See also: http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2009/08/taj-mahauler-we-drive-the-mahindra-diesel-pik-up.html

See also: http://www.mahindrana.com/

I bought it a month ago and have done 4000km in it so far.

I am self employed and work as an electrician in coal mines and steelworks, so the 4 x 4 capability quite often comes in handy.

The vehicle was priced at roughly half the cost of comparable Japanese utilities.

Our federal government has announced tax incentives for new capital investments and I cashed in on those.

No complaints from this quarter!

The engine is definitely NOT made by International. Mahindra builds their own engines, however they hire consultants to refine. The model at the GV Intl headquarters has a 2.6L straight 4 cycl diesel. However, the Indian models have a much more advanced 2.2 Direct Injection Common Rail (DICOR) DOHC straight 4 cycl that will be standard when it officially arrives in the US. It has been getting very good reviews in India, Australia, Egypt, Chile, and Brazil. They are also currently testing a diesel hybrid in India which is rumored to be launched 1 year after the US launch.

The vehicles are supposed to be assembled in Ohio. The people who I talk to at GV (US Importer) have a reputation of being very capable with high standards. They have loaned vehicles to JD Powers and are soliciting feedback from them. They are working with Lear Industries (US Major auto interior supplier) apparently updating the interiors for the US models. The interior was a potential issue that I observed.

I will post more updates when available.

SS

As an Rav4 2007 owner, I am sure of no comparision here for first tier toyota-honda-nissan-big gm and up.

Exterior: The exterior fit of the body panels was fairly good. The gaps were consistent with Toyota’s most recent Hilux/4Runner models. More importantly, the gaps were even and symmetrical throughout the body. This is a problem that I have seen on many late model cars and trucks sold in the US. The paint quality was exceptionally good — much better that I initially expected. The only issue that I saw, was the paint on the grill and bumpers. Paint in these two areas looked like an after market job. For example, the paint on the bumper felt rough and had no luster. The same is true for the paint on the grill. This was an issue only on the Scorpio only, since the Pik Up came in stock (unpainted) black plastic trim. The head light lens was high quality. This is usually an issue with Chinese cars and some American cars. They seemed to have used a high grade resin. The running boards on the Scorpio has some explosed bolts. There are a few exposed hex head bolts under neath the wheel wells. I am hoping they are galvanized or aluminum to prevent corrosion. The plastic trim around the wheel wells felt very solid. The previous generation Toyota Hilux/4Runners had a problem with loose wheel fender trim. The door handles seemed very solid, but had a plastic trigger lever that needs to be pulled like a trigger to unlatch the door. The plastic trigger looks like it could break, but I am not sure. I also noticed some visually sloppy welded seams around the roof lines of the Pik Up. I don’t think this would have compromised the structural integrity. Overall, other than the paint on bumpers and grill of the Scorpio, the exterior seemed to be of good quality.

Power Train: The integrity of the suspension and power train seemed to be designed for heavy duty use. The front and rear (4wd) differentials looked like they were designed for a much larger and heavier vehicle. The drive shafts for/aft coming from the transfer case was high grade. Both the Pik Up and the Scorpio came stock with high grade (from appearance) Indian made Brightstone tires.

Interior: This is one area that could use some refinement in terms of finish primarily on the Scorpio. The Pik Up comes standard with power windows. The switches on both vehicles are in the center area near the shift lever. The Pik Up only has 2 windows but had the same 4 switch console as the Scorpio. I hope the other 2 switches serve some purpose. I will be sure to check it out when I get step inside. The color choice on the red Scorpio seemed to be a flashback to the 1980′s, albeit it was leather. The interior was red, black and silver with some white stripes. They covered the center dash in silver painted leather. The leather seats seemed to be of high quality. They had a bit of an 1980′s FIAT/Recaro look to them.

I hope you find this information useful. I will give an update of the interior as well as give a review on the ride and handling characteristics of both vehicles once I get a test drive.

Take care. SS