[nerd1200]

The story of a Green Scorpion

TL;DR: Scorpio-N D-AT 4XPLOR Ownership Review and Report

Disclaimer: At the time when this review is being published, the ScorpioN has been driven close to 26K KMs over 11 Months of ownership.

What I like

• Only BOF 4x4 SUV this side of 50L that does not feel compromised on space.
• Mahindra’s enthusiast-focused powertrain tuning. The low end is meaty, so is the mid-range. 100 comes up in about 12 seconds.
• Ride & handling balance is amazing for a vehicle of this class. I’d rate as follows: Endeavour > Scorpio-N > Fortuner
• Superb braking with ABS, EBD, ESP, all-wheel ventilated discs and Brake assist. Braking distance is 53 metres from the ton, which could be improved with better tyres.
• Excellent safety credentials, in-fact it is the safest BOF in the country right now.
• Outstanding 4x4 hardware (and software) with a low range transfer case and an auto-locking mechanical differential at the rear (MLD), Brake traction control (BLD) and well calibrated traction control modes (Normal, Sand, Grass/gravel/snow, Mud/ruts).
• NVH levels are very well controlled. You can hardly hear the engine’s rumble under 2200 rpm. Wind noise does creep in above 120.
• Feature & Tech loaded
• A feel of indestructibility that’s associated with BOF SUVs in general. The Scorpio-N annihilates bad sections of tarmac as long as you’re carrying descent speed.
• Fog light, although LED, has a brilliant cutoff and usable spread. It was able to cut through dense fog on my way to North Bengal last winters and helped me maintain pace.

What I don’t like

• Few omissions are almost criminal in this day & age. Missing auto-dimming IRVM, no UV-cut windshield, rudimentary seat-belt mechanism - likes of which were found in cars for early 2000s (Yes, that bad).
• Software glitches. I’ve had issues with Android auto connectivity, HDC error popping up and the instrument cluster going blank and Adrenox not connecting intermittently. Albeit, most of these glitches are fixed by a restart or unplugging the battery terminal.
• Poor Approach, breakover and departure angles. Departure angle is especially concerning because of the placement of DEF tank. For an offroader, this is concerning.
• On a similar note, the underbody protection is a joke. Owners should be very careful while offroading or go for aftermarket underbody covers from the likes of PRAD or Bimbra.
• Mahindra’s genuine accessories are of sub-par quality - be it floor mats or plastic claddings or scuff plates. Buyers are better off going aftermarket in this case.
• The acclaimed 12-speaker audio system will not win over audiophiles, they’ve cut corners with the quality of speakers as well as the amplification hardware.
• Quality of cameras aren’t befitting a 30L rupee SUV, XUV700’s camera clarity is much better.
• Poor headlights - although the cutoff is good due to the projector setup, intensity is very bad and is rendered useless on unmarked 2/4 lane highways.
• Weird tyre size that lacks good A/T options, narrow 7.5J rims (for even stock 255 section tyres).

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Index

Although I’d love it if you read through the complete report, I'd understand if you’d want to skip to specific sections that interest you more than others.

If that’s the case, please follow the index below:

• Background & Buying decision
• Booking to PDI
• Delivery
• Design
  • Exteriors
  • Interiors
• Driving the Scorpio-N
  • Powertrain & Drivability
  • Suspension, Ride & Handling
  • NVH
  • Safety & Braking efficiency
• The TECH inside
  • 4XPLOR System
  • Instrument Cluster
  • In-Car Entertainment
• Quirks & Features
• Mahindra Service Experience
• Epilogue

[nerd1200]

Background & Buying decision



Pic courtesy: Dr.AD


Pic courtesy: Megazoid


“You’re getting a Scorpio?! Are you serious??”


Something most of my friends said when I made them aware of my plan. One cannot really blame them as I’ve always been a fan of fast and taut handling cars/pseudo SUVs - not a trait often replicated by our indigenous manufacturers. Well, that’s probably not entirely true as Mahindra has proven otherwise with the XUV700 and Tata Motors with the Harrier.

However neither caught my fancy.

My last experience with a Mahindra (BOF) SUV was in Pune for a trip to Pawna and Lavasa. I had rented an Old Scorpio mHawk (120) for the trip. This would've been 2017-18. I remember not liking the driving dynamics, fiddly interiors and its overall lack of poise. I did however appreciate how the SUV bull-dozed over bad patches albeit in a crude and bumpy way and that people inadvertently gave way to the behemoth without any audio/visual nudge whatsoever. Handling was very nervous and clearly something that did not get priority consideration during its design, understandably so. But that was probably why I could not see myself driving or owning something like it.

That said, here’s the deal. My 2015 (FL) Yeti AWD was the first crossover I got. At that time, coming from a Laura 1.8TSI, I wanted something that had a superior ride quality, All-wheel drive and higher ground clearance for the occasional foray into the wilderness. This in the real world meant less crab walks over axle-breakers. The Yeti, needless to say, fit the bill as perfectly as a completed jigsaw puzzle. All of the above and not a slouch either. Plus pretty rare too. Win-win-win-win.

As KMs passed, I realised that the usable GC was not as good as say a Duster’s (205 mm, duh!). It was in fact more car-like and topped out at 180mm. I mean, I knew it, but hadn't grasped the implications of it. What it meant was that I had to be extremely careful, for instance, when soft-roading to an offbeat homestay or if I encountered a rare water crossing.

That’s when I was attracted to an SUV’s proposition. Specifically a tough High-GC BOF SUV with a proper 4x4 and low range transfer case. Since there was nothing available that met my requirement and bill, I had decided to keep the Yeti for at least three more years before looking for a pre-owned Endeavour or Fortuner. All that changed with the launch of the Scorpio-N. The launch event piqued my interest with the spec sheet and promises of brilliant ride and handling. My adoration further grew once the media reports started coming in and almost everyone was ga-ga over this hypebeast. My mind was (almost) made up after reading Team-BHP's Official Review, EVO India’s July, 2022 edition and watching this video by Youtuber Gagan Chowdhry.

Notice how the Scorpio-N glides over broken patches between 00:41 and 00:53 marks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNjx4ymigCE

Very polarizing and probably quite silly of me, I know. But it somehow made perfect sense. The use case was already created in my head. And instead of getting a preowned car at a similar price point I would get a new one with a full-fat manufacturer’s warranty. A more modern one at that. For instance, the last gen T-Forts available at 20+ Lakhs in the pre-owned marketplace today has an open rear diff, unsettled ride and doesn’t have half the convenience features Scorpio-N has. Endeavour is more closely matched in that aspect, unfortunately it is an abandoned child and I had concerns with its support network down the line. The decision was further strengthened following a proper test drive. It was starkly different from the Scorpio I had driven in 2017. This one was not at all nervous at turn-ins, nor did it feel excruciatingly slow.

