Mahindra is days away from releasing its Scorpio four-wheel drive into the Australian market, but the car has spent plenty of time on local roads already.
Over the last six months Mahindra has been quietly testing three of its upcoming four-wheel drive SUVs on 120,000km of roads across Australia’s rugged landscape
The testing began in October 2022 with the goal of ensuring the vehicle can withstand the tough conditions around Australia and, by extension, the rest of the world.
Mahindra tested the vehicle towing in 45 degree heat, driving consecutively across 18 hour days, and on a 10,000km dirt-only route to test its durability in the Outback.
Testing across the country included extreme heat, rough terrain, steep inclines, and “sharp turns”.
Mahindra will release the specifications and prices for the Scorpio in Australia in the coming week, though government filings show Mahindra has the ability to bring up to five variants Down Under.
Instrument Cluster showing temperatures of 50 degrees.
All vehicles come with a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine and six seats.
Three potential options will feature rear-wheel drive, and two will have four-wheel drive capabilities.
The turbo-diesel engine produces 129kW of power and 400Nm of torque, and is mated with a six-speed automatic transmission.
Measuring 4662mm long, 1917mm wide and 1857mm tall on a 2750mm wheelbase, the SUV is similarly sized to a mid-sized SUV such as a Subaru Forester.
Under the skin though, it rides on a rugged ladder frame chassis like a larger Mitsubishi Pajero Sport or Ford Everest. It’s a spiritual successor to the Suzuki Grand Vitara, and has no direct rivals in Australia given the GWM Tank 300 is currently hybrid-only.
Mahindra sells the Scorpio with the Scorpio-N badge in India and has confirmed well over 100,000 orders since the vehicle was revealed in mid-2022.
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