Mahindra Scorpio Classic Review: More Than A Machine

The OG Scorpio has a lot of room for improvement, but the appeal of this car goes beyond logical reasoning 

The Mahindra Scorpio Classic is one of the biggest and the most rugged cars in its price range. Priced from Rs 13.62 lakh to Rs 17.42 lakh (ex-showroom), the ladder-on-frame rear-wheel-drive SUV offers muscular looks, spacious cabin, and basic useful features, but to some it might feel outdated or overpriced. It has no direct rivals in the market, and can be considered a rugged alternative to compact SUVs like Hyundai Creta, Maruti Grand Vitara, and Volkswagen Taigun.

Exterior

The Scorpio is a BIG car, and its size along with the rugged design results in a dominating road presence. It doesn't matter if you are driving in the city or on the highway, people will notice you and will most probably keep their distance. Compared to the Scorpio N, it is also slightly taller, which adds to its macho road presence.

Due to its looks and size, no one would want to cut you off on the road, people would give way, and no one would want to be in front of you. This car not only had a good road presence, but also respect on the road, which no other car in its price can offer, and makes it stand out.

Boot Space

There is a lot of space for your luggage in the Scorpio. If you lift the third row seats up, you can easily store an entire suitcase set (small, medium, and large), and will still have space left for smaller soft bags. 

If in case you have more suitcases, or you are using the Scorpio for transportation, you can tumble down the second row completely, which gives you all the space you need.

Interior

First of all, the Scorpio is a big car, which makes ingress a little difficult. There is a side step outside, which helps, and it won’t be hard for young people to climb inside. But for older people, getting in and out of the Scorpio will require some effort.

But once you get in, you’ll notice the cabin comes in a plain beige theme, with some wooden and gloss black elements on the dashboard and centre console for contrast. Scorpio is a boxy and rugged car, and we expect a car like this to have such interiors, with old and retro design. However, this is not a bad thing, because this cabin very neatly compliments the muscular exterior.

Even the quality of the materials used in the cabin is good to some extent. The plastic on top of the dashboard does not feel scratchy, and even the rest of the dashboard is made of a textured material, which feels nice to touch. Even the buttons on the steering wheel and centre console are solid and have a tactile feel.

However, two things could have been better. First, there isn’t a lot of soft touch padding inside the cabin, and while you do not expect a lot of premium materials in such a car, padding on the door pads could have been a nice addition. Second, the inside door handles are made of cheap plastic and feel very light. These two things should have been focused on, and they can have a negative impact on your cabin experience.

Coming to the front seats, they are comfortable, spacious, and provide a good amount of underthigh support. Due to the height of the car, when you sit in the driver’s seat, you get a commanding position. Also, both the driver and the front passenger get individual armrests.

However, these seats don’t hold you very well, and you experience a lot of movement when driving on poor roads. Also, while there is the option of manual height adjustment, the door and the seat are pretty close, which makes using the adjustment level a little uncomfortable, and if you’re not careful, you can also end up hurting your hand.

Features

The feature list of the Scorpio Classic isn't that big, and you only get the basics for your everyday use. In the centre of the dashboard, there is a 9-inch touchscreen Infotainment system, which when you use for the first time, you'll realise that this is actually an aftermarket tablet running on Android.

While this screen runs smoothly with little to no lag, it is not as quick and responsive as modern day touchscreens that you see in other cars. Now this screen does not support Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, but it comes with bluetooth support, and screen mirroring, which you can use to play music or run navigation. For a car in 2024, a proper infotainment system would have been ideal, but what you get is also not so bad.

Apart from this screen, you also get automatic climate control, and cruise control. Rest of the features are basic like all power windows and steering mounted controls.

The feature list of this car does not seem that big, but the purpose of this SUV is functionality not convenience, and we don't expect many features from it. However, the practicality of the Scorpio Classic could have been better.

Practicality & Charging Options 

The front doors do not get any bottle holders, and it gets a small glovebox. In the centre console, you get two cup holders, an anti-slip pad to keep your phone, and a tray behind the gear level to keep your keys or wallet.

