India Cars

The Alto was designed to replace the 800. The all new Alto was premiered at the Tokyo Motor Show and was showcased as a Kei car for the local Japanese market with a small engine, usually around 600 CC, sometimes in turbo-charged form. Once Maruti decided to make it in India it had to go through the now familiar adaptation process and this time this was going to be an extensive one. Since MUL was not in a mood to kill the all conquering Maruti 800, the Alto was to have two engine options - one a Euro III spec 12 valve, 800 CC unit derived from the Maruti 800 and another a 16 valve 1061 CC engine from the just introduced Wagon R.

The car retains the same external dimensions as the old one. Only minor changes have been made to the detailing. They include an all-new grille, which is bigger than the one it replaces. Also changed is the bumper, which now gives the car a sportier stance. The new Alto now comes with clear lens headlamps, replacing the earlier ones. All these changes make the new Alto’s face look more mature and purposeful. The rear tail lamp design too has been modified slightly but it’s difficult to tell the old from the new at first sight.

The biggest change to the interiors is the introduction of dual-tone seat fabric, which helps liven the interior a bit. The AC switches have also been changed from sliding types to rotary ones, which are more convenient to use. We were, however, disappointed at the falling quality of material used in the interiors. No changes have been made under the hood. The Alto retains the same peppy 47bhp motor with 12 valves. Engine noise, however, intrudes heavily inside the cabin when revved, though the gearshift quality remains good. Other Alto virtues like good fuel efficiency and solid build remain the same. The Alto LX is not offered with power steering, though it was blessed with an air-con, albeit with a noisy blower. No power windows or central locking, either. The three cylinder 800 CC mill under the Alto’s bonnet is a healthy. The ride quality can be felt on better roads. The rear seat was just about comfortable, a little cramped though, with a six-footer occupying the front passenger seat and threatening to crush knees.

A down to earth automobile, the Alto LX is a neat little package with an adequately peppy motor and surprising luggage space. While the car started up cheerfully enough, the air-con vents were blowing hot air. No amount of fiddling would work and the heater was on permanently.

The smaller of the Altos does not impress much with its zero-to-sixty timings (6.48 seconds) nor with its passing-speed performance (80-120 kph in 15.25 seconds). On the handling front, the Alto gave mixed feedback. It had crisp turn-ins, but felt too soft when subjected to a combination of corners (for instance, in slalom run). The Alto LX was a honest little road-test vehicle. Apart from the blown air-conditioner, everything worked perfectly. Its ride quality is very impressive. Alto Lxi returned 14 to 16 kpl for every litre of fuel.

The new Alto gets two new colours — Caribbean blue and wine red — which are striking enough to grab eyeballs.

The Alto was designed to replace the 800. The all new Alto was premiered at the Tokyo Motor Show and was showcased as a Kei car for the local Japanese market with a small engine, usually around 600 CC, sometimes in turbo-charged form. Once Maruti decided to make it in India it had to go through the now familiar adaptation process and this time this was going to be an extensive one. Since MUL was not in a mood to kill the all conquering Maruti 800, the Alto was to have two engine options - one a Euro III spec 12 valve, 800 CC unit derived from the Maruti 800 and another a 16 valve 1061 CC engine from the just introduced Wagon R.

The rear end treatment is different from the Japanese Alto gratitude to a different tail lamp cluster. The car looks the best from the rear three quarters with its chunky C- pillar treatment. It’s tall but hides it well and seems aloof and above the raging war of the tall boys. Depending on the power option, the Alto comes in a base trim LX (800 CC).

The Alto, once available with body-coloured bumpers and a chromed-off grille, is now seen with only black bumpers and an adorned version of the latter. It’s not a really handsome design, but it’s well proportioned and pleasing, which is good enough for the market, and it feels well built, which is important. A big asset is the enhanced stiffness and safety levels of this platform, far ahead of the 800.

From the dashboard to the moulded door trim, the Alto is done in the same shade of grey. The instrument cluster features a speedo with a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) odo and trip meter and the tell tale lights in the LX. The glove compartment is quite large and offers space in conjunction with a small dug-out shelf on the dash itself. As a minor relief, the dash and central console are done in matt black plastic.

The large bumpers with their equally large air inlet grilles also help in making the car look classy. Adding some visual relief from the plain side view of the car are two creases, one running horizontally from just before the front door to well past the half of the rear door. While this is located low down, another one starts off, much higher, and runs, sloping upward, from the first few inches of the rear door right upto the middle of the tail cluster.

The air-con controls look very outdated though. The sliding controls for the blower, thermostat as well as re-circulate and vent controls are easy to use but one has come to expect rotary knobs more than this kind of switch gear in modern cars. The cubby hole in the central console provides space to keep your cassettes, which comes standard.

The door trim is nicely done with Zen type moulded panels that contain a comfortably sized map pocket for the front doors and the usual window winder and door lock lever. The seats are done in two tone fabrics and look quite presentable. The driver and passenger seats are comfortable without being exceptionally good. The front bucket seats are adjustable for back rest angle with a sliding base to get the driving position just right. The seats offer enough thigh support once you have adjusted the seat to your requirements.

It uses MacPherson struts in front and a three-link rigid axle at the rear, riding on 12-inch wheels. The Alto can never be perceived as a spacious car, and it’s cramped even for its class, with a lack of width and very poor legroom in the rear. The soft suspension settings mean excessive body roll while cornering above 60 kph mark. In short, its handling, while is any day better compared to the Maruti 800, is not comparable to that of the Zen at all. Even without power assisted steering, the New Alto is a point and squirt car that exhibits typical front-wheel under steer characteristics.

The Bridgestone S 248 145/80R12 tyres that do duty on the Alto endow the car with great amounts of grip but it feels a little skittish. Maybe a 155 section tyre would have felt better. If, however, a 155 section tyre had been used, MUL would have been trading the all important fuel efficiency to grip and handling.

The Alto comes with a slightly more advanced version of the 800’s 796cc three-cylinder motor, with four valves per cylinder and MPFi. With just 47bhp and 6.3kgm to play with, it’s quite drivable in the city, with good throttle response and decent bottom-end performance. It reacts instantly to throttle inputs, and makes city driving very easy, but it is a pain on the highway, with no grunt for overtaking. Even after a little tuning, the 800 CC engine is just adequate for this car. On congested city a road, the power train behaves well and the feeling of the car being underpowered is felt only when fully loaded with five passengers or when the AC is switched-on while accelerating.

Fuel economy is superb, the car going 12.9 kilometers for every litre in the city, and returning a brilliant 17.5kpl on the highway. The Alto is a very nimble car, with a tight turning circle and quick steering, and is easy to drive in the city; on non-power steering versions though, it requires some effort which can make parking more difficult than it should be. Power steering is definitely recommended, especially if the car is to be used as an urban runabout. Visibility is decent, hampered somewhat by the thick C-pillar, but good enough for city traffic, and the tiny size makes it very park able.

The Alto is a great little city car, a far better option than the ubiquitous 800, for it is safer, more comfortable, better built and more modern than its too-basic sibling. It’s easy to drive in the city and rides very well, with the downsides being a very small interior and a lack of performance on the highway.

Many cars come and gone, but the car that put this nation on wheels is always around, in one form or another. India’s best-selling car has been upgraded with multi-point fuel-injection to meet the new emission norms that come into effect this April Bharat III norm. But it’s not just a cleaner exhaust the injected 800 comes with. Four valves per cylinder head and five-speed gearbox complements the MPFI system to give it a level of performance that’s best experienced and new headlights and tail-lights. But the 800’s invincible price advantage is coming under threat, not in the form of another low-priced car but with expensive fuel-injection technology that is becoming a must for all cars to meet the new emission norms. 

This car retains the same external dimensions as the old one, the changes being limited to the details. The new clear lens headlamps now feature a headlamp beam-leveling device to meet new safety regulations that come into effect from April this year. Other changes include the new design grille featuring the Suzuki badge prominently at its centre and the tail-lamp lens covers.

On the inside, the dual-tone seats and door pads help brighten up the cabin, but it feels disappointed by the slight drop in the quality of the upholstery, although the seats themselves are softer and more comfortable. And, as expected, there are three new colours to choose from — Icy Blue, Crystal Gold and Caribbean blue.

The core values of the 800 remain intact, and that is, the wallet-friendly price-tag, the peppy performance, and compact dimensions that make it a breeze to drive through traffic and the frugal drinking habits of the engine.

Maruti has still not taken pains to cure the old faults of the 800. Quality has been deteriorating. Body panel gaps have become wider over the years, mainly because this is a high volume car and the manufacturing dies tend to wear out faster. Engine noise intrudes heavily into the cabin when revved, the ride is still nothing to write home about and the gearshift quality, best described as rubbery, has not been improved. But most owners will tend to overlook these faults. In this segment, the price-tag and cost of ownership are the main factors and the 800 still scores here.

