[Sheel]

Extremely detailed thread. I can relate to your experience, have driven a Yeti for significant kilometers as well as 2 2016 Endeavour's 3.2's, plus, was there for the ScorpioN review & had driven it. I think, on most parts your observations are spot on and are similar to what I felt.

Originally Posted by nerd1200

The ScorpioN is a perfect middle ground between a THAR and an XUV700. If someone desires ruggedness and 4x4 credentials of a proper BOF SUV and also needs to ferry 5 occupants and their luggage comfortably, maybe a little luxuriously even, it’s a safe bet. It is evident that the Scorpio N prioritises comfortable long distance touring on good to bad to no roads over outright off-road worthiness and that is exactly what I needed.

I think, you have summed this up perfectly over here. Thanks once again for the share and the effort you have put in .

[Sidban85]

Great travelogue.

1. Do you suggest Royal Motors amongst Kolkata dealers?

2. What all accessories did you add to address lack of underbody protection, DEF tank placement?

[Gaur]

Great write up, perfectly sums up what the Scorpio N is capable of and how good value for money vehicle it is for the price paid.

Having bought a petrol model only thing that hurts me is the fuel efficiency in city but for 19.70lac onroad (Z8 Price protected) i don't think another vehicle provided that value for money proposition.

Regarding the 4X4 capabilities, only flies in the ointment are the things you already mentioned, poor approach/departure angles, DEF tank placement and lack of tyre options.

Hope Mahindra is listening to these feedback and V2.0 may fix alteast few of it, its the perfect family offroader then.

[FAIAAA]

Comprehensive review of a capable tourer. Hats off nerd1200 for such a detailed review, not sure how many hours went in drafting such a review. Many of us share passion for cars and road tripping. Writing and pictures are a different game altogether.
Congratulations on your SUV and wish you at least a 100k kms of hassle free ownership and memorable adventures.

[sach.sri]

Lovely review! Very much enjoyed your writing style and the choice of words giving this reveiw a decidedly unique character


I am quite interested in the below observations

Originally Posted by nerd1200

Driving the Scorpio-N

Powertrain & Drivability

Attachment 2540240

The engine is tuned very well and is an enthusiast’s delight.

>>> Can attest to this, i think all the new age Mahindras are tuned to be fun drives. They never feel sluggish (and this coming from some driving a 7 year old XUV automatic) - but compromises on the fuel efficiency. I guess you get some, you loose some.


Also, the gearbox does not listen to you in-case you want an early down or up shift that's beyond its threshold. The Tiptronic at such times does shut you out.

>>> I have found that giving a pretty aggressive input on the accelerator gives you this instant downshift. At least in my case if i want a instant downshift i release the accelerator and immediately press it agressively and it jumps! literally! sometime it even shift down 2 gears.

Engine braking is achievable to a certain extent by putting the car in 1st or 2nd manually but you’ll have to plan it well as it will upshift when it needs to.

>>> I tried this once while diving in Spiti, but found that my engine overheated!? Have you encountered this? Since then i have been using hill descent control, but somehow am not really comfortable with it, it is twitchy and am always looking at the dash to see whether it has engaged or not? Any thoughts? feedback?

Thanks!

[Aditya]

Exceptional, unbiased & detailed ownership reviews of cars have started going to our homepage reviews box. It's the ultimate stamp of trust from Team-BHP (as a platform) because lakhs of visitors every month check out reviews from there & make purchase decisions.

Your review has also been included here. Thank you so much for sharing .

[suvrog]

Great writeup and a very detailed one. Thanks a lot.
I got the delivery on 20th Oct, this year. I did not get much time to drive till now.

My observations till date:

1. The headlights are really not up to the mark. It doesn't instil confidence during night drives.

2. The 3rd row is very badly designed. The seats doesn't split and the floor is not flat. Hence, a lot of space gets wasted.

3. The brake pads lasted only 20K in your case. That is really less. Was hoping it would last 30-35K atleast. My Ecosport brake pads has 10k life left after being run 35k.

4. There was a 'khat-khat' sound from the front right hand side suspension. I showed this during my first-service and was rectified by changing the link rod under warranty.

I did change my stock tyres to Yokohama G015 265/60/R18. It did improve the ride quality, traction and road noise.

I am currently looking for some underbody & DEF tank protection.

[vredesbyrd]

Congratulations!

