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-   -   Mahindra Scorpio : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/157090-mahindra-scorpio-official-review-10.html)

@Bhatt, My intention is not to compare XUV with Scorpio . You own a very capable vehicle. Each one has its uniqueness and special features. I am finding a driving difference with RWD Scorpio vs my Sx4 FWD . Able to make out the push vs pull ignoring other obvious differences.

Jeep and Thar are very capable 4x4's but unfortunately they are 2 people SUV's unless customized. Having said that in India it is difficult to match their unique capability. I started my driving experience at age of 8 (Eight) and Jeep was my second vehicle to practice. I have a soft corner for Jeeps.

But you will notice the turbo-lag with Thar and difference between mHawk and CRDe is obvious. Again you cannot get every thing in one vehicle unless you go for High End ones like Range Rovers and the like.

I find the sweet spot at 2000 RPM up to 2300 RPM. The first 2 gears feels like a Volvo Bus to hold in the RPM or change immediately. As you down shift, the engine gives you all you need in the city between 1500-2000 RMP. On the highways, the top gear reaches speeds of 90-100 in the same band and settles into cruising mode.

The xylo gearbox has got in the required reduction for a high revving mhawk engine. The long and short is it will increase the engine life many folds by extracting power at lower revs and engine will be less stress. Driven like this the engine oil should also last 10K per change. Although I recommend adhering to manufacturers specification.

Also the engine is less thirsty and returns 13-14KMPL (mostly 2nd gear 20-30KMPH) in the city and 16-17KMPL in short trips in the top gear (5th gear 80 KMPH without cruise i.e., on a light foot). Interestingly M&M recommends to drive in neutral in you have a reasonable incline to save gas-this is old school.

To digress, remember the old red KSRTC AL/ TATA buses shifting to neutral for gas incentives way back...!!! Corporations don't offer gas incentives or awards to drivers any more perhaps...:)

I think it isn't at all old school. This is a very good way of saving fuel, for people who live in hilly areas. Mahindra is quite reasonable to advice this to Scorpio owners. I mean what's wrong in it guys, slot into neutral and go down the incline. This is a very common practice in places like Lava and Darjeeling. We should learn from them drivers.

It was maybe prevalent in older times with old cars, not any longer.

Engine braking? I do control my car while keeping it in gear and the car is more controlled that way than being in neutral. The car is anyways is in ignition, it is burning fuel, so doesn't save much fuel that way.

Hope nobody tries that in a modern car with ignition off. Brakes, steering depend on car's ignition for functioning.

BTW, Welcome to the forums Neel, have a pleasant stay :)

Hi - does anyone has any further updates on the automatic gearbox (after the articles appeared in November mid).

:thumbs up
@Miyer, I am not sure if the NG Scorpio has the same gear ratio as Xylo mHawk . I agree with you that at higher rpm in 1st and 2nd gear there seems to a reduction and engine grunts only . To me looks like M&M has found a sweet spot . 1500 to 2500 rpm gives smooth ride, power and fuel efficiency . For the last 1.5 months I am getting a fuel efficiency of 13-14 kmpl in city condition with micro-hybrid enabled. As said earlier the 3rd gear is a Gem for High Traffic .

Hill driving in neutral eats away the brake pads life if brakes are used frequently . In conditions requiring lot of braking mixed use of gears and neutral driving should be done.

Did some Highway driving this weekend and the the odo crossed the 2K mark.

I must say the gearbox has the same Xylo ratios and willing to push the engine well beyond 3K RPM (I limited it to that). At 3K, the speed reads 120 KMPH.

Suspension is as good as the Innova except for the tall body and high ground clearance. Feels pretty planted, the 17" inch wheels do a good job in soaking all potholes and minor undulations.The anti-roll bars do their duty very well in the front and rear. Perhaps the brakes should have some more bite and its a bit scary although there is enough stopping power.

With cruise on it returned 13-14 at 100-120 KMPH speeds. Without it and a light foot, the FE was up to 15-16 KMPL.

