- If you want a ladder-frame seven-seater SUV, Mahindra has an attractive alternative with its second-generation Scorpio.
- It may not have much ground clearance, but the bed’s engineering is tough and its traction-assist systems work just fine.
- We drove Mahindra’s new launch on one of South Africa’s most challenging 4×4 routes in the scorching summer heat.
A decade can be a long time when you’re waiting for your favorite soccer team to get back on track. But 10 years can be an honest measure of progress.
We’ve gotten so used to the contracted product cycles of anything tech-related that improvements are expected in months, weeks, and minutes instead of years.
And that’s where the Mahindra Scorpio N is an Indian vehicle of significance. And no, we don’t think Hyundai is launching a legal challenge to Mahindra using the “N” suffix…
Mahindra Scorpio North
Mahindra supplied
Mahindra’s bakkie range is respected as an affordable option for 4×4 enthusiasts. Much of that is due to his unitary approach. Mahindra spends all of its engineering and design R&D on bakkies and SUVs instead of rolling out a vast portfolio that includes hatchbacks, sedans and crossovers.
With the Scorpio N, Mahindra wants to show that it offers something valid and unique in the local SUV market.
Is this a cheaper Fortuner?
Ladder frame SUVs are very popular in South Africa. Toyota’s Fortuner is indeed the most popular upper-middle class family car in the country. The RAV4 is no slouch, though it’s a unibody, riding on a raised version of the Corolla’s platform.
Scorpio N straddles the divide between the Fortuner and RAV4. It is smaller than the first, but much more off-road capable than the second. Ladder-frame SUVs may lack the agility and vibration suppression of a unibody, but they are highly durable and well-suited for off-road use. And if you’re traveling on dirt roads a lot, any ladder frame vehicle is much less vulnerable to compound wear and tear, which is a given when traveling on corrugated dirt roads in South Africa.
READ | Mahindra’s new XUV700 is packed with impressive technology and ready to shake up the local SUV market
Mahindra’s Scorpio N looks great. The first-generation Scorpio was a gangly thing, with oversized bumper moldings and some oddly stacked taillights. Mahindra’s second-generation Scorpio is more subtle, with a subdued grille, smaller headlights and much cleaner body-panel stampings.
Mahindra Scorpio North
Mahindra supplied
The cabin architecture is functional.
Inside, it’s a world of uncluttered switches, with a sensible layout of touchscreen interface and physical controls.
The touchscreen measures 8 inches wide and houses Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality. A Snapdragon SD6 processor helps you follow through on commands quickly.
Mahindra knows the inconvenience drivers and passengers experience when traversing dirt roads or uneven off-road terrain and trying to control the HVAC functions infotainment with a touch screen. Therefore, most basic adjustment features have a physical button, tab, or dial. This is the right UX design for an ATV, and something the German luxury brands fail miserably at.
The Scorpio N’s seats are lightly padded, but that’s only going to become an issue if you’re doing five to seven hour drives, which are infrequent.
Mahindra Scorpio North
Mahindra supplied
What is it like to drive?
Mahindra knows that Scorpio N owners will be driving most of their vehicle’s mileage on highways and urban roads.
Ladder frame SUVs can suffer from poor steering responsiveness and directional stability on textured roads. To counteract that, the Scorpio N has a Watt-link added to its rear suspension, which keeps it from moving a lot from bumps and cracks in the rails. It’s a similar solution to what Ford uses on Everest, and it works.
Mahindra’s 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine is moderately powerful, producing 128kW and 400Nm. Shift through an Aisin six-speed automatic transmission, and the Scorpio N is a thoroughly decent cruiser with fair pass acceleration. The new version offers a vastly improved highway driving experience compared to the first-generation Scorpio.
Is it good offroad?
Mahindra isn’t shy about the Scorpio N’s predicted abilities. We were allowed to test on Klein Tafelberg, a notoriously harsh 4×4 route on the West Coast. With temperatures hovering around 40 degrees Celsius, the sandy climbs were especially treacherous and the drivetrain cooling was tested to the limit.
