India's Best Entry Level SUV

Mahindra Scorpio

The Scorpio, when it was launched way back in 2002, totally took the country by storm. It was rather surprising to see Mahindra & Mahindra, manufacturers of rather rural vehicles till then, to make proper modern SUV, at home on the rough stuff and with fantastic presence on city streets. And after seeing the bland shape of the Tata Safari for so many years, people immediately took a shine to this aggressive, beefy looking off-roader.

What has kept the Scorpio going strong, apart from its chunky, robust image and design is that the vehicle has seen a slew of upgrades in its tenure, something that the competition cannot boast of in equal measure. Be it the variants with the workhorse 2.6- litre CRDE or the smooth and capable mHawk engine, the automatic gearbox variant that the mHawk received in 2008, even the timely facelifts the most recent of which came just one year back - all have ensured that the Scorpio never lost steam, and the brand kept its mark in the minds of the SUV buying masses.

Innovation has been the key and while the Scorpio has always been pitted against the other indigenous SUV, the Tata Safari, the former always was preferred amongst buyers. Most definitely a hit with transport fleets and private owners alike, the car made most of its inherent genes that imparted biggish dimensions, modern styling cues and generally powerful (for the segment) engines. What the previous car lacked was the fun factor. Sure, you can have the best engine, beefiest chassis and suspension setup and a superbly designed outer shell, but if you can't get all of them to work together as a single entity, you might as well just stay at home. Mahindra's obviously done a lot of listening in to their customers and have dealt with almost all the tiny nuances that the Scorpio has had with great aplomb.

It is an easy SUV to putter around in town but retains its quality of being a commanding appearance while doing so. It looks good, drives well, seats four adults and three kids comfortably and is fairly frugal for its size. No other SUV in the Indian market today comes filled to the brim with so many toys at that price range. And underneath all those features and style, it still remains an approachable, true-blue workhorse. No wonder it has done this well in the Indian market, and gets our vote for the best SUV in its class. 

Quick Facts:

Engine (mHAWK): 2179cc, CRDI

Power: 122PS@ 4,000rpm

Torque: 290Nm @ 1,800rpm

Transmission: 5-speed manual,

DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 2680mm

LxWxH: 4430 x 1817 x 1975 mm

Weight: 2510kg

Performance (Automatic)

0-100 km/h: 18.7 sec

Top speed: 148.14 km/h

Fuel efficiency (overall): 8.1kmpl

Variants:

M2DI: '7.11 lakh

mHAWK LX BS IV: '7.63 lakh

mHAWK SLE BS IV: '8.77 lakh

mHAWK VLX BS IV: '9.90 lakh

mHAWK VLX 4X4 : '10.67 lakh

mHAWK VLX AT: '10.70 lakh

mHAWK VLX 4X4 AT (Airbags): '11.85 lakh

Cheers:

1. Continuous and sustained upgradation have made the current Scorpio an evolved vehicle

2. Great options create a feature packed offering for its price

Sneers:

1. Brakes have been the Achilles heel for the Scorpio, and continue to be so

2. While body control has improved over time, it still dives nervously under braking

Honourable Mentions

Maruti Suzuki Gypsy King

The original mountain goat remains one of the most competent offroaders in the country, despite its age. The secret behind its success is the long standing formula of light weight, a high-revving petrol engine and a fantastic four-wheel drive system. It may not have much to offer in terms of comfort or luxury - we have the wannabe softroaders for that - but be it the Raid de Himalaya or the Desert Storm, the Gypsy remains the weapon of choice for real offroad enthusiasts.

Other Rivals

Tata Safari

6-speed automatic

The Tata Safari has been the original Indian SUV for donkey’s years now. While it has its own set of loyal following and has evolved enough through its time in the country, it still does not quite offer the sort of sporty experience a ‘sport utility vehicle’ ought to.

Premier Rio

Pulled out of the hat of Premier Automobiles, the Rio is a curious mish-mash of a French engined, Chinese bodied SUV. It does offer an option in the compact SUV space where there aren’t too many vehicles to choose from though, and remains interesting.