Was it really the perfect package I was looking for? Apparently Yes.



Other options considered?

None. I did not evaluate anything else since none of the new cars under 50 lakhs offer what Scorpio-N does. I did not want crossovers, especially those without any kind of AWD. Funnily enough, the only other options that crossed my mind were both from the Mahindra stable. Thar and XUV700.

The Thar did not fit my requirement as a 2-seater, plus I didn't need an off-roader, I needed a cruiser that could occasionally go off the road and could also accommodate atleast another couple and their luggage with ease during trips.

The XUV700 is heavily inspired by the Kodiaq and did not feel like a worthy upgrade from my Yeti. It's a brilliant SUV in general but my BOF + 4x4 requirement was non-negotiable. Additionally, I do have unfettered access to adneo’s XUV700, so it did not make sense to get the same car.

With the Scorpio-N, Mahindra has taken the game forward by a pretty good margin challenging SUVs twice its price (Endeavours and Fortuners) in duels. Kudos to Team Mahindra!


Hilux?!

A quick fast forward, like in movies; End of 2023: Toyota dealers were raining discounts on the Hilux (probably) to clear their '23 stocks, I briefly considered getting it. It was hard to ignore. I spoke to two dealers in Bangalore and the price one of them offered was almost too good to be true, unless it was. I decided to test it out, I knew I had no use-case nor did I wish to withstand the torturous ride quality, but I still had a soft spot for it. Took it out for a spin and came back mighty impressed with a lot of its qualities. I get why people endure the back-breaking ride and still love the Hilux.

But soon enough, mind voted over heart and the Scorpio-N voted over the Hilux. I would've probably regretted the decision post the honeymoon period. It has got to do with my requirements, not the Hilux's capabilities or strong points. The Scorpio-N won me over once again with it's supremely comfortable ride, spacious interiors and uncompromised practicality among other things. Well, a scandalous affair averted!

Back to the timeline then.. Where were we?

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Booking fiasco, Waiting period and PDI

Ever since the 2020 Thar, Mahindra has been on a roll. Their production capacity however has not caught up to the rise in demand. Therefore, year on year, they resort to booking-day shenanigans. If you recall XUV700’s Where's my car threads, Scorpio-N's was worse. This was the booking process:

Add to Cart - 5th July to 29th July
Bookings Open - 30th July 11 AM IST
Window for variant colour change - 1st to 15th September.

As if it’s a lucky draw for a free car.

Even the prices were released in installments, A/T and 4x4 models being at the tail end of that cycle. Display vehicles reached dealerships by the first week of July. My wife and I dropped in at India Garage, Whitefield for a quick peek. It had some rough edges, but overall we liked what we saw. I wrote about my first impressions here (Next-gen Mahindra Scorpio | Now revealed as Scorpio-N).

Couple of days later, my SA called me to inform me that their TD vehicles had arrived and offered us a generous 200 meters TD at the dealership.

In their defense, the SUV had generated a lot of hype and the showroom almost always had prospective customers dropping in to check it out. They did follow-up later on with a proper TD at my residence.

I decided to bite the bullet and handed over a cheque of INR 21K to my SA and he “added to cart” on 5th of July. Since the availability of BH registration was uncertain in Karnataka for the foreseeable future, I decided to proceed with another booking at Royal Motors, Kolkata. Booked the exact same variant at both dealerships - Z8 Diesel A/T 4x4 in Deep Forest shade.

Unlike the XUV700’s booking process, this time around Mahindra opened the booking portal up to general public. I trusted my SAs to do the booking. However, on 30th July, neither of my bookings were under the 25K price protected bookings. Two days of twitter campaigning later Mahindra announced a glitch in their payment processor and revisited the rankings. Once the “lucky draw” results were corrected and re-announced, my India Garage (BLR) booking got upgraded to “price protected” but the Royal Motors (CCU) one didn’t. This left me in a dilemma.

After some deliberation, I decided to upgrade the variant of my CCU booking to Z8L D-AT 4x4. This was a result of Mahindra announcing their production preference of Z8L models. I knew that this meant that the variant closest to the top i.e.; Z8 would have the longest delay. I did not want to pay the Z8L price for a Z8 after 6 months of waiting. The gamble did pay off. When the Z8s started getting delivered, a non-price protected booking would’ve been dearer by INR 1.2 Lakhs - that’s just 80K less than Z8L’s introductory pricing (the price I paid).

I put my Yeti up for sale by the end of September to test the waters and to my surprise it was lapped up the very next day by a gentleman from Dharwad who made an advance payment even without looking at the car. He wanted to add a second Yeti to his garage. And just like that she was gone within a week, leaving a void in my basement and a bigger one in my heart.


A parting shot of the beloved Yeti. The Polo GT next to it - The lonely boy for the next few months.

This made the wait further agonizing for the next few months. The delivery timelines on Mahindra’s booking portal kept promising a delivery by end of January and umpteen follow-up calls to by dealers or tweets to M&M made no significant difference. In October, I was offered a Z8L 4x4 Scorpio-N in Red as there was a customer cancellation. I contemplated getting that, but dropped the idea after some consideration. Our hearts were set on the Green!

To my surprise, I got a call from my SA at Royal Motors on December 5th that my car was allocated and would be ready for dispatch in a couple of days based on my confirmation. I transferred the down-payment to confirm the allocation and started the loan formalities. Opted to go with SBI through the dealership and the process was completed within a week. I requested SBI to hold the loan disbursal until I do the PDI.

The following weekend we drove down to Kolkata in adneo’s XUV700 and visited Royal Motor’s yard on December 19th to catch a glimpse of our very own Scorpio-N. Needless to say my excitement was through the roof, but I tried to calm down and do a thorough PDI. Thanks to abirnale’s exhaustive PDI checklist attached at the end of this post.

Some pictures from Royal Motors' yard. The staff there were quite supportive and patiently waited as I went page by page through the massive checklist. A big Thanks to adneo for coming along and helping with the PDI. We did not find any major issues, most of the items on the checklist could be checked off comfortably. The shut lines were consistent and no paint defects were present. I was specifically concerned about these two points as the SUVs were shipped in open railway containers from the Chakan plant.

A few minor fitment issues were noticed and notified to the SA. It was taken care of prior to delivery.
