I selected first gear, high range, for most of the drive. Third gear, low range, was too short for the steep climbs of sand tracks. As experienced 4×4 drivers know, the moment you shift gears on a sandy trail in 40-degree heat, you lose too much momentum and stall.
Mahindra Scorpio North
Mahindra supplied
The Scorpio N shed all the Klein Tafelberg features with ease. Mahindra’s rugged 4×4 heritage is evident in how this SUV takes abuse at full speed. The electric steering is very fast for an SUV with a ladder frame. This is a huge advantage in sand riding when you need to make quick adjustments sliding around corners without the benefit of terrain feedback.
Electric power steering is hated by driving purists, and they’re right. When you drive a performance car on slippery roads with a low center of gravity at Franschhoek Pass, you want as much mechanical feedback as possible. But in sand driving, there is no feedback from the terrain. You need the lightest and fastest possible steering interventions. And this is, paradoxically, where the electric power steering is valuable.
In low range, the rear differential lock engages on demand. It’s an intelligent system with excellent calibration, providing locked rear-axle traction when needed without artificially increasing the Scorpio N’s turning radius when it’s not needed.
What does it not do well?
There was some drivetrain vibration in the low range when parked or resting on the brakes at an awkward angle, descending rockier parts of the Klein Tafelberg route. But after a grueling day of driving, the Scorpion N was undisturbed and returned to Cape Town on the R27 without noise or disturbance.
Mahindra Scorpio North
Mahindra supplied
Ground clearance isn’t amazing at just 187mm, much less than a Fortuner. In very technical rocky terrain, you need to be mindful of your driving lines.
The Scorpio N’s 57-litre fuel tank is also smaller than that of a Fortuner, whose range is enabled by an 80-litre fuel capacity.
Whether touring between Gauteng and the coast or venturing out on an overland adventure through the Karoo, Botswana or Namibia, fuel range is not an issue. Until it is, and that’s why the Scorpio N ladder frame SUVs are segmented; have fuel tanks of 70 liters or more.
The value offer is real
But the Scorpio N offers a very convincing Venn diagram between the spheres of capability and value.
The Scorpio N Z4 4×2 is priced at R465,000, followed by the Z8 version, with cabin upgrade and infotainment equipment, at R510,000.
Mahindra Scorpio North
supplied
If you want the Z8 version in 4×4, it will be R560,000, with a maximum range of R590,000, for the Z8L version. What does the Z8L offer besides a Scorpio N Z8? Wireless charging, power front seats, a rearview camera, and a 12-speaker Sony sound system.
Bargain Fortuner or Tank 300 rival?
Mahindra’s second-generation Scorpio N launches into an overlooked product niche: ladder-frame SUVs smaller than Fortuner but bigger than Jimny.
GWM will have a rival of its own arriving in a few months, with the Tank 300. But GWM’s beefy SUV lacks a diesel engine option, which is the preferred powertrain setup for South African 4×4 buyers.
There’s also the Scorpio N’s third row of seats, which the Tank 300 doesn’t offer, though those rear seats are only suitable for small children on short trips. But that’s when they’re used most often, right?
Mahindra Scorpio North
supplied
The road-oriented Apollo tires from the Scorpio N range roll. They are sized 255/60 on 18-inch alloy wheels, with an option for 245/65 on 17-inch alloy or steel wheels. And the latter is what you ideally want for a vehicle with the aptitude of Scorpio N.
Regardless of the specs, I would be very lean on a dealer to provide me with a Scorpio N, rolling 245/65/17s, instead of the 18-inch wheels. The ride quality benefits on bumpy roads and off-road traction advantages are significant with the combination of smaller wheels and larger tires.
A decade makes all the difference in product design and brand building. And two decades after the launch of the first generation Scorpio, this new version shows how far Mahindra has evolved as a brand.
