My Scorpio VLX - Powered by mHAWK !!!

Here are the pics. Till now, the car is terrific. A detailed review will follow soon.

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new accessories:
carryboy front guard and blackened B & C pillars
here is my response:
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300 kms review:

now, i wont call this a review, but here are some things i noticed in the first 300 kms with my car:

+ tyre pressure sensor is good, accurate with only a negligible error.
+ reverse sensors work well, shows even the direction of obstacle and detects even the corners of the bumper.
+ cruise control is working fine, no issues there.
+ engine is very very refined, its all go and no show! amazing acceleration with zero vibrations.
+ features like theatre style illumination & headlights which stay on for 30 seconds after you remote lock the car add to the "feel good" factor of the car.
+ the voice assist system reminds you of everything from low fuel to seat belt, door open, low brake fluid, handbrake engaged and what not!
+ the lights on the footpegs are nice and do help.
+ driver's window has auto up/down feature with anti-pinch which goes down automatically as it senses an obstacle. nice.
+ automatic headlights are working fine, but does get switched on if the car is parked in a shed even in daytime.

- there is some vibration from the gear lever in the 3rd gear. have to get it checked in its 1st service.
- there is a strange sound like "whoa" from the car. it is not sounding like a defect or rattle. its like the car is purposely making that noise as a reminder or caution, but we cant figure out what it is!
- the ride though good, should have been better.
- small shortcomings which i already knew like absence of cruise control indication and electric side view mirrors.
- automatic wipers work fine but does not stop as soon as the glass is dry. this is mentioned even in the manual as the sensor senses even little drops on the windshield.
850 kms review:* because of the rains in mumbai, i could check my car's automatic wipers. they are working perfect, quite contrary to what i read in some reviews. switches on/off automatically and increases/decreases speed according to the intensity of rain. the only grouse is a mild clicking sound can be heard from the sensors's receiver located under the front seat. i dont know whether its normal, anyways have to get it checked in the first service.
* the strange noise like "whoa" which i mentioned earlier is still present. now we are sure that its not a defect as we have heard it even when the car is not moving but we have no idea what it is trying to convey!
* if the scorpio is remote locked, then it should be unlocked only with the remote as the engine immobiliser get activated. any attempt to open it with a key will trigger the alarm and the engine wont start. if your remote battery is dead, then you can open the car with a key. to stop the alarm, there is a button in the glovebox. turn on the ignition, press this button and turn off the ignition. repeat this procedure five times. this is the way to enter your password. your default password is "11111". you can even change your password!
* there is a small procedure you have to do when you have a flat tyre. the TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system) indicates with a beep and red light that you have a flat tyre and also indicates which tyre is flat. first manually swap the tyre with the spare. then press the mode button on the TPMS twice for 5 seconds. it will beep to acknowledge your request that you have swapped the respective tyres.
* in my 7 seater version, mahindra has pulled back the middle seats a bit behind resulting in more leg space in the middle seats.
* i dint like the fitting of the panel behind the steering wheel. looks like it has been cut with a knife! rest is ok.
* we use premium diesel by indian oil and bharat petroleum. its working fine. engine is smooth and refined.
* the vibration which i mentioned in the gear lever still persists and is only in the 3rd gear. has to get it checked too.

lastly though i am very impressed with my new car, my hand is itching to press the throttle real hard and to exploit the engine's full potential. wish i get the first service done soon. i wanna feel the power of that 120 horses.
5000 kms, 1st service update:

PART DESCRIPTION (QTY.) RATE as follows:

OIL FITER (1) 127.11
GEAR OIL (2) 307.54
DIFFERENTIAL OIL (1) 218.66
ENGINE OIL PREMIUM (6) 840.00
COTTON WASTE (1) 8.88 (ridiculous!!)
W.D. 40 (1) 43.75

TOTAL: Rs. 1545.94

NOT INCLUDED UNDER SERVICE:
MIRACLE TREATMENT (underbody anti-rust treatment) : Rs. 3500

INITIAL HICCUPS FACED:

1. the "whoa" sound coming from the day of delivery itself was finally solved after 3 visits to the workshop! it was traced to the AC motor. on the 1st visit, one of the 2 motors was replaced under warranty. on the 2nd visit, the 2nd motor was replaced. on the 3rd visit, the expansion valve costing Rs. 300 was replaced under warranty. after that, this problem did not re-surface, touch wood!

