[scorpi0N]

Scorpio-N Petrol AT RWD: Summary

Likes

• In terms of looks, the car is just an absolute stunner!
• The powerful 2L mStallion TGDi engine is a pure smile-inducer, and a genuine delight to drive. Its also extremely refined and one of the smoothest in the market today.
• The 6-speed torque converter gearbox is tuned for performance.
• Given its size, maneuvering the car is superb, aided by excellent electric steering and a turning radius that is lower than expected.
• The overall handling of the vehicle is very confidence inspiring. I have to say I have never felt this kind of confidence to tackle bad roads and highways before!
• The rich coffee-black leatherette interior has a classy feel associated with it and it looks really beautiful!
• The ergonomics are well-designed. The driving position is excellent, with useful armrest and good lumbar support.
• Scorpio is spacious with comfortable seating in both front and second rows.
• NVH inside the cabin is well managed.
• The car is solidly built and engineered with safety in mind, achieving a 5-star rating in the latest round of Global NCAP safety tests.
• The AC is quite powerful.
• Service centre experience has been good!
• The Scorpio nameplate! The Scorpio-N is a faithful evolution of the iconic Scorpio brand. Like its predecessors, the Scorpio-N features a rugged, body-on-frame RWD architecture, delivering power and unmissable road presence. Mahindra has taken care to ensure that some classic lines such as... a car in which you walk into, and not crawl into, which defined the original Scorpio... continue to ring true with the Scorpio-N!

Dislikes/Limitations

• The biggest limitation for petrol variants of Scorpio is that they are not available with 4x4.
• Performance has come at the cost of fuel efficiency. I get somewhere around 6-7 KMPL in medium-to-high Mumbai traffic, while on highways expect something in the range of 12-14 KMPL.
• The large car size doesn’t make it an ideal city cruiser. Its also a high CoG vehicle and have to be accept certain limitations associated with it viz. turning/sharply changing lanes at very high speeds is not recommended!
• Now, there is body roll and there is no way of getting around it. Just want to add that it is relatively well controlled.
• Getting in and out of this car is not the easiest. Good of Mahindra to have installed the sidesteps by default.
• Lack of a telescopic adjust in the steering.
• Although, the third row is better than what I had expected, its only meant for occasional seating. Have to accept, that its not your everyday 7-seater MPV!
• Audio quality is just average (with wireless android auto).
• There is a slight, very minimal but noticeable, lag between pressing the horn button and when it buzzes.
• There are software niggles, for instance sometimes the instrument cluster or the infotainment will go blank when the car starts up.
• While the car has received 5-star rating for adult occupant, it gets only 3-star rating in child occupant tests.
• There have been reports on vehicle assembly taking a considerable damage even in minor to medium impact crashes.
• Similar to other cars of today, which rely heavily on electronics, it is increasingly difficult for your regular garage folks to diagnose and fix issues with the Scorpio. So in cases of breakdown, one will have to necessarily get it towed to the nearest service centre only.

[scorpi0N]

I. Can a Car Change Your Life?

Once, there was a legendary TV advertisement for the Tata Safari, which had the tagline.. Reclaim your life!

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

The inherent message was that Safari can change your life. It was an extremely powerful message!

But, can a car truly change your life?

During the launch event of the Scorpio-N, Mahindra mentioned that their SUVs are more than just people movers from point A to point B. They cited instances of some real people who were Mahindra (Thar and XUV700) customers, and how their SUVs had changed their lives. One striking experience shared was that of a cancer survivor, who had been using her Thar for off-roading and adventures, and how it had transformed her life!

What about me?

I have had bouts of enthusiasm as a car driver over the last decade or so, but nothing which has really sustained! When I started college, I felt it was time to learn driving and got myself enrolled into a driving school in 2010. It didn’t end well, however, and after a minor incident on road in our Maruti 800, I gave up.

Few years later, I planned a small trip with my college friends in a rented car. During the trip, I first hand experienced the freedom driving can bring. Motivated by this, I really pushed myself to start driving our new Ford Figo. This phase continued for a few years, where I did a few road trips in Figo as well as some other cars, before gradually coming to an end in 2014.