The loan was disbursed the very same day post my confirmation, and I completed the remaining formalities.

The delivery was requested on December 25th as it was the only auspicious day that week. Although it would’ve been a holiday for the dealership staff, my SA and the folks at Royal Motors went out of their way and happily obliged to our request. It was really kind of them and we appreciated the gesture.

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Delivery Day - Our very own Green Scorpion comes home!

Reached the dealership early, completed the pending formalities and after a ceremonious cake cutting in the presence of our families and dear friends, got the keys of our very own Scorpio-N handed over to us. It was indeed a glorious day (well literally - it was Christmas!)








'













Ready to roll!







A short video compilation of the delivery day.

https://youtu.be/HaJUxI-LmmM?si=sx8hEqmCegxvxIAD

Our Scorpio-N celebrated its first Christmas night at Kolkata's iconic Park Street.

[nerd1200]

Design Perspective - Exteriors

The Scorpio-N is a handsome car and people tend to get a second look when one drives past. The design is evolutionary and has a reminiscence of Scorpios of yester-years. For instance, the Volvo-esque tall tail light is a reimagination of the taillights of the 2009 facelift while the dash top layout is a memoir to the 2014 facelift/generation of the car. That said, it has distinctive design elements to ensure it’s not mistaken for anything else on the road. A lot of its credit goes to the front fascia and the signature C-type DRLs (or Scorpion’s sting as Mahindra likes to call it). My only complaint would be the overdone chrome elements, especially the teeth. I’d be wrapping them black very soon. That said, the front end is properly intimidating. Most drivers, especially ones sitting lower, tend to give way when they see this colossal giant approaching fast on their rear view mirrors.



The side profile is boxy, similar to older SUVs. Some may find it classic. In my opinion, it lacks the sharpness of a modern SUV form factor evident in something like a Fortuner or Endeavour. On the other hand, it is practical. Lesser overhangs means better maneuverability. Add the front parking sensors and a front camera (Z8L only feature), getting in and out of tight spaces isn't too stressful; less guesswork.







The ScorpioN in it's Z8L and Z8 Automatic guises come equipped with a set of smart looking 18x7.5J rims shod with either MRF Wanderer A/S or Apollo Apterra tyres. In my case, it was the former. The spare is of the same size, albeit on steel rims. I had suffered an unfortunate sidewall puncture during a trip. Thanks to the same sized spare, I did not need to stress myself out looking for a new tyre to drive back home 1000KMs away. The ScorpioN also gets ventilated disc brakes on all four corners unlike most other cars south of 50L.

Do notice the black applique between the wheel arch and bumper - that's again part of the bumper protection accessory. Obviously the folks at the dealership did not do a perfect job of sticking it on and looks a little out of place.




The only area where the design is quite unflattering is the rear. It could've been designed better to give it less of that MUV look and more of an SUV stance.



The rear or front three quarters are, in my opinion, the best postures to showcase the SUV at.

[nerd1200]

Other Exterior features worth pointing out

Mahindra design team was quite committed to the Scorpion theme and have placed subtle elements to emphasize it. An example is this chrome surround that runs across the body line and ends at the C-pillar, with a sting type detail.

I'm calling it subtle as compared to the first gen XUV500. The cheetah inspired door handles were a bit too much IMHO.




The daytime running light signature is also allegedly inspired by the Scorpion's tail. The front parking sensors are camouflaged within the fog lamp housing. Notice the functional air-vents next to the fog lamp housing. I'm not sure if it aids better heat dissipation from the braking system or is just an aerodynamic enhancement.

The black cladding on the sides are an accessory and provide additional protection against minor bumper brushes by two-wheeler riders. It is effective to an extent, can vouch for it.



The rear spoiler is quite pronounced. I feel it's a strategic design element - helps break the bulk and prevents the tallboy look. WagonR much?




Speaking of, the rear wipers don't do a full swipe and does end up looking a bit weird. It swipes off just enough dust and muck to aide rear visibility.




Coming to the sides, the footsteps are quite narrow but are solid metal ones. Although it is probably not effective as a Rock slider, I'm sure it'll provide considerable protection in an offroad setting like this:


This is ROG_AK's Scoprio-N during our offroad day (Bangalore BHPians Offroad Meet-up) last year.


A quick comparison to the first gen Scorpio.

The tail lights do look inspired by its predecessor. Although I cannot completely rule out inspiration from a certain Swedish crossover.

Also notice how the glass to body ratio looks more proportionate in the older Scorpio making the new one look more MPV than SUV. Another factor that makes it seem that way is the lower loading lip in the new one which robs it of a descent departure angle. Excuse the image quality, it was clicked using the cell phone in fairly low lighting.



Also, is it just me or there were some design inspirations from the LC Prado?

[nerd1200]

Interiors

Grab the A-pillar mounted rail, keep one foot on the metal side-step and haul yourself into the cabin to pinch yourself. This is not what a Scorpio should look like. The commanding driving position is intact, everything else feels very different.

A coffee-brown leather clad dashboard wraps around you while you grab the well contoured multi function steering wheel. The seats you’re in have firm cushioning and good side bolsters and fair amount of under-thigh support. You look around and it's swell. There’s a properly modern infotainment system which talks exclusively to your phone (Android or iOS) and a lady by the name Alexa seems eager to open the windows or fiddle with the Air Conditioning temperature as soon as you call out to her.






The dash console has a smart, no-nonsense, waterfall layout. The piano black and silver trims work well, so does the leather finish giving the interiors an upmarket look. I love toggle style switches and they have an aircraft-y feeling to it. Speaking of, the rightmost switch is a poverty switch that Mahindra awards you with even after paying for the most expensive trim level. 4x2 Owners of the diesel ScorpioN get the Drive modes switch there while 4x4 customers sadly miss out on it. Another feature 4x2 owners get and 4x4 owners don't is an extra cupholder.

The toggle that's used most frequently has to be the Start/Stop function. It is enabled by default every time the car is started. The start/stop feature (micro Hybrid tech, as Mahindra likes to call it) isn't the most intuitive one. The engine kill delay is very minimal and you end up with a stopped engine more often that you'd have liked. The start, although almost instantaneous, disengages the clutch after a few moments. There is a palpable delay between the time you are expecting the car to move and when in actually does. Not enough that people behind you start honking, but annoying nevertheless.

The other thing I would point out is very specific, and I'm sure it doesn't impact a lot of customers. The 4XPLOR terrain control knob is at the same position where the XUV700 has its volume knob. Adneo, who owns an XUV700, is always alert whenever he is driving or is seated as a copilot in the ScorpioN, for obvious reasons.







