space for your luggage but as we are only 4 people in the family, that is not a bother.

I am yet to test the AC and its effectiveness as it is winter time but there is one quirk with the ACC. In ACC mode, you have to manually select the recirculation mode and once the recirculation mode is selected, the flow of air is directed to either both your face/feet or your feet. If you select the air flow to your face (manually) the recirculation mode gets deactivated. I am using this as a normal AC. The rotary knobs to control the airflow/temperature are nice to operate. The buttons to select the modes are good as well.

Engine

This engine is a gem and as drivable as the Pajero SFX 2800's NA engine. As the Pajero, it has dollops of torque from crawling speeds to potter around city but doesn't hit a wall unlike the Pajero on the highway. The efficiency doing highway speeds is between 13 & 14kmpl.

The hum of an M-Hawk is to be experienced. Either while crawling or while doing intra-city runs. I feel, the M&M guys have upped the cruising abilities of this New Gen Scorpio. It does 90kmph @ 2,000 revs, In comparison, the older gen did 80kmph @ 2,000 revs, Fortuner does 100, Pajero SFX did 80 and IIRC Storme does 90kmph as well at 2,000 revs.

This is where the long legged cruising ability (& benefits of a 6th gear) of Yeti gets a mention. Does 120kmph @ 2,000 revs. Well, go down the gearbox to 4th, ahh...can't resist being an enthusiast. That feeling wasn't there in the Sports Mode of the Audi Q I drove.

But in all honesty, while doing those marathon trips, having a Car with only 5 speed evenly spread gears gets my vote. Especially in our typical highway traffic. There are stretches where I wish I could do more, but the aerodynamics + demerits of a big, tall heavy SUV looms large and sanity stores.

And I no longer flinch at seeing a pothole/speed breaker.

My bike does cross 100 in 3rd gear, with 3 gears more to go, all those speed carvings will be satisfied there, no regrets.

The NVH levels are pretty good till 90kmph. As the engine is new, I haven't taken it to good speeds but still it should be decent till 110kmph [from past experience of the VLX]

Fuel Economy

Gives me 13+ kilometers to a liter inside city confines with AAC running. Out on the highway, with revs in the region of 2,000 rpm, it has given 15+ kilometers to a liter with 5 passengers on board. All my cars have their climate control running, always. I think, that this is a good economy for a SUV of this size & girth.

After Sales

This is where I am at an advantage and was leaning towards the Scorpio. Most people in the workshop know me, so that is not a hassle at all. In the PDI, the last row of seat was not secured at its right place. A mechanic was called in a jiffy and he adjusted it. Dealer being a childhood buddy helps.

[Sheel]

Likes

• Presence
• Size
• The 2.2 MHawk is a brilliant engine
• The ride and handling package
• Lots of features

Dislikes

• Space
• Absolute lack of storage space
• Visibility from rear
• Fit & Finish issue

I shall elaborate -

This being my primary vehicle, I didn't need a very large SUV, say like the Endevour, the Scorpio has just the right size. But then the drawback being, space, inside the vehicle. Absolutely no storage space and in the captain seat version, there is no boot space as well. No place to keep water bottles for the front seaters and or your smart phone. The 3rd row bench seat too isn't very accommodating and is best for kids or people with below average height.

But, boy does the car get attention? At my place, Scorpio M2Di/EX/S2 is primarily used as a taxi and there are hordes of other SUV's which can be spotted, but I have had visitors checking out my car at home, in the office/marketplace, even at the showroom. And everyone in unison say the same, this is just so different from the white Scorpio and looks so good. And almost everyone (who has noticed) the rear tow hook asks its purpose.

The accolades of the 2.2 MHawk engine is well documented. It is so tractable and has so great low end torque, fits this SUV to a T. Is home doing 90kmph @ 2,000 revs and returns a healthy 13+ kilometers to a liter. The slave cylinder issue haunts, keeping fingers crossed.

I have done more than 50,000 kms in a Safari/Storme. In safari, more as a passenger and in the Storme as a driver. The ride resembles the old Safari, it mimics it. I hadn't expected the ride to be so sorted (primary reason for going for a 4WD) but thanks to independent suspension + coil spring combination, it doesn't sway, bob/pitch like a typical Scoprio. I believe the hydoformed chassis also plays a part. The co passengers too have cemented this opinion.

My biggest grouse with this vehicle is the absolute lack of visibility from the rear. Once in the driver seat and if you got to reverse, I will suggest, either to get a rear camera installed or please do check out the surroundings in person prior to reversing. Even while driving, more than IRVM, I keep a tab on both ORVM's.

[Sheel]

After this upgrade to a SUV, I am living life stress free. Earlier it was a pain to navigate my Figo in narrow streets [the tar width, with drops on both side] which also had construction material or ditches dug up everywhere. Not any more. My folks still prefer the Figo's composed ride over good surface, but the trade-off was the most irritating part.

The Car has exceeded my expectations as far as the ride goes. It is very composed, stays flat and true to the line it is taking, steering isn't bristling with feel but you would know as to what your wheels are doing. For a ladder on frame SUV at 15L OTR, I cannot ask for more after sampling other contenders. It doesn't have the underlying stiffness and the noise [of road surface] you associate with a monocoque. The driving position is a gem as well, the dedicated armrest takes the fatigue out of driving, now I just stop for fuel & loo breaks.


With this thread, I would like to thank the Support Team for their time & effort in penning Official Reviews and in particular, the Scorpio review. The D's for hearing my woes. SS-Traveler, 1100D for their awesome 4WD thread. M35 for his brilliantly maintained black Scorpio thread & its pictures. SumitB for listening all my crap on phone for close to 2 months And most of the travelers who have penned beautiful travelogues luring me to get home a go any where vehicle, almost.