The enthusiasm again started when we were in the market for a new car in 2019/2020, and I got a good idea of how far the market had evolved. We eventually purchased Kia Seltos for my parents, and brought their Ford Figo to Mumbai. Another phase of enthusiasm started and after many years of staying away from driving, I slowly started taking Figo around in Mumbai and to nearby places such as Pune, Lonavala, Matheran, Durshet, Karjat, etc. But, it was still just daily office commutes and very occasional weekend trips. I didn’t actively want to go out just to drive....

Ever since the Scorpio-N has arrived, however, I have undertaken more long drives and road trips (and not just in the Scorpio, but also in Figo and Seltos), than what I have done in the last three years combined. Instead of planning for trips abroad, as I was doing during the last years, I actively plan on going on longer road trips across the country. For the first time, we’ve been thinking about going to Bangalore to visit our relatives or to Goa for a vacation, as soon as we get a chance, in our car, instead of taking flight.

When I get bored on weekends these days, I have developed a tendency of taking my Scorpio to impromptu long drives. During these drives, I have driven on good roads and bad and some no-road terrain also, spent time roaming around and doing random photography! I never thought that I can spend complete days with just my car!

In March 2024, after booking the Scorpio-N, I somehow found the motivation to apply for a team-bhp membership, after years of being a passive reader of the forum. I have tried my best to document my experiences with a genuine desire to add value to this gem of a community.

I seem to have developed a reasonably good understanding of cars, their engines, transmission, handling etc. than I ever had before. Recently, for the first time when my Figo’s battery died, I showed real interest in its replacement, and understanding in detail other aspects of the car which may require repair, instead of just leaving it at the discretion of service centre people!

Love for car and the enthusiasm to become part of the motoring world, has emerged as a serious passion over the last few months, which has given me a satisfaction as I’ve never found before!

Is this really the Scorpio effect. If so, why? What is different this time? Lets start with....

II. ... Why Scorpio?

We were quite happy with our Figo. However, after the car entered its fourteenth year (14-Years with the Ford Figo: A Reflection), we considered getting a new car. There was also the anxiety of future servicing after the exit of Ford from India, and we did have a bad experience with Figo’s servicing earlier this year.

We started the search for a new car in the middle of 2023. Had Ford been in India, it would have been very simple... an Endeavour would have been a truly worthy upgrade! But given the situation we started exploring other options. My wife and I both felt that EVs were the future. But, after assessing the EVs and the overall infrastructure, we were not comfortable with buying an EV at that point of time.

As a compromise between EVs and ICE, we also started exploring hybrids. There were only two good options in our budget – Toyota Innova Hycross and Hyryder. We were both impressed with the Hycross, with its light and quick steering, excellent manoeuvrability despite the size, comfortable seating in all rows (even the rear one) and the fuel economy. We contacted Wasan Toyota, Chembur for Hycross and booked one. We booked the vehicle in August, 2023 and were promised delivery around January, 2024.

After booking the car, we started having second thoughts. I, for one, started noticing the relatively small wheels of the Hycross, which didn’t suit its overall stance. We also felt that a premium of about ₹7-8 lakhs for hybrid over petrol variant of Hycross; was not financially making sense for us when our running was lower than 10k KMs per year. Further, within only a few months of launch more than half the Hycross which I was seeing on roads were with yellow number plates, substantiating the Innova’s reputation as a solid people mover, but not necessarily the best driver’s car. Due to these reasons, we slowly became disinterested.

When Wasan called us in October conveying that the vehicle had been allocated and that if we were interested we could take delivery in November, I discussed with my wife, and we felt that maybe we should wait more. The same was conveyed to Wasan. I think Wasan sales executive sensed that we might not be interested.

Therein, went to the drain, the entire process of purchasing a car with logical reasoning and the matter moved, from the head, to the heart! And it took me straight back in time!

Like many others Indians from the 80s/90s, growing up, there were two cars, both brands in themselves outshining their makers, which have very deeply appealed to my heart – the Safari and the Scorpio. Albeit, I had never thought of owning one of these some day.