2. excessive gear lever vibration in 3rd gear not solved. found to be present in all mHAWKs.

3. central locking system by nippon found to be a bit unreliable. a month back, it was working but refused to emit the siren while locking/unlocking. worst is that mahindra dealers do not attend to such complaints. they gave us the number of nippon customer care who will send a person to our place to rectify the complaint. 3 days back, just before the vehicle was to be sent to the service centre, the remote stopped working. but the next morning, it started and is working fine now. i think it must have got wet in the rains, irresponsible driver and poor nippon quality!

4. service by the mahindra service centre (GLOBAL GALLARIE, MUMBAI) is good. the staff behaviour is good. when i called for an appointment for the service, they informed me well in advance about the routine work that will be carried on my vehicle, the parts that will be replaced or checked, what i have to carry with me and the bill amount. vehicle was delivered on time and washed properly including the tyre polish. my beige seats were not spoiled!!!

overall, the vehicle is perfoming fine. the mHAWK engine still suprises me everyday with its amazing power delivery. i am getting an average of 9-10 kmpl in mumbai city. on a recent trip to pune through the expressway, i got an average of 13 kmpl which i think is sufficient since it was doing speeds of 120+ kmph and even the worse pune traffic! felt very stable at speeds of 140-150 kmph with no probems faced. engine was still very refined and the sound was not much of a bother. but above 120 kmph, wind noise exists.
sensors are working fine. cruise control and auto headlights only put to use on express highway. auto wipers is a boon. it works spot on, a superb feature. rear sensors are also good. wish the fog lamps were better though. tyre pressure sensors are good and almost accurate with an error of +0.5 psi.

cheers.

TOP SPEED TOUCHED:
DAY: 30th october, Thursday
Destination: Pune
Route: Mumbai-Pune express highway

this was the brief given to me and i had to reach pune by 8.30 am. so i started off from my house by 5.00 am. it was a chilly morning and traffic was sparse. i reached the expressway in 30 mins flat! normally, it takes an hour! that gave me a thought that i have never gone above 150 or actually tested the top speed of my scorpio, mainly due to traffic conditions. this, i thought, was the perfect oppurtunity. a few kms past the expressway, i set the cruise control at 130 kmph and continued like that till the first toll naka. you can say, i was warming up my car and myself. there onwards, i simply floored the throttle. with the pedal touching the floor, 150 kmph came in no time. then slowly and steadily, the needle rose and finally it touched 170 kmph. after this, i let go as i entered the ghat section! though i know mahindra claims the scorpio has a top speed of 156 kmph, but i must have atleast touched 160 kmph, maybe due to road conditions, i consider an speedo error of 10 kmph.
what i noticed was, even above a speedo indicated 150 kmph, the engine noise was not that audible but what was more pervelant was the wind noise which started at around 140 kmph and increased gradually. also, 1 thing i liked was the SUV felt steady at such speeds, unlike what most say. i left the steering at that speed and the scorpio travelled a straight line without even a slight deviation. yes, i dint try any heroic stunts like sudden lane changes to check its handling! i leave that to professionals!
overall, i was AGAIN impressed with the engine as it was very refined throughout not sounding coarse at all. tyre noise was also under control. but i wish there was a bit less wind noise. mahindra, please look into this!

10,000 kms in my Scorpio VLX Here is the description of the 10,000 km service of my mahindra scorpio VLX done at Global Gallarie (authorised A.S.S. of mahindra in thane, mumbai):

Service: Second Free Service
Kms. Run: 10604

Emery Paper --> Rs. 12.44
Maximile Coolant --> Rs. 116.75

Total --> Rs. 145 (including VAT)

As you can see, nothing was changed or replaced, only the coolant was topped up.

