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S. Muralidhar

THERE is something mysterious, yet predictable, about SUVs (sports utility vehicles). Climbing into one of these vehicles tends to give you this sort of heady feeling. The commanding view of the road, the respectful avoidance of a confrontation by fellow road users, and the throb of a powerful engine lends to your (otherwise prosaic "sedan-style") character, we would not say a reckless, a satisfactory afterglow.

No wonder then that in the US, where size in every walk of life is a national obsession, power hungry Americans buy SUVs by the millions.

With the "SUV mania" spreading to India and so many off-roaders hitting the trail, Auto Focus has been busy profiling them. (The Ford Endeavour will be featured in this column in the next couple of weeks.) It would also be a good idea to revisit a slightly older desi SUV that continues to give its peers in the entry-level category a run for their money.

We are, of course, talking about the Mahindra Scorpio, the vehicle that redefined the expectations of the SUV buyer and seems to have set a new benchmark for the industry to follow.

From behind the wheel of the Mahindra Scorpio we found that the vehicle continues to exude a new world charm and its look is still refreshing despite being nearly two years old. A few months back Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) also tweaked some of the features in the Scorpio to address issues that customer feedback threw up during the year and more since launch.

After the re-jig

One of the important aspects that the fine-tuning of the Scorpio focussed on was engine noise reduction and improving fuel-efficiency. The other problem areas that were ironed out were also an increase in legroom for passengers in the middle row, by pushing the mid-row seats back by an additional three inches and increase braking efficiency.

Braking efficiency for the front wheels has been improved by replacing the old eight-inch boosters with 10-inch ones to assist the ventilated discs to decelerate the vehicle quickly. However, the drum brakes in the rear wheels continue to be same.

Engine noise reduction and the NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) packaging was also improved by shifting the Scorpio's engine drive from the old gear type to chain drive. This effectively pushed down the engine's weight, size and noise output. It also reduced the heat generation and vibration transfer to the cab. The rear leaf-spring type suspension was also tweaked to reduce vibration at higher speeds.

M&M also incorporated a new, more effective air-dam into the front bumper to improve heat dissipation. Overall, these measures have led to an improvement in the vehicle's fuel efficiency.

Price and power

The Scorpio's chain-driven SZ 2600 Plus DI diesel engine pumps out an adequate 109bhp of power and a massive 26 kgm of torque. The lowered decibel levels, the sizeable torque on reserve, and the reduced size and weight of the engine have refined the powertrain.

The 2.6-litre diesel engine, which was developed in collaboration with AVL of Austria, may not be as refined as some of the common rail injected burners in the higher-end SUVs, but it still manages to drum up a powerful performance to more than match competition in the Rs 7-lakh price category. The Scorpio also comes with a two-litre, MPFI (multi-point fuel injected) petrol engine that generates 116 bhp from Renault of France. Both the engines are compliant with Bharat Stage II emission norms.

Despite the fact that it is nearly two years since the Scorpio was launched, the vehicle continues to attract attention on the roads, a tribute to the way the vehicle was conceptualised and designed around the needs and expectations of the new age Indian SUV buyer.

The fact that the Scorpio was developed after five extensive customer surveys and was carefully put together over a five-year period to more than match the pointers that the surveys threw up is evident from the success that it has met with in the last 18 months.

A trend-setter

The attention to detail that has gone into the Scorpio is also setting a benchmark for the others to follow. The wraparound, multi-reflector, clear lens type headlamp, the aggressive grille, curvaceous, impact-absorbing side cladding, fire resistant interiors, the stepped roof design to allow more headroom for passengers in the rear and the minimalist, but user-friendly dashboard continue to attract our attention. The new mid-row seats also get better lumbar, thigh and shoulder support.

The Scorpio's design will continue to get full marks. The vehicle's paint job is top-notch and the new colour combinations add a touch of class to the Scorpio. But there is still some room for improvement when it comes to the switches and knobs. Not their looks and feel, but in their performance. The Scorpio also tends to suffer from a bit of oversteer at high speeds, at least the one we test drove did.

However, the Scorpio continues to represent one of the best value-for-money propositions in the segment, while continuing to offer features that give the SUV buyer in this segment almost all the characteristics of a high-end sedan, something that M&M set out to achieve even as it was conceptualising and developing the Scorpio.

With its impressive looks, the improved engine performance, lower NVH levels, more comfortable seating and an average mileage of about 12 km per litre of diesel, the Scorpio continues to represent unparalleled value for money in its category.

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