Ever since, I have seen these, both these SUVs have had an element of character – the homegrown lifestyle car married with the go-anywhere capabilities. I had closely followed the evolution of the Tata Safari to Dicor and then to Storme. Similarly, I had tracked the evolution of the Scorpio.
When the new Safari was launched in 2021, I was silently and very deeply disheartened when Gravitas was rechristened as a Safari!

It was totally out of the blue. Only a few months back, Harrier with one more row was being called as Gravitas. And then, suddenly it was Safari! It was completely mind-boggling!

My feelings were very similar to what @vigneshkumar31 said in his fabulous report:

Originally Posted by vigneshkumar31

Today we face the same dilemma that sprouts up whenever a cult icon from a niche is pushed into mainstream by the company. This new SUV has made the 'Safari' accessible to a larger mainstream populace. And to do this, it had to give up the very traits which made it a Safari in the first place. Except for that plastic hairband behind the C pillar vaguely reminiscent of the old Safari, the new generation is a departure in every sense. It's monocoque. It's built on a totally new Platform. It's loaded with tech, almost a spaceship compared to the barebones no nonsense old gen. It doesn't have a 4x4 variant. Doesn't stand tall and tower over the road like the old Safari. It's modern and sleek and is a design tangent from the boxy lines of the old.

I felt that the Safari, an iconic brand, which I had really liked and admired all those years, deserved more respect and better treatment from Tata!

What about the next generation Scorpio? It was being called as Scorpio-N, where N meant infinity. Anand Mahindra had no problem in it being called the Scorpion also!

I first saw the Scorpio-N one day on the street. Its design also seemed an evolution from the past model. Did Mahindra also compromise with the next generation Scorpio? No it seems, they haven’t!

They have kept the body-on-frame RWD architecture with 4x4 variants also available. But, its not just about the BoF vs monocoque debate. Yes, a BoF construction makes it more abuse friendly. But, even the new Defender has a monocoque body now. There are many other things, which were unique to Scorpio and which continue to remain true with the Scorpio-N!

First & foremost, Scorpio has always been synonymous with power. And the current Mahindra engines (both the mHawk and mStallion) are among the best out there in terms of performance!

Similar to the original Scoprio, Scorpio-N has an unmissable road presence!

Mahindra has taken care to ensure that some iconic lines such as.. a car in which you walk into, and not crawl into, which defined the original Scorpio... continue to ring true with the Scorpio-N!

Some people have not liked the rear of Scorpion, but its Mahindra’s way of remaining faithful to the erstwhile Scorpio. The sideways opening tailgate and stacked tailamps are, as Pratap Bose mentions, characteristic design elements of Scorpio and they have carried it forward from there!

Now, I am no off-roader, and I wasn’t looking for a hard core 4x4 vehicle. My use case is much more simple. However, it was just my sheer love for these two cars, which guided me. And Scorpio-N is a car which, I feel, has remained much more faithful to its roots! Mahindra have really tried to do justice to the Scorpio brand and treated it with a respect that it deserved. It was easier to accept the Scorpio-N as the SUV which is sincerely carrying forward the legacy of a brand which I had closely admired! No less was expected also, considering Scorpio was the car which had changed Mahindra’s fortunes.

My choice was sealed...the Scorpio-N as.. Nothing Else Will Do!

Here, I feel lies the answer to the question I raised in the previous section. I think a car can change your life if its a choice made purely from the heart. I chose a car that has appealed deeply to emotions, and that seems to have made all the difference in the world!

Why not the Scorpio Classic then, you ask. I really admire and did think about the Classic also! But, the Scorpio Classic’s design is broadly the same for over two decades now, and while still imposing it feels slightly dated! The Classic didn’t also have a petrol (deal beaker for me) or an AT (non-negotiable for my wife) variant. Also the erstwhile Scorpio has become more synonymous with a
government vehicle (RTO and BMC fleets in Mumbai along with the Navy cars are mostly Scorpio), and hence we weren't too comfortable in going for it.

[scorpi0N]

III. The Scorpio Legacy: Nothing Else Will Do

No matter what I do and what happens in future, I will always be known as the Scorpio man. And that is not a bad tag to have. After all Scorpio is the product that redefined the fortunes of Mahindra!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTR2-igYICo

Scorpio is in and out an enthusiast's car! It always has been!