Other jobs done:

1) a minor brush with a bus had left a scar on the right RVM, it has been given a paint touch-up.

2) some rattling could be heard from the rear left door on rough surfaces sometimes. it was traced to the rear seat whose folding mechanism was tightened, problem solved.

3) the brakes had a tendency to squeak on light application. the brake pads were cleaned and adjusted. problem seems to be sorted till now.

Rest, the car is running fine. the service has been good and all complaints attended. the car was given today morning 11 am and returned back by 4.30 pm. the car was washed properly and tyre polish applied.
the FE has been 10 kmpl in city. no complains from the engine or gearbox but the vibrations in 3rd gear still persists.

my short review:
+ responsive engine with great driveability
+ refinement / NVH
+ auto wipers/headlights (useful to me!)
+ tyre pressure monitors (its very accurate with an error of +1 psi)
+ voice assist system (i personally like it more than buzzers and lights)
+ styling and road presence

- not so good ride quality
- gear lever vibrations in 3rd gear
- no airbags
- no indication for cruise control

overall, i am very happy with the vehicle and i would definetely suggest it as a worthy buy.

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latest addition to my scorpio before the new year:
Roots windtone 90 Horns

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a call centre sumo decided to rear end my scorpio one fine day. with my car stationary & brakes applied, the impact i thought was very high. but luckily the damage is nil, only a slight scratch on the bumper because of the sumo's black front guard.

meanwhile, a visit to the A.S.S. for changing the security code has helped and the code was changed in 2 minutes, yes... 2 minutes! another complaint was a slight squeaking noise sometimes from the driver's door on rough roads, this has been solved by tightening the bolt. the time of vehicle entry on the job card was 9.40 am and time of exit was 9.45 am! this is because though i reached the A.S.S. by 9.25, the vehicle was taken for a trial run to check the door sound.

this time, i was very impressed with the mahindra service though. they were very courteous... so courteous that i was made to drink coffee twice!

meanwhile, i enquired about the extended warranty that will increase the warranty to 4 years & 1 lakh kms. they charge Rs. 10,000 for that. i am confused whether i should opt for it or its not needed?

15,000 kms UPDATE: My scorpio mHawk has just completed 15,000 kms a week back. today it went for its 15,000 kms service. the car went to the A.S.S at 9.30 am and was delivered by 3 pm.

Total cost incurred: Rs. 467/-

I wont describe the pros & cons anymore as i have talked about it many times already! both the pros & cons still remain!

Major issues: None

Minor issues:
1) Gear lever vibration in 3rd gear still persists. i again re-confirmed that it is present in all mHawks.
2) the driver's door sometimes used to squeak over rough roads. door nut tightened, problem solved.

Other than these, the car is running fine. However 15,000 kms on busy mumbai streets has left some marks on my scorpio. a sumo rear ended on my stationary scorpio, this has left a small black mark on the left side of the rear bumper. a idiot guy brushed his civic against my AGAIN STATIONARY scorpio which left AGAIN a black mark on its left mud flap.

its giving me an average of 9-10 kmpl on crowded city runs and 13-14 kmpl on mix city-highway runs. all figures ith 100% AC. i know its less but thats mainly due to my style of driving, i have the habit of flooring the throttle in every gear.

Accessories:

1) black vinyl on B, C & D pillars: looks nice & has stuck well.
2) Garware reflective film: i am not too happy with the choice of the sun film.
3) Carryman front guard: the best accessory of my scorpio, looks excellent and no problems whatsoever.
4) JBL basstube + Sony 4 ch amp + 2 sony 400W ovals: all are working fine.
5) Roots windtone 90 horns: working fine & sounds great.

To be installed:

1) alloys
2) dump sony and install JBL on front & rear + a new HU

this is happen as & when Vitamin M pours in.