If you ignore the approach and departure angles, then the hardware and software combination is pretty solid. Climbed up a mud trail in a steady downpour during night without fuss.
The only thing is that brakes seem weak due to the high torque delivery in 4WL. The braking otherwise is excellent and often way quicker than expected.

Speaking of issues, I do have the one where infotainment and instrument cluster refuse to turn on. Faced it thrice so far in 6 months.
Alongside that, the sunroof often refuses to close on one-touch. The solution is to use the button bit-by-bit till the arrow hits the canal shaped marker drawn on the left side of the interior bracket.

The negatives aside, the N has very few contenders. People from a certain region keep yapping about "PHAAARCHUNAAAR" (I belong to that region) but I am glad that I didn't go for a used one. Only I wish that it had the XUV700 185hp/450nm tune if not 200hp/500nm.
It is a near-perfect vehicle, at least for my needs (I guess I am stealing words from your thread at this point )

In short, it is a surprisingly comfortable long-distance cruiser with decent efficiency and the ability to tackle any sort of terrain thrown at it and most 2-3 wheeled gobloks prefer not to throw themselves at you.

One of the mods I would like to do down the line would be a 360 camera setup. I've already added aux fog lights and an underseat sub (warranty be damned!) and 265/60R18 Geolandars. Wish you many happy miles!

P.S. Here are some pictures:













P. P. S. Sorry for the thread hijack

[Raghu M]

Couldn't find a better review anywhere! Very detailed and has all the info needed if anyone wants to opt for the Scorpio. On a side note, your Yeti is a fantastically maintained car. I would have bought it myself had I seen it earlier. It just looks dapper! Good luck and wish you happy miles of driving!

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by nerd1200

Complementary 1-Year Adrenox IOT service subscription is offered for Z8L customers. Z8 and Z6 customers got the same service complementary for 2 Years. In-fact, XUV700 customers too had this service complementary for 2 Years. I’m not sure why we’re being punished for paying Mahindra more money.

Now that is news to me. Same is the case with my XUV7OO AX7L AWD.

It seems paying more gives you less.

[Bhodrolok]

Terrific read... This should qualify as a full fledged team BHP review for the vehcile. And I completely agree about the front and read look of the ScorpioN.

[megazoid]

Superb review Deb. Comprehensive and very informative. A very compelling choice if one needed a mix of on and off road capabilites in one vehicle.

[Mustang Sammy]

Awesome review and brings out the best of the beast. The N is truly an all rounder and the best value for money in its segment and higher.

[Starscream1188]

Originally Posted by nerd1200

Epilogue

As a closing note, I want to answer a question that I’ve been asked quite a lot.

Why did you get the ScorpioN?

Should I get the ScorpioN?

If someone wants/needs an SUV which has proper SUV credentials (some sort of 4 Wheel Drive) under 35 Lakhs, the options are limited. Fortunately/Unfortunately 3 or 6 options are from the Mahindra stable. Namely, THAR, ScorpioN and XUV700. This lineup reminds me of Land Rover’s lineup categories with a Defender, Discovery and Range Rover product lines. Even in that context, I always loved the LR Discovery 4 for its versatility. The story is very similar at this end of the spectrum. The ScorpioN is a perfect middle ground between a THAR and an XUV700. If someone desires ruggedness and 4x4 credentials of a proper BOF SUV and also needs to ferry 5 occupants and their luggage comfortably, maybe a little luxuriously even, it’s a safe bet. It is evident that the Scorpio N prioritises comfortable long distance touring on good to bad to no roads over outright off-road worthiness and that is exactly what I needed.

One of my favourite pictures of the ScorpioN is this one taken on an unexplored hill near Chikmagalur. I feel it captures the true essence of what the ScorpioN resembles.

Attachment 2542077

A superb write up! I can completely relate to the reasoning of why the Scorpio N, because i have been sitting on the fence for a few months now.
Now waiting for the universe to conspire
Cheers!

[nerd1200]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Extremely detailed thread....I think, on most parts your observations are spot on and are similar to what I felt.

Thank you, Sheel! The TBHP official review and discussions was instrumental in decision making. Even post booking, I was pretty much glued to the thread to get the latest news and updates. When all was caught up, to just ogle at the lovely pictures.

Originally Posted by Sidban85

Great travelogue.
1. Do you suggest Royal Motors amongst Kolkata dealers?
2. What all accessories did you add to address lack of underbody protection, DEF tank placement?

