[SharathScorp]

June 2012 is the month to remember for long, as this is when I became proud owner of my first SUV Scorpio. Ever since my friend had left his mHawk for couple of weeks at my place and after I had used it for two long drives, I had my eye on Scorpio and was just waiting for some reasons budget to go for it.



This is my second four wheeler and it is an upgrade from Indica XETA GLS 2006 model. Believe me, it was with very heavy heart i had to sell my first ever car to XMART (Mahindra First Choice Exchange). But, had to console myself for something better replacing that. So was the situation with my family members also.

With the above background, with the reason of bigger family, love for the SUV and especially Scorpio, there were no alternatives considered except for checking for XUV 500 and other variants in Scorpio. All these options and were easily vanished due to budget constraints and it became the single point agenda Scorpio mHawk LX 7 Seater.



Likes:
1. mHawk engine's performance
2. Masculine SUV which can also be used as daily commuting vehicle to office without much hassle
3. Proven and tested
4. Space inside the vehicle
5. Commanding driving position
6. The improved mileage for the power it delivers
7. Eye catcher on road

Dislikes:
1. Poor interiors
2. Missing basic things such as Radio Antenna, Wire Harness etc
3. No proper place for basic tools such as jack rods etc
4. Power window switch positioning
5. Sensitivity of Horn
6. Interior lighting: No automatic lights when you open middle doors

Now, I had two tasks in hand before I book the vehicle. I was supposed to find out the best in town dealer who could give good service and deal. And, who can also help me in selling the current Indica Xeta. I fixed a Saturday for this and did make visits to SKS Automobiles in Bannerghatta road and India Garage St. Marks Road. Before I made a visit to SKS, I had contacted a sales person there over the phone to get the on road price of both SLE and LX variants. Once I went to SKS, I was not convinced with the knowledge of the sales person who attended me there. They initially argued with me for a minute saying SLE doesn’t come with side cladding and I would get complete black if I desire to go for it. Finally they realized it is not the case and apologized.

I just thought of visiting India Garage and visited St. Marks road showroom. Met the team lead who leads the sales people there and he spent good amount of time listening to all my talking’s, queries and needs. I took quotations and brochure and decided to come back home and finalize. Did the same next day and zeroed in for LX and color was unanimous, the Fiery Black.

Next mission was to see how much my Indica might get sold for. Xmart evaluator gave the approximate price of 1.05L over the phone without even looking at it and also disclaimed it might vary a bit after evaluation. I asked him to come and after evaluation and 2 days, he said final price would be 1L and 10K I would be getting as exchange bonus. Even though I had expectations of around 1.3, I thought I would settle down for this since, it would be without much of a headache and would be taken by some agents like this. And personally I did not prefer to sell my car to any of the known persons. Many of my friends had an eye on my car and were behind, as it was very religiously maintained and was just 40K run.

Then it was booking:
This was my second visit to India Garage and I thought of finalizing the price and make the bookings and also apply for loan with the help of finance guy in India Garage. The experience with finance guy here was not that pleasant as he tried to wash his hands and escape when I did not listen to his request of going with some SBH or other private banks and stood firm for SBI. He started claiming SBI delays the process and all other stories and once said I can visit to any of the nearest branch and apply myself. I was a bit angry here and asked if I am doing everything, then what would that finance guy do? Then they realized a bit I guess and accompanied me for a branch next to their showroom and helped a bit in applying. Loan was eventually sanctioned within just 3 days. After applying loan same day, I sat for finalizing the price.

Quoted On Road Price: 10, 05,000 which included a standard fitment consisting: floor mats, wheel caps, idol, and perfume.

