Mahindra has launched the updated Scorpio which looks very promising. It is set to rival the Tata Safari and Renault Duster, its key rivals in the Indian market.
The new Mahindra Scorpio has arrived in the market after a long wait. It will fight it out with the Tata Safari Storme and the Renault Duster 110 PS. We do a quick spec comparison of the new SUV with its rivals.
In terms of looks, the older Scorpio looked way better than the new one. It seems Mahindra was so busy in testing the new gearbox and chassis that they couldn’t devote much time to design the exteriors. The rear looks plain ugly with that black patch. The Safari Storme looks huge and imposing and carries great road presence. The Duster on the other hand is a compact SUV and it looks smaller than the Scorpio and Safari. Overall, the Safari and Duster trump the Scorpio in the looks department.
The Scorpio’s interiors are now inspired by the XUV500. They look and feel much better than the outgoing model so we really need to give a thumbs up to Mahindra here. The Safari has boring and plain-jane interiors while the Duster’s dashboard looks decent enough. Renault has definitely messed up the ergonomics in the Duster though. So in terms of interiors, none of the SUVs are excellent and each one has its own pros and cons.
The Scorpio and Storme come with 2.2-litre diesel engines out of which the latter produces more power. The Duster is powered by a humble 1.5-litre diesel engine. The Duster gets a 6-speed manual transmission while the Scorpio and Safari both get 5-speed gearboxes. The Scorpio has the longest wheelbase followed by the Duster and Safari.
Coming to pricing, the new Scorpio is surely priced at a very competitive level. It offers better value than the Duster and Safari. The new chassis and improved quality of materials will also add to the Scorpio’s favour.
* prices are ex-showroom, Mumbai.
