2023 Mahindra Scorpio arrives in Australia

Australians keen to head off the beaten track have a cut-price new rugged four-wheel drive to consider. But there’s a catch.

It has been testing in Australia for the past six months.

There is a tough new 4WD ready to tackle Australia’s rugged terrain.

The Mahindra Scorpio has arrived Down Under priced from an enticing $41,990 drive-away.

It’s pitched against some segment heavy weights such as the Ford Everest, Toyota Prado, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Isuzu MU-X.

It’s substantially cheaper than mainstream rivals, slicing more than $20,000 off the price of more fancied competition.

The new Mahindra Scorpio is more than $20,000 cheaper than some rivals.

That price comes at a serious cost, though. The Scorpio does without vital safety equipment found on nearly every other vehicle on the market.

There is no autonomous emergency braking tech that will automatically hit the brakes if it detects a potential forward collision. It doesn’t have lane-keep assist, blind-spot detection or rear cross-traffic alert.

The absence of these technologies is likely to mean it’ll receive a poor score in any ANCAP safety tests.

The Indian brand is relatively unknown in Australia but it is looking to make a big impact in Australia with the Scorpio according to Sachin Arolkar, head of Mahindra’s international operations.

It lacks most safety gear found on modern cars.

“The Scorpio leverages our expertise in SUVs with a range of technological advancements and will be a compelling proposition for our Australian customers,” he says.

“We are confident that the all-new Scorpio will be the first step in scaling up our operations multiple-fold in Australia.”

Mahindra has spent the past six months putting the Scorpio through its paces in Australia, covering 120,000km in a range of conditions.

Italian design house Pinninfarina helped with the styling.

Styling of the Scorpio was undertaken by famed Italian design studio, Pininfarina, which was responsible for some of the most desirable Ferraris such as the F12 Berlinetta and F40.

It has a rugged body on frame construction that is favoured by heavy duty 4WDs and utes.

Multiple driving modes help it tackle a range of conditions including snow, sand and mud and ruts.

It uses a 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine that makes 129kW and 400Nm mated to a six-speed auto and four-wheel drive.

It has been testing in Australia for the past six months.

It is smaller than most of its rivals and has six seats instead of seven with two seats in all rows.

An eight-inch touchscreen, faux-leather upholstery and a leather wrapped steering wheel and gear shifter elevate the cabin.

A more expensive version priced at $44,990 drive-away comes with a 12-speaker Sony stereo, electronically adjustable driver seat, wireless device charger and a front camera and front parking sensors.

Originally published as 2023 Mahindra Scorpio arrives in Australia