2023 Mahindra Scorpio Review | India’s answer to the Ford Everest is a bargain, but is it any good?
2023 Mahindra Scorpio Review | India’s answer to the Ford Everest is a bargain, but is it any good?
Australia’s cheapest large diesel off-road SUV lacks a few key ingredients 👉 Full Review: https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial…
The 2023 Mahindra Scorpio has arrived in Australia at a bargain-basement introductory price of under $45,000 drive-away.
That makes the all-new large off-road SUV significantly more affordable than chief rivals like the Toyota Prado and Ford Everest, which also lack the Scorpio’s long seven-year warranty.
But there are some key safety, multimedia and packaging shortcomings here, as we found at the launch of Mahindra’s new flagship SUV.
Fast Forward
00:00 Intro
00:23 Pricing and specs
02:23 Interior review
03:23 Passenger space
04:00 Safety equipment
04:30 Behind the wheel
06:18 Verdict
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Content
1.14 -> This is the first Mahindra Scorpio to be sold
in Australia and I'm here at the local launch
6.42 -> to test out the all new, off-road SUV, India's
answer to the Toyota Prado. Let's check it out.
23.16 -> The first two Scorpios were never sold here,
but the third generation is new from the ground
27.48 -> up and aimed directly at popular large,
ladder-frame SUVs like the Toyota Prado,
33 -> Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi
Pajero Sport, and Toyota Fortuna.
39.66 -> There are two variants in the range, Z8 and Z8L,
and both are powered by an all new, all aluminum,
47.04 -> 2.2-liter mHawk, four-cylinder turbo diesel,
matched to standard with a six-speed automatic
53.7 -> transmission and four-wheel drive across the
range. Unlike previous Mahindra SUVs and the
59.28 -> pickup, the Scorpio is very well-proportioned and
looks pretty tough. That's thanks to Pininfarina
65.46 -> which is now owned by Mahindra. The Land
Rover Discovery-channeling stepped roof
70.95 -> line and standard eight-inch, diamond-cut alloy
wheels look pretty cool, and this is the first
76.26 -> model to wear the Indian carmaker's new Twin
Peaks logo. At 2,085 kilos tare, the Scorpio is
84.48 -> hundreds of kilos lighter than the class-leading
Prado and Everest, but it's also significantly
90.06 -> shorter. Its payload is limited to 525 kilos,
and towing capacity is subpar at 2,500 kilos.
99.36 -> There are plenty of handy off-road features
though, including an auto-locking rear diff,
103.92 -> a decent 227 mills of ground clearance, a generous
27-degree approach angle, a Watts link live rear
111.78 -> axle, frequency-dependent damping, a full-sized
spare hill descent control, and shift-on-the-fly
117.66 -> four-wheel drive with selectable off-road modes
including normal, snow, sand, and mud and ruts,
125.34 -> just like the new Everest. Mahindra says it's
also working with Aussie suppliers to offer a
131.16 -> range of aftermarket bull bars, nudge bars, and a
rear bar to relocate the spare wheel, making way
137.28 -> for a bigger fuel tank which at 57 liters,
offers a range of less than 800 kilometers.
147.48 -> Inside, this is by far the most luxurious Mahindra
I've ever sat in. Yes, there's an old school
154.68 -> handbrake. Yes, some of the touch surfaces
are hard, but overall, it stacks up in the
160.98 -> class against its competitors. Also, standard is
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a cool glove box,
167.52 -> push button starter, dual-zone climate control
with second-row outlets, front and rear USB ports,
173.7 -> auto headlights and wipers, and rear parking
sensor. The Z8L flagship adds a 12-speaker Sony
180.48 -> sound system, wireless phone charger, wireless
phone mirroring, front camera, front parking
186.42 -> sensor, six-way driver's seat power adjustment,
and a seven-inch, color driver's display between
192.66 -> the analog instrument cluster dials. But there's
no native sat nav, no digital radio nor digital
199.68 -> instruments, let alone a head-up display.
Crucially though, because of supply issues,
205.02 -> Mahindra is only offering the Scorpio as a
six-seater in Australia, fitted with a pair of
211.08 -> second-row captain's chairs with one-touch, tumble
fold mechanism. That means it doesn't match its
217.2 -> seven-seat rivals, although Mahindra says it will
offer a second-row bench seat as soon as possible.
223.26 -> As you can see, it's pretty snug in the back
row here of the Scorpio. It's a kids-only zone,
228.12 -> really. As you can see, my knees are up, my head
is cramped. I don't have much shoulder room.
233.4 -> There's no air-con outlets, there's no USB ports,
and the side-curtain airbags don't come all the
239.04 -> way rearwards. Safety equipment includes all the
basics plus tire pressure monitoring, trailer sway
245.34 -> control, rollover mitigation, and vented brakes
all round. But there are no advanced driver safety
251.46 -> aids, like autonomous emergency braking, which
is likely to prevent the Scorpio from achieving
256.62 -> a maximum five-star NCAP rating in Australia
where AEB will become mandatory for all new
262.98 -> vehicles sold by March, 2025. So, forget anything
you might know about ladder-frame Mahindras over
273.6 -> the last 20 years because the new Scorpio is an
entire different league. It's quiet, it's smooth,
280.44 -> it's refined. There's plenty of cabin space here.
There's great visibility in all directions. Ride
287.64 -> quality is really good despite the lack of body
roll. The front seats are generous, comfortable,
293.64 -> not all that supportive. Unfortunately, the
steering wheel doesn't adjust for reach.
298.98 -> Steering is super light at low speed but firms
up nicely at speed, and there's not too much
305.46 -> of the chassis jiggling that most body-on-frame
vehicles have over mid-corner bumps. Steering is
312.84 -> not deflected by them either. So overall, very
surprised by the right handling package here.
323.94 -> Despite its subpar outputs, the 2.2-liter turbo
diesel is actually very willing. It's smooth,
330.06 -> it's very quiet, and it's got great mid-range
flexibility. The six-speed auto is intuitive
337.62 -> enough to get the most out of it and you'll
never lack for performance. There is, however,
343.32 -> a nasty driveline knock from the rear diff
when you get on the throttle suddenly.
352.86 -> As we discovered at the launch on a mildly
challenging off-road course, the Scorpio
357.6 -> is pretty handy off road. There's plenty of
mechanical traction even on highway tires and
363.84 -> on a reasonably challenging Mogul. In low range,
you can hear me touching down the sidesteps,
374.4 -> but pretty good. So, after our initial first
drive, it's clear the new Scorpio is better
382.62 -> than any SUV we've ever seen from Mahindra and a
solid new entrant in Australia's growing off-road
388.98 -> wagon market. So there's no doubt there's some
important safety features missing here, not to
393.72 -> mention a middle-row bench seat, and we need more
time for a proper assessment here. But the new
399.24 -> Mahindra Scorpio is undoubtedly a solid new option
for adventurous Aussie families on a budget.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkRRHwqcdlk