MAHINDRA SCORPIO mHAWK 2.2 REVIEW - ROAD TEST
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Looks, Design and Interiors:
Designed completely inhouse by Mahindra, Scorpio is good looking beast. The 16 inch alloy wheels, the tough, aggressive butch front, the tough hunky looking body cladding make it looks like a man with a body armour, ready to take on the wild. There are subtle rather interesting touches too like the tapering down air dams which take care of water splashing, a scoop on the bonnet which isnt just cosmetic( cools the intercooler), the integrated simple round fog lamps, all combine together to enhance not just the performance but also the looks of this beast. The footsteps are now neatly integrated with the body for extra strength and durability.
The roof has ski-racks that flow with the curves of the roof and the 2.2 VLX also features two tone exterior. The design is not without weakness though. The rear is especially boxy and upright but that could have been take care off by Mahindra to some extent by putting the spare wheel on it… opportunity missed? The rain gutter channels don’t belong on a car sold in the 2008. The rear most windows are now flush fitting. Although the panel gaps are quite wide the surface finish is spot on and doors close with a reassuring thud that feels very solid. The strong build has penalised the weighing scales with the scorpio weighing in at 1900 kgs. Also we are not fond of the new-age metallic graphics which is an acquired taste and unfortunately default choice for the car.
The interiors though a nice place to be are still below par for a car costing more than 10 lakh rupees. There is no leather anywhere. The seats are full fabric with fabric inserts in the door pads which looks quite nice but leaves you feeling shortchanged. The gearlever placement leaves a lot to be desired, it comes at an odd angle towards the driver since its not placed ‘usually’ which mars the overall shift experience which otherwise is really good. The front seats also feature arm rests but using it makes gear shifting, if not impossible, extremely inconvenient. They are useless and it has a lot to do with the placement of the gear lever which we cribbed about earlier. The good news is they have replaced the dashboard middle AC vents to normal fins type which do an infinitely better job of directing the cold air wherever you want. The middle row has captain seats with integrated armrests which are supremely comfortable and slide back and forth and give that extra bit of legroom, a long time Scorpio bugbear. The third row seat is cramped and tall passengers may also find the lack of headroom. What is good though is the upright seating posture which is comfortable for longish drives.
The steering wheel is tilt adjustable and feels nice and solid to grip. The Scorpio also features Anti-Pinch power window on the driver’s side which stops the glass from going up if any obstruction is detected. The music system is standard, Kenwood and plays CD/MP3 and also compatible with SD cards and USB drives with steering mounted controls for volume +/-, mode and FM Tuner. The power window controls are not located on the door but on the central console b/w the front seats from where movement of all the windows can be controlled. The control on the door pads would have been nicer since they look very spartan with nothing but the door opening closing lever. The central console also has four bottle holders and some utility spaces to take care of your knick knacks. The rear seats also have a separate row of AC vents placed b/w the middle of the front seats but they are sorely in-adequate for uniform cooling. Absence of roof mounted AC for the rear passenger along with electrically adjustable outside rear view mirrors is simply unforgivable at this price, Safari has it and even the recently launched and much cheaper Sumo Grand has it! Mahindra has missed the trick here. The interiors have some nice touches like the illuminated key hole, theatre style interiors light that fade in and fade out slowly and movable reading lights which can be moved through 180 degrees. Mahindra have also incorporated some high tech features like Parking assist which is standard and works well too(intellipark in Mahindra’s speak) with ultrasonic sensors mounted in the rear bumper which judge the distance and show the readings on the rear view mirror with sound warnings, welcome in any SUV, tyre pressure monitor in the instrument console which along with the air pressure in each tyre also gives temperature alert, leakage alert and low pressure alert, rain sensing wipers (which operated once on their own during the course of the test drive) and light sensing headlights, engine immobilizer and even the cruise control (We couldn’t test it given our road conditions)!!! The car also talks irritatingly as ever and informs you that it is a powerful vehicle and requests you to wear a seatbelt and while Mahindra may call it high tech, it becomes a nuisance after a while. The car also comes with ABS as standard which helps braking immensely.
