Mahindra Scorpio

The Mahindra Scorpio might have some novelty on the outside even after being almost a decade-old model, though the same cannot be said about the interior layout. The cabin of the Scorpio now feels extremely dated, though it gets some basic-level equipment which classifies the Scorpio as a vehicle to be termed contemporary. The cabin of the Scorpio wears a dual-tone grey and beige theme with contrasting black elements at places.

The four-spoke multi-functional steering wheel has buttons on the curved spokes on the sides while having an all-analogue instrument console behind it with round-themed gauges. The large and vertically laid centre console has curved edges, it accommodating eye-shaped AC vents at the top, a rectangular 2-DIN audio system in the middle and buttons and dials for the manual AC at the bottom.

The manual transmission lever here gets contrast red highlights, and so does the steering wheel. The corners of the dashboard have vertical round-edged AC vents, while the co-passenger side of the dashboard has a grab handle and lockable glovebox. The basic equipment list of the Mahindra Scorpio includes manual AC, power windows and a 4-speaker music system, with the SUV available in a 9-seater configuration, with side-facing two-seater benches in the third row.

The Mahindra Scorpio might be an old-school-looking SUV in its outer appearance, but it always has managed to carry a butch appeal in the way it looks. The Scorpio has the traditional upright and squarish stance of the old-school SUVs, and in this second-generation version, it still has an intimidating essence in its appearance, which will go well with traditional SUV buyers.

The front profile of the Mahindra Scorpio has large headlamps with curved outer edges, which accommodate halogen-rounded headlights with turn indicators on their outer edges. The Scorpio also has a large grille placed between the headlamps, which have upper and lower curved edges and seven vertical slats within it.

The central slat of the grille has tooth-shaped chrome garnish around it, while also integrating the Mahindra logo within it. The front bumper here is finished in a silver theme for the Napoli Black and DSat Silver and white-coloured in Diamond White paint shade options, and has a busy design while coming with trapezoidal fog lamps in the corners.

The Mahindra Scorpio looks mammoth and tall from the side, with the contrast heavy body cladding at the bottom of the door panels and around the wheel arches covering the majority of the lower half of the side profile. The door panels and fenders look pretty simple with the window waistline having a nice curved design. The pullback-type door handles and rearview mirrors are body-coloured, with the Mahindra Scorpio also getting large and functional roof rails.

The rear profile of the Mahindra Scorpio has a boxy appearance, with the large and rectangular windscreen covering the upper half. The Scorpio has nice-looking Christmas tree-themed tail lamps, which run from the upper edges of the windscreen and flow to the side of the boot lid, adding some substance to the rear profile. Here also, the rear bumper gets a heavy body cladding job.

The Mahindra Scorpio comes with a basic and cost-effective suspension setup of double wishbone at the front and multi-link at the rear. Built on a ladder-on-frame chassis, the Mahindra Scorpio tends to deliver a bouncy ride quality, which is furthermore noticeable due to its boxy shape. The well-tuned suspension setup delivers a supple low-speed ride quality, though.

Both the variants of the Mahindra Scorpio share their 2.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine with the Mahindra Enforcer pickup truck. Available solely with a 5-speed manual transmission, this diesel engine has been tuned to produce better performance numbers in the Scorpio, where it claims 106 PS of maximum power and 258 Nm of maximum torque. The engine is high on reliability but doesn’t sound smooth and refined in its operation.

The Mahindra Scorpio is equipped with only the most basic of safety features, such as dual front airbags, ABS, seat belt warning and child lock.

The second-generation Mahindra Scorpio might feel dated in the way it looks inside-out but continues to have the potential to serve as a durable and reliable SUV in the long term, courtesy of its well-tuned engine and suspension setups.