News24.com | Worth the wait! We drive Mahindra's redesigned Scorpio N 4x4, and it's surprisingly impressive

• If you want a ladder-frame seven-seater SUV, Mahindra has a compelling alternative with its second-generation Scorpio.
• It might not have a lot of ground clearance, but the platform engineering is rugged, and its traction assistance systems work properly.
• We drove the new release from Mahindra on one of South Africa's most testing 4x4 routes in the scorching summer heat.

A decade can be a long time when you are waiting for your favourite football team to regain form. But 10 years can be a sincere measure of progress.

We've become so accustomed to the contracted product cycles of all things tech that improvements are expected in months, weeks and minutes instead of years.

And that's where the Mahindra Scorpio N is an Indian vehicle of significance. And no, we don't think Hyundai will launch a legal challenge to Mahindra using the "N" suffix...

Mahindra's bakkie range is respected as a bargain overlander option by committed 4x4 enthusiasts. A lot of that is because of its unitary focus. Mahindra spends all its engineering and design R&D on bakkies and SUVs instead of fielding a broad portfolio that includes hatchbacks, sedans and crossovers.

With the Scorpio N, Mahindra is keen to prove that it offers something valid and unique in the local SUV market.

Is this a cheaper Fortuner?

Ladder-frame SUVs are hugely popular in South Africa. Toyota's Fortuner is effectively the country's most popular upper-middle-class family car. With RAV4 not far behind, although it's a monocoque, riding on a raised version of the Corolla platform.

Scorpio N straddles the divide between Fortuner and RAV4. It's smaller than the former but greatly more off-road capable than the latter. Ladder-frame SUVs might lack the agility and vibration suppression of a monocoque, but they are enormously durable and appropriate for off-road use. And if you are journeying a lot of dirt road mileage, any ladder-frame vehicle is much less fragile to compound wear, which is a given travelling across corrugated South African dirt roads.

READ | Mahindra's new XUV700 is packed with impressive tech and set to disrupt the local SUV market

Mahindra's Scorpio N looks great. The first-generation Scorpio was an ungainly thing, with oversized bumper mouldings and some bizarrely stacked taillights. Mahindra's second-generation Scorpio is subtler, with a subdued grille, smaller headlights and much cleaner body panel stampings.

The cabin architecture is functional

Inside, it's a world of tidy switchgear, with a sensible distribution of touchscreen interfacing and physical controls.

The touchscreen measures 8 inches across and hosts Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality. A Snapdragon SD6 processor helps it to fulfil commands swiftly.

Mahindra knows the annoyance drivers and passengers suffer when traversing dirt roads or rough off-road terrain and trying to control infotainment of HVAC functions with a touchscreen. Therefore, most core adjustment functions have a physical button, tab or dial. This is the correct UX design for an all-terrain vehicle, and something luxury German brands fail at miserably.

The Scorpio N's seats are slightly underpadded, but that's only going to become an issue if you are doing five- to seven-hour driving stints, which are rare.

What's it like to drive?

Mahindra knows that Scorpio N owners will drive most of their vehicle mileage on highways and urban byways.

Ladder-frame SUVs can suffer from poor steering responsiveness and directional stability on textured roads. To counter that, the Scorpio N has a Watt-link added to its rear suspension, which prevents it from being badly unsettled by bumps and tramline cracks. It's a similar solution to what Ford uses in the Everest – and it works.

Mahindra's 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine is mildly potent, producing 128kW and 400Nm. It shifts via a six-speed Aisin automatic transmission, and the Scorpio N is an entirely decent cruiser with fair overtaking acceleration. The new version offers a vastly improved on-road driving experience compared to the first-generation Scorpio.

Is it good off-road?

Mahindra isn't shy about Scorpio N's intended abilities. We were allowed to test at Klein Tafelberg, a notoriously severe 4x4 route on the West Coast. With temperatures hovering near 40 degrees Celsius, the sandy climbs were especially treacherous, and transmission cooling was tested to the limit.

I selected first gear, high range, for most of the route. Third gear, low range, was just a touch too short for the steep sand track climbs. As experienced 4x4 drivers know, the moment you shift on a sandy trail in 40-degree heat, you lose too much momentum and will churn to a halt.

The Scorpio N cleared all Klein Tafelberg's features with ease. Mahindra's rugged 4x4 legacy is evident in how this SUV tolerates full-throttle abuse. The electric steering is very quick for a ladder-frame SUV. This is a massive advantage in sand driving when you need to make rapid adjustments sliding through corners without the benefit of any terrain feedback.

Electric power steering is hated by driving purists, and they have a point. When you are driving a performance car on road cut slicks with a low centre of gravity on Franschhoek Pass, you want all the mechanical feedback possible. But in sand driving, there's no terrain feedback. You need the lightest, quickest possible steering interventions. And this is paradoxically where electric power steering is valuable.

In low range, the rear differential lock activates on demand. It's a clever system with excellent calibration, delivering locked rear axle traction when required without artificially bloating the Scorpio N's turning circle when it's not needed.

What doesn't it do well?

There was some drivetrain vibration in the low range when parked or resting on the brakes at an awkward angle, descending rockier parts of the Klein Tafelberg route. But after a punishing day's driving, the Scorpion N felt unbothered and cruised back to Cape Town on the R27 without a rattle or niggle.

Ground clearance isn't amazing at only 187mm, much less than a Fortuner. In very technical rocky terrain, you need to be mindful of your driving lines.

Scorpio N's 57-litre fuel tank is also smaller than a Fortuner's, which is range enabled by an 80-litre fuel capacity.

Whether touring between Gauteng and the coast or venturing on an overland adventure through the Karoo, Botswana or Namibia, fuel range isn't a thing. Until it is, and that's why the ladder-frame SUVs Scorpio N is segmented with; they have fuel tanks that are 70 litres or larger.

The value offering is real

But the Scorpio N does offer a very compelling Venn diagram between the spheres of capability and value.

The Scorpio N Z4 4x2 prices at R465 000, followed by the Z8 version, with superior cabin trim and infotainment, at R510 000.

If you want the Z8 version in 4x4, that will be R560 000, with the range peaking at R590 000, for the Z8L version. What does the Z8L offer in addition to a Scorpio N Z8? Wireless charging, powered front seats, a rear-view camera and 12-speaker Sony sound system.

Bargain Fortuner or Tank 300 rival?

Mahindra's second-generation Scorpio N launches into an ignored product niche: ladder-frame SUVs smaller than Fortuner but larger than Jimny.

GWM will have a rival of its own arriving in a few months, with the Tank 300. But GWM's rugged SUV lacks a diesel engine option, which is the preferred powertrain configuration for South African 4x4 buyers.

There's also the Scorpio N's third-row seating, which Tank 300 doesn't offer, although those rearmost seats are only suitable for small kids on short journeys. But that's when they are most often used, right?

The Scorpio N range roll road-biased Apollo tyres. They are sized 255/60 on 18-inch alloy wheels, with an option for 245/65s on 17-inch alloy or steel rims. And the latter is what you ideally want for a vehicle of Scorpio N's aptitude.

Regardless of spec, I'd lean quite hard on a dealer to provide a Scorpio N, rolling 245/65/17s, instead of the 18-inch wheels. The ride quality benefits on potholed roads, and off-road driving traction advantages are significant with the smaller wheel and larger tyre combination.

A decade makes a difference in product design and brand building. And two decades after the launch of the first-generation Scorpio, this new version shows how far Mahindra has evolved as a brand.