The story of how Scorpio came into being is especially interesting. M&M, as we all know, was associated with selling Willys Jeep in India, ever since it was founded around independence. During the course of time, it also started manufacturing them. In the 1990s, an Integrated Design And Manufacturing (IDAM) process was started, within M&M, with a small team. The IDAM could do one of the two things – either focus on tweaking an existing product or start, from scratch, the development of a new product.

New product development was something M&M had never done before. However, the design by a young designer was good enough to seriously consider developing a new car from scratch, in which some saw the future of Mahindra!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeDB94gLg3s

The estimated budget for this new venture, however, would be roughly ₹800 crore – more than the profits of M&M over many years. The IDAM venture of developing a new car was extremely risky also, as M&M till then had limited experience in research. Instead of pursuing IDAM altogether, there was a much safer option to channel this money – a partnership with Ford, where M&M could make cars which Ford could rebrand and export.

Despite this, sensing the IDAM project as one of those opportunities, which presents once in a lifetime, and motivated by sales of Bolero, M&M finalised new product development with a limited budget of ₹600 crore.

The Scorpio was built out of this IDAM project. It was launched in 2002!

Scorpio wasn’t perfect at the start, but M&M got many things right!

• At ₹5.5 lakh, the Scorpio was really well priced! Safari was around ₹8 lakh I believe.

• Scorpio was powerful! A new turbocharged 2.6L Direct Injection (DI) Diesel engine was used, which produced 110 bhp of power. Just for benchmarking, at that time the Safari’s engine could produce 90 bhp of power. The Scorpio’s engine was developed out of the new engine family (NEF) project, which focussed on developing a more fuel efficient DI Diesel engine to replace the ageing indirect injection (IDI) engines. The engine was jointly developed with the help of AVL, Austria.

NEF 2.6 TC (Turbo 2.6)

• Marketing was key! M&M was able to position Scorpio as an aspirational car!

Full page newspaper ads helped! And the innovative taglines really did have an appeal...

Such as.. Nothing else will do!

Cars will now suffer from low self esteem...

The TV ads were shot in Australia...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dfB5CQnVadQ

The car was marketed as Scorpio from Mahindra instead of Mahindra Scorpio, which allowed for evolution of Scorpio as a brand in itself!

Mahindra also benefitted from the patriotic fervour of people taking pride in a completely indigenously built quality car.

Eventually, Scorpio was a huge success!

It really transformed the fortunes of Mahindra. Not only in terms of revenue and profits but more importantly the brand positioning. Before Scorpio, Mahindra was known mainly for its utilitarian vehicles. Scorpio singnificantly increase M&M’s appeal, and helped it in breaking through into a highly aspirational brand!

M&M, to its credit, has never looked back since then!

[scorpi0N]

IV. Purchasing the Scorpio-N: Booking and Delivery Experience

Back to my humble story, one fine day, in the first week of March, 2024, I contacted Mahindra for a test drive of the Scorpio N. An executive from NBS International, Chowpatty reached out and brought the test vehicle (Z8L Diesel AT) the next weekend. The colour was deep forest, which we wanted to see. My wife and I were both very impressed with such a good looking car. The test drive went on smoothly.

We wanted a petrol variant. Now, the petrol variants of Scorpio do not have any 4x4 option available and that was the biggest compromise we had to do. However, hard core offroading was something which I hadn't envisaged, and so the decision was something which, I believe, we could live with. We found the, then recently launched, Z8 Select the most VFM!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeJfy1OZEdI

It had most of the important premium features, such as the dual barrel LED headlamps, LED projector fog lamps, sting-like LED DRLs, 17” alloys, rich coffee-black leatherette interiors and sunroof. It missed out on certain features compared to Z8 and Z8L, most useful being push button start and auto folding ORVMs, which would have been good to have, but we felt we can live without. The Z8 Select also came with 6 airbags over 2 in Z6. We got the front parking sensors (which comes by default in Z8L) installed as an accessory.

We booked the car with a token amount of ₹21k, and were promised delivery within 6 weeks.