Final price I paid: 9,91,000 which included std fitments above + Car cover.
I also opted for:
1. Fog Lamps: Rs 2500/-
2. Rear parking light chrome: Rs 850/-

The sales guy stuck deal with insurance company and made a discount of 13K+ which was the only discount. Initially we started negotiating for std fitment discounts, corporate discounts etc. But finally both agreed on this and I paid the advance of 50K. Requested for quicker delivery and came back. Sales person was straight forward in not committing anything but said would try his best to make things happen faster. It was 6th June. I had asked if he could make delivery either on 21st June or 24th June.
And XMart person came and took my old car on 9th June itself with just a piece of paper in my hand which had the header as Delivery Note. And he mentioned they would adjust the entire amount in my new car bill. Eventually I became carless and started waiting badly for Scorpio home coming.

I got a call from India garage on 15th and was surprised to listen that they have a black LX in their yard. Before I overjoyed, he mentioned it is a 9 seater and I can opt if I need it. I fell in dilemma now and without being able to decide, decided to visit their yard and compare both for the comfort. Sales person was claiming there is no change in middle row as they have just utilized empty space in back for bigger seats. I was not convinced and made a visit to yard next day. Compared both and was quick to notice back rest of middle row was way straightened than 7 seater’s. Decided for 7 seater and gave my verdict. Sales person accepted it and also mentioned 7 seater is also billed today and we may expect that to come anytime in a week.

On 21st finally the vehicle was in India Garage showroom after passing their internal PDI and I went to PDI the vehicle. This was the first glimpse of my dream!


I did my detailed PDI for almost 75 minutes and cleared the vehicle for registration, which got registered next day and fixed the delivery for 24th as it was my little daughter’s birthday too. Sales person Mr Chandru offered me to deliver the vehicle at home as a surprise to my family and I had maintained this as surprise except with my father who knew about the arrival of new member to our family.



Believe me I had very tough time from here till 24th Sunday, the delivery date. I had literally the sleepless nights waiting for my new Scorpio. Finally the day came and 24th Morning exactly at the promised time, with all accessories fitted and number plate fixed. Chandru and India Garage staff along with their Asst Manager arrived home with Scorpio! My mother and wife were stunned with the surprise as they were thinking it might take another week or two. To our surprise they came with a birthday cake and gift to my daughter and made her cut the cake. Overall it was a pleasant car delivery.



Currently Scorpio has run 1600 Kms with two long drives. Mileage is 12 to 14Kms with AC ON always. My daily usage is 15Kms within Bangalore City Traffic. I did not trouble the engine above 2000 RPM/80KMPH until it touched 1000. Later I have gone till 120 on highway and SUV was solid, strong and smooth. I shall keep you all updated here about my experiences.


Additional Accessories Fitted:
1. Autocop XS remote lock: Rs 2800/-
2. Pioneer HU: DEH-4490BT: Rs 8000/-
3. JBL component front: Rs 4000/-
For rear, i am using my previous JBL GTO937

Next in Pipeline:
1. Better floor mats
2. Seat covers. (Either Ovion or G-Sports)

I shall post the interior photos shortly as I have not taken yet.

My Comprehensive Review after driving my Scorp for 1600Kms:

The engine smoothness, the power it delivers, ability for the immediate pick up and the fuel efficiency are the major points what I have observed as big positives and parameters which makes VFM for buying this big bull. At places if you open the window glasses and drive, you can notice engine noise but, while running on AC it is absolutely calm and I never expected this from a SUV of this size. My family members are also in total love with its noiseless performance even on highways.

I am indeed pleased with the exterior build quailty where Mahindra have improvised on front grill with small metal chrome. Many might opine it should have covered complete grill area, but I like the way how it is currently. After looking at many threads regarding additional headlights I was waiting to see how it performs in night driving. As of now I am satisfied with the lighting and have no complains. Just with little adjustments on the adjuster, based on the passenger load you have it is giving sufficient lighting.

The dashboard indicators are actually nothing in LX and even fuel low indicator is missing which was there in my Indica. I tried this in my previous long drive looking at the needle to come as less as possible and finally made full tank after that and it filled 51 litres. I would say seat belt and low fuel indicators should have been equipped.

