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The long-term Mahindra Scorpio S11 Adventure Edition review thread

Offroad Vehicle Specific Discussions
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pietervil
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#16

Post by pietervil »

Thanks for the review, will follow eagerly
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Ricof4e
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#17

Post by Ricof4e »

Thanks gents.
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#18

Post by Ricof4e »

So far so good.

Mahindra has agreed to replace the speed sensor and the spare wheel.

1 call, no quarrels.

8-)
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Paul#25
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#19

Post by Paul#25 »

It's nice to get service like that without having to throw a tantrum.
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Mad Manny
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#20

Post by Mad Manny »

Paul#25 wrote:
Wed Feb 16, 2022 1:37 pm
It's nice to get service like that without having to throw a tantrum.
Would be nicer if they just did the @$%&* PDI before handing the vehicle to the customer....
"No one ever got stuck - in mid air!"

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#21

Post by Ricof4e »

Mad Manny wrote:
Thu Feb 17, 2022 11:09 am
Would be nicer if they just did the @$%&* PDI before handing the vehicle to the customer....
Yup.
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#22

Post by Ricof4e »

Yesterday I took the Mahindra for a drive around the bush - nothing hectic - a bit of sand, mud, uneven (washed away gravel) and some twee spoor paadjies.

I engaged 4x4, which according to the manual you can do "on the fly", but found that the hubs only engage when you come to a complete stop and then go forward.

In 4x4 the vehicle feels much more planted and there is a prevailing sense of low down torque due to the gearing. In low range, it sounds and feels a bit like a tractor, but you feel like you can drive over anything.

Compared to my Ford, when engaging 4x4 the vehicle feels heavier though.

I am convinced it has a LSD - while crossing a wash-away in the spoor there was a bit of mud on the right side at the lowest part of the wash-away. I could feel the diff compensating for the rear right wheel spinning and it did the job well. But, I reckon you will need some momentum and proper tekkies if you want to do a traditional axle twister or climb.

The one thing I am pleased about is that it drives sand quite well and it gives me enough confidence that my wife would be able to drive out on the beach on her own with the kids while I stay behind fishing.

I found the suspension quite hard and bumpy yesterday, however given its shape and the fact that it was unladen, the ride was acceptable. Fully laden with tyre pressures dropped to 1 bar, it would make the world of difference IMHO.

Overall I am still pretty chuffed with it.
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#23

Post by iandvl »

Willem - question regarding the hubs. Are the auto only ? Or does one have the option to manually lock them ?

If the latter, lock them if you need to shift between 2H and 4H on the fly. You can drive fine with locked hubs on tar roads in 2H. In fact, most part-time 4x4 systems will suggest you do this occasionally if you rarely use your 4x4 system so that the front diff also gets a bit of lube now-and-then... :)
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#24

Post by Mad Manny »

As far as I know it has what they call MLS - Mahindra Limited Slip - a very mild LSD...
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#25

Post by Ricof4e »

Now for the ugly:

As you may have noted from my OP, there was an issue with the speed sensor when we took delivery of the vehicle. When we got back home, I got underneath the car, located the sensor and I could wiggle it - it thus was loose. Not wanting to void the warranty, we reported the issue to the dealer and yesterday took the vehicle in for the sensor to be replaced.

Now bear in mind that the dealer is 30km away.

To replace the sensor would take about 30min for the most inexperienced mechanic. Unplug the wires, loosen the bolts and remove it - simple as that.

Anyway, we dropped the vehicle off at 07:30am and returned back to work.

At 10:00am I called the dealer and asked if they were done. I was informed by the receptionist that they are still busy. I then asked her if she could give me any time estimation and she replied no. I then asked if she could find out from the workshop manager and she undertook to call me back within 10 minutes. 30 minutes later she called and said they are still busy with the vehicle and that they could not give me a time estimate.

At 15:00 I phone again. Everything is fixed according to them. When we got there, the workshop manager wanted to speak to me. He told me that they fixed the sensor by placing heat shrink on the needle (the needle that goes into the gearbox). I kid you not. Then the workshop manager told me he drove the vehicle for about 15km, and although he is not that familiar with cruise control, everything was working fine according to him. He even bragged nonchalantly that he was amazed how easily the car would do 140kph. Also bear in mind the stretch of road between Oshakati and Ondangwa is one of the most dangerous roads in Namibia. I thought it best to restrain myself as best I could after hearing that.

I did ask why they would try and fix the sensor instead of replacing it and he replied he was so instructed by head office. I then asked him if he is confident that it would last 500k km and he just starred at his feet. At that stage I was a bit disappointed to say the least.

Anyway, we took the car and the first time I could engage cruise control, the issue was still there. I called the workshop manager to inform him and he asked me if I was sure it was not working properly - perhaps that is how Mahindra's cruise control works. When I heard that, I was properly livid. The Mahindra's cruise control I test drove a while back worked perfectly.

I then insisted that they order a new sensor. Now we wait and I'll report back as soon as I hear from them today.

So far, the after sale service is a bit disappointing and I expected more - this dealer is in any case the dealer for Merc, Jeep and Alfa.
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#26

Post by grips »

Willem I know quite a few people that owns Mahindra`s. They seem well build and tough. The only thing they complain of is aftermarket service.
Mahindra is not the fastest company when it comes to supply spares.
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#27

Post by Ricof4e »

grips wrote:
Tue Mar 01, 2022 5:54 am
Willem I know quite a few people that owns Mahindra`s. They seem well build and tough. The only thing they complain of is aftermarket service.
Mahindra is not the fastest company when it comes to supply spares.
Dit is baie waar.

Mahindra mis 'n moerse geleetnheid in die mark agv hul diens.
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#28

Post by Prof »

@Ricoffy

So you gonna do some more long term reporting of your Mahindra...it somewhat dried up :)
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#29

Post by Ricof4e »

Prof wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 3:00 pm
@Ricoffy

So you gonna do some more long term reporting of your Mahindra...it somewhat dried up :)
Ek gaan bietjie kus toe die 13de tot 19de April om vis te gaan vang. Gaan die Mahindra vat en sal dan terug rapporteer.
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#30

Post by Ricof4e »

An update:

Did a short trip to the farm this past weekend (1068km round trip of which 126km consisted of gravel roads and twee spoor paadjies).

First and foremost, kudos to the Indian engineer who designed the cabin. It was more dust proof than my previous D23. With the tyres deflated to 2.0 bar, it handled the gravel better than my Mildtrak. This was by far the most surprising aspect of the vehicle. Not only with regards to overall stability, but also due to the fact that I could use the manual gearbox to my advantage. I must admit, I like an auto-box, but on gravel I will always prefer a manual box.

I had to go through a few rough patches (twee spoor paadjie) to get to the farm house. It rained a lot the past 3 weeks. The current all terrains are kak and I need to replace them soon with something that can handle mud a bit better - perhaps something from the Wrangler range. But the gearing is superb - on the rocky portions (and in 4H), it crawls and climbs well.

On tar, well it does just fine considering its shape and suspension setup. It has a sweet spot at 125kph and anything more than 135kph you start to wrestle with it. Headlights are ok-ish but I would recommend some spotlights if you intend on driving a lot at night.

Overall consumption: 11,2km/l. I'll take that any day of the week.
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