Many cars come and gone, but the car that put this nation on wheels is always around, in one form or another. India’s best-selling car has been upgraded with multi-point fuel-injection to meet the new emission norms that come into effect this April Bharat III norm. But it’s not just a cleaner exhaust the injected 800 comes with. Four valves per cylinder head and five-speed gearbox complements the MPFI system to give it a level of performance that’s best experienced. But the 800’s invincible price advantage is coming under threat, not in the form of another low-priced car but with expensive fuel-injection technology that is becoming a must for all cars to meet the new emission norms.  

There’s little doubt that the Maruti 800 is the most manoeuvrable car around. It’s compact, nimble and the easiest thing to drive. The 800 is best in urban surroundings, it can squeeze into parking slots where others can’t, or make a quick U-turn where others would have do a three-point one. With the new engine the 800 quite a delight to nip around town. The controls are obviously light and driving stress down to a minimum. The 800’s direct steering has always been a strong point and it complements the nimble behaviour of the ear.

The chassis, suspension and small wheels find it difficult to cope with the increase in power. At speed, the 800 feels unsafe on any surface that is less than smooth. On a typical country road it feels nervous, pitching all over the place. This just does not allow you to enjoy the full performance potential of the car. It’s down to the small 12-inch wheels - the main culprit for the choppy ride. The lack of servo- operated brakes are obvious, especially when from a good clip you suddenly have to stomp the centre pedal to avoid that cow that’s decided to cross the highway. Thankfully, 145/70 R12 tyres, standard on the Deluxe-MPFI and EX-MPFI versions, do their job quite well.

The exterior has been freshened up a bit, and looks quite appealing. There are clear-lens headlamps with striped indicators and a fake ‘projector’ for the driving lights; the grille opening is now a simple trapezoid, more modern and cleaner looking. The bigger concern however is construction. The sheet-metal dies are very old now, which means fit and finish isn’t what it used to be and the panel gaps are much wider. Inside the cabin the functional brightened up slightly with new dials and new-look fabric. There are cubby-holes abundantly, even a dash-top box, and the front passenger gets a little slot instead of an air-con vent. There are complaints of course, of flimsy plastics, useless door-pockets and a dull look. The cheap seat material and deleted ashtray don’t exactly make the car any better. Plus, there’s no trip meter or left-side wing mirror. The seats too are different, thinner and narrower, with bolstering, and look distinctly cut-price. Space has never been at a premium in the 800 but it will still allow a family of four to wiggle inside.

On to the engine (F8B) which was brought back down to two-valves-cylinder spec to make the 800 as cheap as possible and differentiate it from the Alto which runs the same engine but with six more valves (F8D). Start it up and there’s a thrummy, noisy idle — plus, the car isn’t as solid as an Alto, so you tend to feel the vibrations more. The more modern five-speed gearbox has been pushed out by the original four-speeder, which has a rubbery throw and lacks a precise feel. Long distance driving in the 800 is certainly not recommended, which apart from being tiring is also relatively unsafe.

This new variant has seen an overall decline in performance. The earlier car used to do the 0-60kph in a very respectable 6.7 seconds; the new one takes 8.09. Response at the bottom end has definitely been blunted, and we really miss the old, strong lower rev-band. There isn’t much at the top end either as overtaking is not the 800’s forte, especially on the highway where the little 796cc engine runs out of breath very quickly.

The 800 was always the most fuel efficient petrol car around. The five-speed gearbox makes more efficient use of the engine’s power and torque characteristics, which means better fuel economy. This was most evident on the highway it gave run of 21.9kpl. In the city it managed 13.9kpl, which is marginally better than the carbureted car.

The Voyager can seat 9 people (including the driver), and is ideal for both family and business purposes. However for the all the space and seating capacity of the Voyager, it is approximately of the same length as the Ambassador or the Premier 118NE

The Voyager has a unique “flexi-seating configuration” which can be re-arranged to suit various requirements. There are three rows of forward facing seats. The second row has an auxiliary jump seat, which allows you to go to third row. The seat in the third row can fold back to give you ample space for all your baggage. In fact all the seats can be unfolded to give you a comfortable double bed.

The Voyager is powered by 2.5 litre XD-3P BM 4 - cylinder Diesel engine, which gives a maximum power of 72.bHP @ 4000 rpm and a maximum torque of 15.3 kgm @ 2000 rpm. The suspensions on the van are independent, coil spring and anti-roll bar in the front, and rigid axle, leaf spring and anti-roll bar in the rear. The brakes are tandem master cylinder, with ventilated discs (front) and drum (rear).