There is a favorite button on the console as well as on the steering wheel which I love. I use both of them quite judiciously, the former as a shortcut to Music & EQ settings while the latter to monitor the Tyre pressures.



The instrument cluster in front of you looks modern too, in a “please-them-all” partial analogue/partial digital design. It can tell you everything from your fuel levels to your drowsiness level. There are proper rotary knobs finished in knurled chrome to control things like audio volume, radio stations and A/C temperature for you and your passenger. Your passenger even gets a small plaque reminding her that she’s in a Scorpio-N. There’s even a small speaker up ahead that proudly displays the SONY badge to your occupants.



The coffee brown, black and brushed-silver theme was a good call by Mahindra’s designers. It’s not beige to make it look drab, nor is it all black making it look and feel claustrophobic. In-fact, if you do suffer from claustrophobia, this interior would be like a breath of fresh air. The window line is comparatively low, glass area is expansive and is further aided by the sunroof. It’s not the panoramic kind and I’m kinda thankful it’s not. I can’t imagine what I’d do if it cracks while I’m in the middle of nowhere. That being said, I do like to open the shade during my drives on a cloudy/rainy day. Lets in a lot of light and makes the cabin feel bright & airy.




The driver seat has manual adjustments for lumbar support and electronic adjustments for fore/aft and height adjustment. But no memory seat presets!! Why Mahindra, Why?!
Electronically adjustable seats without memory presets is simply useless.

Furthermore, the copilot doesn't even get height adjustment. I get an earful from my better half because of some Mahindra accountant's decision.



The ORVMs are huge! It does introduce some wind noise at higher speeds, but I'd still prefer the XXXL ORVMs over lesser wind drama. I did buy a pair of blind spot mirrors off Amazon and have fixed them such that I can see where both my rear tyres are all the time. It does help quite a bit when maneuvering though tight spots, parking or when offroading.





At the rear, passengers will appreciate the dedicated A/C Controls and a single USB Type-C socket which supports fast charging. The center armrest is wide, at the right supportive height and has firm cushioning. There are enough places to store your stuff. The door side pockets are quite accommodative and can store 1L bottles, although accessing them with the doors shut does get a little tricky for first timers. The center armrest too has a couple of bottle holders. Finally there are magazine holders behind the front seats which has a clever little phone pocket hidden inside. Nifty!





Typical of most body on frame SUVs, the middle row is positioned a little higher than the front row in a proper theatre seating manner. The central tunnel isn't intrusive and a third passenger is quite welcome.

The Air Conditioning in the ScorpioN deserves a special mention. It's a 2-Zone Automatic Climate Control with an additional Zone of manual climate control? Confusing? All one should know is that it is very effective for our Indian climate and cools down the cabin in no time. Only fly in the ointment is the lack of UV cut glasses or tints of any density. Due to this, there is a lot of heat entering the cabin on hot days. I have tried to and been able to fix this to an extent by installing a 3M CR70 sunfilm for the front windshield. This has cut down the heat entering the cabin considerably. What's worth mentioning here is that Mahindra has equipped the car with a dedicated A/C compressor for the rear and even at the lowest fan speed, it's a chiller. Even on the warmest days in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, rear seat occupants did not dial up the blower speed beyond 2. With the sun-blinds in place, occupants of the third row do not miss a dedicated A/C blower.

Speaking of, the last row is not a space I utilize very often. Honestly, they're not too bad. Apart from a phone holder and reading lamps on either side, there isn't much to be pampered by. I have, on one occasion, travelled in the third row for about an hour over mixed urban terrain. I did have the entire row to myself and did not have an urge to jump out of the SUV at the first possible instance. As a 6 footer, headroom was adequate and I was able to stretch out my legs sideways. The ride quality at the back wasn't very different from the middle row either.

[nerd1200]

Interiors: The Not so great stuff!

Now coming to the things that would in fact remind you of the old Scorpio.

The IRVM is a supremely low-cost manually dimmable unit. It shakes quite a lot over bad roads, in my case, shakes while idling too.



Next is the glovebox. No other way of putting this - Mahindra has been stingy! It's not only small and inadequate, but also looks old. Part sharing with the Thar?
The only saving graces are the fact that it's illuminated and cooled.

So are the seat belt top mounts. Not sure if it was a conscious decision by Mahindra’s team to put them as they are or if someone pulled a prank on them during their lunch break or something. I don't think I've seen this mechanism since the 90's automobiles. What's more frustrating? The top covers come off and keep dangling. Not a functional problem, but looks very odd and out of place in a car at this price point.



The positioning of lights for the co-driver's vanity mirror is not very clever. The lid might block some of the light at certain angles.
If lights are to be placed atop, provide a sliding mechanism for the mirror like Germans (or even the XUV700). Else, house the lights next to the mirrors like most other cars.




The rear seat folding mechanism feels like an after thought and could've been integrated in a much better way. It takes up space unnecessarily even when folded
up. Although it's held down by a couple of bolts on either side and I think it can be dismantled off the SUV if required, they could've had a setup similar to the 700's flat-folding mechanism.

What's more? The initial batches of the SUV (including ours) did not come with a flat rear floor which was a real pain - Travelling with suitcases especially. For a while we tried to pack our stuff only in duffle bags and rucksacks. Thankfully the madness stopped once the new BS6.2 ScorpioN-s started shipping with a flat boot floor, reported by BHPians here. Few owners enquired with folks at Mahindra to be able to retrofit it but returned disappointed. Until kushgandhi figured out the specific part numbers through dealership sources and ordered the parts through the dealer (Reported here). I did the same, and the good folks at PPS Mahindra Service were able to source it for me. I did have to pay ~5k for this contraption which should have been available from the start.




To make the floor flat, Mahindra has packed the base of the floor with foam boxes with cute puts done for the tools supplied with the car. The lid opens in two parts - the rear part houses the tools, neatly packed into the pre-made cutouts and the front larger portion has two storage cutouts to store additional tools and knick knacks.





I normally fold down the backrest of the third row seat unless I absolutely need the additional space during travel. For weekend trips with a couple of duffel bags, camera gear and laptop bags can be carried comfortably this way. The bag that you notice in this image is a permanent occupant and contains microfiber towels, assorted cleaners and detailing stuff, Tyre inflator, jump start cable among other smaller things. Additionally I keep a couple of Decathlon foldable chairs and a 5L water bottle - all of which fit snugly in the space between the seat and rear hatch. The Jopasu duster and few other items are slid under the third row bench.