Within four weeks, we got the delightful call that vehicle was allotted. As it was the last week of March (end of financial year), our employer was not processing loan applications and we requested time till first of April from NBS. NBS also did not force insurance and matched the price, when I showed lower price from outside. Eventually, I took insurance (SBI General) from NBS only. In the first week of April, we completed all the payments. But, the new rule of RTO for BH registration delayed the delivery. For those who might be unaware, from February 2024 RTOs in Mumbai have imposed additional document requirement for BH registration. There was not much clarity on what was required. Eventually, my employer (a central government institution) issued a letter about service record, transferable nature of job and need for BH. This was promptly submitted to RTO and the vehicle was registered.

Parallelly, after payment we listed out the accessories which we wanted – front and rear bumper add-ons, bumper corner protection, rain visor, comfort kit, sun shade, mud flaps, radiator & underbody protection, car cover and paint protection treatment (wax). Based on reviews, did not opt for the Mahindra 7D mats, but purchased the GFX mats from carhatke. Very satisfied with the purchase.

After payment and before registration, we requested PDI by visiting the stockyard. NBS was adamant of not acceding to request for visit to stockyard, and offered to bring the vehicle to showroom but also said that the vehicle will be returned to stockyard after PDI. We did not want to risk so much movement of vehicle as the distance between showroom and stockyard was close to 40 KMs (around 1.5 hrs in normal city traffic). However, when the vehicle was brought to service centre at Reay Road for accessories installation, I completed PDI and found the vehicle to be perfectly fine. While at the service centre, the registration was completed and vehicle brought to showroom the next day.

Delivery was scheduled for a Friday noon in April. As my overall experience with NBS International, Chowpatty during the entire process was quite pleasant, my family and I went there with token gifts for all the staffs with whom we had interacted. The overall process took about an hour, where in I completed some remaining payments, got an overview of the features and completed the puja (the arrangements made by NBS was very good). After a smooth delivery process, we brought the Scorpio home!

[scorpi0N]

V. Scorpio-N Petrol RWD Review

I am not going into extreme details about the car as that has been done in detail already in the forum. Just focussing on my broad observations.

V.1. Exterior

The car is an absolute stunner!

It has the looks of a traditional muscular SUV, with a long bonnet, clear yet subtle edges, large wheel arches (inspired by, as Mahindra calls, sinewy shoulders of a swimmer) and good-sized wheels.

The 17 inch alloy wheels suit the overall stance of the vehicle.

And at the same time, Mahindra has given a touch of sophistication and refinement. I like how the Scorpio elements are subtly yet seamlessly integrated into the design.

The scorpio metallic tail element integrated into the window belt line and the scorpio sting DRLs.

Side steps are a must. Good of Mahindra to have them installed by default. They look good too. Also they are installed such that they are minimally outside the vehicle and risk of grazing any nearby cars in traffic is not there.

Open the door, step on the sidesteps and walk, not crawl, into the car!

V.2. Interior

The coffee-black leatherette interior has a classy feel to it and it looks really beautiful!

The contoured driver seat truly embraces you!

The driving position is excellent and one gets a very good view of the road!

The A-pillar does affect visibility when turning right!

Ergonomics are broadly fine. I feel very comfortable while driving. Arm rest is very useful too! One complaint being the lack of a telescopic adjust in the steering.

Lumbar support is also really good. I tend to develop lumbar pains if I drive my Figo continuously. However, never in this car and it is such a relief!

The second row seats are comfortable.

The first time when I sat in the third row during the test drive, I was pleasantly surprised to notice that it was not as bad as some of the reviews had mentioned. Of course, its only meant for occasional seating. Have to accept, that its not your everyday 7 seater MPV!

Boot space when the third row is up isn't much. Otherwise, with the third row folded, there is sufficient space.

V.3. The Engine: 1997 cc mStallion TGDi

The highlight of Mahindra SUVs is their engines.

Mahindra has been known for their world class mHawk diesel engines. However, sensing the consumer-shift towards petrol-powered vehicles, Mahindra spent heavily on the development of mStallion engine family (which includes the 2L, 1.5L & 1.2L engines), which was first unveiled at the Auto Expo 2020. My Z8S is powered by the 2L mStallion engine. This four-cylinder turbo-gasoline-direct-injection (TGDi) unit is said to be the most powerful Mahindra engine ever. Within the petrol engine family, the TGDi technology is one of the most advanced and state-of-the-art options. The mStallion family has been developed keeping in mind the tightening emission standards and CAFE regulations, thus, to an extent are future-proof.