The Mahindra Voyager has a shorter turning radius than most passenger cars on the road - of 4.4 metres. The steering is re-circulating ball-and-nut type with tilt-adjustable facility. The van is also available with Factory-fitted air-conditioner with vents in all three rows to give you all round cooling.

M&M introduced Mahindra Scorpio 4×4 in the country. The four-wheel drive selector is placed next to the gear lever and is not unlike an old table fan switch. You get to wield options of 2WD (rear wheel drive for tarmac use), 4H (four-wheel drive high ratio) for inclement weather conditions and rough roads and 4L (four-wheel drive low ratio) for really difficult terrain, steep gradients and for hauling. And except when in low ratio, you can shift while on the move (as long as you keep your speeds below 100 kph). A set of neatly integrated idiot lamps will tell you where the DI engine’s power is being sent to. So far so good.

The first test of the four-wheel drive was restricted strictly to tarmac. On smooth, wet tarmac the vehicle on 4H mode was a revelation. The nervousness displayed by the 2WD model in our earlier road-test was now history. The road tyres suddenly felt grippier.

The setting was, more or less, perfect for a 4L test. The road-oriented rubber slipped and grappled for traction on the slimy rock surface that lined the bottom of the water body and the Scorpio’s progress was not as sure-footed as we would have liked.

It crossed the stream without any glitch and repeated the feat several times. There was no way the heavy SUV was going to wriggle out if one of the tyres got caught between big rocks under water. One, the car was heavy and two; the water level was constantly on the rise. Just for reference, that particular section would have been a breeze with a Quadro, with its shorter wheelbase and similar four-wheel drive underpinnings.

The Scorpio’s approach angle begs you to climb every other mound you encounter on a slush trail. While anything up to 25-30 degrees can be attempted on low ratio, the near vertical distance you cover at that angle is restricted by gravity.

Descending hills with the Scorpio requires a certain level of skill. You can’t leave the selector in 4WL and expect the machine to go down with the engine ticking away barely above idle. A few of attempts resulted in wheels locking up and the vehicle sliding down helplessly. The key here is never to touch the brakes and carry a certain degree of speed. That, aided by steady and slight steering corrections, will see you yielding to gravity in a safe manner.

The best way to enjoy the Scorpio’s low-range is to slot the car in fourth gear straight away and blast across terrain that most cars would get stuck in no time. Carry enough momentum on that gear and there is nothing much that can bog the Scorpio down.

As far as pure off-roading goes, the Scorpio is no match for the Gypsy King. And if you have to have a very capable four-wheel drive vehicle that drinks diesel, try getting a SWB machine from Mahindra. Act fast before they run out of good old Jeeps completely.  The Scorpio is more competent than the Tata Safari 4×4, and that is because it has a more powerful and torquier direct injection motor propelling it.

Mahindra & Mahindra launched Mahindra Scorpio 2.6 DX on Indian Road. The Scorpio looks right, despite the raised roof and near vertical rear door that was necessitated to liberate interior space. The top-end petrol version gets a colour coded grille that makes the two-tonner look even heavier. The base version will not have all this plastic on its sides, but features deep scalpel slashes that can prove difficult to repair once you dent a panel.

The major difference between the Scorpio and previous Mahindra products is the new ladder type frame chasis which is now made of C-section steel channel long members welded together and tubular cross members. For the first time there is ample leg room for second row passengers in a Mahindra. The DX version has a third bench seat that can seat three fully grown adults in reasonable comfort for shorter journeys. However, that space is better suited for storing your luggage. Near textbook space utilization deserves praise and it is heartening to know that our own designers did the job. The seating position is great; the pedals are at a comfortable reach and the steering wheel easily at hand. 

Gripes aside, the chassis shows good execution in details as does the independent double wishbone front suspension which uses coil springs in the rear wheel drive version and torsion bars in the 4WD version. Suspension at rear is by means of leaf springs. The Scorpio uses disc brakes up front and drums at the rear. The crushing advantage offered by the Bridgestones is another factor to be blended in while sizing up the car from its suspension and chassis set-up point of view as are the steering and the brakes. The Scorpio employs power-assisted rack and pinion steering while the braking system comprises discs up front and drums at the rear with an LSPV integrated into the braking circuit.  