Engine, Performance and Gearbox:
The most talked about feature of the new Scorpio VLX is the all new 2.2 litre engine developed in collaboration with AVL Austria christened the mHawk. The motor displaces 2179cc and features a 16 valve head, common rail direct injection system, turbocharger with a top mounted intercooler fed through the scoop on the bonnet. The engine makes a healthy 120 bhp @ 4000 rpm and 29 kgm of torque b/w 1800-2800 rpm (Safari Dicor 2.2 owners need not worry on the number front). Turn the engine on and you will start appreciating the V series even more. Even at idle you can easily make out that this a more refined powerplant compared to the earlier and still available 2.6
This engine could have easily come from a European maker given the refinement and how muted and relatively vibration free the engine is at idle. The engine uses second generation Bosch common rail technology with pressure in excess of 1300 bars, to feed the requisite amount of fuel to each of the 4 cylinders. The engine is mated to a new five-speed gearbox which does a good job of spreading the power all through the rev-range. The shift action although long throw is pretty slick, its positive and precise (a tad notchy when shifting from 2nd to 3rd) but the overall impression is marred a little by the oddly positioned gear lever… what a shame!
The performance is impressive too. The engine feels live and alive with in the city. The first gear is relatively short which makes the engine feel enthusiastic to start with and the story continues in second gear too. The acceleration is linear and there is a step up in power and torque (very addictive) as soon as engine revs to 2000 rpm or thereabouts. The car lunges forward and you are pinned to your seat and we are talking about a vehicle weighing in close to 2 tonnes!!! The engine feels a little sluggish below 1500 rpm but that is taken care off by the short first and second gears.
Mahindra must be complemented on choosing the right ratios to harness the power of the new engine. Keep the engine above 2000 rpm and scorpio will keep ahead of most of the traffic with ease and before you realize it would have moved into 3 digit speeds. The performance is very satisfying for a big car like scorpio and at times makes you grin wide. The gain in outright performance numbers compared to the earlier 2.6 engine are not much, but the engine refinement and lack of noise is in a different league altogether. Also the power delivery is a lot more linear – the earlier 2.6 used to hesitate and pitch excessively as you changed gears. This new engine is at its best in the mid-range with impressive overtaking ability. Also the engine is a tad noisy over 3000 rpm but its not unbearable and Mahindra & Mahindra engineers have suppressed the noise nicely.
The mHawk is also equipped with ABS which is a first for any vehicle produced by mahindra and the car behaved impeccably when anchors were thrown at >100 kph to stand still with no skidding what-so-ever and the rear never ever threatening to step out of the line. Brake fade is not an issue anymore too with the car showing little or no fatigue inspite of repeated hard braking. The steering feels more accurate and positive too which can be attributed to lighter engine upfront on the downside though its overtly light which is a boon in the city, makes it hairy at highway speeds. Also it lacks any sort of feel so you are never aware of the surface you are traversing and what the front wheels are going through.
The ride quality on low and medium speeds on bad roads is impressive too but it crashes through bigger potholes. The Scorpio remains less sorted out on good tarmac, it pitches backward and forth continuously with road undulations and the overtly light steering doesn’t help matter here. The behavior improves considerably with more passengers and their luggage on-board and it feels more planted than before. The handling and general feel is a lot improved too and with the lighter engine up front the Scorpio exhibits little of the front heavy handling it used to exhibit before.
Overall the Scorpio is an excellent mile muncher unfazed by bad roads with silent engine, good ride and a responsive engine.
Overall:
The Scorpio 2.2 is a very good effort from M&M. It has always been an honest and hardworking automobile with strong build and great cruising ability. With the newer lighter and more powerful engine upfront, things are a lot better at the handling front too. It also features some high tech features like rain sensing wipers, ambient light sensing headlights, parking assist and even a cruise control but lack of absolute essentials like roof mounted A/C for rear passengers, electrically operated outside rear view mirrors is telling. The 4X4 isnt even an option. While it is nice to position it as an alternative to cars, this also raises the expectations levels of the prospective buyers to new high and at 9.3 lakhs + Ex-Showroom Delhi, it sadly falls a little short. We hope the new engine, ABS and steering mouted control trickle down to more accessible, cheaper variants.
