Scorp

Scorp

The mighty and muscular Scorpio is back in a new avatar - the first major generational leap in it's 12 year run. The company had provided major upgrades and a new engine in 2006, a facelift in 2008.The car still looks like the Scorpio we know though. It has a similar silhouette and proportions. The big reason for that is a carryover of the 4 doors, front windscreen and roof from the previous generation.Some bits on the new Scorpio are over styled, just as they were in the XUV 5OO. The front grille, and the rear door are prime examples. But on the whole I have to say I like the new face. It is edgy, angular and bold. The new headlamp cluster is smart and contemporary, but I wish the LED element used as an eyebrow, was a daytime running light, and not just a parking light. A DRL would have given the Scorpio a stronger signature and identity.A brand new addition is an optional on-the-fly 4X4 system. That's a big plus compared to the old Scorpio. The 2.2 litre mHawk is a good workhorse, with plenty of grunt and go. The peak torque of 280 Nm kicks in as low as 1800 rpm, and so driveability is good with less frequent gear shifting. The gearbox is also new, but for now Mahindra is only offering a 5 Speed manual.The bumper however is exactly the same as before. Overall, the exterior is still very much like the current Scorpio?s except for the more aggressive face.The result is finally here, I have driven it too and it will be rolling out of dealerships by the time you read this.The dashboard, door-pads and steering wheel are all new but the rest of the interior only gets tweaks. The black/light grey dual-tone dash is no more rounded but edgy and is better finished too. The seats meanwhile feature blue-grey upholstery. The centre console even houses a touchscreen infotainment system (in the top variants) that offers features similar to the more premium XUV500. The newinstrument cluster even goes well with the interior theme, the futuristic designstill uses analogue meters but features a digital-centre screen that also displays a gear indicator. The steering wheel and mounted controls have been borrowed from the XUV500. The light blue backlit theme is soothing and the design overall is smart and pleasing. Despite a large cabin, the Scorpio still offers very little storage points, the gear lever console, for instance, could have offered a lot more cubbyholes, and there are still no bottle holders in the door pads. The power window buttons, that were earlier placed near the gear lever, have finally moved to the doors.The outgoing Scorpio did feature a long list of comfort features such as rain sensing wipers, auto lights, tyre pressure monitor, parking sensor, start-stop technology and more. The new Scorpio carries forward these features as well. Safety features like dual-airbags and ABS will continue to be offered, a new Panic Brake Indication has also been included. All the additions and modifications will add to the price but we still think Mahindra will price it competitively. The number of variants has increased too, allowing buyers to choose the model that suits them best.The Scorpio is one of the most successful Mahindra models ever and has the potential to do well as it has just received the biggest upgrade since it was launched back in 2002.