What’s new?
The Mahindra Scorpio and the Tata Safari have been on sale in India for well over a decade and the battle for supremacy has been fierce. Since the time of launch, both Tata and Mahindra have made it a point to update them regularly, to help them adapt to changing technology, customer demands and of course, to get a jump on each other.
The last time we compared them, the Scorpio took the crown back thanks to Mahindra updating it extensively, with a new chassis, better interiors and more features. It was much better to drive, the cabin was nicer to be in and it offered tremendous value. Now, Tata has given its Safari yet another update; along with mild design changes and a much better interior, the Storme also gets a more powerful engine. So, it was quite an obvious move to get them together yet again, to see if Tata has done enough to wrestle the trophy back from the Scorpio.
What are they like to drive?
The key change on the Safari Storme facelift is the adoption of the more powerful 2.2-litre Varicor engine from the Aria. Start the Tata up and you’ll notice that the engine feels quite refined – it’s as quiet if not quieter than the Scorpio’s 2.2-litre unit. It’s also more rev happy and the power delivery is smoother than before. However, the engine still takes a bit of time to wake up from low speeds and it still isn’t as effortless to drive as the Scorpio. Even the gearbox
feels a bit unpolished and transfers a fair amount of engine vibrations to your palm. What the 10bhp bump up in power has done is made the updated Safari quicker to 100kph by over a second, now completing the sprint in 14.06 seconds.
The Scorpio is the nicer one to drive of the two, especially in the city. The clutch and steering are light and easy to use. The engine’s ready responses coupled with the Scorpio’s lighter body means it’s quicker to accelerate than the Safari too, which is useful, especially in traffic. The engine pulls without fuss from as low as 1,500rpm and there’s a strong surge after 1,800rpm. The mid-range punch of the Scorpio is superb and you feel there’s surplus power. Overtaking,
as a result, is effortless and the Scorpio can be wafted past slow-moving vehicles quite easily. Unlike the Safari, the Scorpio’s mHawk engine doesn’t like to be spun hard though, so it’s best to shift up before 4,000rpm.
Rivan RS 
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