The big shake when you self start may be is a feature of mahindra, which I am tired of answering all my friends and people who sit for the first time in my Scorp. It shakes as if an earthquake happened. The gear shifts seem to be bit hard initially but I can tell you it is only till you get adjusted. Especially you should clearly know how to shift from 2nd to third without creeky obstructions. On the ride, i love the suspension you can feel. And now I dare to take it off road while overtaking or a bigger vehicle comes from opposite in ghat sections etc as it hardly matters for passengers inside, Which was not the case in my Indica. And I am enjoying this part. I have also heard from people who have sat in the last two side facing seats about tireness they feel due to the discomfort experienced due to lack of place to position their legs and also bouncy rides. This is one of the major negatives. As far as luggage space, I would say Scorp can take sufficient luggages with 6 people in it with one of the last row seats folded. But if it is loaded to capacity with 7, the need of roof carrier arises.

As far as On road driving experience, I would admit I am a safe driver and would not risk anytime with sharp turns and cuts. And with higher COG vehicle like Scorp, I would never dare to try these. However, I have had fairly good experience on highways without drastically reducing the speed. Braking is one more area which I like in this and my Scorp exactly stops where I want that to be. Since I haven't driven any vehicle with ABS, I am not sure on the comparison. I would say Scorp has good road grip too and easy to maneuver even in off roads such as while parking on gradients, mud filled parking lots etc.

A negative which I can point at this point of time is operating doors. I am experiencing it very hard to open from inside and it makes an absurd noise such as something is broken when i open from inside. Especially in Middle row. Also, the logic of child lock I did not like much as it requires key to lock and unlock. My previous Indica had better system for this.

The big mirrors are awesome and I am just loving the view I am getting. The quality of manual control of mirror position is very hard to manage. I would love to see if I can fit electronic control for this similar to SLE or VLX.

Shortly Would post few more pictures of interiors. Would also like to have suggestions on service centers in South Bangalore. I came to know about one, India Garage which is near Nandini Layout / Peenya. Not sure how good are they.

Will keep this thread up to date with my experiences and pictures.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by SharathScorp

Dislikes:
1. Poor interiors
2. Missing basic things such as Radio Antenna, Wire Harness etc
3. No proper place for basic tools such as jack rods etc
4. Power window switch positioning
5. Sensitivity of Horn
6. Interior lighting: No automatic lights when you open middle doors

Congrats on your purchase Sharath. The Scorpio LX is indeed a VFM SUV and will serve you for long.
In addition to the missing features that you have noticed, please be aware than the LX does NOT have an ac filter though there is the plastic housing where you can fit it.

Please purchase an ac filter which fits onto the VLX or the SLE and get it installed asap on your vehicle. to avoid your ac blower motor, ac ducts and the car cabin to be dust free.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by SharathScorp

June 2012 is the month to remember for long, as this is when I became proud owner of my first SUV Scorpio.

Lovely! There's no other colour in the Scorp lineup that looks as butch as an All Black. However, the chrome on the tail lights looks a bit out of place. No offence meant!

What tyres did your LX come with? Have you purchased the extended warranty?

Many congratulations and wish you a million miles of safe and happy ownership!

Cheers,
Vikram

[motomaverick]

Congrats on your buy. What would be the price difference between the Lx 4x4 and your OTR. I would say blackening the upper portions of the tail piece would be more ideal. Though I am not much of a fan of chrome, but then if you love chrome thats good enough.

[ashis89]

Congrats on your purchase. The car looks fantastic in the Fiery Black shade, suits it the best. Wishing you many happy miles in your beast.

PS: How about adding some alloys to your ride after some time?

[vinair]

Congrats on the new buy mate!! Black on a Scorpio looks really neat!! nice choice there! The chrome on the taillights!! arhhh that's a let down on a otherwise handsome machine!! And also, was the seat sharply angled on the 9 seater version? any pics buddy?

[thumpingheart]

Hey congrats on you buy!! And a very well written post! Scorpio is like the all-time Dream Machine!! I think its the best SUV in India. And it looks drool-worthy in Black

I really liked that you put photos all along the post instead at at the end. Read a few lines - DROOL - Read a few lines - DROOL. ;

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by motomaverick

Congrats on your buy. What would be the price difference between the Lx 4x4 and your OTR?

