Mahindra has a growing presence in Australia. It now sells the XUV 3XO, XUV 700 and the Scorpio there. The Scorpio (sold as the Scorpio-N in India), enjoys good demand in Australia. An Australian man has now shared a video on his YouTube channel detailing his ownership experience of the Scorpio, over three years and 1 lakh kilometres. He finds it a solid, reliable car.
The Scorpio-N is sold as the Scorpio in Australia and has a starting drive-away price of $43,990. The customer in this case, is Daniel Snare, a cinematographer who has been using the Scorpio Z8L for most of his work and family commutes for the past three years. He has put 100,000 kilometres on its odometer since the time of purchase. He seems to have had a pleasant ownership experience so far.
Snare has been using the Scorpio extensively. He has been doing family outings in it, has towed campervans, and has even done hardcore off-roading with this SUV. In the video, Snare says that the vehicle has been doing exceptionally well in all cases. He is impressed by the paint quality and finish.
He says that the company has developed this SUV to withstand harsh conditions. There are a few hairline scratches on the paint- quite expected from a car this old. Snare’s SUV has had plenty of time on the beach. Despite this, he says that the vehicle hasn’t developed any instance of rusting. The panel gaps too haven’t increased with age. The doors still close with the same thud as when it was brand-new. The headlights, sunroof, windows- nothing he says, has faded or deteriorated.
Talking about the interior, Snare says that his SUV feels ‘remarkably fresh’ even after 100,000 kilometres. He says that the Scorpio offers a comfortable cabin for its price. It feels much better (and quieter) than his previous cars.
He says that the interiors too have held up very well. Even after three years and 1 lakh kilometres, there are no signs of excessive wear inside. The plastics haven’t aged much, the seats look attractive and haven’t compressed down, and the larger cabin experience has been impressive. The back seats, mostly used by his kids, have also held up ‘remarkably well’.
He then talks about how much he likes the interior layout of the Scorpio. He says that everything is well organized and comes handy. He finds the infotainment system with Apple Carplay easy and convenient to use and says that the driver’s display is of great help.
He also talks about the ‘blanking issues’ and ‘lights coming on’ which many Scorpio owners (including those in India) have reported in the past. Snare says that he had faced them early in the ownership journey. A firmware update done by the dealer got them fixed instantly.
Snare then says that he has driven the SUV through some really harsh and corrugated terrains and its solid build quality surprised him. There are no rattles or noises. The SUV, he says, has stood the test of time. Talking about the driving experience after 1 lakh kilometres, Snare praises the Scorpio for its engine performance and steering feel. The engine feels strong, and the gearbox shifts smoothly. The steering ‘feels remarkably tight’. There is no rattle or vibrations. Everything feels smooth.
Snare then takes the SUV to his mechanic, who has been maintaining it. The mechanic then explains the jobs done during the 1 lakh kilometre service. The drive and fan belts were replaced. Oil checks were performed. Differential oil was replaced. Components like engine oil filter, air filter and pollen filter were replaced.
Snare then talks about a leak that the mechanic had spotted at around 90,000km. The mechanic says that it was just a minor issue and nothing to be worried about. He says that the Scorpio hasn’t given them any drama at all. It did have some warranty-covered replacements in the early phase of ownership.
The mechanic explains how Mahindra has been keeping them informed about possible bugs and asking them to recheck and fix when the vehicle comes for a service. From the conversation, it is also clear that Mahindra engines have a good reputation in Australia for reliability.
Towards the end of the video, Snare says that he plans to keep the Scorpio further, maybe for another 1 lakh kilometres. He adds that replacing parts hasn’t been a big problem for him. Repairs were also fairly easy. He mentions that these are his personal experiences with the SUV and there may be users who have had different ones. He says that he would definitely recommend buying the Scorpio in Australia.