When it comes to the most popular ladder-on-frame SUVs in India, the Toyota Fortuner and the Mahindra Scorpio-N rule the Indian car market. Both of these SUVs, although sitting at different price segments, on paper offer similar things. So it is natural that a lot of people make comparisons of these two big SUVs. Recently, these two SUVs were also made to compete in a good old tug of war. It was done to see which of these two SUVs is more powerful and which car can drag its competitor.
Fortuner vs Scorpio-N Tug of War
The video of this tug of war comes courtesy of Small Town Rider from YouTube. In this video, the vlogger starts off with the preface that they will be comparing the power capabilities of these two SUVs. He mentions that, first, both of these SUVs will be tied with the help of a strap using their two hooks, and then the tug of war will begin. He states that one caveat is that the Fortuner’s tow hook was once broken and welded, so it might not be as strong. However, they will still try to do the tug of war.
After this, he introduces both the cars. He mentions that the Toyota Fortuner here is the 2021 Alpha 4X4 variant, and it is an automatic transmission vehicle. Next up, he mentions that the Mahindra Scorpio-N here is a Z8L 4X4 manual variant. It is the second top variant from the Scorpio-N lineup offered in India. He briefly adds that the Fortuner makes around 201 bhp, and the Scorpio-N makes 172 bhp.
Who Won?
Next up, the vlogger adds that they will be doing the tug of war in three phases. In the first phase, they will be using the 4X2 driving layouts, and then they engage the 4 high mode. Finally, they will engage the 4 low mode. After this explanation, they start the first tug of war round. In this round, the Fortuner manages to drag the Scorpio-N for a moment. However, after the Scorpio-N’s locking differential gets engaged, it manages to regain its position, and the Fortuner is not able to drag it. The vlogger also adds that the Fortuner owner forgot to turn off the traction control.
In the next round, both SUVs’ traction control systems get turned off, and they start the round in 4X2 mode. However, this time around, none of the SUVs were able to drag their opponent. After this, they engage the 4 high mode, but unfortunately, the towing hook of the Fortuner breaks apart. The presenter then states they cannot continue the video any further. He mentions that the race was inconclusive as none of the SUVs could clearly drag away their opponent. He added that they will continue this battle some other time.
Toyota Fortuner vs Mahindra Scorpio-N: Powertrains
The Toyota Fortuner used in the video comes powered by a 2.8-litre 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine. It makes around 201 bhp and 500 Nm of torque. On the other hand, the Mahindra Scorpio-N Z8L 4X4 comes equipped with a 2.2-litre 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine making around 172 bhp of maximum power and 370 Nm of torque. On paper, there is a slight difference in power, but the Fortuner has an edge over the Scorpio-N. But from the results of the video, it can be noted that the Scorpio-N managed to hold its foot on the ground.