Mahindra Scorpio

The Mahindra Scorpio is a name that needs no introduction. It's an old school boxy SUV that shows what a true rugged vehicle is, and it's available at the price of compact SUVs such as the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos.

Today, where most people want a feature rich and expensive feeling car under Rs 20 lakh, the Scorpio Classic brings a muscular and powerful feeling along with some off-road capabilities to the table. Is nostalgia a good enough reason to consider something that lacks modern day features and sensibilities? Let’s find out.

The one thing that makes the Scorpio Classic so attractive is its HUGE size. It can easily be noticed from far away, and this size can scare you if you see it rushing towards you in the rearview mirror.

But this design is pretty simple. At the front, you get large projector halogen headlamps with an eyebrow-like LED element on top, which makes it look mean. The grille is huge with vertical chrome inserts that resemble the design of the OG Scorpio, and you get an XL-sized bumper with a silver skid plate. The LED DRLs are placed just above the fog lamps. 

A highlight here is the bonnet scoop, which not only looks great but is also a nod to the earlier models of the Scoprio. 

The profile highlights its size even more and this is where you’ll notice the boxy shape. The design here has been kept traditional with massive windows, flat profile, and just one crease running from one wheel arch to the other. Since it is a tall car, you also get a side step for easy ingress and egress.

The Scorpio Classic gets 17-inch dual-tone alloy wheels in the S11 variant. The base variant comes with 17-inch steel wheels.

Just like the front and side, the rear profile has also been kept simple. You get a flat rear end, a roof mounted spoiler, a slim bumper, and vertically placed LED tail lamp. 

The best thing about this design is not the sheer size, but the powerful feeling this size invokes. It might be a two decade old design in essence, but it still manages to grab attention. A Scorpio Classic does not go unnoticed!

This rugged SUV is offered in 4 shades: Galaxy Grey, Diamond White, Everest White, and Stealth Black. The Stealth Black looks great and brings in more character. Do note that the Red Rage hue pictured has now been officially discontinued. 

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Design & Quality

First of all, the Scorpio is a tall SUV, which makes ingress and egress a little difficult. There is a side step, which helps, and it won’t be hard for young people to climb inside. But for the elderly, getting in and out of the Scorpio will require some additional effort.

But once you get in, you’ll notice the cabin comes in a plain black-beige theme, with some wooden and gloss black elements for contrast on the dashboard and centre console. The Scorpio is a boxy and rugged SUV with an old school and retro-looking cabin design. However, this is not a bad thing, as this cabin very neatly compliments the muscular exterior.

Even the quality of the materials used in the cabin is acceptable. The plastic on top of the dashboard does not feel scratchy, and even the rest of the dashboard is made of a textured material, which feels nice to touch. The buttons on the steering wheel and centre console are solid as well and have a tactile feel.

However, two things could have been better. Firstly, there isn’t a lot of soft touch padding inside the cabin, and while you do not expect a lot of premium materials in such a car, padding on the door pads could have been a nice addition. Secondly, the inside door handles are made of cheap plastic and feel very light. These two things should have been focused on, and they can have a negative impact on your cabin experience.

Front Seats

While tilt steering adjustment is offered from the base variants, height adjustment for the driver seat is available only in the top variant.

Coming to the front seats, they are comfortable, spacious, the cushioning is balanced, and they provide a good amount of underthigh support. Due to the height of the car, you get a  commanding view from the driver’s seat. Also, both the driver and the front passenger get individual armrests.

However, these seats don’t hold you very well, and you experience a lot of movement when driving on poor roads. Also, while there is the option of manual height adjustment, the door and the seat are pretty close, which makes using the adjustment lever a little uncomfortable, and if you’re not careful, you can also end up hurting your hand. 

There is a decent amount of space in the footwell. However taller occupants will find their left leg occasionally brush against the centre console. Lastly, due to the tall driving position and a flat wide windshield, you get a great view of the road.

Second Row Seats

The bench in the second row feels more like a sofa due to its shape and the space it offers. It has a flat seatback, which limits lateral support, but there is ample headroom and kneeroom even for six footers. You have enough legroom to stretch your legs, and the underthigh support is arguably the best in its price range.

