India’s answer to the Toyota Prado is locked in for Australia – here’s what you need to know
The wraps have come off the 2023 Mahindra Scorpio-N, an all-new off-road SUV that will target the top-selling Toyota Prado when it arrives in Australia around mid-2023.
Replacing the Indian brand’s 20-year-old Scorpio large SUV and based on a new-generation ladder-frame architecture, the Scorpio-N will be joined in Australia next year by its little brother, the all-new XUV700, the local launch of which has been delayed due to intense customer demand in India.
Mahindra reckons the Scorpio-N will go toe-to-toe with rugged seven-seat off-road SUVs like the Toyota Prado, Isuzu MU-X and Ford Everest, and is similar in wheelbase, height and width. However, the Scorpio-N is about 330mm shorter than the Prado, at 4662mm versus the popular Toyota’s 4995mm.
Pricing, model grades and detailed specifications are still being nailed down for the Aussie market, but the new turbo-diesel Mahindra Scorpio-N off-roader is expected to undercut most rivals on price, which means we could be looking at an entry-level sticker of below $40,000.
Dubbed the ‘#BigDaddyOfSUVs’ by Mahindra, the Scorpio-N is offered in six- and seven-seat configurations and will be sold in Australia exclusively with a 2.2-litre ‘mHawk’ turbo-diesel engine (129kW/400Nm) that drives all four wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.
The Indian-built Scorpio-N has a 57-litre fuel tank and comes with a low-range transfer case and mechanical centre and rear diff locks to deal with challenging off-road tracks and trails. There’s also a brake-based front diff lock, three on-road drive modes and four off-road settings: normal, gravel, mud and sand.
A 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine (149kW/380Nm) and manual gearbox option will be available in India but these won’t be offered in Australia.
The Scorpio-N is based on new-generation ladder-frame underpinnings and, together with a new design penned by Italian style-meister Pininfarina, it’s expected to be the first in a range of all-new models intended to reinvent the brand in Australia and other mature markets.
The Mahindra PikUp ute and XUV500 mid-size SUV offered here at present by the Indian auto giant can be described as quirky, but both are set to be replaced by new-generation models soon, with the Subaru Forester-rivalling XUV700 also arriving in Australia next year.
Along with more conservative styling featuring LED headlights and tail-lights, the new Scorpio-N gets wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto, a 12-speaker Sony stereo, wireless phone charging, USB-A and USB-C ports, push-button engine start, dual-zone climate control and air-vents for the second row, but not the third row.
Infotainment provisions include an 8.0-inch central touch-screen, a 7.0-inch digital driver’s display, sat-nav and Alexa voice control.
Equipment levels on up-spec versions also included a sunroof, leather-accented seat upholstery, a power-adjustable driver’s seat and a leather-clad steering wheel and gear shifter. Folding and tumbling second- and third-row seats are part of the package as well.
The new model is expected to be backed by a five-year warranty including roadside assistance.
However, Indian-market Scorpio-N vehicles do not appear to be available with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which will be a requirement for new vehicles manufactured after March 1, 2023 to be sold in Australia.
Indian-spec SUVs get only rudimentary safety features, such as six airbags, a reversing camera and parking sensors, plus a driver attention alert and tyre pressure monitoring, but little else.
Other key safety features such as blind spot monitoring and lane-keep assist do not appear on the Indian-market spec sheet, but Mahindra Automotive Australia marketing manager James Halliwell said local models have not been specified yet, meaning they are likely to get added safety features.
“We’re still working through details and spec – there’s no details for Australian models yet,” he said.
“It’s been a while coming but we’re pretty bullish about Scorpio-N and XUV700,” he stated.
“We got a five-star [Global] NCAP safety rating with the new XUV700, so we expect Scorpio-N to do the same thing,” said Halliwell.
In a press statement, Mahindra declared the new Scorpio-N is “engineered to be a global product out of India” and that Australia will be a key global market for the new model.
“We’re a priority market for the new Scorpio-N,” added Halliwell.
“It’s great for consumers in the market to have the choice with so many brands and models. Competition creates excitement.”
The new Mahindra Scorpio-N (Scorpio-New) will continue to be sold alongside the Scorpio-C (Classic) in India. Mahindra will sell the all-new SUV in Australia via its dealer network across 49 locations nationally.
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Keyword: Mahindra Scorpio-N revealed and confirmed for Oz