Why I chose the Scorpio-N Z6 over the XUV 700 & Tata Safari

The increased power, driving modes and Adrenox on the Z6 were all worth the premium over Z4.

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Prologue: I have been a long term (non-member) reader of the TeamBHP blogs for all my wheels including a Ford Figo, Suzuki Ertiga, Yamaha R15 and BMW 310GS as well as casual reading on travel and reviews. A heartfelt thanks for all the good reads and all the previous posts in this thread that helped me zero in on the ScorpioN. So here I am, as a member, writing my first post to share my experience.

I will tell you this, I was not in the market for a bulky rowdy SUV, and Scorpio-N was the last car on my mind. So here goes the roller coaster of events that landed me on Scorpio-N..

With the aging 2010 petrol Ford Figo due for a replacement, I was out looking for the next family car. I was initially open to a pre-loved car but my family managed to convince me to go for a brand new one.

The criteria that I had set for the car hunt was –

• Budget of ~18-20 Lacs.
• Maximum possible safety features I can afford in the budget (high on priority).
• Non-demanding driver friendly car (I’m not a regular commuter but my father and sister are. So, a car with ease of drivability was a must).
• Preferably 7-seater or a spacious 5-seater.
• Good ASC support and network.
• Good ground clearance (Got traumatized due to my Figo scraping the bottom at every speed breaker and pothole… So much so that the gearbox had chipped off on a horrible patch).
• Should not run out of breath on bad roads and hills (Some traveling to my native place with broken roads).
• Good highway stability and acceptable fuel efficiency (Lot of family road trips planned around India).
• Should give a premium experience for the passengers (the reason for targeting mid to top variants… Base variants were out of question)

As I wanted to be well informed before walking into any of the showrooms, after a lot of research, peer discussions and quite a lot of man-hours spent on YT & TBHP, I stepped out one fine weekend with my wife for some showroom visits.

Below is a list of all the cars considered in the sequence of which test drives were taken (going to try and keep this short):

MG Astor – I was absolutely and blindly in love with this car and was sure I will end up buying this for its very stylish design, class-leading premium interiors (esp. the panoramic sunroof), sturdy build quality. But the test drive of the CVT & MT variant was very disappointing, it simply lacked the punch for a 1.5L inline-4. Additionally, my wife felt the cabin was narrow as it tapered towards the front. Also, the rear row was not suitable for 3 adults.

MG Hector – Great premium SUV design and spacious on the inside. User FE reviews were very discouraging, and the center console was not easy to use to say the least, I prefer physical toggles and dials.

VW Taigun / VW Virtus – Loved both the cars in Curcuma Yellow and test driving the GT DSG variants slapped a huge stupid smile on my face. Rejected the VWs as rear row for Taigun was not suitable for 3 adults and Virtus was not roof rack compatible (if ever needed a top box).

Skoda Kushaq / Slavia – Liked Kushaq over Taigun for its design. I did not bother with a test drive as the engine was already tested in VW counterparts. Rejected for similar space issues in the rear row like VWs, and anyways liked the VWs better for their design.

Hyryder/ Grand Vitara – The design and true hybrid drivetrain was very appealing at first. However, in reality it was a rude shock to see how poor the quality of interior was for a 20 lac+ “SUV”. Further, the test drive of the hybrid wasn’t doing it any favors.. I could hear every small pebble hitting the underbody. Final nail in the coffin was the horrible shrill noise the 3-cylinder made during quick overtakes. Absolutely disappointing when compared with the beautiful Honda City Hybrid. Hyryder in comparison did not seem worth at all.

Kia Seltos / Hyundai Creta – Liked Seltos facelift over the outgoing Creta for design. Rejected both by family for safety concerns and design preference.

Note: At this point we were leaning more towards Taigun and weren’t seriously considering D segment SUVs.

Thar – Rejected for not being truly a family friendly car

Scorpio-N – Just a quick look around of the show vehicle had us hooked, keeping aside the obvious size and commanding seating, what was really impressing was the quality/fit & finish of the relatively premium interior as well as comparatively softer design language compared to the classic. I was astonished after test driving the diesel AT & MT and Petrol AT. Having driven the classic on road trips in the past… I had little expectations from this one.

However, in reality I was impressed with how easy it was to drive despite its size. The power, the confidence to drive without a care for bad roads, amazing suspension for rear passengers as well (unlike classic), very little body roll, stability at high speeds, short gear lever, smooth gear shifts, very light clutch, adaptive steering and low NVH levels were some of the many positives this car brought to the table. Most of all, I truly believed it truly suited all my needs with some of the most value for money mid variants.

XUV700 – A very premium car with better fit/finish than Scorpio-N although the monocoque was not so great on the bad patches.

By this time after a lot of TDs over 2/3 weeks, we shifted our stance from C-SUVs that were only just squared up hatchbacks/coupes and almost all of them had abysmal rear row space. As well as decided to go for a MT just for the sheer pleasure of it, as most probably will have to buy another small EV to replace Ertiga in the near future anyways.

Tata Harrier / Safari – At onset we realized these two were the only true competitors to the Scorpio-N. Boasting great design, interiors, build quality and the gem of a monocoque chassis there was no reason to not go for these. Except, during the test drive I realized the ORVMs were way too small for a car this size. Also, the overall view from the drivers was a bit hindered due to the tad bit low seating comparatively. Also, seemed overpriced considering facelift was due soon, and the dealership wouldn’t budge on any kind of discount. So these were eventually dropped.

Scorpio-N Booking Experience

After doing a lot of back and forth.. whether to go for a diesel or a petrol, finally decided to book Z4 D MT (E) i.e. variant with ESP, Hill descent and traction control. ESP was a must for me as a safety feature due to the higher center of gravity of this beast.

Interesting thing is none of the dealers across India (Pune, Mumbai, Nashik, Chandigarh, Delhi) that I called had the E variant listed in their price lists. Surprisingly, none of them were even aware that such a variant exists. A couple dealers also tried to sell me the Non-E Z4 variant saying that ESP is now standard on Z4. I tried confirming this with Mahindra customer care and found that the Z4 (E) variant should be technically available with dealers as it was available to book online. An email complaint was lodged, although I got no response. However, this was a blessing in disguise as I would realize later.

Next best VFM option was Z6 D MT which I booked and had it delivered (non-intro price). The increased power, driving modes and Adrenox were all worth the premium over Z4. Have been thoroughly enjoying driving the car since I got the delivery last month.

Much is to like about the Scorpio-N so here are some misses / niggles that I feel are bugging me in the Z6 MT:

• Rear washer wasn’t working from Day 1 (waiting for 1st service to resolve)
• Vanity mirror and Auto IRVM are petty omissions.
• Sorely miss the telescopic adjustment for steering.
• The middle seat of the 2nd row is way too stiff to be comfortable.
• Much has been said about the 3rd row already in this thread.
• Zip mode seems to do little to increase FE in urban jungle, don’t understand the point of it, except for stop-n-go traffic maybe.
• Rear camera that I bought as an official accessory is pathetic.

OEM/Aftermarket Accessories Installed –

• Genuine Alloy Wheels (such a waste of good steel wheels though)
• Official Rear Camera (useless)
• Illuminating scuff plates (looks cool)
• 3M flooring (carpets are nightmare to deep clean)
• 3M underbody rust coating (Rust is car cancer, cannot go overboard with this)
• Aftermarket (though Genuine) fog lamps – having weird issues where the fog lamp doesn’t turn off even after locking the car.. However, turning on the follow-me-home low beam from the key and then turning it off the same way seems to do the trick. I had a real panic attack with this one where I thought it was going to drain the battery. Also, with fog lamps being installed aftermarket I cannot find the option to turn the DRLs off/on through the infotainment system. Has anyone else faced this?
• Aftermarket 75W LEDs, halogens were not good enough for the nighttime non-illuminated roads.
• Aftermarket 70mai TPMS
• Aftermarket parking sensors
• Planning to get PPF done on the white Scorpio-N soon, against very well-intentioned suggestions in the respective threads. More on this and car detailing later in a different post.
• Seat covers and interior work pending

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

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