Background:
I started to drive only from the last July. All my driving was in my office scorpio. I have never driven any other car other than scorpio and little bit on innova. When i planned to buy a car it was either a SUV or hatchback. Either buy a car that can take 5 with enough luggage or just buy a car that can zip through in traffic. To be precise, i always dreamed about a mini SUV, high GC and can be easy in traffic and take 4-5 easily.
Selection process:
Not much confusion here, if SUV then scorpio or safari else swift or punto. But like many here, the dream was towards safari. I get out of any conversation the moment i see a safari on road. but everything changed when i took the TD. it was BIG, Very big. even for someone used to scorpio, it was like another leap and the fit and finish, i have heard about it here but i felt it when i saw inside for the first time. Didnt even think about innova, there are 3 innovas in the office and i dont want to add one more and make it a taxi stand, moreover i always liked the jeepish looks than MUV.
Then i started to look for a swift or punto, the waiting period in swift pushed me to look for a second hand swift but i didnt have much luck. it was a bit hard(atleast for me) to find a good swift in white. punto disappeared from the selection along with swift when the last rain hit chennai. Travelling from medavakkam to santhome in a hatchback in between the little elephants, share autos and cabs was really a big question for me. since i was used to SUV it always a doubt to try hatchback and the bitter experiences in the rainy season in the broken roads of velachery and medavakkam made my mind to say SUV. Rain is less in chennai but still those few days are a pain to drive around.
After all the if and buts, i settled to scorpio. I felt it was the right choice. Not a big SUV, compact and enough space inside. the engine performance is appreciated a lot here. so decided to book a scorp. Color, since i used a black one i decided to look for a different color and white looked way better than any other color for the new facelift. Variant, my budget was for LX but i wanted a white one and also with ABS so i pushed a bit and went for SLE 7 seater.
Dealer experience:
I didnt have any high expectation in the buying experience. but I must say, customer service was great in india garage, especially I must thank kavitha for the same. I later came to know that she was a newbie which was a surprise to me. ‘cos she handled way better than any sales executives i have come across. Everything happened as she promised. I made the booking in the end of december, She made it clear that i cannot get before the 4th week of jan but she will do her best. I received a call before pongal that my vehicle has been dispatched and it will be here in 10 days and she called up again on 20th to say that the vehicle has arrived. i requested whether i can see the vehicle and she said they need 2-3 days for their PDI and so i can see on saturday. As promised,i received a call on saturday morning that i can come to see the vehicle. I looked at the vehicle and was happy with the vehicle. it has done only 36kms in the odo. I did the regular PDI and approved it to for the registration. she was pretty
surprised with the PDI list and the chasis number details. I gave the sheet to her and explained about the chasis number and also told her to verify the pdi list herself before i take delivery.
There was some delay on monday for the loan process so the vehicle went for registration on wednesday. i was not in a hurry since i have already decided to take the delivery on friday. again, as promised the vehicle was registered on wednesday and the number was sent as sms on thursday morning. I told her i will take the delivery on friday and went there on friday evening. As usual, everything was verified and she herself went through the sheet about the documents and gave everything to me before the delivery. Another good thing was the odo was only 56kms.
Then the usual process of chit chat with friends and their round of testing and comments on all possible items. It was a very pleasant moment and i wanted to make sure everyone who is contributing should be happy. I gifted everyone over there, the one who tied the balloons, who serves coffee, the security, the one who cleaned the car, did the pooja. Its always a great feelling to see smiling faces all around you.
The final show arrived. the keys were given to me and i acknowledged the great service by presenting her with a titan watch. Afterall when we expect a good service it is our duty to appreciate and
motivate them to continue so.
About scorp:
Well a lot has been said already so i dont have much to add. Its unfair to compare a 1.6L kms 2004 scorp with a new Mhawk, but still the difference made the driving experience a breeze. The Mhawk is really powerful as stated by many here. For someone who drove a old scorpio, it was a bit hard to keep the vehicle under control. I would hardly realize that she is in 90 when i think im going in 60. Another reason was i was using my brother’s estilo for a month. my first small car experience. Suddenly when i went back to SUV i started to feel its too big to handle. and with additional power, it was a bit too much for me. Presently, I am trying to drive slowly till i get comfortable to push her.
Pros:
Powerful engine.
Less engine noise.
Less body roll (comparing to the old version)
Build quality is impressive. it feels so strong that sometimes i get scared to see the bikes coming close.
Suspension are really good. i never looked at potholes in velachery road where usually i keep turning right and left to avoid them.
Cons:
I didnt like the gear knob. Round one was a bit more comfortable.
AC noise is heavy even in level 2.
i hate the new tiny buttons in the center console. comeon it has so much space and they have made the AC buttons so tiny.
Personally i prefer black/grey but no option in SLE.
Ride is a bit bumpy. Maybe ‘cos its new. i dont know.
Note: Here, I must thank Mission_safari for providing me the chasis number details and regular inputs in IM. He suggested that stating about T-bhp might help in getting freebies. But no luck. They still said the only freebies that they can give is their best wishes. Anyway, thanks a lot manu.
Last but not the least, pictures. I didn’t take many. But i would post a lot more when i am done with accessories.
Before registration:
Attachment 278431
Attachment 278432
On delivery:
Attachment 278433