And if Scorpio 2.2 is anything to go by, better watch out for the new Ingenio. We can’t wait to lay our hand on it…. till then happy motoring.
S P E C I F I C A T I O N S
ENGINE
Type: Top mounted intercooler, Intercooled, Turbocharged, Common rail mHawk CRDe, DI Engine
Cubic Capacity:Â 2179CC
Max. Power:Â 120 bhp (86.7 Kw) @ 4000 rpm
Max. Torque:Â 290 Nm @ 1800-2800 rpm
GEARBOXÂ
Gearbox:Â 5 Speed Manual
TYRES
Tyres:Â P 235/70 R16, Radial Tubeless
SUSPENSION
Front:Â 2 WD Independent, Coil Spring, Anti-Roll Bar
Rear:Â Independent, Torsion Bar, Multilink Coil Spring
BRAKES
Brakes:Â Ventilated Front Disc, Rear Drum
27 People have left comments on this post
Terrific Review…. Keep it up!
Great review I must say. What will be even more enticing has to be a direct comparison of the vehicle with the newly launched Safari.
hmm…gr8 engine…nice ryt up…seems lyk ride n handling has also improved. y cant dey replace dis engine in deir entire scorpio range….
Terrific consolidation of the changes and a great review. Drove the scorpio a little before getting to see this article, have almost the same views possibly the only added sore point was that the power assist on the steering felt a little too over assisted and the vehicle was too sensitive to even the little undualtions of the tarmac (possible due to the taller CG, may be)
Thank Sandeep for you comment.
We have also mentioned in the road test about the overtly light steering which makes it hairy to drive on the highways. Overall a nice vehicle but our expectation were too high considering the price tag.
Still a third-world apology for a 4-wd
scorpio mHawk ia an nice car, but it has worthless upgrades for the indian roads, an utility vehicle or an suv should have the brave look to rule the roads but it was decorated like an wedding wagon. then about the sensors upgrade—-completely worthless. we have the sensor when rain starts or way goes dark——they make this wedding wagon’s upgrades to hide a big pumpkin to an cup of rice——-i like this car —but thae should not be proud that this ia the only car in india…….comparing to safari ….safari has a feel of riding an luxurious ship but scorpio has this but lot of wobbling below the stomach…..safari is tha brave one in its class. the old one has lots of feedback…. but the new one dicor and the new 2.2vvt are simply superb ….. the sales have been increased a lot ……………..i had one scorpio 2.6 turbo but after test driving the new tata safari. what a shithead i am to buy an worthless piece of machine…last month i have a brave muscle in my home…………scorpio has made as an taxi to do all the pick up and drops for the workers,…… to be grand…tata safari is the one…………..
Scoop,just learnt that the Scorpio M Hawk engine is coming with lower priced versions by end of this month.Probably there will be three versions including the vxl.Kindly find more and give details including the pricing.
i am eagerly waiting for the automatic scorpio.kindly inform me if you get any news.scorpio badly needs electrically adjustable rear view mirrors and 8 way adjustable driver seats.is there any hope of getting an automatic safari in future?
