Overview
WITH plans to develop past its predominantly rural purchaser base to having a presence in virtually all Australian capital cities and “important market share”, Mahindra Automotive Australia is about to embark on an bold re-branding train – beginning with the all-new Scorpio medium/giant body-on-frame SUV and adopted by the XUV700 medium SUV in June, plus as much as 10 new metro-market dealerships that includes Mahindra’s subtle new branding design.
However first, the Scorpio.
Marketed because the Scorpio-N in its dwelling market resulting from it being the substitute for India’s iconic 20-year-old Mahindra Scorpio (now known as the Scorpio Traditional, or Scorpio-C), the Scorpio-N debuts in Australia merely as ‘Scorpio’ to keep away from any confusion … or being known as ‘Scorpion’.
Look at its tailgate and you’ll discover the purple ‘N’ lacking from the badge … although it stays on the comparatively discreet dashboard and floor-mat branding.
Described as a big SUV by Mahindra, as a result of the sq. metreage of its footprint simply sneaks into FCAI’s categorisation, in actuality the Scorpio sits on the higher finish of the medium SUV phase for each wheelbase (2750mm) and total size (4662mm), although it stands fairly tall (1857mm), is comparatively huge (1917mm) and gives 227mm of floor clearance.
Examine these measurements to a different class straddler, the Skoda Kodiaq – 4697mm lengthy and 1882mm huge, using on a 2791mm wheelbase, although solely 1676mm tall with 187mm of floor clearance seeing it’s a car-based monocoque SUV with on-demand AWD in comparison with the full-frame, part-time 4WD Mahindra.
Supplied in Australia solely in range-topping six-seat guise with second-row ‘captain’s chairs’, the Scorpio Z8 and barely fancier Z8L provide ample tools for his or her asking costs ($41,990–$44,990 driveaway), although it’s all pretty run-of-the-mill stuff.
Included are LED headlights with DRLs and sequential indicators, 18-inch diamond-cut alloys, a sunroof, keyless entry, push-button begin, power-folding mirrors, auto headlights/wipers, driver’s auto up/down window, dual-zone local weather management with fan-controlled second-row vents, a relaxing glovebox, 8.0-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (although wi-fi is coming), a leather-bound steering wheel and tyre-pressure monitoring.
The Z8L beneficial properties an auto up/down window for the entrance passenger, entrance parking sensors with a entrance digital camera (becoming a member of the Z8’s rear sensors and digital camera), a six-way electrical driver’s seat, a 7.0-inch color driver’s show, wi-fi cellphone charging and 12-speaker Sony audio with subwoofer.
Mechanically, there may be ‘4xplor’ shift-in-the-fly 4WD (as much as 80km/h) with three terrain modes, an auto-locking rear differential (beneath 30km/h), three drive modes (Zip, Zap and Zoom – equating to Eco, Regular and Sport), an idle-stop system, four-wheel disc brakes with brake-wiping, a hill-hold system and hill-descent management.
Mahindra Automotive Australia says it spent six months and 120,000km testing the Scorpio in Australian circumstances – from desert to snow nation – with the one required tweak following this validation being to the turbo-diesel engine’s emissions calibration for Euro 6b (a step down from the Indian market’s Euro 6d).
The remainder, they declare, was adequate to not want any Australia-specific tuning.
Driving Impressions
Given the truth that the Mahindra Scorpio is nearly as tall as it’s huge and weighs round 2100kg, it’s stunning simply how lithe this full-frame SUV/4WD can really feel. Maybe not from an outright efficiency perspective – its 129kW/400Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine tied to an Aisin six-speed computerized is extra about efficient torque utilization and competent driveability than dazzling 0-100km/h instances (round 11 seconds) – however actually when it comes to dynamics.
That includes an all-new platform with double-wishbone entrance suspension, a coil-sprung dwell rear axle with Watts linkage, and frequency selective damping, it’s refreshing to find that the Scorpio feels properly polished on Australian roads.
There’s a agency self-discipline to its damping efficiency that significantly advantages physique management and highway really feel, whereas additionally contributing to a nice steadiness between journey consolation and dealing with agility. For its car sort, the Scorpio feels well-balanced in sooner corners, with (electrical) steering that turns in promptly as soon as it has handed a slight useless zone at straight forward.
Even the ESC (digital stability management) is comparatively delicate in its intervention, although an excessive amount of enthusiasm by means of roundabouts can betray the Scorpio’s appreciable peak and heft, in addition to the all-terrain, Indian-made 225/60R18 MRF Wanderer tyres it wears.
And whereas its steering system principally deserves reward – significantly its lightness when parking, backed by confidence-inspiring firmness as speeds rise – there’s a level of weighting change round straight forward that feels a bit like lane-assist intrusion … which is a characteristic it doesn’t provide. But…
Mahindra’s mHawk 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine represents a complete re-engineering of a long-lived powertrain, now that includes an aluminium block and a variable-vane turbocharger, and for essentially the most half, it feels impressively robust.