The exterior finish is excellent; the same cannot be said of overall panel fit. Rubber bits used on the exterior just about passes muster. The aluminium running boards, a nice throw back to the Jeep days, are extremely slippery - nothing a shift to good old diamond plate can’t solve. Large wheel arches with massive 15-inch wheels and 235/75 section Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts gives the Scorpio a very purposeful stance.

The instrument console is clean and ergonomically correct. The instruments are borrowed from the Ikon. Clever design also means parts like the air-con vents can be duplicated with no left-right complications. Seats designed with Lear Corporation specifications are firm and comfortable - even for three hour journeys.

Dual tone plastic that has been used inside is surfaced well, but there are edges and cut-lines that show through, especially around the hand brake and seat adjustment levers. A basic Kenwood music system was provided for the 2.6 DX versions, but most Scorpio owners will certainly upgrade to something that sounds better. The air-con system works well thanks to a total of seven vents and is surprisingly noise-free. A lot of hard work has gone into the car’s NVH characteristics and even with a direct injection diesel idling early in the morning, there was a great deal of peace inside the cabin.

The SZ 2600 DI engine is the strength of the Scorpio. Employing a KKK turbocharger, this turbo diesel was developed for Mahindra by famed Austrian engine consultancy AVL from a previous tractor engine it had done for the Mahindra Arjun. An all new direct injection turbo-diesel displaces 2609 CC to produce a chest-thumping 109 bhp at 3800 rpm and 26 kgm of torque as early as 1800 rpm. This motor will soon shed its turbo charger to give birth to a NA variant of the Scorpio 2.6, which is bound to be popular with tourist taxi operators. Also being launched is the Renault-powered petrol version (REV 116) that develops 116 bhp at 5500 rpm and 18.7 kgm of turning force at 3800 clicks. Let us stick to the turbo-diesel for the time being.

The Scorpio rushes from zero to 100kmph in 21.57 seconds and does the quarter mile dash in 21.4 seconds - not exactly setting the strip on fire but eye opening for a vehicle of its class. The car returned 11 kpl on highways and 9 kpl in congested city.

On the move, with the windows down a certain degree of wind and tyre noise intrudes into the cabin, but then there are the four neatly stacked power window switches in the centre console that will solve the problem in seconds. Switchgear works positively and the power window motors can never be termed anaemic.

While noise needs to be eradicated or reduced, surprisingly vibes have been pretty well damped out or slotted into a frequency range which the majority of users will never power their vehicle to or stay in that band for long. On the move the drivability aspect is stupendous, with there being silky smooth power spewing forth as if one was driving a naturally aspirated motor.

Mahindra & Mahindra launched Scorpio CRDe. The CRDe (registered trade mark for common-rail engines from Mahindra, like CDI of Mercedes-Benz and CRDi of Hyundai) unit was necessary for Mahindra to meet the upcoming BSIII emission norms. Equipped with a new fuel-feeding system. The non-CRDe engine from the Mahindra NEF (New Engine Family) will continue to be available in other parts of the country.  Mahindra will continue to build the Sportz if there is enough demand. Other changes to the machine include larger wheels and bigger brakes.

For legal reasons, M&M couldn’t use the name CRDi, and so stuck a CRDe label on the car, the ‘e’ standing, rather unimaginatively, for ‘engine.’ The injection system itself is called the BOSCH Common Rail System or CRS Generation 2.2; injection pressure is 1600 bar, leading M&M to modify the piston bowl to accommodate the higher pressure. The engine block is the same 2609cc unit, but the crankcase and cylinder head have been modified to take the new equipment; both remain cast-iron though.

The chassis hasn’t been changed, but there are larger 16-inch wheels, on slightly lower-profile tyres, which make for marginally sharper handling. Overall though, stability is still an issue, especially given the speeds the Scorp is capable of. It still rolls excessively, pitches around at the rear, and wallows too much. The brakes have been improved with more bite and quicker response, but still lack a linear feel, tending to grab at the last moment. They feel over-servoed as well; stab the brakes and the rear wheels lock up immediately. This is quite a pain, and can get scary if you’re forced to break mid-corner: over-compensate on the brakes and you’ll be punished with a scream from the rear, and an already jiggly rear end stepping happily out of line. The biggest thief of confidence, however, is the over-light steering, which lacks feel, and is telegraph-like in its response and accuracy.

