Mahindra Scorpio: Variants Explained

Mahindra, as we know, is obsessed with building SUVs for India. No matter what budget you have, Mahindra has an SUV for you. However, one of its products has always had a huge fan following in India. So much so, that ever since it was first introduced back in 2002, over 6 lakh units have been sold till date. Yup, that’s the Mahindra Scorpio we’re talking about. It is and has been Mahindra’s best selling passenger vehicle for more than a decade.

Mahindra took its own sweet time to come out with its second generation - nearly 12 years. However, it didn’t waste much time to get a facelift up and running for the second-gen Scorpio. It was a much needed one too as many of its similarly priced SUV rivals have been eating away its market share. Speaking of which, the Scorpio competes with the Hyundai Creta, Tata Safari Storme, Nissan Terrano and Renault products - the Duster and the recently launched Captur.

In its refreshed avatar, the Mahindra Scorpio starts at Rs 9.97 lakh and goes all the way up to Rs 16.01 lakh. Before we get into the variant-wise description, let’s quickly roundup the standard specifications.

Colour options available: Pearl White, Napoli Black, Molten Red and DSAT Silver.

Please note that Mahindra has not shared the official figures for the ground clearance and the fuel efficiency of this SUV.

The refreshed Scorpio has received a host of changes, including the nomenclature of its variant names. The even numbers which followed after the ‘S’ have been replaced by odd ones. Moreover, the variant list has also shrank from eight to just six this time around. The Shift-on-fly four-wheel drive (4WD) is available only in the top-end variant, with the most powerful engine. Transmission duties are handled by a 5-speed manual gearbox in the S3, S5 and S7 (120PS) variants, whereas a 6-speed manual takes over in the rest of the three variants. Let’s get cracking and see what’s what.

Variant: S3

Price: Rs 9.97 lakh

In its entry-level variant, the Scorpio is offered with the 2.5-litre m2DICR diesel engine, which isn’t as powerful as either of the tunes of the 2.2-litre mHAWK motor. Here’s a list of major features that you get for your money:

As you’d expect, the base-spec Scorpio is short on convenience, power and safety. Even the wheels on this variant are just 15-inchers without any wheel caps, versus 17-inchers with full wheel caps in the S5. Priced just below Rs 10 lakh, this variant of the Scorpio can be ignored. It doesn’t have enough for its gross weight, which, by the way, is over 2.5 tonnes. Because of that, the engine will need more pushing and hence won’t return the best fuel economy either. In short, if you want the Scorpio, you need to start considering it from the S5 variant at least.

Variant: S5

Price: Rs 11.62 lakh

Approx price premium over S3: Rs 1.65 lakh

In this variant the 2.2-litre mHAWK diesel engine, producing 120PS/280Nm, replaces the bigger but less powerful m2DICR mill. However, the transmission unit remains the same 5-speed manual. So, what do you get for your extra money? Given below is the list of main features that the S5 gets over the S3 variant:

It is in this variant that the Scorpio starts to make more sense. The more powerful engine, bigger wheels and more kit on-board sum up to a more meaningful package. The added safety, which is rapidly becoming a key area of attention is also addressed with two airbags and ABS. This variant is well suited for anyone who has always loved the big, brawny looks of the Scorpio, but is on a tight budget. Sure, it isn’t as feature loaded as it could be, but it does have almost all the basic features expected from a car of this size and price.

Variant: S7 (120PS)

Price: Rs 12.69 Lakh

Approx price premium over S5: Rs 1.07 lakh

The engine and transmission combination remains the same as the S5 variant. Yes, you guessed it! The extra amount is linked directly to the added features the S7 gets over the S5. Let’s see what are the main ones of the lot:

Apart from the creature-comforts in the list above, the S7 variant also enhances the safety aspect, with a rear defogger, rear wiper with washer, anti-theft alert and the Intellipark technology which delivers visual and audio notifications while reverse parking into a slot. This variant is best suited for someone looking for an 8-seat layout, which is unavailable in the S3 and S5 variants. Moreover, at this price, the Scorpio comes with a handsome features package and comes with body-coloured panels. Moreover, the added ski rack on top of the roof comes in more than handy to transport oversized goods.

Variant: S7 (140PS)

Price: Rs 12.99 lakh

Approx price premium over S7 (120PS): Rs 30,000

The feature list in this S7 (140PS) variant remain exactly the same as the one above. What you do get for your extra Rs 30,000 is a more powerful engine, an all-new 6-speed manual transmission and an improved braking setup. The 2.2-litre mHAWK engine in this variant pumps out 140PS of power and 320Nm of torque. That’s 20PS and 40Nm more! That, backed by the latest generation of braking technology, makes this variant a steal at this price. If you are after the S7 variant, we’d recommend that you spend that extra and go with this, more powerful, one.

Variant: S11

Price: Rs 14.79 lakh

Approx price premium over S7 (140PS): Rs 1.8 lakh

Don’t ask us what happened to the S9! Our guess would be that if Mahindra followed the S7 by the S9, people would have misinterpreted it as an inferior variant to the outgoing model’s S10 variant. Anyway, whatever the reason may be, it also gives Mahindra the window to swoop in later with one variant that sits between the S9 and S11. Here’s what you pay that extra money for:

This S11 variant is the most feature-loaded of the lot. Apart from the additional seating configuration options, the S11 gets a 6.0-inch infotainment display, tyre pressure monitoring system, auto headlamps and wipers and a more premium upholstery inside. But, even at this price, the Scorpio misses out on features like electrically foldable ORVMs, no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay compatibility, sunroof, automatic transmission and more airbags. If you can do without these misses, but can’t with what the S11 gets over the S7, go for it. However, the price hike is a bit too steep and we’d recommend you to go for the S7 (140PS) and get whatever you need extra from an aftermarket shop. It’ll be more affordable that way.

Variant: S11 with 4WD

Price: Rs 16.01 lakh

Approx price premium over S11: Rs 1.22 lakh

Like the S11, this variant also comes with the same combination of the 140PS/320Nm engine and the 6-speed manual transmission. The added cost is to balance the inclusion of a shift-on-fly 4WD system. If you want 4WD, this is the only variant you can opt for. At its price, the only other vehicle that has a 4WD system with a low-range gearbox is the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross. While the Isuzu is nearly Rs 3 lakh less expensive than this variant of the Scorpio, the Mahindra outshines the Japanese product in terms of practicality and features on offer. Moreover, the Scorpio is a bit more powerful as well.

On the whole, the new Scorpio brings a lot to the game, including new price tags. If you can do without the 4WD system, we’d recommend the S7 variant with the more powerful engine. Do let us know if you agree or disagree with any of our views in this story.

Source: cardekho.com