Mahindra has given its Scorpio bakkies a serious beef injection without spending a cent on development by standardising the four-cylinder, 2.2-litre mHawk CRDe engine - previously only available in the two automatic Scorpio SUVs - across the range.
The mHawk intercooled turbodiesel has second-generation Bosch common-rail fuel-injection and a Borg Warner variable-geometry turbocharger on a 16-valve cylinder head with two-stage chain drive to the camshaft and hydraulic tappet adjustment to reduce noise. It's also lighter than the previous, 74kW, 2.5-litre NEF engine.
It's Euro III-complaint, says Mahindra, churning out 87kW and 270Nm from 1600-2800rpm, and it's much quieter thanks to multiple injections.
Mahindra SA head Ashok Thakur explained: "The decision to fit the mHawk engine across the Scorpio bakkie range in South Africa was tied into two earlier upgrades - a three-year or 60 000km service plan (which is included in the retail price) and the introduction of an Eaton mechanical locking rear differential in all the Pik-Up models."
The Scorpio one-ton bakkie range is offered locally in single and double-cab models with a choice of two or four-wheel drive - all using a five-speed manual transmission.
All-wheel drive models have "on the fly" 4WD switching and a Borg Warner low-range transfer box for extreme off-road conditions. Dual airbags and antilock braking are standard.
PRICES
Scorpio Pik-Up 4x2 single cab - R174 900
Scorpio Pik-Up 4x4 single cab - R209 900
Scorpio Pik-Up 4x2 double cab - R219 900
Scorpio Pik-Up 4x4 double cab - R251 100
These include a three-year or 100 000km warranty and a three-year or 60 000km service plan. Service intervals are 10 000km.