On the move, the Scorpio feels slower than it actually is. At 80 km/h, especially on a winding road with no traffic in sight till the next hairpin, it feels more like 50 till you look at the speedo needle pointing up. The handling isn’t too bad, considering that the tall design leads to inherent body-roll. However, sense should prevail and a vehicle of such stature should never be shown a corner – especially an S-bend – at triple-digit speeds. If this were Europe, and if traction control and stability control were mandatory, one could probably get away with it. But with our present regulations, it’s far from a good idea to try on the basis of sheer luck. On the highway, too, it behaves well enough. Braking is still via a front-disc-rear-drum set-up and shedding 80 km/h and coming to a stop takes a good 30 metres.
Putting it through its paces to see how things have changed was essential then. The 2.2-litre AVL-sourced four-cylinder turbo-diesel mHawk motor continues doing duty, with 120 PS at 4,000 RPM and a reasonable 280 Nm of torque from 1,800 RPM, over a 1,000 RPM band. A chunk of that is available even when you feather the throttle; so life is good behind the wheel in all conditions. The new 320MT five-speed manual transmission feels precise, albeit with rather long throws, and the torque spread means it’s easy to stay on the boil as far as possible, but in city traffic the kinds we have here, a downshift is just an errant motorcyclist or pedestrian away. For those who want drive split, the 4×4 option is also available on two models, the lower-spec S4 and S10, with a similar spec as you’ve read here.
Down to the efficiency bit now. The new Scorpio isn’t any lighter or does not have a radically new engine, so you can expect some similar numbers here also. Not that that’s a bad thing, and the 10.5 km/l it manages in the city and 16 km/l on the highway are more than good enough for a car of its size. The S10 tested here costs Rs 11.41 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune), with the 4×4 variant priced a lakh of rupees higher; quite a good deal if a capable, made-and-ready-for-India SUV is what you have your sights on. The new Scorpio carries the baton forward with a fresh face and renewed vigour, improving on everything the much-loved previous model stood for. As the brightest star of Mahindra’s range, we couldn’t really ask for more now, could we?
