New  Mahindra Scorpio

New 2014 Mahindra Scorpio Review: Buffed-up Brute

New 2014 Mahindra Scorpio (46)

After much ado, the new 2014 Mahindra Scorpio has finally graced us with its presence. Before rants start about it being old wine in a new bottle, Mahindra clears the air by claiming that considerable mechanical changes hide under that re-tweaked body, changes that make the big old girl ride better, handle better and come across as a more appealing SUV. Let’s find out

Styling and Finish

New 2014 Mahindra Scorpio (76)

The familiar Scorpio shape remains but has been refurbished in parts. The front fascia is all-new and styled with romp. The grille is a fresh take on the trademark Mahindra toothy job, with floating slats bearing chrome highlights at the backdrop of a huge mesh portion. Those, along with a slim chrome lip make the grille give the front a suave, yet imposing look. Eyebrow style Daytime Running Lamps and a pair of projector lamps can be found nestled within the large, wraparound headlamps. The bumper is all new as well and has been smartly styled with minimal fuss- no stupid bumper extensions and unnecessaty clutter. A properly sized air dam gives company to the front scruff plate- all of which contribute to the butch looks. Also, the front bumper neatly wraps and integrates itself with the front wheel arch flare. The bonnet is new as well, and has been given revised, smarter surfacing along with a functional hood scoop.

New 2014 Mahindra Scorpio (49)

The sides have been retained from the old car- no sheet metal changes here, apart from a rather, cheesy looking fake vent on the flanks that’s littered with M-Hawk badges.  The side cladding continues with the familiar Scorpio plaque in raised lettering, but now it’s finished in a silver hue regardless of the body color. There are a newly designed set of 17 inch, five spoke alloy wheels as well, which look the part.

New 2014 Mahindra Scorpio (71)

Moving on to the rear, the new Scorpio gets a pair of newly styled, LED tail lamps which, though resting in the same old nacelle, gets a more edgier character rather than the round units from the last Scorpio. Highlights include Scorpio lettering inside the clusters and a little blue on the reverse alert lamps. The sky high reflector strips above the tail lamps from before have been replaced with new matt finished elements which look like grab handles at first sight, but they aren’t- we’re not quite sure what they are. The tail gate has been revised thoroughly with a large matt black panel which bears the number plate, rear handle and all the tell tale badges running across.

New 2014 Mahindra Scorpio (40)

Overall levels of fit and finish are acceptable and don’t flatter too much. The rear tail gate still has those ugly hinges which stick out like a sore thumb and the rear window defogger has exposed wiring which doesn’t come across as great detailing.

Interior & Ergonomics

New Mahindra Scorpio Dashboard (3)

Step, or rather climb up inside and it’s a whole new world. Gone are the wonky, oval HVAC vents and other childish design elements. The dashboard design is completely new and now gets a dollop of contemporary style and a dual tone color scheme. The centre console is rather smart, with boxy HVAC vents, the 6” touch screen infotainment system with Bluetooth/CD/DVD/Aux analogous to the one in the XUV500.

New Mahindra Scorpio glove-box (1)

Below that lie a couple of smart rotary knobs along with a few nice re-assuring buttons for the automatic climate control system, the Micro Hybrid tech amongst other things. A prominent, raised Scorpio plaque is stuck to the dashboard on the co-passenger side, positioned below the left HVAC vent near the not-so-large glove box. Like all Mahindra’s, a tall gear lever makes its presence felt- this one though had a brushed chrome finished knob going with the up market theme. The middle row occupants’ gets a blast of cool because of the additional air vents but the third row stays high and dry- what with no roof-mounted A/C vents.

New 2014 Mahindra Scorpio interiors (8)

Instrumentation is all new as well and features a twin pod setup which tries to put a little funk into life. The elements in the dials look like shards of Energon crystal from the Transformers’. There’s also a small digital display between the dials called the Driver Information System which show the trip/odo meter, fuel gauge, temperature gauge and a gear indicator.

New 2014 Mahindra Scorpio interiors (24)

The steering is also new and chunky, and feels great to hold. It also features controls for the infotainment system and the cruise control

The seats are nice and supportive. The ones on the front receive a retractable arm rest each while the drivers’ throne gets a height adjustment feature – however the arm rest on the drivers’ seat fouls with the hand when taking a sharp left turn. The high-set upright driving position gives off that intimidating feel as well. The rear bench seat is adequately comfy with good under thigh support and a good backrest angle. It also comes with a rather slim retractable arm rest in the middle- no captain seats here, even on the top end S10 variant. The third row gets midget-specific jumps seats.

New Mahindra Scorpio Dashboard (4)

 The interiors retain that spaciousness all around with generous amounts of headroom and legroom for the first two rows. The middle row, though not split, can be folded flat and the rear jump seats can also be stowed away, making way for a cavernous space for some outdoorsy gear.

Fit and finish levels have moved eons ahead from the last Scorpio. While there are still a few loose ends, like the deplorable, clumsy inside door handles/pulls, the interiors look remarkably well put together for a Mahindra. Storage inside the cabin is nothing to write home about. The lack of bottle holders in the door pads is mildly displeasing and the place around the gear lever definitely could have been better utilized for generating space for storing more knick-knacks. Two 12V chargers are around- one in the front and one at the back.

>>Next page for more features and details of the 2014 Mahindra Scorpio>>

7 thoughts on “New 2014 Mahindra Scorpio Review: Buffed-up Brute”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top