2 incidents happened within 2 days which i thought is worth mentioning in my ownership report:

1) yesterday, i was driving towards mulund from byculla on the eastern express highway. it was a dull afternoon & traffic was light. i was driving on the right lane at about 110 kmph. few metres away i see this 'tata 407' tempo trying to get into my lane. i flash my headlight and honk twice since if i let him come into my way, i would have to brake quite hard. judging my speed, the temp cuts back into is lane and gives me the hand signal to pass. at about 90 kmph, i again accelerate to pass and just as my car's nose reached his front tyre, very abruptly he cuts into my lane. that is followed by my emergency braking and a little swerve to the right. the scorpio came to a dead halt from 100-0 kmph in a perfectly straight line... no drama, so skidding & no screeching. i could even feel the ABS work through the brake pedals. there was no front end dive as expected. i was greatly impressed by such a braking performance. THE ABS DEFINITELY WORKS.

2) today a santro hit my parked scorpio while he was parking. the santro's damage was a badly dented front right fender. the damage to my car was a scratch on the rear left cladding! i enquired at the mahindra showroom as what will it cost to get the cladding re-painted, they say its 1500. this tough build of mahindra is what i adore.

meanwhile, an unscheduled visit to the A.S.S. happened:
reasons-
1) as i said earlier, the santro guy had scraped the paint, so re-painting was to be done.
2) some tik tik noise from the driver seatbelt on rough roads
3) driver door squeaking on rough roads.

solutions-
1) re-painting was not necessary according to the A.S.S as the damage was 'NIL'. they did a free touch up job. they did a good job, its hardly noticeable.
2) seatbelt problem solved.
3) driver door along with all doors tightened & adjusted.
4) i had asked them to check for each & every noise in the cabin on rough roads, so they tightened the middle row seatback too. now the car's cabin is as silent as when new.
5) meanwhile, i opted for mahindra's 'MIRACLE TREATMENT'. Its basically an underbody treatment, an anti-rust coating. for the coating to be applied, they had to clean the car's underbody first & then apply the coating, but obvious! so now the wheels, wheel wells, shocks, etc. look spanking new!
6) the rear glass washer was not working, the washer container was choked. they replaced it under warranty.

so total cost incurred:
MIRACLE TREATMENT = Rs. 3500/-
WC TAX = Rs. 280/-
WSER TAX = Rs. 360/-

TOTAL = Rs. 4141/-

Very detailed report. Shows how you enjoy your Scorpio.

To mention about Scorpio's build strength, i saw an accident in which a Scorpio while turning right in a junction, hit a i10 to its side. Scorpio's crash guard had some scratches but i10's rear right window broken and door badly damaged.

How much is the Diesel fuel filter costs? Because i heard its quite high.

Excellent Review Raj!
You really love your scorpio and it shows, its very well maintained and I liked the modifications you have done in it, those seat covers looks so nice(in the 5th post), Also a good ICE setup but that black bull bar doesn't matches the car, Over all your scorp looks very nice and i liked it, Waiting for the review of your innova. :cheers:

Crazy cat wrote:Very detailed report. Shows how you enjoy your Scorpio.

To mention about Scorpio's build strength, i saw an accident in which a Scorpio while turning right in a junction, hit a i10 to its side. Scorpio's crash guard had some scratches but i10's rear right window broken and door badly damaged.

How much is the Diesel fuel filter costs? Because i heard its quite high.

thanks CC. yes, the scorpio is really built tough. i have no idea about the diesel fliter though. they either did not replace in my scorpio or did it for free, as i have not read the diesel filter cost in any bills!

Vibhor wrote:Excellent Review Raj!
You really love your scorpio and it shows, its very well maintained and I liked the modifications you have done in it, those seat covers looks so nice(in the 5th post), Also a good ICE setup but that black bull bar doesn't matches the car, Over all your scorp looks very nice and i liked it, Waiting for the review of your innova. :cheers:

thanks vibhor. yes, i do adore my scorpio a lot. i could get the bull bar in any paint i want, but i specified i want it in its natural colour, black. this makes it stand out.

The lighted number plate looks nice.
How much those lighted number plate costs?

Crazy cat wrote:The lighted number plate looks nice.
How much those lighted number plate costs?

Rs. 1500 for a set of two here in mumbai.