well my experience to M hawk is like this …. as a engine its just a addition of 4-5 bhp over 2.6, it doesnt have so great NVH levels either over 2.6 … mileage is improved a bit …. and additional gizmos which is errorsome …. the beep of tyre underpressure starts anytime with full inflated tyres, rain sensors will malfunction, the steering controls are synchronised with kenwood so you can change that cheap system else steering controls wont work, though noise levels are good … the engine start / stop & floor vibrations are so irritating in M hawk …….. the gear lever vibration is just too much … mahindra should understand that in SUV pleople hold gear lever while driving and it vibrates so much ….. Safari vibrations are really low … though the low speed pick up is good with M hawk there is jerky feel … Safari has good pleasing acceleration experince …. the suspension of Safari still wins over any other SUV … try it
Few months back I have decided to upgrade myself from my old lancer to an SUV. With this intention I spend most of my valuable time surfing in internet and enquiring about available vehicles in the market. One day I got the news about the new launch of Mahindra Scorpio M Hawk. Whenever I enquired about Scorpio, many of my friends who owned Scorpios had discouraged me. They pointed me about the bouncy and scary drive of Scorpios. Even a few people, whom I knew personally, have died in Scorpio accidents. But I noticed one of the reviews about M hawk that it has a tweaked suspension and also ABS. It also specified that it’s the best Scorpio yet. I got interested with the new salient features of the vehicle and I waited for the vehicle to be launched in Kerala. After waiting for a few days I purchased a brand new Scorpio M Hawk Vlx on 11-2-08 from TVS Motors Kottayam.
Now I would come straight away into my issues. From the day one onwards I am totally disappointed and unsatisfied about the vehicles performance in terms of mileage, suspension and passengers comfort. As per my understanding an SUV is a kind of vehicle which gives superior riding and driving comfort both in good roads as well as off roads. But I had an opposite experience. My vehicle has run around 8000 Km till date. The particular vehicle is trembling and wobbling like any thing. Even the gear lever is vibrating and many times I found it very hard to operate. Literally I feel that whenever I drove the vehicle it resembled a truck or a bullock cart. We cannot call it as a family car at all as we are troubled by severe neck and back pain.
I also have put maximum effort from my end to rectify the issues like rattling, wobbling and bouncing. Even I have placed a 130 kg weighed iron bar at the rear side to prevent wobbling and bouncing. I have taken the vehicle to the TVS Work shop thrice with these issues. They noticed that the seats were also trembling and one of the door of the brand new vehicle had rattling noises. They have loosened the multilink and adjusted it. Also they have changed the gear liver assembly to reduce the hardness .Still there was no use. I have droved the vehicle in the company specified tyre pressures. (32 PSI Front & Rear). I have also checked it by lowering the air pressure one by one till 27 PSI. Even I tried nitrogen instead of air for three days. But there was no use. The situation was the same. Keeping all these in mind I have done a comparative study by driving almost all utility vehicles available like Tata Safari Dicor 2.2 VTT, Toyota Innova, Qualis, Chevrolet Tavera, Sumo Grande, Old Scorpio Turbo, Bolero., Sumo Victa etc. As a result of this I would like to declare that undoubtedly the Scorpio M hawk is the worst in terms of comfort and easy drive
To conclude I would suggest M&M to market Scorpio M Hawk as a goods carriage vehicle rather than selling the vehicle as a passenger vehicle at a huge price that too with totally useless things like cruise control , driver side anti pinch window, incorrect tyre tonics etc.
Anoop R, 9895808353
Hello,
my son has purchased one Mahindra & Mahindra Scrpio vlx jeep on 25th August, 2008 from NBS International Ltd. Opera House Mahindra & Mahindra dealer. The vehicle was well equppied with anti theft gajets and with immobilizer unit high version.
On 27th Morning at about 5.30 AM it was told that the vehicle was stolen by four people opening the doors with duplicate keys and stolen the vehicle from Girgaon Road, Mumbai.
When the Mahindra & Mahindra claims that no body can open the vehicle, no body can start the vehicle nor drive it without keys. In this case who can can help us in getting the vehicle. Vinayak Barve
Hi, I purchased MHAWK just recently…. My experience with a local dealer in Chennai is really horrible. Here are the details:
The dealer network one of the ‘New’est in Chennai and they do not know what they are selling this includes specifications of the car. Folks could not even explain what is in the Brochure.
They do not keep timelines for delivery.. I gave enough notice or delivery time twice that of what they promised (due my travel) to deliver the car and they did not met my timeline even after extended timeline twice, set by me. Meanwhile, they tried pushing me to take different colour or variant available with them. Good technique.
After booking, Everytime… you have to followup on your own…! Pretty bad service!