Thanks Sid! Since I have not dealt with any other dealers in Kolkata, I cannot comment on #1. I selected Royal motors based on recommendations of certain Kolkata TBHPians.
I am yet to add an underbody protection. The initial designs available by renowned 4x4 houses had certain defects/limitations, hence I was waiting. At this point I'm inclined towards the PRAD underbody shields (comes in 3 parts - Engine, Fuel tank and DEF tank)
https://shop.prad4x4.com/collections/mahindra-scorpio-n

Originally Posted by Gaur

Great write up, perfectly sums up what the Scorpio N is capable of and how good value for money vehicle it is for the price paid.
Hope Mahindra is listening to these feedback and V2.0 may fix alteast few of it, its the perfect family off-roader then.

Thanks Gaur! Fingers crossed.

Originally Posted by FAIAAA

Comprehensive review of a capable tourer. Hats off nerd1200 for such a detailed review, not sure how many hours went in drafting such a review.

Thanks FAIAAA! As long as the review helps existing/potential owners or enthusiasts like us, the hours are well justified.

Originally Posted by sach.sri

Lovely review!

>>> I have found that giving a pretty aggressive input on the accelerator gives you this instant downshift. At least in my case if i want a instant downshift i release the accelerator and immediately press it aggressively and it jumps! literally! sometime it even shift down 2 gears.

>>> I tried this once while diving in Spiti, but found that my engine overheated!? Have you encountered this? Since then i have been using hill descent control, but somehow am not really comfortable with it, it is twitchy and am always looking at the dash to see whether it has engaged or not? Any thoughts? feedback?

Thanks Sri! I agree with you about kick down acceleration part. In this instance I was referring to the Tiptronic mode.

Regarding engine braking using M1/M2, I have not had any issues so far on trails I have been to. Although Spiti would be a different ball game altogether. In such situations, I would probably keep switching between M2/M3 and use brakes as required. Cannot positively determine without being in the situation.

Originally Posted by suvrog

Great writeup and a very detailed one. Thanks a lot.
2. ... floor is not flat. Hence, a lot of space gets wasted.
3. The brake pads lasted only 20K in your case. That is really less. Was hoping it would last 30-35K atleast. My Ecosport brake pads has 10k life left after being run 35k.

Thanks suvrog! Welcome to the fraternity and hope you enjoy the car for a long time to come.
Interesting to know that the floor is not flat in your case. Can you share a pic? My assumption was that all models post April 2023 has the flat-floor contraption.

The brake pads do last longer if judiciously used. ROG_AK changed his pads at 30K service. There are other in our Scorpio-N Owners groups who've not had the need to. So 35K+ is achievable.

Originally Posted by vredesbyrd

Congratulations!
One of the mods I would like to do down the line would be a 360 camera setup. I've already added aux fog lights and an underseat sub (warranty be damned!) and 265/60R18 Geolandars.

Thanks vredesbyrd! Lovely set of Mods there. I am evaluating an aux light setup as well - it's much needed. Should be finalized and installed in a couple months.
Thank you for posting such lovely pictures of your ride.

Originally Posted by Raghu M

Couldn't find a better review anywhere! Very detailed and has all the info needed if anyone wants to opt for the Scorpio. On a side note, your Yeti is a fantastically maintained car. I would have bought it myself had I seen it earlier. It just looks dapper!

Thank you, Raghu! I miss the Yeti too. It was a near perfect car and I'd enjoyed every moment with it. Unfortunately, I did not get the time to document more about my Yeti on the forum. The only thread I had posted was this one (From Bangalore, in search of the Sleeping Buddha).

Originally Posted by Vasuki

Now that is news to me. Same is the case with my XUV7OO AX7L AWD.

So you got 1 year of Adrenox membership with your car as well? Year & Month of purchase?

Originally Posted by Bhodrolok

Terrific read... This should qualify as a full fledged team BHP review for the vehicle.

Thank you, Bhodrolok. Glad you liked it.

Originally Posted by megazoid

Superb review Deb. Comprehensive and very informative. A very compelling choice if one needed a mix of on and off road capabilities in one vehicle.

Thanks much Hari.

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy

Awesome review and brings out the best of the beast. The N is truly an all rounder and the best value for money in its segment and higher.

Thank you, Mustang Sammy!

Originally Posted by Starscream1188

A superb write up! I can completely relate to the reasoning of why the Scorpio N, because i have been sitting on the fence for a few months now.
Now waiting for the universe to conspire
Cheers!

Thanks Starscream! Nothing good ever happens on the fence, take the plunge.