The engine in the Scorpio can produce a maximum of 200 bhp of power and 380 Nm of torque. It is mated with a 6-speed AT (torque converter) gearbox which is tuned for delivering a spirited performance.

The engine is extremely powerful! I have to say on pushing the accelerator, the car just propels itself with you being thrown back on the seat! No problems at all in overtakes, even on upward sloping roads! Its a pure smile-inducer, and a genuine delight to drive.

The mStallion engine is also extremely refined and one of the smoothest in the market today.

Don’t expect much fuel efficiency though. I get somewhere around 6-7 KMPL in medium-to-high Mumbai traffic, while on highways expect something in the range of 12-14 KMPL.

V.4. Driving the N

Few years ago, a friend of mine had purchased a Venue after driving Fiat for many years. He admitted that deep down in his heart he was not satisfied, and that he missed the fun-to-drive feel associated with his Fiat. Since, then I had a basic non-negotiable condition for upgrade from the Figo. The car should be a pleasure to drive! It should have that spirited driving feel. And I am happy to note that the Scorpio hasn’t let me down. Of course, its the 2L mStallion engine, which is the core. But, the other aspects of driving dynamics are pretty good too!

The Steering is light initially and slowly becomes more stable, as speed picks up. Given the size, manoeuvring is superb!

I was pleasantly surprised to experience that the turning radius is not very high, considering the vehicle size!

NVH inside the cabin is well managed. One will barely get a sense of speed even after crossing 100 KMPH. Beyond that, wind noise starts creeping through.

The gear shifts are really smooth, and the AT gearbox is tuned for performance.

The BOF construction and the high GC ensures that I don’t have to think twice before cruising through the potholes.

Front and rear disc brakes work well.

The overall handling of the vehicle is very confidence inspiring. I have to say I have never felt this kind of confidence to tackle bad roads and highways before!

Yes, its a high CoG vehicle and have to be accept certain limitations associated with it viz. turning/sharply changing lanes at very high speeds is not recommended!

Now, there is body roll and there is no way of getting around it. Just want to add that it is relatively well controlled.

V.5. Build Quality and Safety

The Scorpio has a very solid build quality. And it can be felt. The doors and bonnets are very heavy and the use of adequate amount of steel is evident. Even the glasses on the windows and windscreen seem quite thick.

The car has been engineered with safety in mind. The frame has been designed to take maximum impact in accident, with car body remaining more stable. This means car doors will not be deformed during crashes and one would be able to open them.

The Mahindra Scorpio-N has scored a 5-star rating in the latest round of Global NCAP safety tests. It gets a 3-star rating in child occupant tests.

However, there have been reports on vehicle assembly taking a considerable damage even in minor to medium impact crashes.

V.6. Other Points

The engine idling start / stop system shuts down the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop and restarts it once the feet is removed from the brake pedal. The idea is to increase fuel efficiency. But, it isn’t very practical and is extremely irritating. I have to turn it off every-time. Not sure if it can be disabled.

The AC is really powerful.

Audio quality is just average.

Wireless android auto works pretty well.

There are software niggles, for instance sometimes the instrument cluster or the infotainment will go blank when the car starts up.

I have noticed a slight, very minimal but noticable, delay between pressing the horn button and when it buzzes!

Got stuck with the software update while driving once. Just after I pressed the update, a warning came up to keep the car still and keep the engine on! Would suggest never do this! I was driving on a busy road and as the instrument cluster was busy, didn’t get any feedback on whether indicators were working or not (it was). The update took close to 35 minutes.

I like Adrenox. It has come in handy a couple of time times, although more of a fancy feature than actually useful. However, helps in keeping track of vehicle, locks, fuel etc. and I am planning to renew the subscription.

Sunroof is not panaromic. One benefit is that it will easily accommodate roof carrier accessories.