The exhaust manifold was replaced by one made of a new material called Silimoly, which can withstand the 700deg C temperatures generated by the revised engine. There’s also a new foam-type air filter, which lasts for 40,000km, and also reduces the drop in pressure to 20millibar. Other long-lasting components include the new, spin-type fuel filter; oil changes will also be at longer intervals, of 15,000km. The turbo is new as well, the K04 unit replaced by a Borg-Warner K03, which is ‘softer’ and spools up quicker, reducing turbo lag and the abruptness of turbo boost.

A few rough edges of the original Direct Injection engine seem to be ironed out and the torque spread is that much smoother, making gear change transitions almost seamless. The new engine develops 6 bhp more (115 bhp as against 109 bhp) at 3800 rpm and 28.3 kgm of torque (as against 26 kgm) between 1700 and 2200 rpm. A revised gearbox coded NGT 530 (New Generation Transmission, what else) does a good job of sending power to the rear wheels. As in the past, you can always order your Scorpio with the Borg Warner Electric 4WD system. As you would expect, the performance is not dramatically better, but it returned a healthy 0-60 kph in 6.13 seconds and touched 100 kph in 17 seconds. Not bad, since the old DI engine took almost seven seconds for the shorter sprint and all of 21.23 seconds for the 100 kph run.

The gearbox hasn’t been changed much, except for a taller third gear, the ratio increased to 1.38:1 for better fuel consumption; however, the gearlever’s action has been improved, and though it’s still not very precise, the metallic clicking of the old box has gone, and the throw is slightly shorter as well. The taller third makes life easier on the highway, where it feels perfect for overtaking, but it’s perhaps a bit too tall for the city, making you drop down into second a bit too often, despite the higher torque.

The Scorpio has always been fun to drive; it has commanded every ounce and more all the road presence it deserves. It always had a huge chink in its armor, that of its ride. As stated earlier, it made this 2.5ton gollaith rather nervous on the highways. Overall, the change is very successful, and although the common rail advantage could have been stretched further, it does its job in getting the Scorpio up to Bharat-III norms, and making it more drivable and refined.

In new Mahindra Scorpio Turbo 2.6 GLX, the front grille has been altered and a revised number plate position means the air-dam covered by sporty wire-mesh is now very visible. This was done so that the temperature inside the engine compartment is kept low.

The new upholstery is refreshing and the seats, especially the middle row ones, have been improved considerably to provide a sense of space and more leg room. Front seat passengers now get arm rests and slightly firmer and hence more comfortable seats.

Its seating position is taller than normal cars and the body on chassis nature of the Scorpio ensures that passengers do move around a bit in tandem with the expected body roll.  The latest round of suspension tweaks revolved around providing better middle and rear seat ride quality and from our stint with the new Scorpio, they have succeeded in that.

A rather fundamental change was made to the engine - the new chain drive motor, designated SZ 2600 Plus Diesel Turbo DI, and has done wonders for the NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) characteristics of the Scorpio. Not that there was much criticism on this front to begin with, but the oil burner has been further refined. Even after a cold start, the engine note does not intrude into the cabin and irritate you. Though Mahindra insists the engine is ‘new’, the output figures remain the same, ie; 109 bhp at 3800 rpm and 26 kgm of torque at 1800 clicks. The rear axle ratio has been changed from 4.55 to 3.33 in search for those additional few kpl.

Mahindra & Mahindra injected a dose of Botox into its design. The front bumper’s got two big air-dams and besides keeping the splash from the tyres off the fender, it works with the neat bonnet scoop, ski rack and the rear spoiler to lend a sporty look to the car. The rear end has also been firmed up with tail lamps that work their way to the roof.

Mahindra claims that the new Scorpio is built around customer’s needs. The legroom complaints have been taken care of with middle row seats that slide. They’ve got new vents up front on the dash. The centre console has been remoulded to store more coffee cups and perhaps a GPS as well, while the door panels have got more room for your maps and other bits. It’s not like those additions are going to influence anybody’s buying decision, but the finish which is a notch above the previous Scorpio’s, definitely will.

The new Scorpio is having some state-of-the-art twin-turbo motor whining under the hood. It has the 2609cc four-cylinder turbocharged common-rail engine. Although a few minor changes have been made to the engine mounting points to reduce the NVH levels. The CRDe engine, which was introduced last March on the old Scorpio, churns out 28.3 kgm of torque at just 1700 rpm and unleashes 115 bhp at the rear wheels while returning consistent double digit fuel economy figures.

The steering feels more connected and the car is responding to inputs which are a big improvement from its predecessor. It has the alloy-wearing tubeless Bridgestone’s tyres. The brakes were another area that Mahindra could have worked on; it could have inspired a bit more confidence.