The front footwells are partially carpeted - it should've been at least painted black to not stick out like a sore thumb.



Space inside the Cabin - Legroom, Headroom, Under-thigh Support

Through the following images, I'm trying to demonstrate the available space for occupants. Sequentially from top are the first, second and third rows. The middle row seats have the best combination of Leg room, Head room, Under thigh support and Side bolstering. Shoulder room is also adequate. The middle row reclines as well, not a lot - maybe around 3-4 degrees. The roofline contours upwards to provide additional headroom.

For the front row, under thigh support is slightly compromised in comparison, but is not so short that owners will head to an accessory shop straight after delivery.






Last row is tight! No other way to put this. If I'm the sole occupant of the last row, I can make myself comfortable for short distances. Headroom is good for a 6 footer like me. I will absolutely not be able to share that row with another occupant. A shorter person can, but I'm not sure they will. Getting in and out of the third row is another hassle in itself and honestly there is no dignified way of doing it. 4x2 owners can opt for Captain seats in the middle row which will make ingress and egress to/from the last row manageable for a non-athlete.

[nerd1200]

Driving the Scorpio-N

Powertrain & Drivability



The engine is tuned very well and is an enthusiast’s delight. The mHawk engine is claimed to be an all-aluminium block that’s significantly light weight. 400 Nm of torque coming in fairly early at 1750 RPM making low-end torque delivery quite punchy, mid-range too. Pulling in overtakes at highway speeds is as easy as it gets with slush boxes this side of ZF. The response to throttle inputs is faster than most other heavy BOFs making it feel quick off its feet. I do wonder why Mahindra decided to detune the engine to produce less torque than the XUV700. Given the weight, it certainly made sense to improve its fire breathing abilities. Its sprint to a 100 KMPH is in the same ballpark as that of an Endeavour 3.2, but is no Fortuner to do a sub-10 second sprint. That’s 20BHP and 100 Nm torque difference for you. The Scorpio-N does shine in the driveability department. It’s an effortless cruiser. Progress is brisk if you’re in the torque band, even if you’re not, the gearbox will quickly patch through.

It’s no dual-clutch, but it’s no slouch either. It downshifts without hesitation and holds on to a gear until about 3K RPM if you’re driving with a heavy foot. It does its best to keep the engine spinning in the peak torque band. I haven’t felt the need for a set of paddle shifters yet. The gearbox is clearly tuned for performance rather than efficiency and that’s a very good thing.

In manual mode, the gearbox holds on to the cog until about 3.2K revvs before calling it quits. On the other hand, the car does not let you launch as revvs are limited to about 1500-1600 RPM.

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. 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. The gearbox feels slightly jerky at times, when coming to a complete halt or when you’re putting the pedal to the metal at lower speeds. This is not the case with XUV700 which leads me to believe that this might be specific to the RWD architecture. The gearbox works best with part-throttle inputs.

Steering, although precise, is too light for my liking, especially at highway speeds. That being said, it’s not lifeless like in a Hyundai and you get good feedback from the ground below. I wish that Mahindra engineers hadn't skimped on the Driving modes for 4x4 owners. That way, the steering could've been weighed up a little more. That's a shame because a lot of engineering has gone into the steering as well. It's probably the only car in it's segment to offer a dual pinion EPS system. Essentially there is a second pinion gear that is driven by an electric motor, which in this case is a 110A motor. The first pinion is focused towards driver engagement and stability, etc. while the second assisted gear focuses on driver's effort reduction, therefore providing better flexibility to tune the overall steering function and feedback.


Suspension, Ride & Handling



Image source: Motorland SA

What started out its development lifecycle under codename Z101 represents a new-era in Mahindra’s ethos of vehicle design. It’s no longer just a utilitarian workhorse built to ferry passengers over our less than perfect roads. It's in fact fast and agile which is a result of a lot of engineering innovations bundled together into a complex yet effective suspension system.

The suspension setup is probably the cherry on top of the cake known as the Scorpio-N. Bad roads and road imperfections don’t bother the occupants inside. Even the worst of potholes barely filter in. The ride quality is at par with that of the Endeavour’s and miles ahead of the Fortuner’s. The lateral movements are very well controlled.

Technically speaking, the front has a Double wishbone setup with 225mm of travel. The rear has a Penta link setup - the fifth link being the WATT’s linkage (similar to Endeavour’s) unlike the Panhard rod that most SUVs get. This component is the critical bit and aids in striking the perfect ride and handling balance while enabling the Scorpio-N to corner better than most BOF SUVs. It’s a clever piece of engineering that allows the axle to move vertically while greatly controlling any lateral movements. During the launch event, Mahindra's head of engineering explained a lot about aspects of Roll arm height and Static Stability Factor which impacts how the stability and handling of a vehicle can be optimized. As claimed, these are best in class numbers. Best in next class is what they said IIRC.


Image source: Motorland SA

Scorpio-N also benefits from trick dampers designed by Tenneco, USA which have Frequency Dependent Damping (FDD) and Multi-Tune Valve with Concentric Land (MTV-CL). FDD alters the damping force in real time based on the road surface to balance the ride and handling characteristics. Incase of lower frequency bumps/undulations, the damping force is higher to keep body movement under check. When the SUV encounters higher frequency bumps (such as sequential speed bumps, rumble strips, etc.) the damping force is reduced so that undulations are not transferred into the cabin. The MTV-CL varies the damping force based on piston velocity, effectively rounding off sharp edges. This is evident when the SUV is suddenly driven onto a broken rutted section at normal highway speeds. A keen driver/occupant will feel the sharpness for a few miliseconds before the dampers realize and starts to soften the blow, quite literally. Beyond that point it will ensure a magic carpet ride. It's quite fascinating really.


Image source: outbacktravelaustralia

Multi tune valve explained:


Image source: outbacktravelaustralia


All that said, the ride is not as compliant as an XUV700, the current segment benchmark (I know I’m comparing apples to oranges). Road undulations are noticeable if not pronounced inside the cabin. Yes, the constant body movement of the Thar is thankfully absent. The XUV700 has a much plusher ride, sharper handling and dynamics which envies the likes of Kodiaq's. However a Scorpio-N with its rugged underpinnings can take a solid beating. It can maintain higher speeds while feeling planted through broken Maharashtra back roads during peak monsoon.

The other thing I noticed is that the RWD variants of the Scorpio-N benefit from a slightly absorbent ride when compared to the 4x4 variants. I would presume that is intentional to account for the additional weight of the 4x4 hardware as well as to control rebound in order to prevent belly rubs when offroading.

