I had a Mahindra Scorpio CRDE(the the first version) for the last three years. It gave me very good results. I used it during the monsoons of Mumbai in 2005 and 2006 and well, it was a life saver. The vehicle was good for city driving. I had my own share of problems with the service dealerships, but overall, the service was also good.
Now I sold off the Scorpio and have bought the Tata Safari instead. This car was initially sliggish, but now I have done about 5000 kms since I bought on April 28, 2008. But the vehicle’s dravability improves over the first 3000-4000 kms and then it has started giving me good results.
The main reason I changed to the Safari was the space. In India, most of the big vehicles are positioned as 7 or 8 seaters. The Safari is practically a 5-seater, with the last two kiddy seats not much of seats. The leg space is awesome and the seats are very comfortable. The new suspension is also great, so makes for fantastic long distance travelling.
The Scorpio is great on pick up, hence is a driver’s car in the city. The Maneuverability of the scorpio is far superior than the safari. So here goes the points.
If you are looking for comfortable(no back aches), spacious drive especially for long distances, go for the safari. If you are looking for pick up, amazing upward climbing ability, go for the scorpio. Both the top end models are ABS fitted and both of them have new engines(2.2 L).