| | SUVs in India are rather expensive. This is because most of these big cars come to India in the form of CBUs (Completely Built Units) imported from other countries. In fact there are only three real SUVs that are actually made in India, and of these, there are only two that fall in the sub-10 lakh rupee range - the Tata Safari and the Mahindra Scorpio. And this is rather strange considering the strong image that SUVs have in India in general. Choosing between these two cars is rather difficult, as they both have about equal merits and demerits. Mahindra Scorpio There was a time when the only real affordable SUV one could buy in India was the Tata Safari. There was also a time when Mahindra & Mahindra was famous for making tractors and extremely rural MPVs. But all that changed with the arrival of the Scorpio. Right off the bat, M&M's attempt at a proper modern-day SUV was extremely well received, mainly thanks to its macho looks and competitive pricing. The Scorpio also offered higher performance as compared to its rivals, better fuel economy and higher levels of build quality. Over time, engineers at Mahindra & Mahindra kept updating the Scorpio and cramming it with all the goodies they could get their hands on. One of the biggest and the best updates that the Scorpio received was a 2.2-litre common-rail diesel engine called mHawk that replaced the older 2.6-litre diesel unit. With this more modern engine came even more performance and better fuel efficiency. Today's Scorpio offers toys such as parking sensors, tyre pressure indicators, rain-sensitive wipers and a even high-end music system that offers multiple connectivity options. This makes the Scorpio rate extremely high in the value-for-money department, even more than some of the higher-end sedans. Mahindra & Mahindra even launched an automatic gearbox version of the Scorpio last year, making it the only SUV in its class to sport an auto transmission. More recently, even the very capable 4-wheel drive Scorpio, which was originally only meant for import, was launched in the Indian market. Test Drive - Mahindra Scorpio >> |
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