Just like the Innova there is a hum at 100-105-110 KMPH beyond that it becomes super quite like a petrol car.

Mod note: Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use a spell-checker.

This is incorrect.
The correct practice is to downshift when going down and incline and ALL experienced drivers in the hills do it ALL the time. This reduces brake wear and increases control over the vehicle manifold.

When you go down an incline in neutral, you do not have engine braking resulting in excessive brake wear, heat and inability to control the vehicle in case of a brake fade/failure.

Ideally you should be coming down in the same gear one would use to climb up. Coasting in neutral is a big no no.

Actually going downhill in gear actually burns no fuel at all and it is the downward momentum that 'powers' the engine. Of course the engine braking itself is also supremely useful as well!

i own a 2008 Model 2.6 CRDE LX Scorpio (Black Colour) and have clocked close 1,20,000 kms on it across India.

When news & BHP scoops of a new face-lifted Scorpio being launched came, i wasn't too interested; thinking it would just be a cosmetic job.

But as the vehicle was released, it came to my notice about the updated gearbox, suspension and much changed interiors. I went down to Koncept to check out the vehicle and immediately liked it.

After two failed attempts at Koncept Mahindra, Delhi, i finally got my hands on test drive vehicle; a White S10 Scorpio. And here are my thoughts after two drives around South Delhi -

The Good -

- love the reworked front end of the vehicle, makes the already muscular vehicle more upmarket
- best look is the front 3/4th
- 17 inch wheels are a welcome upsize
- coming from the 2.6 crde engine (which in my opinion is awesome) the 2.2 MHawk is super silent inside the cabin
- The interiors are a major upgrade, along with the entertainment system and 6 inch screen
- nice to have arm rests, though i wasnt too comfortable on them, never having used them before
- height adjustment another nice feature, though the positioning is terrible. along with the hand pump action to make it work
- ride is a definite improvement, NO the body roll etc hasn't gone but its a major improvement from my vehicle
- Power window on side arm rest, i mean cars have had this since 2001
- finally - its still a Scorpio by which i mean - Tall, Muscular, low torque, decent highway speeds 120-140 kmph and means business on the road. No soft roader nonsense or sedan type seating on the XUV, Terrano/Duster

The Bads -

- The rear door, seriously why do that, its like the XUV designers sneaked and said " please let us do one panel on this car, just one":Frustrati
Having said that at night the panel looks nice lit up
- Seats could have been improved for better under thigh and back support. Along with positioning as mentioned above
- The key fob is terrible, as if attached from Karol Bagh
- Door handles and cubby hole plastics arent high quality
- Steering wheel feels small-ish after the 2.6 LX

Overall - will i buy this vehicle having owned a Scorpio for 6 years, the simple answer yes.

Why ? -

I dont want to spend more than 14-15L on my next vehicle.
I dont want to buy a 2nd hand Pajero or Fortuner (though a fortuner is tempting)
Terrano, XUV, Duster drive & feel like sedans are too low slung
I love the road presence the Scorpio gives me
I'll finally have ABS, Airbags
Great size boot to ferry stuff
Mahindra Service is decent and the staff knows me well
Having driven a Tempo Trax Judo for 7 years and a Scorpio for 6. There is no chance i can drive a sedan as my primary vehicle.

All in all its a logical step up for me.

Cheers !

Kundan

Guys, an off topic here - If I were to choose between duster 110AWD or XUV W6/Scorpio S10 - which is cheaper in regards to maintenance and service ?

Nissan/Renault in comparison with Mahindra - which is better service center wise ?

@ptaneja: Duster / XUV is more car like vs Scorpio which is Jeep like. Kindly have a look at Duster AWD thread, looks like Dusters are having production issues resulting in Rusters.

No mention till now about the infamous Clutch Slave Cylinder problem. Has it been resolved or am I missing something?

Is this the one which required removal of gearbox to fix ?