Showed me a Demo car VLX version with Solar glasses etc…. and when they delivered no marking of SOLAR in side and rear glasses except the front windsheild..!
They do not like customer who ask questions..(?) If you ask questions they will say ‘you can take the refund” of booking amount.
No compensation for delayed delivery and they do not even accept it and Blame Mahindra for Logistics failures..!
Freebies/Accessories promised at the time of booking were not provided.
and GUYS think twice before you select a dealer… if you want more details on the dealer mentioned above, please send me an email or call me. Thanks a lot.
I will try to spread this message to the extent possible for the benefit of “scorpio aspirants in Chennai, TN”… Enjoy motoring.
Bala.
HI,
I saw Mr.Vinayak Barve’s comment on the Mhawk. I am also victim of the same and have taken it up with the manufacturer. The response i have got when i said my vehicle was stolen was
1) The doors must have been kept open
2) It might be a nexus which i am not aware of which might have resulted in the M-hawk being stolen.
I am writing to possible authorities about the Immobilizer and should you want to join hands with me in this please let me know.
Regards
Manu Bharadwaj
Hello Manu Bharadwaj,
Please give your details also as we all have to fight for such vehicle theft.
Our hard earn money for purchase of vehicle if some one comes and takes away vehicle
it our duty to fight against the Manufacturer, police, insurance companies, RTO offices. as well as immobilizer companies.
Let me know the details of your vehicle aslo. We will fight with unity.
Regards,
Vinayak Barve
vinayakba@gmail.com
I have brought new mahindra hawk 2.2 in feb 2008 in gujarat kutch bhuj.
I was not happy with clutch setting as it was burn in 4 days from purchase.
main dealer in bhuj machenic are not well trained for carry out work in new hawk
arragement for setting in second and third raw need to be change
Air bag required for driver and passenger safety.
Thank You
Mr.V.S.Dabasia From (NRI London U.K.)
Dear Mr. Vinayak/Manu Bharadwaj
First of all sorry to hear that your scorpio has been stolen. I am the vicitim too. I also purschased the Scorpio SLE 2008 Model fro NBS Internaional on 1st September. I had parked the car in front of my residence the car wass visible at 5:45 in in the morning of sept 9 and was stolen at 6:10 in early morning. I was stunned to see the scene. The NBS staff insisted me to install the Gear lock saying that the Scorpio is being stealed. The Gear lock key is very unique it not easy to open unless you really have the duplicate key. The car was parked with Alarm system activated and steering rotated to lock after removing the key. I am still not ready to believe that with in fifteen minutes time the thieves can run with the car with so secured and from my place where there are securities all the time. My car was parked in fromt of my building and I stay on first floor and the car was visible from my kitchen kids room and my bed room. and there are security persons all the time. We stay in Hiranandani Estate. My Car Registration number is MH04-DR-4130 Please let me know if you have any update for your car. I even indirectly pointed the fingure at the NBS STAFF and their reaction was cool.
I would very much like to hear from you. my email ID is sejalkar@hotmail.com
Regards
Sejalkar
Hi
We wanted to buy a scorpio this month(Nov08). I took a test drive in 2.6L version and the M-hawk version . But to my surprise I found the 2.6L engine to be more punchy than the M-Hawk engine . The M-hawk engine has got a steady delivery of torque(similar to HM trekkar engine) . I think we need torque on demand (at lower end)suitable for overtaking especially at the lower speeds. The low end torque available at lesser vechile speeds is a good idea for an exciting drive in town or in hills and the 2.6L version is just that. In any case it is bad idea to be 100+kmph in any thing called scorpio.
I have to agree that suspension on both versions gives you feeling that you are in a theme park ride…no doubt. . but folks also remember these vechiles belong to mud-tracks and not closed circuit racers.
M-hawk owners do really think the old 2.6L is better of addl. . 96 K??
Its quite strange that two of the Scopio’s sold by the same dealer is stolen. Even stange is both of the Scopio’s stolen at the same time. Wondering who is the dealer for the 3rd Scorpio (Manu Bhardwaj vehicle).
