Mahindra Scorpio

[vt_maverick]

So last night the wife and I are browsing car websites as we contemplate what vehicle we'll get to replace her Axiom in a few years. She wants something more fuel efficient and is leaning towards a wagon or sedan, but I'd rather have something with more space and AWD/4WD. We were looking at Edmunds.com last night and I saw this for the first time, apparently coming to the US this fall. It's got a turbodiesel engine that gets around 30MPG and it kinda reminds me of a Mitsubishi Montero crossed with a Mercedes G series.

What do you guys think? (EDIT: Projected cost is around 20K.)

http://www.mahindrascorpio.com/home.asp

[Knivx]

I like them. They have truck versions as well, and the little diesel's would be sweet. But their arrival keeps getting pushed back, not sure why exactly. Same kind of thing happened to an ARO suv that was supposed to come over a few years back and it finally was cancelled. Lets hope the same doesn't happen with the Mahindra. Don't hold your breath though. My $.02

[vt_maverick]

I like them. They have truck versions as well, and the little diesel's would be sweet. But their arrival keeps getting pushed back, not sure why exactly. Same kind of thing happened to an ARO suv that was supposed to come over a few years back and it finally was cancelled. Lets hope the same doesn't happen with the Mahindra. Don't hold your breath though. My $.02

Difficulties in achieving NHTSA compliance and overcoming import/export taxes to achieve a marketable price are the general culprits. The US and Europe have much stricter safety and emissions standards than most other countries, so that plays a role. (For example, the Jeep Liberty CRD diesel model was cancelled because the engine's emissions couldn't meet new NHTSA standards.) And market pricing is a big problem - imagine how hard it would be to sell an Indian SUV in America if they can't get the base price below that of a new Kia or Hyundai.

[VX KAT]

Not bad looking at all!...but man, I'd be afraid of quality. Mahindra motors? M-hawk engine? Never heard of them, are they a long term player in India? (I didn't look it up)

and heh, it comes in "Mystique purple"...can't be all bad....

[vt_maverick]

Apparently they race them in a lot of off-road/rally events. Quality would be my number one question though, so it's good that (hopefully) they would be on the road in the US for a couple years before we're ready to buy.

[Luna X]

looks like an entry level Mercedes G-class

[ZEUS]

It's funky and I don't know if I like it. It could be one of those models that you really can't gauge till you see one in person. So far tho, I think it would fail here.

[samneil2000]

That's a big name in tractors etc. Hopefully they'll build some of that industrial strength in to a vehicle like that. Who knows...

[JHarris1385]

This has been a model on made-in-china.com for quite a while now.

[VX KAT]

This has been a model on made-in-china.com for quite a while now.

Now I'd be really worried about quality! They'd probably add some melamine to the fluids or make some parts out of it....

[vt_maverick]

I'm not so sure it's made in China - if you search that site for Mahindra cars, you get nothing. You do, however, get results for Mahindra tractors, which are apparently built somewhere along the Chinese coast.

Mahindra is an Indian mark just like GM is an American mark - both produce some vehicles (tractors for Mahindra, Chevy Equinox's for GM) in China, but just as GM doesn't produce everything there, neither could Mahindra. I'll dig around and see if I can find out either way though.

[JHarris1385]

Its an Indian company that is for sure but produced elsewhere seems like. I would have to wait 2-4 years of it being on the road to purchase one. Or get a great warranty with that riding mower engine.

[vt_maverick]

Its an Indian company that is for sure but produced elsewhere seems like. I would have to wait 2-4 years of it being on the road to purchase one. Or get a great warranty with that riding mower engine.

That's our plan, we're probably not going to be in the market for another vehicle for about that span of time, so hopefully they'll get a few on the road here so we can evaluate the maintenance problems that develop over time.

Wait... you can get a riding lawn mower with a turbo-diesel engine? Sign me up!

[ZEUS]

I'm surprised at how interested you are in this ride, Mav. What about it stands out so brightly for you? It really looks like the Indian version of a Rav 4 made in China to me.

[vt_maverick]

Well Zeus it's all about compromise I must say. If it were up to me, we'd be picking up a 1997 40th Anniversary Land Cruiser (look it up and check out how much offroad gear comes standard!) or another VX (). Sadly neither of those vehicles meets her minimum mileage standard (she wants 30+, they get 12/14 and 15/18 respectively). Personally I'm against hybrid technology since who knows how expensive that crap will be to replace some day (and we'd be buying used so it's an issue that's important to us). And these plug-in hybrids that are coming out over the next few years don't give you much distance (remember we drive to Wisconsin from Virginia 2X each year) and still rely on coal-powered electrical plants to get their energy.

So unless we want to get a sedan (blah, ultra-boring), we're looking at something with a diesel powerplant. Generally speaking that eliminates your choices down to wagons and SUVs made by the Euro-brands (BMW, MB, Audi) all of which are pretty pricey, both in terms of purchase price and repairs.

So it seems to me that this is an intriguing option depending on how the price and quality issues shake out. It's projected to cost $20K, get 29-30 MPG, and have at least an AWD transmission (not enough for off-roading I know, but good for winter nonetheless). That said, I'll gladly entertain suggestions.