The second row passengers get door bottle holders, seat back pockets, and two cup holders under the rear AC vents. But, these cup holders are tilted, so you can't keep anything here that does not have a lid. Lastly, there are no storage options in the third row.

The charging options could also have been better. In the front, you get a 12V socket and a USB type-A port, and that's it. There are no charging options in the second and third row, which should have been present for the convenience of rear seat occupants.

2nd Row Seats

The bench seat in the second row feels more like a sofa. The cushioning is soft, there is ample amount of headroom, knee room and legroom. But, the best part is the underthigh support, which is great here, and keeps the passenger comfortable.

Due to the width of the cars, you have good space for three passengers in the second row, and the white upholstery along with the big window and seat height, provides good overall visibility.

There is only one issue here, which is the central armrest. This armrest is placed pretty low, so when you pull it out, your hand doesn't rest properly on it, resulting in a little discomfort. But apart from that, there is no other problem in the second row, and you will remain comfortable here.

3rd Row Seats 

The third row, on the other hand, is not so great. These seats are side facing, too small, and you won't want to sit here as sitting here is not comfortable. Also, the third row does not get seatbelts, so sitting here isn't safe either.

Our recommendation is that you only use these seats if you don't have any other alternative, and that too for a short distance.

However, Mahindra does offer the Scorpio Classic with front facing third row seats, and a 9-seater configuration, so if you have a big family, you can pick one of those.

Safety 

Just like the feature list, the safety kit of the Scorpio Classic is also pretty basic. It comes with dual front airbags, ABS, front seatbelt reminders, and rear parking sensors.

Also, its last crash test was done in 2016 at Global NCAP where it received a 0-star safety rating. So Mahindra should really focus on improving the safety quotient of the Scorpio Classic, as it is one of their most popular SUVs.

Performance

The performance of the Scorpio Classic is pretty great and won't make you complain. It comes with a powerful 2.2-litre diesel engine, which is paired with a 6-speed manual transmission.

You don't feel any lack of power when driving inside the city, and you can easily overtake other vehicles without having to plan them in advance. Also, you can drive this car inside the city in 2nd or 3rd gear easily, without having the need to change gears that often. And on the highways, the power feels enough to go to high speeds and for quick and effortless overtakes.

One more thing, when you are driving this on broken roads or dusty patches, you actually enjoy the power. This ladder-on-frame SUV can easily go over dusty and muddy patches, and looks good while doing so. But, keep in mind that it doesn't get four-wheel-drive, so try not to get too adventurous.

However, there are two things that you have to face when driving inside the city, especially in traffic or at slow speeds. First is the clutch, which is hard and has a lot of travel. In traffic, constant operation of this clutch can leave you with some pain in your left knee. Second is the steering wheel, which also feels hard at slow speeds, and taking turns at those speeds requires some effort. Other than that, the driving experience of the Scorpio Classic will not leave you wanting more.

Ride & Handling 

The ride comfort on the other hand, does leave you wanting more. It is better than what it used to be, but there is still room for improvement. Whether you're driving in the city or on the highway, you can feel every crack and uneven patches, which won't cause any major discomfort, but will still be noticeable.

When driving on broken roads in the city, the suspensions do absorb the jerks, but some of the movement is transferred to the cabin. The driver and the passengers move around a lot in the cabin, which causes some discomfort.

When on the highway, sudden lane change results in heavy body roll, which also reduces passenger comfort. Overall, the ride quality and handling could have been better, but it is still liveable.

Verdict 

Choosing the Scorpio Classic over any other SUV in its price is the decision of the heart not the mind. If you want a car with a great road presence, which holds respect on the road, and gives you a sense of power and authority, then the Scorpio Classic will be great for you, and it can give all that you want.

But, respect and road presence is not all, and expectations from a car also include comfort, good features, and good safety, which in 2024, shouldn't be something to compromise on. Mahindra itself offers all of that in a similar price, in the Scorpio N, and you can pick one of its mid-spec variants for a better overall package, that will not only keep you happy, but will also keep your family satisfied.