Due to the width of the cars, you have good space for three passengers in the second row, and the white upholstery along with the big window and seat height, provides good overall visibility.

There is only one issue here, which is the central armrest. This armrest is placed pretty low, so when you pull it out, your hand doesn't rest properly on it, resulting in a little discomfort. But apart from that, there are no other problems in the second row, and you will remain comfortable here.

Third Row Seats

The third row, however, is not so great. These seats are side facing, too small, and you won't want to sit here as sitting here is not comfortable. Also, the third row does not get proper three-point seatbelts, so sitting here isn't particularly safe either. Our recommendation is that you only use these seats if you don't have any other alternative, and that too for a short distance.

That said, Mahindra does offer the Scorpio Classic with front facing third row seats, and a 9-seater configuration, so if you have a big family, you can consider that instead.

Storage Options

For a big car, the Scorpio is practical, but not for every passenger. The front doors do not get any bottle holders, and it gets a small glovebox. In the centre console, you get two cup holders, an anti-slip pad to keep your phone, and a tray behind the gear level to keep your keys or wallet.

The second row passengers get 1-litre door bottle holders, seat back pockets, and two cup holders under the rear AC vents. But, these cup holders are tilted, so you can't keep anything here that does not have a lid. Lastly, there are no storage options in the third row.

Charging Options

The charging options could have also been better. In the front, you get a 12V socket and a USB type-A port, and that's it. There are no charging options in the second and third row, which should have been present for the convenience of rear seat occupants.

Scorpio Classic’s cabin is just as old school as its exterior, which is what you expect from this form factor. But in this decade, you need more than just form over function. You need better space for all passengers, a little flare in the cabin to match the price, and practicality to keep everyone satisfied. These are the things the Scorpio Classic lacks. 

Boot Space

There is a lot of space for your luggage in the Scorpio. If you lift the third row seats up, you can easily store an entire suitcase set (small, medium, and large), and will still have space left for smaller soft bags.

If in case you have more suitcases, or you are using the Scorpio for transportation, you can tumble down the second row completely, which gives you all the space you need.

But, due to its high boot lip, you’ll have to put more effort into loading or unloading your luggage.

The feature list of the Scorpio Classic isn't that big, and you only get the basics for your everyday use. 

Apart from these features, you get a 9-inch touchscreen Infotainment system, which when you use for the first time, you'll realise that this is actually an aftermarket tablet running on Android.

While this screen runs smoothly with little to no lag, it is not as quick and responsive as modern day touchscreens that you see in other cars. Now this screen does not support Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, but it comes with Bluetooth support, and screen mirroring, which you can use to play music or run navigation. 

The feature list of this car does not seem that big, but the purpose of this SUV is functionality not convenience, and we don't expect many features from it. Still, features like a wireless phone charger, a digital or semi-digital driver’s display, and a single-pane sunroof would have been appreciated.

Just like the feature list, the safety kit of the Scorpio Classic is also pretty basic. It comes with dual front airbags, ABS, front seatbelt reminders, and rear parking sensors. But features like electronic stability control (ESC), a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), and a rear parking camera are missing. 

Also, its last crash test was done in 2016 at Global NCAP where it received a 0-star safety rating. Mahindra should really focus on improving the safety quotient of the Scorpio Classic, as it is one of their most popular SUVs.

Engine Performance & Option

The Scorpio Classic comes with a powerful 2.2-litre diesel engine which is paired with a 6-speed manual transmission, but there is no automatic transmission or petrol engine on offer.

2.2-litre Diesel

Being a diesel engine, there are some vibrations that you’ll feel on the steering wheel, gear lever, and footwell. But they are not irritating in any way. This engine delivers power smoothly and you have more than enough power for both city and highway commutes.

City Performance

Inside the city, driving the Scorpio Classic is fairly easy and you can easily overtake other vehicles without having to plan them in advance. Also, due to the low end torque and power under the hood, you can easily cruise around in 2nd or 3rd gear without needing to frequently change gears.

