Scorpio N, in 4WD AT guise, appears to be a truly capable machine. If you can afford and willing to use this 30-lakh car, for what’s its truly designed purpose, i.e., take the worst of Indian roads and explore roads that need 4WD.
BHPian sober_motorhead recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
A driving enthusiasts’ view of the Scorpio N Diesel 4WD AT
Keeping my notes specific to the drive.
Test track:
- About 7 km on highway roads, with moderate traffic on Bangalore Hosur rood. Max speed 70 kmph.
- About 8 km of bombed out tarmac and slushy roads, at speeds one would not normally dare explore.
- Test drive vehicle was new. Odometer showed less than 100km.
The good:
- Commendable overall refinement, on smooth or bad surfaces.
- No creaks whatsoever. Car feels it’s well put together and can handle abuse. NVH levels (upto 70kmph on decent roads; upto 40kmph on bombed out roads)
- Engine – fairly quiet, under most conditions.
- Outside ambient noise – reasonably well supressed.
- Road noise – fairly well supressed on tarmac. Will say admirably supressed on broken patches
- Adequate throttle response; minimal turbo lag.
- Easy to use drive aids – 4WL, 4WH, Surface modes, Front camera switch etc.
- Vertical movement on bad patches – excellent control (tested at moderate speeds)
- Front and side visibility. Good sized ORVM’s.
- In general, easy to drive. Will appeal to women drivers as well.
The not so good:
- Below average rear and front camera resolutions.
What you could get used to:
- Grabby brakes.
- Ergonomic idiosyncrasies / quirks. I’m 5’7’’.
- Lateral movement – well, let’s says laws of physics do apply. (Passengers tend to be less appreciative of the laws of physics)
- Lack of telescopic steering.
Worrying:
- Lack of steering weight at speed.
- Also, lack of feedback. Likely to be hard to sense when the vehicle’s tires were running out grip and starting to slip.
My personal take:
- Scorpio N, in 4WD AT guise, appears to be a truly capable machine. If you can afford and willing to use this 30-lakh car, for what’s its truly designed purpose, i.e., take the worst of Indian roads and explore roads that need 4WD, think it’s a great buy.
- If you are not going to use it to its true potential – you end up with an un-needed gas guzzler. That’s passe.
Keyword: Mahindra Scorpio-N 4x4 AT: 15 finer observations on ride & handling