Hope, I haven't missed anyone

I shall keep adding more bits & pieces as I log in miles. Pictures will be added as well.

Thanks :-)

LOL for this pic. Don't ask me how I achieved this.



Few External pictures, taken at my native place.

[Sheel]

The W105 badging maybe found at quite few places.



This area is where most dirt/dust goes :(





The only cubby hole and the toggle switch for 2H, 4H and 4L mode. That is a 5" smartphone [For reference]



Have a look at the visibility at the rear hatch area from your IRVM in the new Scorpio



Now have a look at the older gen Scorpio's visibility, this is a major safety hazard IMO in the new gen Scorpio.

[Sheel]

Have clicked few interior picture shots of the new Scorpio as well as the old gen Scorpio.

Please have a look. Exterior pictures will have to wait as both car at same time aren't found in clean pristine shape

The LH shot of both, OLD



New



A closer look at the steering and the RH part.

Old



New



Center Console

Old



New. Good riddance with the high & low AC mode.




Closer look at the bottom of center console

Old



New

[Sheel]

Posting few underbody shots.

The first pic is of the part which helped Mahindra reduce the GC from 209mm to some 180...I am not sure. It has 3 screws & is removable.





The front RH shock absorber/suspension





The Left Rear suspension





Bits of rear transmission





The Left Rear wheel & suspension



The Right Rear wheel & suspension

[prabhu789]

Congrats Sheel on acquiring Black Beauty . I am also in the same situation as you. My previous vehicle was Figo and now contemplating to pick 2WD SUV (Fortuner or XUV5OO).

Looking forward for more updates from you. I wish you happy miles ahead.

[Zigor]

Congratulations ! Wish you happy miles ahead.

Loved last set of water-dripping pics (best ambiance for a 4x4 SUV)

[SS-Traveller]

Congratulations, Sheel, and here's wishing you many miles of very happy driving. Given that the dealer is your friend, your service experience would be expected to be much smoother than others'.

I haven't had the occasion to drive the W105 yet, but going by reports, many things seem to have been designed worse than the Scorpio Refresh version. For example, the rear windscreen is smaller - why would anyone want to do that, beats me. The centre console has acres of wasted space that could have been better designed to accommodate bottles, phones, chargers, pens and other bits and pieces - the older centre console has the bigger as well as smaller slots that are quite a boon, including the metal pocket just under the AC switches.

Why M&M couldn't think up a better rear door design is utterly beyond me. If the bonnet edges are now wraparound, couldn't someone do something similar to the rear door, that entirely depends on a strip of rubber to keep tons of mud thrown up by the rear tyre, out of the interiors?

The front suspension not being torsion-bar-based was quite a revelation when you first posted pics on FB. A closer look (physically, not through pics) at the setup would be interesting, given that this is a major change from the torsion bar setup that has been around since the very first 4wd Scorpios (2003 IIRC) came out. That setup had reportedly been quite trouble-free as well as exhibited a lot less 'hippopotamussy' behaviour than the coil springs of the 2wd versions - one would hope the new front suspension in 4wd versions is a big improvement over the old design.

And finally, Sheel, do tell us the secret of your 17.7 kmpl MID display!

[Turbo_asd]

Congrats Sheel on aquiring such a capable beast. Thanks for the wonderful pictures as well.
Is the gear shift quality noticeably better than the last gen Scorpio? How would you rate it compared to other SUVs in its class?
Why I ask is because my dad thought so poorly of it that it became a deal breaker!
A wonderful car in all other aspect. Wish you many trouble free miles ahead.
Keep revving
PS: why no team bhp sticker yet? Should be on the top of your to do list.

[1100D]

Congrats!! Fantastic report. If I am not mistaken, this is the first report of a New Gen scorpio with 4wd on Team bhp.

Besides the Coil sprung front suspension, there is another surprise, the Flush Auto Locking Hubs. I guess, I asked you on FB to post a picture, once you get a chance to take one of the front wheels off.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Dislikes[list][*]Visibility from rear


But then the drawback being, space, inside the vehicle. Absolutely no storage space and in the captain seat version, there is no boot space as well.

Underneath the Scorpio's Third Row there is a lot of space if you utilise that space smartly. We travel with customised cloth bags designed to fit under the third row. We place the Bags and then bring the third row down and clamp it. You won't get this space in many other options where the area under the third row is blocked forever (Like the XUV). Likewise for the space behind the third row (if you can forego with the need to carry stylish branded suitcases, even the space behind the third row can easily be put to very good use). What happens with the Scorp is that you learn to live around the car and somehow it starts to work out like a glove. We have travelled with 7 people on board without a single bag that needed to be carried on the top on an extended weekend trip.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Have a look at the visibility at the rear hatch area from your IRVM in the new Scorpio

B]Now have a look at the older gen Scorpio's visibility, this is a major safety hazard IMO in the new gen Scorpio.[/b]

While in the older vehicle you have the third row down, on the new one you have the third row up.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

but going by reports, many things seem to have been designed worse than the Scorpio Refresh version.

Oh Come on Doc!! You also know that there are a lot of things in which this generation feels better!!

[rev_rohit]

Congratulations on your beautiful acquisition!!

Thanks for such a nice and detailed review with good pics . Comparison with the older model made it easier to appreciate the differences.

Wish you tonnes of safe and happy miles!!

[BlackPearl]

Congratulations Sheel! This is a detailed report that you have put up and IMO black is the best colour for the new Scorpio. Rated 5 stars.
As others have mentioned, could not see the auto locking hubs. So does it mean that Storme and the new Scorpio are using the same/similar thing?