Providing 129kW at 3500rpm and 400Nm from 1750-2750rpm, its driveability from round 1700rpm to the upshift level at 3800rpm is easy – even with solely six gear ratios – and it channels torque the best way you’d count on from a car like this, with a aggressive mixed gas consumption determine of seven.2L/100km.
Most braked towing capability is 2500kg, and the Scorpio seems like it could comfortably deal with large hundreds, although the transmission’s tip-shift handbook gate doesn’t maintain a specific gear and can upshift in the event you go away it too lengthy or nudge the higher rev restrict.
There’s additionally some zizzing from the turbo-diesel underneath exhausting acceleration that, whereas not disagreeable, detracts from the in any other case respectable refinement from this grandfather’s axe of an engine.
The Scorpio’s idle-stop system additionally possesses two annoying and doubtlessly harmful quirks. If the system switches the engine off at a standstill and then you definately flatten the throttle – as you’d when coming into fast-moving site visitors – it goes into limp-home mode and easily crawls ahead … however in the event you solely use half-throttle, it doesn’t. We tried it a number of instances and it stored repeating the identical state of affairs.
Identical goes for whenever you manually change the idle-stop system off after it has already turned the engine off (as you’d if you’re simply irritated by a system like this – particularly when it cuts the air-con on a sizzling day). Each time, with out fail, it stalls the engine – forcing the motive force to shift again into Park and begin the engine once more.
We demonstrated each these ‘faults’ to Mahindra they usually had been conscious of the idle-stop ‘quirk’ however not the limp-home scenario. Given the weird nature of each these situations, count on a operating change of some sort sooner reasonably than later.
Off-road, the Scorpio does precisely what it says on the tin.
Arguably its finest characteristic is the auto-locking rear differential that works at speeds beneath 30km/h, even in rear-wheel drive, so that you don’t all the time want to pick 4H or 4L (by way of a push-button on the centre console). But with all that accessible engine torque and low-range gearing, plus its efficient hill-hold operate and hill-descent management, the Scorpio achieves a tremendous compromise between measurement, agility and maneuverability – aside from its giant 12.6m turning circle.
As for packaging and basic inside ergonomics, the Scorpio is hit or miss. Whereas the entrance two rows of seating provide bucket seats, solely the motive force will get peak adjustment whereas the second-row pair solely provide backrest recline (in 5 positions). But total consolation and help in each rows is actually good, and whereas the two-tone upholstery is merely perforated vinyl, trim high quality appears sturdy and the stitching seems properly even.
It’s the third row that lets the aspect down. Whereas the two-person bench can be tremendous for 2 youngsters, gives good imaginative and prescient and will be simply accessed from the kerbside centre seat by an efficient tilt-and-slide mechanism, there are not any air vents again there – or child-seat anchorages – and it doesn’t fold into the ground when not wanted.
As an alternative, the Scorpio’s third row merely double-tumbles towards the centre pair – consuming into baggage house (686 litres when folded) – and whereas it may be eliminated, the means by which this will occur is reportedly not simple. A minimum of the Scorpio packages an 18-inch full-size (metal) spare beneath the rear ground.
As for the remainder of the inside, it features successfully, has terrific visibility, and is designed inoffensively. The doorways have correct seize handles and can take 1.25-litre bottles, and the third row has mounted roof handles, similar to the A-pillars.
The 8.0-inch touchscreen operates fairly nicely with a constant high quality of fonts (in addition to a USB-C cost port for the second row), the devices are clear and stylish, and the Z8L’s Sony stereo sounds robust. Even the general black/espresso trim remedy is likeable – regardless of being all-vinyl – and the driving place feels ergonomically sorted, regardless of providing tilt-only steering adjustment.
The Mahindra Scorpio might not be essentially the most subtle medium-to-large SUV/4WD you should buy, nevertheless at $44,990 driveaway for the top-spec Z8L, with a seven-year/150,000-kilometre guarantee (and soon-to-be-announced capped-price servicing), it has much more attraction than many individuals in all probability anticipated from a brand new Mahindra.
At finest, it drives and performs with a stage of competence that’s proper at dwelling in Australian circumstances. At worst, it falls behind the present normal for active-safety gear (although its lack of AEB and lane-assist options will ultimately be sorted) and its pair of software-calibration quirks must be rectified shortly to supply the mandatory sophistication in a recent car resembling this.
Because it stands, for a rustic purchaser the Mahindra Scorpio is a surprisingly interesting SUV. Nevertheless it stays a strong once-over away from providing the identical stage of attraction in a closely populated city setting.