Around 100,000.00 INR.

[TaureanBull]

Congrats on your purchase. Happy driving. You have shown some great pics. You may like to post them on scorpio owner's thread too.

[HappyRoadie]

Congratulations on your purchase. Really a VFM buy. And as everyone has said the Mhawk engine is a gem. Wish you many happy and safe miles. Do post some interior photos as well.

[narayan]

congrats Sharathscorp on the buy.

what other cars did you consider ? or was it all out in favour of the Beast ?

can you share what was the final ex-show room price you got ? was there any discount due to the Duster effect ?

[rjstyles69]

Congratulations sharath welcome to the esteemed club of Walrus owners .Wishing you many miles of happy motoring,.

A lovely location in this picture

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...w-dsc_0195.jpg

Where wazzziittt ?

[nkrishnap]

Congrats on the Scorpio. The black color looks classy.

Enjoy many more happy miles with the Scorpio.

[benbsb29]

Sharath, congrats on your new Scorpio. Good to see another LX in the fraternity.

Originally Posted by SharathScorp

Dislikes:
1. Poor interiors
2. Missing basic things such as Radio Antenna, Wire Harness etc
3. No proper place for basic tools such as jack rods etc
4. Power window switch positioning
5. Sensitivity of Horn
6. Interior lighting: No automatic lights when you open middle doors

I agree with most of your dislikes, but i am surprised about the missing wiring harness for the antenna. I do not remember if it came as a standard fitment from the company when i bought my LX last year, or if it was included by the dealer.

As for the sensitivity of the horn, it becomes more easier with usage, but i would have preferred if the point of contact was not limited just to the edges as is the case now.

[SharathScorp]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

In addition to the missing features that you have noticed, please be aware than the LX does NOT have an ac filter though there is the plastic housing where you can fit it.

Please purchase an ac filter which fits onto the VLX or the SLE and get it installed asap on your vehicle. to avoid your ac blower motor, ac ducts and the car cabin to be dust free.

Thanks, Devdath. I did not know this! Would certainly get this enquired and get it fixed during first service.

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Lovely! There's no other colour in the Scorp lineup that looks as butch as an All Black. However, the chrome on the tail lights looks a bit out of place. No offence meant!

What tyres did your LX come with? Have you purchased the extended warranty?

Many congratulations and wish you a million miles of safe and happy ownership!

Cheers,
Vikram

Hi Vikram, Thanks a lot. Yeah, the chrome was kind of in a dilemma i went for. There are all chances i might get it removed after my first service. Indeed the fitting also has not come out perfect. So, i take it.

My LX came with MRF Wanderers AT and I was delighted about it. Yes. I have purchased the extended warranty.

Originally Posted by motomaverick

What would be the price difference between the Lx 4x4 and your OTR.

It was close to 1.5L in the quotations i got.

Originally Posted by ashis89

Congrats on your purchase. The car looks fantastic in the Fiery Black shade, suits it the best. Wishing you many happy miles in your beast.

PS: How about adding some alloys to your ride after some time?

Thanks so much for your wishes Ashis. I would probably continue without alloys as I like the current wheelcaps.

Originally Posted by vinair

And also, was the seat sharply angled on the 9 seater version? any pics buddy?

I did not take pics. But it was clear if you open the middle door and compare. 9 seater were almost kind of 90 degrees back rest.

Originally Posted by narayan

congrats Sharathscorp on the buy.

what other cars did you consider ? or was it all out in favour of the Beast ?

can you share what was the final ex-show room price you got ? was there any discount due to the Duster effect ?

Thanks Narayan. No other cars considered. ex showroom was 8.2L. No discounts

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

Congratulations sharath welcome to the esteemed club of Walrus owners .Wishing you many miles of happy motoring,.

A lovely location in this picture

Where wazzziittt ?

Thanks so much rj. Location of this picture is off mysore road a near to Bidadi. It is called "Nelligudde Kere"