New Mahindra Scorpio review, test drive

Mahindra has made massive changes to its popular body-on-frame SUV, the Scorpio. But just how big a step forward is it?

Published on Sep 25, 2014 01:16:00 PM

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New Mahindra Scorpio.

The exterior changes are easier to spot. The doors and roof are carried over, but the all-new front end is what gives the Scorpio its new identity. The traditional fan-shaped grille has been replaced by a more striking and modern one with blade-like chrome slats. There are projector headlamps along with attractive LED ‘eyebrows’, and the all-new bumper seems like it is wrapped around a hidden bull bar. The larger 17-inch alloys look great, but the gap in the wheel arches at the rear means the wheels look smaller than they are.

The impressive 118bhp, 2.2-litre mHawk turbo-diesel engine continues to power the car, and you still get the lower-powered 75bhp CRDe-based M2DICR for the lower variants. Also carried over are ABS-equipped brakes, but M&M has now put in its new 5MT320 five-speed manual transmission from the updated Xylo.

The Scorpio’s interiors have aged faster than the exterior, so it’s just as well that Mahindra has spruced up the cabin with an all-new dashboard, plenty of exciting features and brand new seats. The dash is a neat, clean and angular design with the top of the dash is finished in matte black and the lower half in a nice shade of beige. The power window switches have been shifted from the centre console to a more handy location on the doors, and the fuel filler cover release is also conveniently located behind the steering wheel and metallic highlights inside the cabin look good. There are, however, some cheap-looking bits, like the door handles that you think might break off if you pull them too firmly, and the plastics are still not up to scratch either. Poorly executed joints and seams tell you that overall quality still isn’t quite up to Japanese standards, but in fairness, it’s a big step up from the earlier Scorpio.