One more thing, when you are driving this on broken roads or dusty patches, you actually enjoy the power. This ladder-on-frame SUV can easily go over dusty and muddy patches, and looks good while doing so. But, keep in mind that it doesn't get four-wheel-drive, so try not to get too adventurous.

However, in bumper-to-bumper or even regular traffic, driving can be a little difficult. Being a diesel engine, it comes with a pretty hard clutch which also has a lot of travel. So driving in constant traffic means you have to deal with some pain in your left leg. The steering wheel also feels hard at slow speeds, which makes taking turns require more effort.

As for fuel efficiency, you’ll be able to get around 13-14kmpl in the city.

Highway Performance

Highway drives with the Scorpio Classic are more effortless and you can actually enjoy your drives. The power is delivered instantly and overtakes will not require any additional planning. You can easily get to triple digits speeds and even overtakes at those speeds feel like a piece of cake.

On the highways, you can get a fuel efficiency of around 16-17kmpl, and even more if you’re just cruising around.

Ride Comfort

While the Scorpio’s performance will keep you satisfied, its ride comfort will leave you wanting more. It is better than what it used to be, but there is still room for improvement. Whether you're driving in the city or on the highway, you can feel every crack and uneven patches, which won't cause any major discomfort, but will still be noticeable.

When driving on broken roads in the city, the suspensions do absorb the jerks, but some of the movement is transferred to the cabin. The driver and the passengers move around a lot in the cabin, which causes some discomfort. This movement is more evident for the second and third row passengers.

Handling

It's also not particularly great on the handling front. When driving on the highway, sudden lane change results in heavy body roll, which can be scary and it takes away your confidence. This will also reduce passenger comfort. Overall, the ride quality and handling could have been better, but it is still liveable.

Mahindra offers the Scorpio N in just two variants: S1 and S11.

Mahindra Scorpio Classic S1

• Exterior gets halogen headlamps, 17-inch steel wheels, LED tail lamps, and a bonnet scoop.

• Cabin features vinyl upholstery and a beige cabin theme.

• Features include manual AC, tilt steering adjustment, and manually adjustable ORVMs.

• Safety kit gets dual front airbags, ABS, and rear parking sensors.

• This variant gets the option of 7-seater side facing and 9-seater side facing seating layouts.

Mahindra Scorpio Classic S11

• Exterior upgrades include 17-inch alloy wheels, projector headlamps, LED DRLs, roof mounted spoiler, skid plates, and front fog lamps.

• Cabin gets fabric upholstery, height adjustable driver seat, and steering mounted controls.

• Feature additions include a 9-inch touchscreen, auto ac, electrically adjustable ORVMs, and cruise control.

• No major changes to the safety kit.

• This variant is available in 7-seater captain seats and 7-seater side facing seating configurations.

CarDekho Recommends

• The Scorpio Classic’s S1 model is too basic to be considered. Consider the top-spec S11 variant, which is an obvious better choice

Buying the Scorpio Classic over any other SUV in the price is a decision of the heart not the mind. It is not feature rich, not comfortable on most roads, and has an old-looking cabin with little to no premiumness. You’d be better off buying a mid-spec variant of any compact SUV like Hyundai Creta, Maruti Grand Vitara, or Volkswagen Taigun if you want features, comfort, and an upmarket feel. 

But if you want to feel powerful, if you want people to keep their distance, and if you want respect wherever you go, the Scorpio Classic will be able to give you that. This SUV gives you a sense of authority that no other car in this price can give you. So if respect and power is more important to you, the Scorpio Classic is the right car for you.

Other Cars To Consider

Mahindra Scorpio N

Reasons To Consider

• More feature loaded

• Modern and rugged styling

• Four-wheel-drive setup available

Reasons To Ignore

• More expensive than the Scorpio Classic

• Lacks old school charm

Mahindra Thar Roxx

Reasons To Consider

• More capable SUV

• Well loaded feature package

Reasons To Ignore

• More expensive

• No 7-seater option available