Mahindra has launched the new Scorpio starting at Rs 7.98 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) and it’s a thoroughly updated model.

We pit the new Scorpio against the XUV500, Safari Storme and Aria on paper. Although the direct rival to the new Scorpio is the Safari Storme, the other two cars are mechanically similar and have some variants that land in or close to the Scorpio and Safari’s price bracket.  

The heart of the matter

All four cars get 2.2-litre diesel engines in varying outputs. In the new Scorpio, it delivers 118bhp and 28.5kgm of torque, while in the brand’s own XUV500 the output is bumped up to 138bhp and 33.6kgm of torque. In the Tata Safari Storme, the 2.2-litre unit is tuned to deliver 138bhp and 32.6kgm of torque, while in the Aria it makes an increased 148bhp and a similar 32.6kgm of torque. Apart from the XUV500, which gets a six-speed manual gearbox, all the other three cars get a five-speed manual.