SUVs remain the vehicle type of choice for local buyers, and Mahindra has entrenched itself as one of the biggest local sellers, thanks to cars such as the locally-manufactured Mahindra Pik Up range become very popular in the South African market thanks to their reliability, build quality, economical running costs and practicality.
Mahindra’s Scorpio S11 boasts some rugged, unassuming design that denotes its offroading capabilities, and 7-seater practicality, all for a price that makes it quite a value offering in its class. We spent a week in this 4×4, to see how easy it is to live with for a family of 5, even taking the opportunity to drive it down from Gauteng to the Western Cape for a roadtrip.
The Scorpio S11 proves that value and affordability does not always have to equate cheapness and cost-cutting in terms of comfort, as it boasts a mix of sturdy, hard-wearing plastics and nicer materials such as the leather-trimmed steering (with Steering Wheel Controls) and part-leather seats with foldable individual armrests for both front passengers in the interior cabin.
You get a 7″ touchscreen infotainment system that might miss out on Apple’s CarPlay and Andriod Auto but is really easy to use, snappy and smooth in operation, and features Bluetooth audio streaming, AUX and USB input, an HD reverse camera (Intellipark System with rear parking sensors) as well as built-in satellite navigation.
Cruise control also makes extended trips easier, as does the comfortable ride and Land Rover-esque ride height (feels even higher than on the Ford Everest) that delivers a great view all round, especially when coupled with the watermelon-sized side mirrors. Another feature also worth a mention are the headlights which are not just auto-on but moves as you turn in the direction in which you are turning to light up the path into which you are heading, which is neat and works well not just as a safety feature but also for convenience.
Road noise a bit noticeable though, with windwhistle from said sidemirrors and other road noises a little more noticeable compared to other SUVs (more expensive ones though) we’ve tested. On a more positive front, there is more than enough space for all seven passengers, with the only caveat being that using all seven seats comes at the expense of bootspace, which is virtually non-existent. When used as a very spacious five-seater though, there is a lot of bootspace, while you do unfortunately have to pack your stuff onto the folded third-row seats. However, you can also opt to remove these seats and have even more bootspace, which is handy.
The mHawk 2.2-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel engine from Mahindra is renowned for its frugality, especially when paired with a 6-speed manual transmission (only gearbox on offer with this model as there is no automatic variant). It delivers 103 kW of power and 280 Nm of torque, both of which are modest to be sure, but adequate for hauling this SUV and its 7/8 passengers on roadtrips. We did, however, not match the claimed 7.7 liters per 100 km (the review model only had 30 000km on the clock), but instead averaged around 9 liters per 100 km.
Unfortunately, during our drive back from Ceres to Pretoria, there were protests in Ventersburg, Free State, which saw us being diverted three times off of the N1, shooting our travelling time and fuel usage up. In fact, the whole trip lasted around three hours longer than normal and we averaged a whopping 14 liters per 100 km.
Ultimately, the Mahindra Scorpio S11 is practical, reliable, and comfortable for a family of five. It offers a great deal of value for the money and can go offroad for those so inclined. It goes for a recommended retail price of R389,999 for the 4×2 manual, which is a 7-seater SUV bargain, whilst the 2022 Scorpio S11 SUV 4×4 6S M/T that we drove during our review period can be had for an RRP of R414,999. With this price, the Scorpio S11 comes standard with a comprehensive 4-year/120,000 km mechanical warranty and a full 5-year/90,000 km service plan.