[scorpi0N]

VI. Modifications

Got these "X-pedition" body decals...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kNG6uB8ZxpI

Had thought of getting roof carrier accessory. But, understand FE takes a hit because of it and it increases noise while driving due to increased air drag. Also haven't really felt a need for it as of now, so dropped the thought.

VII. Ceramic Coating

Nowadays, I guess PPF or ceramic coat is something which many people at least think about. The main purpose for a PPF/ceramic coat is to protect the factory paint of the car. Let me give my two cents.

As traditional of many old buildings in Mumbai, my home doesn’t have a covered parking. There are trees around, and risk of occasional bird droppings, plus movement of people most of the day. I first noticed a small dent on my bonnet, from a peanut sized fruit falling from the tree above.

Since, then I moved the car to a different parking spot.

I decided not to go for PPF. The primary reason is that the cost of PPF is quite high, above ₹1L for full body. Further, I read that people have had mixed experiences with PPF. For instance, paint coming off while peeling the film and, in few cases where PPF was not properly applied there were organic growth within the film. Thus, I was not fully convinced of the benefits of PPF, given the cost. Yes, it does come in handy in case of minor accidents where some damage is absorbed by the film.

I went with ceramic cost, which costed around ₹24k, to get some protection from direct sunlight and formation of swirl marks.

Additionally, have purchased Mahindra car covers and ensured use of good quality microfibre cloth for cleaning.

These seem to have taken decent care of the paint till now. Whether ceramic coating has been very effective, only time will tell! I have noticed that water beading (formation of water droplets on the car surface), which had reduced after ceramic coating seems to be relapsing. I guess, will have to pay the detailing studio another visit to check if the coat is still present!

VIII. Service Centre Experience

Service centre experience has been good.

I had initially gone to service centre at Reay road before taking delivery of the car for PDI. Didn’t get a chance to interact much with the staff then.

Next time, into two months of ownership, Scorpio started giving heavy jolts on changing drive modes (from P to MD, MD to N etc.). The AT light also showed up on the instrument cluster. Took an appointment through Mahindra app for a Sunday. However, service centre called back conveying Sunday is a holiday for them and rescheduled for the next available date. Reached very early to avoid crowd. They kept the car for 10 days. However, the manner in which they proceeded with the diagnostic was very systematic, despite me pushing for a quick turnaround. They initially checked the issue by driving the car with me and acknowledged the issue. After that they did the manual inspection in which everything under the bonnet seemed okay. Next day, they ran the complete diagnostic (which takes around half day). The results were shared with the Mahindra engineering team remotely. Mahindra engineering team reverted next day, and their analysis of the logs indicated a fault in the wire connecting engine and gearbox. The wire was not easily visible to naked eye during the quick checkup of the engine bay earlier. The service centre people checked and found that the wire had rat bites on them :-|

They arranged for a new wire which took a few days. After replacement, they checked the car for issues and when everything was fine, they did the first free service and handed back the car to me!

To avoid such rat issues, I have sprayed some Autoguard Rat Spray (after reading good reviews of the same on team-bhp) and also asked Detailing Dons to do their share of rat treatment. These seem to have worked till now!

One thing which I realised with this visit was that in cars of today, which rely heavily on electronics, it is increasingly difficult for your regular garage folks to diagnose and fix the issue. Even the service centre people proceeded with due caution as per their procedures and were hesitant to make their own observations. This is both good and bad. Good, because you can rely that with these procedures the job is done much more systematically. And bad because in cases of breakdown, one will have to necessarily get it towed to the nearest service centre only. Plus, the systematic approach to diagnostics also takes up a lot of time. However, I believe with time processes will become more efficient.

Next time, I went to the service centre to get a replacement for my front alloy centre cap, which had fallen off. This time took appointment over phone, and got a confirmation that they have a replacement cap in stock. The visit was uneventful, with things proceeding smoothly.

[scorpi0N]

IX. Ownership Experience

The car has been with us for about 6 months now.

The first thing which I have experienced is that it’s a big car! Now, don’t get me wrong. What I want to convey is that its not meant for you if you have a small family and your requirements are for city drives only. Trust me, its not your everyday city cruiser! I still tend to pick up my Ford Figo for short city commutes, especially through tight traffic areas.

In city, generally I pick up the Scorpio when I am travelling with other family members and we have some distance to cover.

