5 Key Differences Between Mahindra Scorpio N And Its Monocoque Alternatives

The 2022 Mahindra Scorpio N is currently priced between Rs 11.99 lakh and Rs 19.49 lakh (ex-showroom) at the moment for its manual variants (the auto variants’ prices will come soon). At these prices, the new midsize SUV locks horns with established monocoque alternatives like the Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta, Tata Safari, and MG Hector while being quite distinct. Here are 5 key differences between the new Scorpio and its rivals:

Rugged Body-On-Frame Platform

The Mahindra Scorpio N is the only body-on-frame three-row SUV at this price point. So its tougher build means it can take more abuse on our pothole-infested roads. Sure, there is always the fact that a monocoque vehicle is a better handler than a ladder frame model. That said, Mahindra has tried to make the SUV more road-friendly by giving it a stiffer chassis and improved suspension to help it corner better. How does this work on the road? Find out in our in-depth first drive review. 

Body-on-frame vehicles also have one more key advantage over monocoque vehicles, which is…. 

…. More Off-road Abilities

The Scorpio N’s body-on-frame build means it should perform better than its monocoque counterpart over really tougher terrain. It has much superior wheel articulation as well as four-wheel drive hardware to take the stride when the going gets tough. 

The highlights of its 4x4 drivetrain includes a low range transfer, off-road modes, hill descent control, mechanical locking rear differential and ESP-based brake-locking front differential. All of these are not present in similarly priced monocoque SUVs. 

The least which its monocoque alternatives get are drive and traction modes, as well as hill descent control. Toyota and Suzuki’s upcoming SUVs in this price range, as well as the Mahindra XUV700 get an all-wheel drivetrain as well, but it’s more for on-road and mild off-roading purposes rather than out and out off-roading. 

Larger Engines -- More powerful, but less fuel-efficient

The Scorpio N has one of the largest engines in this price range: a 2-litre turbo-petrol and 2.2-litre diesel engine. These engines put out segment-leading numbers in their top-spec avatars and get manual and automatic transmissions, as well as optional four-wheel drive. Another unique thing is that the Scorpio N is primarily rear-wheel drive, unlike its alternatives that are front-wheel drive. 

Take a look at the detailed specifications:

For comparison, here are the specifications of the Kia Seltos’ turbo-petrol and Safari’s diesel for your reference:

There is a flip side, though. Thanks to its incredible power figures, the Scorpio N simply isn’t as fuel-efficient as its key alternatives. Here are two more such negatives mentioned below. 

Larger Footprint Makes It More Getting Used To In Town

Monocoque compact SUVs with their smaller footprint are much easier to get around peak traffic. The Scorpio N, on the other hand, is 4662mm long, 1917mm wide and 1857mm tall, a size above similarly priced compact SUVs. So, if you’re driving such a large vehicle for the first time, you might need some getting used to tight lanes, traffic, or claustrophobic parking spots, before getting comfortable. 

`Without ORVMs

^Without roof rails

Lesser Features Onboard

The Scorpio N gets all bases covered with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, dual zone climate control, powered driver seat, a wireless phone charger, single-pane sunroof, front and rear cameras, connected car tech with built-in Alexa, 12-speaker Sony 3D sound system, an air purifier, and up to six airbags.

Passenger safety is taken care of by six airbags, disc brakes all-round, electronic stability control, and driver drowsiness detection.

All well and good. But it doesn’t offer anything special and fancy like ventilated front seats, a larger panoramic sunroof, rear sunblinds, or even certain bits of ADAS kit. These small things would have made the SUV even more appealing and likeable. 

These are the five differences between the Scorpio N and its monocoque alternatives. Which one do you think is the most significant? Let us know in the comments.