Mahindra Scorpio

Two decades! That’s how long the Mahindra Scorpio has been around and it’s not so without a reason. It’s almost synonymous with the term ‘SUV’ and has been the preferred choice for various occasions over all these years. While the new Scorpio-N may be grabbing all the eyeballs with its contemporary design and a multitude of features and powertrain platter, the Scorpio is still the volume gainer for the SUV brand. And now, with a new diesel power plant and ‘Classic’ suffix, the Scorpio badge has only grown stronger. 

Starting with the visual changes, Mahindra has not fiddled much with it and the exterior styling has been kept subtle, thus the Classic still looks very much like the erstwhile Scorpio. It’s tall, has that butch stance, and looks rugged like an SUV should. Up front, the grille has been revised and it sports the vertical chrome struts with the brand’s twin-peaks logo at the centre. Further down, the bumper has been altered to now hold the horizontal LED DRLs, a smaller fog lamp casing, and a more prominent chin with the silver skid plate. 

Towards the side, the silver and black finish for the 17-inch alloys lend it a modern look. Meanwhile, the ‘Scorpio’ badge has been moved to the front doors that sit on a contrasting silver plastic stripe. Eagle eyes will also observe that the ORVM-integrated side indicators are now repositioned to the front fenders. Although the posterior gets the same sideway-opening tailgate, it is now accentuated by the gloss black appliqué and the ‘Classic’ emblem. The vertically-stacked reflectors on the double D-shaped LED tail lamps make a comeback too and look good with the Scorpio’s towering profile. 

The interiors and the cabin layout don’t deviate much and everything looks and even feels similar. The upright dashboard follows the same beige and black theme and the only visual enhancements are the gloss black accents on the dash, steering wheel, and door pads along with a faux wooden insert on the centre console area. Further, the full-touchscreen nine-inch unit is bigger than the previous system. However, with the lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, users only have conventional options like AUX, Bluetooth, and USB support — which again is cumbersome to access with the oddly placed ports beneath the protruding layout of the dashboard. 

Talking about the seats, the front ones are large, supportive, and offer a high and great commanding position. Plus, you have excellent visibility of the front with the massive glass area that allows you to see even the edge of the bonnet. However, on the downside, accessing the centre console storage space and operating the aircon controls while on the move is a bit tedious due to their low placement.

Continuing the down run, beige-coloured fabric upholstery tends to be a dirt magnet and will require frequent cleaning. While the roof-mounted sunglass holder and the glovebox are of adequate size, we would have appreciated more storage space around the cabin. Even the door pockets miss out on bottle holders, instead, it gets two uneven-shaped square cup holders on the centre console and a rubber pad to place the mobile phone. 

Now, with the introduction of the Scorpio Classic, Mahindra is offering two seating layouts for the seven-seater version. The first one gets captain seats in the second row and front-facing in the third row. The latter, which we have here, gets the usual bench seats in the middle and side-facing seats at the rear. One can literally walk into (after climbing on the side step, though) the second row and once seated, there’s space aplenty. The seats too, are well cushioned and offer decent under-thigh support. Then, the boxy shape of the SUV ensures loads of headroom and seating three will be a comfortable affair. There are one-litre bottle holders on the doors and the centre space below the aircon vents can be used for small knick-knacks.

Now, the only way to access the side-facing seats in the third row is through the tailgate which we found quite convenient. While these can be folded up to liberate more luggage space, seating two persons here is not only a squeeze but unsafe due to the absence of seatbelts. 

In terms of safety, the Scorpio Classic limits itself to the basics, like dual-front airbags, ABS, panic brake indication, and rear parking sensors with a guiding camera. However, surprisingly, the auto headlamp and rain-sensing wipers have been removed from the mix.

Under the bulged bonnet, the Scorpio gets a new heart sourced from its stablemate, Thar. It’s a 2.2-litre mHawk 130 diesel engine and the power output is slightly lower by 7bhp and 19Nm, with the motor producing 130bhp and 300Nm of peak torque. It’s also lighter by almost 55kg than the older mill and that can be felt the moment you crank the engine. 

At idle, the engine is devoid of any vibration and feels refined. However, the clutch operation is a bit heavy and the travel is long too. Having said that, the six-speed manual gearbox now gets cable shift technology, which means relatively shorter and easier gear shifts. Slot into the first gear and the moment you let go of the clutch, the Scorpio lunges ahead. Mahindra has said that almost 77 per cent of the 300Nm torque is available from as low as 1,000rpm and thus, pottering around at low speeds even at high gears is a cakewalk. 

Then, with the improved initial acceleration, the mid-range is now stronger and cruising at highway speeds is effortless and quiet. What Mahindra also claims to have added is ‘Hydraulic Dampening’ to the steering wheel. While the vibrations from the steering do feel largely contained but we also felt a tinge of added weight to it, thus making manoeuvring a task at low speeds.

Now, when it comes to the ride quality, the result of the re-calibrated suspension is marginal. It absorbs undulations, rumblers, and even small bumps with ease and to an extent, it does feel slightly improved. However, once the roads end and you encounter a series of rough patches, the body-on-frame nature of the Scorpio is evident with noticeable side-to-side movement. The ride quality is incredibly cushy and absorbent over bad roads, but you will feel the car moving under you a lot of the time. 

The Mahindra Scorpio Classic is not a perfect SUV. The interiors look outdated, the fit and finish of the plastics need upgradation, and it also misses out on some essential features one would expect from a car in this segment. Having said that, the fact remains that the Scorpio is still very appealing to a certain set of buyers who like it for its rugged appeal, usable space, and potent diesel engine. It has always been a true-blue SUV that has gained unwavering interest for over two decades now, and shall hopefully continue doing so for the decade to come. 

The Mahindra Scorpio Classic is offered across two variants, namely S and S11 which cost Rs 11.99 lakh and Rs 15.49 lakh (ex-showroom), respectively. And in the same price bracket, you can opt for other monocoque alternatives like the mid-variants of diesel-powered Tata Harrier, MG Hector, Hyundai Creta, and Kia Seltos. And if you want to stay under Mahindra’s umbrella, there’s the more modern-looking and feature-rich kin, the Scorpio-N. However, one can only purchase the Z4 and Z6 variants of it for the same money. While it does include the convenience of an automatic, the long waiting periods of over six months might be a downer for many. 

Photography: Kaustubh Gandhi