Fun-fact. Look at the set of images below. The first one is the underside of an Endeavour while the other is that of a ScorpioN. Find similarities?

Also notice how the Endeavour gets a protection plate for the fuel tank from factory!






Mahindra’s Product Development top brass, Mr. Velusamy explained a lot of the engineering that has gone into the making of the Scorpio-N during the launch event. I’m leaving a link to the video here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H2bNdTcq78

NVH

The last gen Scorpio’s vibrations on startup could’ve easily woken your occupants up from their postprandial siesta. Not this one. NVH levels are at par with Germans. In fact the ScorpioN’s cabin is more silent than my erstwhile Yeti’s and that’s saying something. There are no vibrations on the steering wheel nor on the gear lever or dashboard. At close to 26K KMs, there are no annoying rattles. The only noise filtering into the cabin are tyre and wind - both beyond legal speeds. A lot of attention given to damping around the car. How many Mahindras can you recall that came with fully lined wheel wells?


Safety & Braking efficiency

Another race that Mahindra aced is in the safety department. The journey from getting Zero stars on GNCAP for the 2014 Scorpio to attaining a full-fat 5 Stars safety rating for the Scorpio-N is indeed commendable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKdpfkOQA84

The safety equipment list is quite exhaustive. It gets six airbags, ESP with EBD, Vehicle Dynamics Control with roll-over mitigation, Hill Hold, Hill Start Assist, Electronic Brake Pre-fill, brake disc wiping, active TPMS and even a rather unintuitive Driver Drowsiness Detection. I’m sure I’ve missed a few more.

Mahindra has not skimped on usage of high strength materials optimally throughout the body (BIW) and chassis while keeping the weight under check. They used what’s called a Trident structure to optimise the load path on impact such that the chassis bears up to 72% of stresses while the body has to deal with just 28%.

Braking efficiency is exceptional with ventilated discs on all four corners. It brakes in a straight line even from triple digit speeds without much drama, except from the tyres, which start protesting quite early. The braking distances are on par with monocoque crossovers. That's seriously impressive! The way it brakes is more European than Indian - the initial bite is quite pronounced. So much so that some buyers might find it too grabby at first. It brakes better than almost all the cars I’ve owned so far, the only exception is the Laura 1.8. While that’s a good thing, what’s evident is that the brakes have been over-servoed electronically rather than mechanically (using larger size discs). It’s effect on long term braking efficiency however is minimal. I’ve run the vehicle for over 1000KMs in a single day, rather enthusiastically, but the braking efficiency has still not reduced or faded in any sense. What also helps are the steel braided brake lines which minimize expansion effects during high braking demands. The pads were changed during the 20K service while they still had some life. I got them changed for peace of mind. Some owners from the Scorpio-N Bangalore group have been able to extract even more from the stock pads. ROG_AK got his pads replaced at 30K. This in contrast to XUV700 owners complaining about brake pad wearing as fast as 10K KMs.


Front suspension & brakes. Notice the well insulated wheel well linings and steel braided brake lines.


Rear suspension & brakes

[nerd1200]

The Tech inside

4XPLOR system

Another ace up the Scorpio-N’s sleeve is the tech-savvy, beginner friendly 4x4 system bundled with terrain modes that Mahindra likes to call “4XPLOR”.

It comes standard with a mechanically locking rear differential (MLD) which engages automatically when the wheel speed difference is over 100 RPM. The details of this locker can be found here (Eaton MLD (M-Locker) now available off the shelf).

The MLD is assisted by a braking traction control system that Mahindra calls BLD (Brake Locking Differential). The BLD is pretty well calibrated and couples up perfectly with the ECU tune.

If that wasn’t offroady enough, Mahindra also bundled in 4 traction control modes to make offroading feel like a walk in the park. Apart from tweaking traction control parameters, they also alter ECU and throttle mapping to best suit the condition. The modes are:

1. Normal
2. Grass, Gravel and Snow
3. Mud & Ruts
4. Sand

The 2nd and 3rd mode engage 4-High while Sand mode additionally turns traction control off. What’s good is you can use these Terrain modes in either 2-High, 4-High or 4-Low modes based on your need.

I could not find the gear ratios of the low range and I’ll update the thread as and when I do, but the crawl speed is similar to that of the Thar’s. I have not done a lot of hardcore offroading, however the ScorpioN has enough grunt, technical capability and engineering prowess to take on most off-beat trails - Thanks to the 4XPLOR system. The only fly in the ointment are the HT tyres on offer combined with the rare size which lacks A/T options. Continental has launched its ContiCrossContact AX6 in stock ScorpioN size, which currently is the only option.

I’ll keep the thread updated with my off roading experiences. Some of them are documented in the below threads.

4x4 Fundamentals Course @ MSPT by Mahindra Adventure

Mandalpatti with 3 ScorpioNs and a Thar

Offroad event with BHPians - November, 2022

Offroad event with BHPians - November, 2023 (Thread by Dr.AD)



Off-road training at MSPT, Cheyaar



Dune bashing at Khuri desert, Jaisalmer


Instrument cluster

The instrument console has analogue dials for the speedometer and tachometer which I love. In between these two is a 7” crisp colour TFT display that informs you and lets you control the most critical systems of the vehicle. The main menu items are scrolled through horizontally and sub menu is vertically aligned. Menu items are laid out well and most first timers will be able to figure out where to look for what info fairly quickly. While it’s not really laggy, a quicker response would’ve been appreciated.

Readings for Time, outside temperature, fuel level and coolant temp is displayed permanently. Along with that are the current ODO reading and Drive mode icon (4XPlor traction control modes). While manual cars show which gear one is in, automatic cars just show the gear position (P, R, N, D) - unlike most cars which show D1, D2 and similar. Only in manual mode, will it display the gear.

Offers the usuals - DTE (Range), Avg Fuel Economy, Inst. Fuel economy, DEF level, Tyre Pressure and Temparature readings, etc. By default TPMS sensors are installed on 4 tyres. However owners have the option to fit an additional sensor in the spare and enable spare TP monitoring through the same menu item. Only caveat - the readings are not displayed unless it’s below/above threshold for the spare.




The vehicle menu has options to disable stuff like tyre fill assist (which I'll explain in the next section), passenger airbag, TPMS relearn and Drowsiness detection among other things. You can even customize the turn indicator sound and volume, as well as general notification sounds.

There’s a power and torque readout if someone’s interested.




