Scorpio Redux . Review on Mahindra Scorpio CRDE

NOTE: I AM THE EXECUTIVE EDITOR AT CAR INDIA, AND FIRST WROTE THIS REVIEW FOR THE MAGAZINE. THIS REVIEW IS BEING POSTED HERE SO IT CAN REACH A WIDER AUDIENCE.

Ah, the 'all new' Scorpio. M&M’s PR machine says that it’s ‘the Scorpio reborn,’ and that it’s a ‘fresh chapter in the tragic tale of other cars.’ Ahem. They also say it has 43 new features. However, when I first walked up to the new Scorpio, it looked pretty much like the old one to me. A new front bumper with air dams, a (dummy) air-scoop on the bonnet and new taillamps – from the outside, those were the only new bits I could spot. But then a fellow journalist did spot more than two dozen new features on the car and in the process, won an all-expenses-paid trip to South Africa. Damn! Maybe I should have been paying more attention after all.

Okay, so what all has really changed? Well, the new rear suspension is the big story here. The Scorpio now gets multilink suspension at the rear, which replaces the old car’s leafspring setup - definitely a step in the right direction. Apart from that, well, I could spot a ski-rack, a rear spoiler, some cupholders, an MP3 CD-player (with USB support, so you can clip your iPod into it and play music off that…), and more significantly, a middle row of seats that you can slide back for added legroom. There are foldable armrests, reading lights, and adjustable AC vents for middle-row passengers. Luxury, eh? There is even an electronic chaperone hidden somewhere behind the dashboard. Start the car for the first time and he’ll welcome you to your ‘dream car,’ ask you to be careful with it since the Scorpio is a powerful vehicle (!!) and admonish you if you forget to put your seatbelts on or leave your handbrake in the on position. I, for one, would have sacked the dude right away, but I couldn’t figure out how to switch him off. Blast. More useful than the electronic nanny was the third row of seats which our test car was fitted with, and while I don’t know if adults can spend more than 15 minutes there without getting crippled, on short trips, those seats should be fine for small children. Or, of course, you can simply fold them up (the seats, not the children) partially or completely, and use the space to carry luggage.

Always bubbling with enthusiasm for most cars, my friend Jayesh says the new Scorpio has ‘real presence’ and gets you a lot of attention on the road. I don’t know. I think the new Scorpio looks like it’s trying too hard. The new 16-inch alloys look good, but what’s with the fake air-scoop on the bonnet? The front air dams look contrived. And that new taillamp is just too OTT. But anyway, how does it drive? Time to hit the road then. Start the Scorpio and the first thing you notice is that the common-rail diesel is remarkably quiet. There is none of the violent shuddering which used to be the hallmark of older diesel engines and while idling, the Scorpio’s gearlever doesn’t vibrate. This being a new-age Mahindra, the clutch and the gearshift don’t need too much muscle, and the steering wheel is adjustable for rake – once they manage to clamber inside, even women should be quite happy driving the Scorpio. Given the Scorpio’s heft (kerb weight is close to 2000 kilos), its 116PS is not enough to make the vehicle get off the line with much enthusiasm. Going from zero to 60km/h takes 7.19 seconds, while zero to 100km/h takes a leisurely 19.40 seconds. Measured top speed, though, is a reasonable 152km/h.

Common-rail or not, this is a big, slow-revving diesel that takes its time to spin up. Once the turbo spools up, it does get going, but it’s hard to justify the ‘sport’ bit in this SUV. In fact, when six of us piled into the Scorpio and drove it to Mahabaleshwar, the car was struggling to catch its breath in the ghats sections. Vehicle weight, plus six heavyweights from CAR India, plus the AC – all that was probably overwhelming the pulling power of the Scorpio’s 278Nm of torque. On straight, smooth tarmac, with a full complement of passengers and luggage, you’ll have no trouble cruising at 100-110km/h, but overtaking maneouvers have to be planned in advance and there isn’t a lot of power left in reserve. It isn’t really underpowered or anything, it’s just that you expect more from a modern 2.6-litre common-rail turbodiesel, that’s all.

Coming to the steering, suspension and handling, the new Scorpio feels a bit less bouncy than the old one, but honestly, I can’t feel a very big difference. Small, sharp-edged potholes and ridges in the road, which often defeat the average family saloon’s suspension, are smothered by the Scorpio – it just steamrolls them into submission. But over things like sharp-edged speed-breakers, the Scorpio still bounces its occupants around. And legroom, while adequate in the front and middle row seats, is non-existent in the last row.

About the handling, let me come straight to the point – as long as you keep your Scorpio on smooth, straight tarmac, things are all right. But throw some serious curves into the equation, and if you don’t back off, things can begin to get hairy very quickly indeed. While the steering gives better feedback than what was available on the older Scorpio, it’s still vague. That, combined with the vehicle’s weight and barely controlled body/chassis movement, means you have to be brave (or misinformed) to try and push this vehicle around too hard. The front suspension is a bit too soft, so the Scorpio pitches and rolls in hard braking and cornering maneouvers and even the new rear end isn’t very confidence inspiring. The brakes can be grabby and don’t offer enough feel. Also, at higher speeds, the front disc/rear drum setup can feel less than adequately powerful. M&M really should start giving discs on all four wheels and offer ABS as an option. On the other hand, I liked the 235/70 R16 Bridgestone rubber which M&M fit on the Scorpio – these tyres grip well, and in high speed corners, you’ll usually run out of courage before you run out of traction. Dual-purpose tyres like these can often generate a lot of noise, but these Bridgestone Duelers are quiet, which means a quieter cabin – and that really is important when you are covering long distances.

To conclude, the Scorpio is, as before, a rugged, capable, comfortable utility vehicle. It wants to be an SUV, but I am not too sure about the 'sport' bit. For a vehicle of its size, the Scorpio’s cabin is not extremely spacious, but with folding/sliding rear seats, it’s a versatile package. The vehicle is adequately powerful, and with a mileage of 8.8kmpl in the city, fairly fuel efficient. On the other hand, things like the quality of plastics and upholstery, and the fit and finish, are below average. That’s a downer, given that the base model Scorpio costs Rs 7.25 lakh, while the top end model you see here is pegged at Rs 8.50 lakh, ex-showroom, Mumbai. Still, you can choose to look at it in whatever way you want – an upmarket utility vehicle, or an entry-level SUV – and it’s just about equally competent in either role. If you buy one, just remember to ask your dealer to switch that smooth-talking electronic butler off for you…