Mahindra Scorpio is one evergreen SUV. The car has been around for 14 years and the sales are still going strong. Few months back, NGT banned the sale of diesel vehicles with 2,000cc or more capacity engines in the NCR region. Many manufacturers came out with solutions like petrol variants, hybrids and downsizing the engine. Mahindra first downsized the Scorpio engine to 1.99-litre and then came up with a hybrid with their regular 2.2-litre mHawk engine. Now that the ban is revoked with environmental cess of 1%, the Scorpio hybrid is not affected. Let’s find out how good is the first hybrid SUV from Mahindra.
Looks
Scorpio always has looked brutal. In its latest design change, the Scorpio has become a lot sharper and sleeker in terms of design. The face is now more angular with new vertical floating grille like the XUV 500. The headlight cluster is all-new and now houses projector lamps in them. The bonnet has been redesigned with air-scoop and along with new bumpers, the car looks very bold.
From the side, the 17-inch wheels with flared with arches and lower stance of Scorpio grab more attention. Mahindra has also put new door handles and new mirrors.
The rear of new Scorpio gets LED tail lamps and black plastic panel that makes it look like a premium SUV.
Interior
The new Scorpio gets all-new interiors. The dashboard is all-new along with the steering, door trim and the seats. Mahindra has also improved the quality of the materials which are now much more premium. The instrument cluster is now more youthful is very easy to read.
The Scorpio remains as spacious as ever. If we don’t count the jump seats in the back, the car becomes 5-seater with good amount of space for luggage.
Engine
Now Scorpio is available with 4 engine options and all of them are diesel engines – 2.5-litre m2DICR, 2.2-litre mHawk, 1.99-litre mHawk and 2.2-litre mHawk Intelli-Hybrid. Of all the vehicles, the Hybrid is the most interesting one and was launched very recently. It also does not gets affected by the 1% cess that is being charged by the government on 2.0-litre and above capacity diesel engines.
The hybrid system works by tapping the energy from the brakes. The regenerative energy is then stored in a big battery. There is a integrated motor that acts as a charger or motor to assist the Scorpio’s engine depending on situations. So while braking, the motor acts as an alternator to charge the battery and while accelerating, the motor helps the engine and reduces the fuel consumption.
Should I buy it?
Scorpio is a tried and tested SUV. It comes with 4X4 drive option and offers huge space inside the car. Scorpio is also rugged and can be taken to any place without worrying much. It does come with few niggles like electrical issues but then, this car is value for money. Also, with the hybrid system in place, Mahindra has just made the Scorpio, future proof. If you are in the market looking for a rugged 4X4 with modern technology, then Scorpio should be the best choice.