It can even display the map if you’re using the inbuilt Mapples online navigation as shown on the image below. It shows turn-by-turn navigation info along with a proper visual representation of the map. It shows a similar view when using Apple Maps on Car Play. However, with Google Maps on either Android Auto or Car Play, the tab just displays turn-by-turn instructions. It would be great to get the full experience with Google Maps which is de facto choice.

The parking sensor readouts are different for when the car is in forward v/s reverse gear. When reversing, visual reference and distance readout is provided for both front and reverse sensors. When moving forward, only the front reading is shown. Not that I’m complaining, but was it really necessary? Also notice how it shows the availability of just 2 sensors at the front and 4 at the back.





In-Car Entertainment (ICE)


Image source: Google

Mahindra has equipped the top of the line Z8L variant with their seemingly coveted state of the art 12-Speaker Sony 3D surround system driven by a 445W Class-D amplifier with DSP. It also comes equipped with Sony's latest spatial audio tech - Sound Building Blocks and their sample optimization tech - DSEE or Digital Sound Enhancement Engine. More about these later. These are impressive specs on paper which unfortunately does not translate to anything ground breaking in real life - at least to an audiophile. Sony claims that their sound experts have worked with Mahindra designers all along to optimize and tune the system, hardly feels so.

DSEE, which stands for Digital Sound Enhancement Engine, is a technology developed by Sony, to enhance the sound quality of compressed audio files by restoring high-range sound removed by the compression process.

• The DSEE (Sound Enhance) setting does not affect videos and FM programs.
• The DSEE (Sound Enhance) function is not effective for songs with a file format that is not compressed, or songs that are of high bit rate with no treble loss.
• In the case of songs of very low bit rate, the DSEE (Sound Enhance) function will not be effective.

By activating the DSEE (Sound Enhance) feature, you can hear a rich and natural sound which is almost exactly like the original source.

Sound Building Blocks™, one of Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Technologies, upgrades your stereo content into a real, natural and comfortable truly immersive 3D sound. Its sound field larger than vehicle cabin and a large and robust audio listening sweet spot embraces all passengers into the music. So, you can enjoy the next level of audio listening experience like you are right in the middle of your favorite concert hall in Scorpio.

To do this we take your original stereo source and break it down into two categories - primary and ambient sources. Once the primary and ambient sources are extracted from the file, we reconstruct them into 3D sound by adding in surround and height features. This process is called "up-mixing". Now that the music has the 3D effect, we use our spatial rendering technology which creates the immersive 3D sound field. The end result? A truly immersive & 3D experience that makes every passenger feel like that are right in the middle of a live concert.

Sony's OEM audio partner page for the Scorpio-N: https://www.sony.co.in/electronics/c...tners/Scorpio2


There are 3 tweeters, 2 mid-range speakers and 1 wide range Centre channel speaker for the front row. Second row gets 2 mid-range speakers. No tweeters. The last row gets 2 more wide channel speakers mounted high up and a subwoofer. Therefore the soundstage is severely unbalanced in default settings.

To balance this, one has to push the fader 2 clicks to the rear and tweak the EQ settings to get a better sound stage. This problem has been carried over from the XUV700. Moreover, the quality of speakers aren’t too good and the amplifier clearly needs more juice. You cannot hear all frequencies unless you crank up the volume to 13-15. Overall, the notes produced are warmer with enhanced low frequencies while SQ takes the back seat (typical of Sony).

If this bothers you too, change the system’s settings as per directions on this post and you would appreciate the system a little more.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post5586902 (Mahindra Scorpio-N Review)

I would at some point upgrade the ICE - not the whole hog! Just better components for the first and second rows plus a properly capable amp should elevate the SQ by a great margin. No need to touch the sub or surround or center channel speakers.

Various audio settings:

Some of the interesting audio customization options include a setting for 3D sound staging, sound stage sizing and a 3 band EQ with separate subwoofer gain controller. DSEE can also be enabled/disabled from here. I do like the attention to detail in the software. All representational pics are that of the ScorpioN, even the interior pics are accurately represented. For the sound staging settings, there are visual representations to show how the staging is mapped in each option.




Other infotainment features:

I like the overall layout of the infotainment system. Its tile-based menu options are quite intuitive and modern. There’s even a swipe-down notification and quick access bar with options to enable valet mode and contact RSA among other things. There’s a similar swipe-up quick access menu with usable stuff like front & reverse camera feed, access to internal memory and other third party apps.

There are a lot of interesting options and settings. Few are highlighted below.

One feature I use often if not connected to AA/CP is to use different phones for Calls and Music streaming.



We used the India Today app during the World Cup to get ball-by-ball updates of the playing innings. Me likey!

[nerd1200]

Other Quirks & Features worth a mention

• In a German-esque way, the brake lights pulsate on harsh/rapid braking and the hazards turn on if speeds drop below 50, alerting the drivers behind you and improving the safety quotient. It is very sensitive though and does get triggered sooner than I’d have liked. Better safe than sorry, so not complaining.
  
  
• There’s a button for auto wash/wipe on the wiper stalk, which does a “spray - clean - spray - clean” action automatically. Neat. What’s strange is it doesn’t work when the wipers are in “Auto” mode.
  
  
• On the same note, there’s a tear-wipe function when using the manual wash & wipe (pulling the wiper stalk towards you) but it’s missed when using the auto wash/wipe button.
  
  
• There’s a nifty “Tyre Fill Assist” available on models with TPMS. With the engine running, if you start filling up in any tyre, within a few moments you’ll notice the blinkers automatically come on. This means Fill assist is engaged. As you continue filling up, at 34PSI the car will honk to let you know the desired pressure is achieved. This is quite helpful in my view as most petrol bunk/tyre shop inflators are not calibrated properly. This feature can be disabled from Vehicle settings on the instrument cluster.
  
  
• You cannot change the fresh air/recirculation mode when Auto AC is enabled. Doing so will turn the Auto mode off. This is mildly irritating. On the same point, the Auto AC readings are quite misleading. It’s never what the temperature says it is. XUV700 owners have the same complaint too.
  
  
• This is probably the only car I’ve seen where you can customize the tune/tone and volume of the blinkers/indicators and notification alerts. I like it. Folks getting into my car for the first time always get confused with the sounds and find it amusing when I explain it to them.
  
  
• The driver’s seat is powered on Z8L but lacks memory presets. Why Mahindra? Powered seats are useless without memory. Memory presets would’ve enabled comfort access too. *sigh*
  
  
• The bonnet sadly misses out on hydraulic struts (the old Scorpio aka Scorpio Classic has them) which should’ve been welcome given the heavy bonnet. Also, when you unlock the bonnet latch to raise it, the blinkers come on automatically. Nifty!
  