The Scorpio is a great touring car! Enjoy going on long drives/ road-trips in it! On the highways the car just cruises through comfortably even at 100 KMPH and above. The NVH is really well managed and the sense of speed is not there. This can be dangerous also when you don’t realise you have touched 120-140 while thinking its just 80 (although there are warning sounds), and it is recommended to use cruise control. Cruise control at 80 – 95 enhances the fuel efficiency substantially (expect to get above 13 KMPL). In my first long drive to Lonavala infant was asleep practically the whole time, in the second row comfortably, and was not at all disturbed. Woke up only when the car was going very slow once over rough patches.

In another trip, I had to drive through heavy traffic in narrow roads of a small town, which was manageable but is something this car is not meant to do. Second, there was a long stretch with very steep inclines and sharp turns, and the engine’s power was visible. Going through that stretch was like driving on a flat road! Also took the car a bit off-road, and the high ground clearance, BoF and RWD really does increase the scope of terrain you can cover.

Have driven through the beautiful Atal Setu multiple times!

Sun setting over Mumbai.. captured during one of the drives on Atal Setu!

X. Conclusion

And this brings us to the end!

As happens in life... it often comes full circle!

Ironic, as it may be, this story started with the Safari and somehow it is ending with it too!

I couldn’t find a better way to describe the feeling which I get on seeing my Scorpio, than the smile in this advertisement on seeing the car... which seems way too real for me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4pzK2jST8k

Sharing few more pictures!

[Aditya]

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

[HWKingInnCrysta]

How comfortable is the 3rd-row seating in the Scorpio N for long journeys? Do both children and adults find it spacious and relaxing over extended trips?

[ssoni.1411]

You've beautifully captured everything about the Scorpio-N. When I went to check out and test-drive the vehicle, even though the XUV700 was more sophisticated and feature-rich, the Scorpio-N had its own charm. The driving experience is exhilarating. Wishing you many more happy miles!

[1.2TSI7DSG]

Superb writeup!!

Originally Posted by HWKingInnCrysta

How comfortable is the 3rd-row seating in the Scorpio N for long journeys? Do both children and adults find it spacious and relaxing over extended trips?

My family has travelled on Mumbai-Shirdi/Mumbai-Pune routes multiple times with all rows used. While the space is cramped for 2 people, for a single person occupying the rear seat, it is very comfortable.

[ags82]

Nice write up and thanks for sharing your experience. I am in two minds, either N Z8 Select AT or XUV 700 AX5 7 seater AT petrol. Neither have power folding ORVMs and some nice to have features. But covers the most needed. Can power folding mirrors be added as add-on from showroom itself? Can't understand the logic of omitting power folding as a means of cost cutting in mid variants. My Swift, celerio and scross had them in mid variants.

[Rahkehs]

Originally Posted by scorpi0N

[center][h3]


Parallelly, after payment we listed out the accessories which we wanted – front and rear bumper add-ons, bumper corner protection, rain visor, comfort kit, sun shade, mud flaps, radiator & underbody protection, car cover and paint protection treatment (wax). Based on reviews, did not opt for the Mahindra 7D mats, but purchased the GFX mats from carhatke. Very satisfied with the purchase.

Can you share some photos and cost of Radiator Protection please.

[LordSharan]

Fairly detailed and quite informative I must say. It's good to see petrol variants being favoured for such a large BoF SUV, given the low mileage figures, and how our perpestive towards overall ownership of car is evolving.

It's surprising how many times you've talked about Safari , and it's ads, despite this being a Scorpio-N review I echo your argument that Tata could've treated Safari better with 4x4 hardware, and it's something they must address on priority.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by LordSharan

It's surprising how many times you've talked about Safari , and it's ads, despite this being a Scorpio-N review I echo your argument that Tata could've treated Safari better with 4x4 hardware, and it's something they must address on priority.

Because the ScorpioN is, what Safari fans dreamt the Safari of becoming.

I believe most ScorpioN BHPian owners would buy a Safari in a jiffy if TATA had given it a proper 2nd generation instead of slapping the Safari badge on the 7 seater Harrier.

The sales figures tell the story that TATA went wrong.