The Hindu Business Line : New Scorpio: Stings that excite

Back in 2002 when the Scorpio was unveiled and launched into the then fledgling sports utility market, it captured the fancy of customers not only because of its new-age design and fit and finish quality but also because it was a well-produced passenger vehicle from Mahindra and Mahindra, a company which until then was more popular as a tractor and low-end utility vehicle (UV) maker.

The affordable price and the value-for-money proposition that the Scorpio represented compared to the passenger cars that were only just about as well designed or worse, furthered the cause for this Mahindra UV. The Scorpio thus offered a mix of great design, economical ownership, aspirational performance and finish qualities at the time of its launch.

The Scorpio has, since, scripted a success story for M&M, in part due to the relative absence of competition from other UVs in its price range. The Scorpio was really competing with other sedans. After the withdrawal of the Toyota Qualis (the only other segment competitor apart from the Tata Sumo Victa and Mahindra's own Bolero), the Scorpio's other competitors have been family vans (or MPVs) such as the Toyota Innova and the Chevrolet Tavera.

But the Scorpio has had to contend with a bit of product fatigue setting in during the last few months, in part due to its age and in part due to the coming in of new passenger cars in the same price segment.

February last year, M&M replaced the old engine in the Scorpio with a new common rail direct injection burner — CRDe — in time for the new emission regulations. But while engine refinement received a boost, the overall refinement levels of the vehicle's exteriors and interiors largely remained the same.

Design makeover

Recognising the need for a makeover, which has been due in the exterior and interior design and finish departments, M&M has just launched the new-look Scorpio with as many as 43 new features added to its existing repertoire of strengths. Most of the changes have been driven by customers' opinions and internal feedback.

The old Scorpio had a well-designed, modern-looking and aggressive profile when looked at from the front. But, clearly, in terms of design exclusivity it had a weak backside. The slab-cast, flat board rear door and the undersized, incongruous tail lamp cluster gave the Scorpio's rear a relatively less impressive profile.

Though the small, uninspiring tail lamp's design quirkiness was lost in the Scorpio's overall appeal, customer feedback must have indicated the need for a larger, shapelier tail lamp for ensuring both practicality and better design to suit a vehicle as big as the Scorpio.

The most striking feature of the redesign as a result is the tail lamp cluster. Shaped sinuously like a guitar cut in half, the new tower lights, as M&M calls them, adds drama to the Scorpio's rear. Inspiration seems to have been drawn from Volvo, which has shown time and again that tower lights extending to the vehicle's roofline are a perennial favourite.

However, unlike the Volvos and even the home-grown Tata Indica, the new Scorpio's tail lights' top portion just performs the job of reflectors and only the lower portion features integrated brake lights and turn and reverse indicators. A third stop lamp at the rear is also being offered with the roof-mounted rear spoiler. The new tail lamps offer more balance to the Scorpio's rear profile and takes the focus away from the flat rear door.

The scoop

The other additions to the Scorpio's exterior that also attempt to build on the vehicle's refreshed image of sportiness include the new air scoop on the bonnet and the new taper down air dams that have been integrated into the front bumper. The near oval shaped air scoop that has been slapped on to the bonnet panel adds its bit of allure to the Scorpio, but its shape does not quite gel with the design lines that run along on the vehicle's front side. The bonnet grille and other design elements at the front continue to remain the same.

Located just below the side-cladding, new, better-finished footsteps have been added to the new Scorpio, making them sturdier and flow along better with the overall design lines of the vehicle. The other new exterior features in the Scorpio are the new design ski racks on the roof and the P235/70 R16, tubeless tyres that now adorn the wheel rims.

Perhaps the most significant change to the Scorpio that could improve the vehicle's ride quality image is the new five-zone rear suspension package that has supposedly been fine-tuned by Lotus Engineering.

A new multi-link rear suspension, where five differentially angled links control the axle movement to ensure softening of the vehicle's movement and roll based on inputs from the undulations on the road. The five-link set-up has been teamed with new coil springs. While the whole new package offers better ride comfort for rear passengers, body roll continues to show up at higher speeds.

The Scorpio continues to be powered by the same 2.6-litre, SZ CRDe, 4-stroke, turbo-charged, inter-cooled, direct injection common rail diesel engine. The new version will be available in three trim levels — standard, deluxe and sports — and with a four-wheel drive option.

Thoughtful interior add-ons

Mahindra engineers have also spent a lot of time and effort at improving the Scorpio's interiors, providing a more plush, sedan-like feel and look. But more than the bits of practicality and thoughtful storage options that have been added, the more striking feature of the new interior package is the much-improved quality of materials used.

The new interior features include the 2-DIN audio system slot, new air-conditioning vents with a (not-so-effective) joystick direction controller, new facia switches, USB port, bigger glove box, can-holders and moveable ash try, tiltable steering column, sliding middle seat for more legroom, a mobile charging point at the rear too, new design armrests on the doors and relocated rear AC vents for better throw of cool air.

The prices of the new Scorpio variants range from Rs 7.07 lakh to Rs 8.19 lakh. These prices are part of an introductory offer, and may be raised for bookings made after this month.

The additions and improvements should enhance the Scorpio's appeal even further, luring more prospective sedan owners to opt for this SUV. The only serious competitor — the Toyota Fortuner — is probably still about a year away.

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