The Mahindra Scorpio has six seats in a two (driver and front passenger), two (two separate outboard captain's chairs) and two (a single bench seat) pattern.

They all have synthetic leather trim and offer adequate comfort and support.

Standard features in the Z8L include a 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto), wireless phone charger, a 12-speaker Sony stereo, dual-zone climate control, front camera (intended for off-road use), front and rear parking sensors, and six-way power-adjustable driver’s seat.

It has a leather wrapped steering wheel and gear shifter, tan- and “rich coffee”-coloured synthetic leather interior trim, a cooled glove box, sunroof, and six-seat layout (with two captain's chairs in the second row).

It has 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic wipers and projector LED headlights, push-button start, keyless entry and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

The Mahindra Scorpio's cabin is neat and functional.

The 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system is easy enough to operate and the screen is clear, although it’d be better if it were bigger.

The tan synthetic leather interior trim looks good and the interior generally looks nice, but under closer inspection the cabin is missing the storage spaces, USB charge points and build quality of rival SUVs.

There’s one cupholder (between driver and front passenger), the door pockets are narrow and there are few other storage spaces.

With the third-row seats in use, there’s a very small rear cargo area, and those seats don’t fold flat so when they’re not in use they seriously impact the amount of storage space on offer anyway.

If you're considering using your Scorpio as a long-distance, loaded-up travel vehicle – and you don't have six people in your family – then you'll have to consider removing the back row of seats prior to your trips, just to free up more space.

Some features, such as the directional air vents, feel flimsy.

Otherwise, the Scorpio’s cabin is suitably practical, rather than overly impressive.

The Mahindra Scorpio has a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which produces 129kW at 3500rpm and 400Nm at 1750-2750rpm.

It has a six-speed automatic transmission, an auto-locking rear diff, and a part-time 4WD system with a dual-range transfer case incorporating low range.

Its '4Explor' system’s drive modes include 'Normal' (2WD, for sealed surfaces), 'Grass/Snow' (4WD), 'Mud & Ruts' (4WD), and 'Sand' (4WD).

The Mahindra Scorpio can do the 0-100km/h sprint in about 11 seconds. Expect a top speed around 165km/h.

Official fuel use is listed as 7.2L/100km on a combined cycle.

Fuel consumption on this test was 9.6L/100km, which is impressive, especially in light of the fact that we spent the lion’s share of two days during the test period in 4WD low-range.

It has a 57-litre fuel tank, so, going by those fuel figures, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 593km out of a full tank.