Mahindra Scorpio-N vs Land Rover Defender

What's the difference?

The Mahindra Scorpio is back – but now it has upgraded safety tech (including AEB) and it’s only available in one variant: the Z8L+.

This is a 4WD wagon with a fair bit of appeal: seven seats, a stack of standard features, a low-range transfer case, an automatic rear diff lock and its price-tag – at just under $50 grand – won’t kick you in the space near the pocket where you keep your wallet.

It hasn’t undergone any mechanical changes so is the Scorpio any good off-road?

Read on.

This feels wrong to say this, but it’s so refreshing not to be driving an electric vehicle. There I said it.

After testing so many EVs lately reviewing a car that has an actual engine is a nice change. And this car definitely has an internal combustion engine - it's the Land Rover Defender Octa Black with a twin-turbo petrol V8.

The Defender Octa is the ultimate form of the 110 Defender. It’s wilder looking, more powerful and more capable, while the Black edition adds darkened elements inside and out for even more visual appeal.

While the Defender Octa Black is special, it’s not alone in a world of high-performance luxury SUVs and its head-to-head rival would be Mercedes-AMG’s G63.

I had the Defender Octa Black for a week and while I didn’t take this beast off-road where it is superbly capable, I put it to the test on some challenging tarmac as well as some challenging real-world family duties.