  
• For an off-road worthy SUV, the underbody protection is a joke. There’s however an accessory available but is expensive for what it offers. There are good third party options available.
  
  
• Owners of BS6.2 cars (Z8 & Z8L) can track both AFE & top speed data for their trips on the Adrenox app. In contrast, owners of the earlier MY can’t. If you have an A/T you can see just the top speed while M/T owners are shown only their AFE. Curious.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• The Scorpio-N had a badly designed rear floor board. It wasn’t flat and stowing away trolley bags was troublesome. This was called out by reviewing media and early customers alike. Mahindra decided to fix it quietly in post-Jan manufactured models by designing a storage bin and a lid to cover and make the floor flat. Good decision. What’s not good is the decision to not roll this out to earlier customers. In fact Mahindra denied the compatibility of this for older cars claiming it to be a floor design change. Kushgandhi called out their bluff, and got the correct part numbers from his local Mahindra ASC dealer. That helped other Scorpio-N owners, including me, to retrofit this to aid convenience. We did have to shell out close to 5K for it though. Come on Mahindra, you’re better than this!
  
  
• There is a latch on the inside of the rear tailgate. The Scorpio-N was designed with side-facing rear paired seats in mind. This was dropped to ace the safety tests.
  
  
• The Scorpio-N was designed in Mahindra’s design studios in Mumbai and the UK with inputs from Pininfarina designers. The architecture was developed at Mahindra Research Valley (MRV), Chennai and Mahindra North American Technical Center (MNATC), Michigan.
  
  
• If you try to lock the car (using the driver or passenger door handle button) while the key is inside or if any door is open or if the engine is running and you walk out with the key, etc. it honks 5 times. While I appreciate the reminder and notification, 5 loud honks are unnecessary and plain irritating. Could’ve just used a single honk.
  
  
• The 4XPLOR mode selection dial on the Scorpio-N and the Media control dial on the XUV700 are the same design and are placed in a similar position. It’s a little risky if you travel in these two cars often. Trying to increase your favourite number’s volume would end up putting the car in 4H.
  

[nerd1200]

Mahindra's Service Experience

First check-up @ 1100 KMs

My first service/check-up was done within a week of the car’s delivery. The service booking experience with Royal Motors, Kolkata was quick and seamless. I had asked them to check why the IRVM vibrates when driving over rough roads - they checked and fixed something after which the IRVM now vibrates even when the car is idling.

Also, they took the entire day for what should’ve been a quick check-up + I came out with a DPF clogging error which had to be followed-up with a regen process.

Service cost was Nil.


First proper Service @ 9976 KMs

The service experience at PPS Motors, Hennur Road, Bangalore was in-contrast, much better. The Service manager, Mr. Arun was helpful and ensured that the car was taken utmost care of. To my joy, he even placed the car in the service bay opposite to the customer lounge. Speaking of, they have a nice Customer lounge with a view of several service bays. I normally carry my laptop along and work from there without any issues before driving the car back at the end of service. Since I skip the washing, it normally gets done by 3-4PM. Infact, right across the street is PPS VW Service center, which in stark contrast has one of the worst customer areas I've ever been in. Whenever I bring the Polo TSI over for service, I walk across to Mahindra PPS and work from there.



Nothing much to report at 10K. Brake pads had good life remaining, but there was minor scouring on the front right disc. The IRVM vibration issue was reported, but they couldn’t do much about it at that point and raised a warranty claim with Mahindra. DEF was at ~25% when I went in for the service, it was topped up as well. A software update was pushed which fixed the Android Auto disconnection issue and laggy reverse and front camera feeds.

Overall, happy with the PPS experience which is in-line with my experience at PPS Skoda with the Yeti as well. Shout out to their GM, Mr. Lokesh for his customer-centric approach and attention to detail.

Service cost was Rs. 11,416
(It included an underbody and silencer rust protection coating)


Second Service @ 21890 KMs

Booked an appointment at PPS, Hennur Road.
Apart from the routine stuff, during the inspection of brakes, they said that the remaining life of the pads were 2K, maybe 3 if I were planning to be good to them. I asked them to change it as I had a Bangalore - Rajasthan - Bangalore trip coming up. After swapping the pads, they did a brake bleeding and that's where they messed up a bit. There's air in my braking system now and have lost the sharpness that I was so fond of. I don't want to go back to them to fix this it as they do the bleeding manually. Need to find some place where a power bleeder is used.



There was a software update for the ICE - Apple Car Play was finally installed and the Offline MMI based navigation was replaced by an Online Mappls app.

Service cost was Rs. 18947
(including brake pads & replacement charges)

This was the last "Free" service. Will continue to monitor the service costs henceforth for a better representation of maintenance costs.


Ad-Hoc Issues & visits

• Battery unable to hold charge

At about 6K KMs, the SUV did not start one fine morning. In a grumpy coffee-less state I reached out to Mahindra RSA for the first time. They initiated the request and promptly arranged a person to jump start the car. I shrugged it off as a one off occurrence until it happened again the following week. That's when I visited PPS to get this checked and rectified. The Battery test report came back positive, but when checked the specific gravity of the cells individually, we found the culprit. PPS raised the claim with Exide and got the battery replaced to Exide EPIQ and handed the car over the next day. No further issues and no charges incurred.

• Driveshaft Issue

At about 14K KMs, I had noticed a distinct vibration on the floor-pan at speeds around and above 120. This was more pronounced in the second row. I reported this to my SA and the CoTek at PPS Hennur and they initiated the investigation. The pattern of the vibration did point to the drive shaft or a related child part. The SM, Mr. Arun agreed. They initiated a warranty claim and reached out to Mahindra. Mahindra then took their own sweet time to provide diagnosis steps, reiterations and due diligence (which included a personnel visit from their powertrain facility in Nashik) and kept me vehicle-less for 2 weeks before re-torquing the drive shaft bolts and returning the car. The issue was resolved for a day and returned the following morning. I dropped the car back at PPS and remained driverless for the next 2-3 weeks, again. Finally after some escalations, Mr. Lokesh followed it up with Mahindra personally and got it resolved quickly. A new drive shaft was fitted which resolved the problem. I have driven ~13K KMs since and the issue has not resurfaced. Fingers crossed. No charges incurred (apart from multiple Uber bills )

[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.

[Sheel]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!