Test drove the Mahindra Scorpio-N petrol, came away impressed

This is the vehicle that I’ve been looking for. A proper modern and upmarket body-on-frame SUV at nearly sane prices and very little to complain about.

BHPian vredesbyrd recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Got to test drive the Z8L petrol MT today.

I walked away impressed and annoyed.

Let’s walk through the pros and cons first:

Pros:

Presence is imposing. Looks cute and massive. Don’t have frontal pictures though.
Expect the crowd to give way once they see you in the RVMs
Impressive NVH. Only subtle vibrations and the tachometer suggest that the engine is rotating. Most bad roads and bumps will get filtered out easily
The engine is incredible. Absolutely smooth and soundless below 2000rpm and thick meaty growl above that. 200PS is a lot and you will feel it once you put your paw down. Managed to slide out the rear at a U-turn (did scare the SA). Managed 100 on short notice. Also, the clutch is super light. Lighter than my dad’s swift. Lighter than my Logitech G29. Guess I could drive this one in Bangalore and Mumbai.
Handling is fabulous. Steering feels as fake and light as a toy below 20km/h. Does weigh up above that and faced none of the lightness issues everyone mentions. Brakes are exceptionally sharp. Prepare to get rear-ended.
Space. A lot for me. I am 5′ 1″ and round. No complaints in terms of space and seating.
Seats are quite comfortable. Rear space isn’t an issue. Does feel a bit more roomy than the Fortuner. Not like I’m going to cry about 3rd row and cargo space.
Visibility is great as it has a fantastic greenhouse. Sunroof is big enough for me at least. Front and rear cameras have decent resolution and not as bad as people say. Was easy puttering around on a super crowded street.
Suspension. This is a new benchmark in the class for BoF that is. Duster and Hexa owners won’t be overjoyed but it will keep them happy. Way better than Fortuner but I had no complains with the latter to begin with. Bad roads? No roads? Not a problem. The pitching and lateral juggle is gone now to quite an extent
Equipment. I have few requirements to begin with (camera, carplay and android auto) and it does offer more than that. Sadly couldn’t figure out the wireless phone integration on such a short test drive.
Efficiency. Didn’t check. Didn’t ask. But should be liveable if everyone started driving like me. Gearing is well adjusted and you can easily stay below 1500rpm in the city.
Infotainment. Sound quality is quite good and the Sony system is worth getting. It was able to handle RHCP, Death, Linkin Park and Symphony X without breaking a sweat. I expect most to not wanting an audio upgrade.

With that out of the way, let’s look at the negatives.

Cons:

Steering wheel position. My god, this was a bad experience. My foot won’t reach the clutch. Moving the seat forward would stab my belly with the steering wheel. I was sitting awkwardly for the entire test drive.
Reach adjustment is SORELY MISSED. Surprisingly, did not feel this with the automatic as both pedals were within reach. This was never an issue when I drove the bhaiya wala Scorpio Classic MT few years back.
360 camera. While the front camera is really good, it will not help me see if my FL wheel is going off the cliff.
Sunroof button. I was not able to completely close it. It will either go into vent mode or open up. I just wasn’t able to press the rocker switch right.
Supply chain woes. There’ll be a lot of trouble trying to own one. Expect substantial price hikes as the demand creeps in.

Bottom line: this is it. This is the vehicle that I’ve been looking for. A proper modern and upmarket body-on-frame at nearly sane prices and very little to complain about.

A lot of it seems to be drawn out of Alturas.

This is, indeed a 60-70% of a Fortuner at 50% the cost (maybe 85% with a remap)

And now, the few pictures I managed to take:

Big boye: