The Mahindra Scorpio-N has finally been launched in India with prices starting at Rs 11.99 lakh. It’s available in both 2WD and 4WD guises as well as with petrol and diesel power, the former a first for the Scorpio range in India. Now post the launch of the Scorpio, we have laid out the important dates for you about the car, explained the variant details and now here is how it stands up to its immediate competition.
The fully loaded Scorpio-N get features like touchscreen infotainment with an 8.0-inch display, dual-zone climate control, leatherette upholstery, digital instrument cluster, power driver’s seat, and LED headlamps and front and rear cameras.
On the engine front, you get the 2.0-litre GDi mStallion turbo-petrol producing 197bhp/370Nm/380Nm for AT. The diesel is also a 2.0-litre unit available in two states of tune, 130bhp and 300Nm, and 172bhp and 370Nm/400Nm for the automatic versions. Transmission options include a six-speed manual and automatic units, with a 4WD only in the diesel versions.
The Hyundai Creta is the king of this segment and it intersects the Scorpio-N in its mid-level and lower spec variants. It’s evenly matched with the Scorpio-N in terms of features both inside and outside. Highlights here include a touchscreen infotainment system, Bluelink connected car technology, digital cluster, power driver’s seat, button start, leatherette upholstery, LED headlamps and tail lamps as well as a 360-degree camera system.
The Scorpio-N has an upper hand because it is a much larger car with three rows of seating across all versions, has bigger petrol and diesel engines and offers AT options for both fuel types. The higher diesel versions of the Scorpio-N even get a 4WD system and they stand against the Alcazar which is the next step from the Creta.
The Kia Seltos like its cousin, the Hyundai Creta is a feature-loaded car with elements like a 10-inch display for the touchscreen infotainment system, TPMS, power driver’s seat, air purifier, UVO connected car technology, 360-degree camera, LED headlamps and tail lamps. You also get a special version of the Seltos called the X line that gets 18-inch wheels and a matte paint scheme.
The Scorpio-N scores higher in terms of space, powertrain output and presence thanks to the larger size but the Seltos also stands up due to the presence that the X Line offers.
Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq
Volkswagen’s D-SUV arrived in the market in late 2021 while the Skoda Kushaq was launched in mid-2021. These are their first products under the Indian 2.0 programme and were showcased in concept form at the 2020 Auto Expo.
The Taigun and Kushaq might be smaller cars in terms of size but match up to the Scorpio-N in terms of features and to a certain extent presence thanks to the sporty GT variant in the Taigun and the Monte Carlo version for the Kushaq. The Scorpio-N, over the Taigun and Kushaq, offers diesel power with automatic options as well as a full-fledged 4WD system in the higher-spec diesel models.
The Tata Harrier is one of the larger cars in the segment and matches up to the Scorpio-N in terms of presence, diesel powertrain options and feature list. The Scorpio-N has an advantage in terms of having a petrol powertrain lineup and also offers 4WD in its diesel lineup.
The MG Astor much like most other cars in the segment is smaller in terms of presence, engine options and overall size as compared to the Scorpio-N but holds its own due to the features it offers. The fully loaded Astor gets ADAS functionality which is a first in the segment and is at autonomous Level-2. Its arsenal includes lane keep assist, speed assist, front collision warning, adaptive cruise control, rear-drive assist and intelligent headlamp control.