Nice review Raj.
it seems that there are neons on the bull guard.
Can you give a detailed view on how the cruise control works.
Whats the minimum speed etc?

abhinavgupta wrote:it seems that there are neons on the bull guard.

They aren't Neons on the bull bar. It is actually a number plate with light.

abhinavgupta wrote:Nice review Raj.
it seems that there are neons on the bull guard.
Can you give a detailed view on how the cruise control works.
Whats the minimum speed etc?

hi abhinav, ac CC mentioned, there are no neons on the guard. its actually the number plate which has small white coloured LEDs in it.

about the working of cruise control, in the manual geared mHawk like mine, it gets activated only in 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th gears and only above 40 kmph.
there are 4 buttons on the right of the steering:
1) CRUISE: it deactivates cruise control. it will also get deactivated automoatically if the clutch or brake is applied.
2) SET+: it activates cruise control. once activated, it also increases the set speed. for example, if you set at 70 kmph, pressing SET+ will increase the speed by 5 kmph at a time. pressing it continuously will increase speed by 10 kmph.
3) SET-: it will decrease the set speed.
4) RES COAST: it resets the set speeds. suppose you had set the cruise control at 90 kmph and suddenly due to some reason, you have to brake. as soon as you brake, the cruise control gets deactivated. so after this, you dont need to acclerate till 90 kmph to activate it again. just press RES COAST and it gets activated at the earlier set speed, that is, 90 kmph.

another feature is, suppose you have set the speed at 90 kmph and you see a vehicle in front. if you want to overtake the vehicle quickly, you can press the throttle, the cruise control wont get deactivated. but you will have to leave the throttle within 20 seconds or it will get deactivated.

Nice and detailed review. BTW, is the Scorpio in your Avtar image yours?

no abhi, its not mine!

How much does the speaker and woofer cost?

I have the cruise control in my vRs too.
But it does not increase and decrease speed. Or if it does i am not aware of it.
The set + and set - gets my :winkthumb:

@ voldemort:
i bought the speakers from the mahindra showroom (i am foolish!) for Rs. 3800/-
the basstube was bought from outside for 7000/-

@ abhinav:
hi buddy, i am suprised to know the vrs does not have this feature. are the remaining features same?

raj_5004 wrote:

abhinavgupta wrote:Nice review Raj.
it seems that there are neons on the bull guard.
Can you give a detailed view on how the cruise control works.
Whats the minimum speed etc?

hi abhinav, ac CC mentioned, there are no neons on the guard. its actually the number plate which has small white coloured LEDs in it.

about the working of cruise control, in the manual geared mHawk like mine, it gets activated only in 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th gears and only above 40 kmph.
there are 4 buttons on the right of the steering:
1) CRUISE: it deactivates cruise control. it will also get deactivated automoatically if the clutch or brake is applied.
2) SET+: it activates cruise control. once activated, it also increases the set speed. for example, if you set at 70 kmph, pressing SET+ will increase the speed by 5 kmph at a time. pressing it continuously will increase speed by 10 kmph.
3) SET-: it will decrease the set speed.
4) RES COAST: it resets the set speeds. suppose you had set the cruise control at 90 kmph and suddenly due to some reason, you have to brake. as soon as you brake, the cruise control gets deactivated. so after this, you dont need to acclerate till 90 kmph to activate it again. just press RES COAST and it gets activated at the earlier set speed, that is, 90 kmph.

another feature is, suppose you have set the speed at 90 kmph and you see a vehicle in front. if you want to overtake the vehicle quickly, you can press the throttle, the cruise control wont get deactivated. but you will have to leave the throttle within 20 seconds or it will get deactivated.

thats cool.
nice detailed review raj. your ride looks nice with those black pillars and front bar. and also those number plate lights.

thanks a lot buddy.

Yes it has set, off, on , restore.

The set does the job what the cruise does on yours.
The On and off is the do the switching in on and off.
When at off, you cant set any.
When at on, you need to set it once.

Res restores to the speed its set to if brake/clutch is applied.

My mHAWK put to good use :-

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