Mahindra Scorpio Z8L tours Lerderderg State Park in Victoria

Taken at face value the Mahindra Scorpio seems like an extremely versatile proposition.

It's a vehicle that’s equally capable of school runs and shopping trips, as it is darting to a local 4x4 park or embarking on remote weekend adventures. That it’s brimming with a heap of equipment as standard is unheard of at this price point – $45,990 in as-tested Z8L guise.

Scratch away at the surface and you might even start to think this vehicle has erroneously been put into the wrong price bracket. It features a bounty of kit more commonly seen loaded into more premium competitors, but it undercuts those vehicles by as much as 50 per cent in some instances.

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To further fathom the Scorpio’s versatility, a road trip west of Melbourne beckoned via a detour to the Lerderderg State Park, of course, to have some low-range fun and test its off-road mettle. Can the budget-priced Scorpio be a one-stop-shop for all on- and off-road adventures?

Lerderderg State Park is conveniently located just 70km west of Melbourne. The park’s sweeping vistas and incredible views of the lowlands are popular with 4x4 tourers, rock-crawlers and hikers, and that it’s only an hour’s drive from the city of Melbourne makes it an ideal destination for recreational day trippers. Key to the park’s appeal with the 4x4 community is its selection of off-road trails that vary in difficulty and cater for beginners and experienced steerers alike.

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To showcase the Scorpio’s off-road nous and broad range of ability, we pointed the Z8L’s 265/60 MRF Wanderer all-season tyres – wrapped around 18-inch alloy wheels – to some of the more difficult challenges within the park.

The Scorpio Z8L in stock form bested all obstacles thrown its way, from water crossings and steep rock climbs, to narrow paths and technical trails. Its suspension arrangement – so-called Frequency Selective Dampening (gas) shock absorbers and Watts link rear end – impressed in the way it tamed both smooth and bumpy terrain. An auto-locking diff lock aided when difficulty peaked, and the addition of a forward-facing camera – exclusive to the Z8L – was extremely handy on steep crests, helping to navigate descents when the view through the windshield was solely treetops and blue skies.

It’s obvious Mahindra spent considerable time driving its Scorpio on local soil during the testing phase of its development. In fact, the Indian company officially stated its Scorpio has done more than 120,000km of testing in the Australian Alps and the Australian outback.

With Lerderderg in the rear-view mirror and dust now caked on the big SUV’s exterior, we toggled the Scorpio back from 4WD to 2WD (on-the-fly) and settled in for a comfortable commute on tarmac where it’s suspension remained composed, soaking up road imperfections with aplomb. This leg of the trip allowed us to run a microscope over the spec sheet littered with quality kit you’d typically find on vehicles closer to twice the price.

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The Scorpio Z8L is the range-topping variant in a two-model line-up. The base-spec Z8 is nonetheless well-equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels; tan-coloured leather interior trim; an 8.0-inch infotainment system; wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; automatic wipers; projector LED headlights; dual-zone climate control; a reversing camera and rear parking sensors; push-button start; keyless entry; and a tyre pressure monitoring system – not bad at all for a vehicle which retails for a lowly sum of just $41,990.

On top of this, the Z8L sweetens the deal with a booming 12-speaker Sony audio system; front camera with front parking sensors; six-way powered front seating; a seven-inch coloured driver display; and wireless charging. That sub-$50K price tag is starting to look very enticing indeed.

The Scorpio is powered by a 129kW/400Nm mHawk diesel engine, which is quiet, refined and well-calibrated to the Aisin six-speed automatic transmission. The output of 129kW and 400Nm isn’t segment-defining, but that the vehicle only weighs a lithe 2100kg makes it more than adequate on freeways and off-road tracks alike.

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The interior layout is clean and purposeful, with its drawing card for small families being the captain’s chairs in the middle row. Yep, the Scorpio is a six-seater, but the benefit of losing a seat for one extra bum – otherwise cramped in the second row – is that the second-row passengers are now bathed in comfort. The Scorpio is an ideal vehicle for those travelling with four in company, thanks to those middle-row captain’s chairs – especially teenagers, who’ll appreciate the space and comfort of the cavernous pews.

The front seats and second-row captain’s chairs are all trimmed in faux leather and are extremely comfortable and supportive of vertebrae, notably on rutted dirt tracks. The third row is easy to access and adequate for smaller kids, but having it upright does inhibit capacity for luggage and gear – folding down the third row does open up plenty of space for a weekend escape, though.

The Scorpio is equipped with an 8.0-inch touchscreen that gets the as-mentioned Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – and the UI of the screen is well laid-out and easy to use.

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After our long day navigating on- and off-road trails, the Scorpio crystalised itself as a versatile all-rounder with credible off-road ability, supple on-road dynamics and a long list of premium features. The versatility and selection of equipment typically reserved for vehicles well beyond its price point combine to make it a compelling option as an all-rounder.

With escalating costs and purse strings ever-tightening, owning an adventure-ready 4x4 with all the mod-cons you desire may seem like a hopeless ambition. But the Indian-born Mahindra Scorpio shifts the narrative, offering that versatility for a fraction of the cost. In fact, opt for the Scorpio and you’ll have change in your pocket from $50K.

Plus, to allay any long-term concerns, Mahindra offers a generous seven-year /150,000km factory warranty and seven years of roadside assistance, with five-year/50,000km of capped-price servicing.