Its quite strange that two of the Scopio’s sold by the same dealer is stolen. Both the Scopio’s stolen at the same time, strange. Wondering who is the dealer for the 3rd Scorpio (Manu Bhardwaj vehicle).
Hi,
Some more info on Stolen mhawks…
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/50446-8-scorpio-mhawks-stolen-immobilizer-codes-cracked.html
MY PERSONAL COMMENTS AFTER 10000KMS OF SCORPIO VLX USAGE:
IF YOU HAVE USED SUMO OR BOLERO EARLIER… YOU WILL APPRECIATE SCORPIO MUCH BETTER… IF YOU HAVE DRIVEN HONDA OR TOYOTA… SCORPIO MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT CHOICE AS A GOOD DRIVER’S CAR….
> VEHICLE DOES NOT GIVE CONFIDENCE ABOVE 100KMS SPEED
> MILEAGE CITY- 9 OR LESS HIGHWAY 13 OR LESS
> SEATS - WORST QUALITY DOES NOT INSPIRE DRIVER OR ANY OF THE PASSENGERS
IN TERMS OF COMFORT
> DO NOT BUY AN 8 SEATER FOR ANY REASON
> CLUTCH IS GETTING HARDER BY THE DAY…ESPECIALLY IF IT IS HOT.
>GEAR CHANGE IS NOT SMOOTH (MAY BE DUE TO THE ABOVE REASON)
>FRONT SOLAR GLASS (WINDSHIELD) GETTING PEELED ( WHITE DOTS)
>STEERING WOBBLING ABOVE 100KMS - SERVICE TEAM CANNOT RECTIFY THIS SO FAR
EVEN AFTER WHEEL BALANCING /ALIGNMENT
FOR THOSE WHO ARE CURIOUS TO KNOW WHO IS THE DEALER I BOUGHT THIS SCORPIO: GMS AUTOMOBILES CHENNAI.
(THE DEALER WHO ACTUALLY CHEATED ME ON FREE INSURANCE- BY REDUCING THE INSURANCE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE AND FURNISHING INCORRECT VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS )
THANKS
BALA
this is really amazing car. untill v test it v cant imazng wat the mhawk actually means.
initially just only by readin the data about it v cant value it.
its look is very atractiv. seating arrangment is comfortable.
thanx
Hi,
I am a Scorpio owner and i have to say that i am totally and completely satisfied with this product. This car which comes in the SUV section in the Indian market has great potential in it and has satisfied me to the core. The Scorpio has a great turning radius which outclasses the innova, safari, and other such car in this category. The body is strong and not delicate and is a much more reliable car than many others available in the Indian market today. Coming to the fuel consumption part, i have to say that it gives u a better mileage seeing the conditions of the roads today here in India. The Scorpio has a great engine and so a good pick up. The run it has on highways is also tremendous. In terms of other vehicles as far as the speed part is concerned these vehicles have a weak link, that is when they touch a speed of more than 120 Km/ph they tend to shake or vibrate a lot which is not the case here with the Scorpio. With a Scorpio when driving in a highway and in times of overtaking, you dont have to think twice to do that mannouvre as it takes on the road in a smooth and efficient way unlike the innova which is a bulky car and the driver faces difficulties in doing such mannouvres. When in times of an accident (major or minor) the Scorpio tends to have a lot of safety measures plus it has a strong body unlike innova and tavera which even with a small hit gives an impression of a huge damage to the car’s outer body as its very delicate, but for Scorpio that is not the case and i have also experienced the way the service stations act in times of servicing your car and they are really helpful and fast and they are not like the other service stations which sometimes mistreat their customers by wasting their precious time and money. The price of a Scorpio is also reasonable comparing the same with an innova or tavera as the Scorpio gives you a better performance meter reading than the others and these cars also cost a lot as compared to a Scorpio. Mahindra is following one important rule in customer satisfaction by giving them good treatment and also by leading them in the right way.
To conclude this review of mine the scorpio is worth every penny you spend and gives you a smile with satisfaction.
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