Next step

With a brand redesign and moderate sales success in recent years, Mahindra is upping the ante across all model ranges. The Scorpio-N is the first to feature the company's new clothes

- Kyle Kock

Price: TBA Engine: 2,2-litre, 4-cyl turbodiesel Transmission: 6-speed automatic Power: 129 kW Torque: 400 N.m 0–100 km/h: N/A Top speed: N/A Fuel consumption: N/A CO2 emissions: N/A Rivals: Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Toyota Fortuner

updated exterior, improvements in cabin quality and appointments powertrain lacks refinement+

Tough as nails. If you've ever considered the previous generation Scorpio, those are probably the words motoring scribes would've used to describe Mahindra's yeomanlike SUV; it offers a no-nonsense approach to motoring.

One of the major drawcards for the Indian marque - especially its compact SUV range, which includes the Scorpio - is that it offered competent motoring at an extremely attractive price. The brand's reputation for ruggedness also helped win over those in the agricultural sector who were perhaps tired of fancy electronics that could hinder performance in an off-road environment.

The recent popularity of SUVS saw Mahindra put together a few contenders across the segments. After a couple of years on the market, the Scorpio appeared and felt a bit long in the tooth, even though it had a reputation for utilitarian toughness.

It was not bad looking ... or bad in any particular way at all. Perhaps the worst criticism anyone could have thrown at it was it felt a generation old by the time it was launched locally six years ago.