New Mahindra Scorpio vs the rest: Renault Duster AWD, Nissan Terrano, Ford Ecosport, Tata Safari Storme Spec Comparison

SUVs are big in India. Well, quite literally too. And that is exactly the reason why more and more manufacturers are introducing new products to get a piece of the pie. The fact that we have seen so many SUVs being launched in the past couple of years is a testimony of the same. We put all the latest offerings in this class of cars under a magnifying glass. 

Renault Duster 

No discussion about SUVs is complete without the Renault Duster. That is the kind of success that the car has brought for Renault. The Duster has been an ideal car for someone who is looking for a good urban SUV which gives you that big car feel and is yet compact enough to be driven in the city with ease. The Renault Duster is on offer with both petrol as well as diesel engines. The gasoline Duster is powered by a 1.6-litre engine that pumps 105PS of power and 145Nm of torque. The 1.5-litre diesel on the other hand is available in two states of tune - producing 85PS and 200Nm and 110PS and 248Nm. The petrol comes mated to a 5-speed geatbox as does the 85PS diesel. The top-of-the-line RxZ diesel though comes mated to a 6-speed transmission. The Duster takes on the rough roads with the help of the McPherson strut - torsion beam combination for the front and rear suspension.

In terms of features the top-end RxL petrol variant has all the necessary features like airbags, ABS, EBD and brake assist for enhanced safety. It also gets a 2din audio system with AUX, USB and Bluetooth compatibility. In addition to these the top diesel variant RxZ (o) also gets alloy wheels, driver seat height adjust, GPS navigation system, leather wrapped steering wheel and a rear AC unit. 

The only thing stopping it from being a full-fledged SUV was the absence of an AWD version. With the Duster AWD launched, Renault has addressed that too. The Duster 4x4 is only available in 110PS diesel though. 

Renault Duster: Rs 7.82 lakh - 12.99 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai)

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Nissan Terrano

Making the most out of the Renault-Nissan alliance and to capitalise on the booming SUV market, the latter introduced a rebadged version of the Duster. The Nissan Terrano not only has a very similar silhouette to the Duster, it also shares the same heart and suspension setup. Like its French sibling, the Terrano is also available in both petrol and diesel variants but is priced at a slight premium. The Terrano sports more or less the same features as the Duster. Much like the Duster so far, the Terrano lacks an all-wheel drive version. 

Nissan Terrano: Rs 10.04 lakh - 13.04 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai)

Ford EcoSport

The Ford EcoSport took India by storm thanks to a well packaged design that allowed Ford to price it extremely competitively. Under 4 meters in length, the EcoSport has everything that one can ask for in a compact urban SUV. It comes with two petrol engine options and a diesel. The 1.5-litre petrol unit makes 110PS and 140Nm, while the 1.0-litre Ecoboost engine with the variable geometry turbocharger produces power of 123 horses coupled with 170Nm of torque. In the diesel trim, the EcoSport churns 90PS and 204Nm. All the aforementioned variants are mated to a 5-speed gearbox. The petrol EcoSport also gets an automatic transmission option. It is sprung by Independent McPherson struts up front and semi-independent twist beam axle at the back.

In terms of features, the EcoSport has 6 airbags instead loses out on EBD and Brake Assist. Tilt and telescopically adjustable steering, leather upholstery and keyless entry are an added extra over the Duster and the Terrano.  

Ford EcoSport: Rs 6.61 lakh - Rs 10.19 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai)

Tata Safari Storme

The Tata Safari Storme is without doubt the biggest of the lot and it shows. The 4,655mm length of the car makes enough room for two jump seats at the back making the Storme a 7-seater. 

Under the hood, the Tata Safari Storme simply gets a 2.2-litre diesel mill with 140PS and 320Nm. Although it might seem that the Storme pumps a lot more power and torque than the above mentioned SUVs consider the fact that at 2 tonnes it is a lot heavier and the equation changes completely. The large heavy body of the Storme is suspended on to Independent double wishbone springs up front and a 5-link suspension at the back.

Like the Duster, the Tata Safari Storme too is available in a 4x4 version, but only in the top-end variant. 

When compared to the other SUVs in its class, the Safari Storme falls behind in terms of features. While it does get 2 airbags, leather upholstery and driver side seat height adjust, it does not get an integrated multimedia system. What it gets instead is an aftermarket audio system that sports AUX, USB and Bluetooth connectivity, but doesn't work as well as one would expect.

Tata Safari Storme: Rs 10.35 lakh - Rs 13.99 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai)

New Mahindra Scorpio

The Mahindra Scorpio has proven to be quite an able SUV over the years and has managed to build quite a fan following. The new Scorpio is marginally smaller in size than the Safari Storme but considerably larger in proportions than the Duster, Terrano and the EcoSport. Like the outgoing model, the new Scorpio comes in two diesel engine options. The 2.5-litre four-cylinder m2DiCr works force only in the base variant while the more powerful 2.2-litre mHawk engine powers the rest of the range. Both engines are mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Making it an able off-road machine is the independent suspension up front and the multi-link coil spring setup at the back. And for better on-road performance, it now gets a lighter and stiffer chassis and anti-roll bars both front and back.

In terms of features, the new Scorpio to gets the works including airbags, ABS, a touchscreen multimedia system, auto head lamps and wipers, sliding seats for the middle row, parking sensors and more.

New Mahindra Scorpio: Rs 7.9 lakh - Rs 11.4 lakh  (ex-showroom Mumbai)