Scorpio-N - 3rd Row Air Circulation Hack

3000 Kms Ooty Trip in Scorpio-N AT Diesel Z8L (4XPLOR)

Note : Lots of pictures and videos towards the end of this blog!

Vehicle and Trip Configuration:

• Scorpio-N Z8L AT 4XPLOR (Diesel / 4WD / Top Variant)
• First Batch, August 2022 manufactured
• AC always on (except at a few places in the hills where windows and sun roof were opened)
• Fully loaded (2 adults, 2 big kids and lots and lots of luggage)
• Spirited driving all the way (no light foot)
• Fitted with top end integrated roof carrier (from m2all website) which adds to the weight of the vehicle and slight drop in fuel efficiency.
• Fitted with DDPAI X5 PRO front and rear dashcam

Journey Details:

States Covered : Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh

Dates : June 2023

Total Trip Duration : ~10 days

Hyderabad (TS) => Hubli (KA) => Badami (KA) => Davangere (KA) => Bandipur (KA) => Masinagudi (TN) (36 hairpin bends) => Ooty (TN) (and nearby tourist attractions) => Conoor (TN) => Black Thunder Resort (TN) => Dhimbam Ghat (TN) (27 hairpin bends) => Anantapur (AP) => Hyderabad (TS)

Journey Parameters:

• ODO (start) : 6854 kms
• ODO (end) : 9830 kms
• Total distance covered : 2976 kms
• DEF (start) : 96%
• DEF (end) : 71%
• DEF consumption: Approx. 1% drop in DEF levels every 120 kms
• Highest Mileage (MID) : 13.9 kmpl (on highways)
• Lowest Mileage (MID) : 9.5 kmpl (even in the hills)

Fuel Log:

• Total fuel cost : 20801.00 INR appox. (cost of Diesel varied from 86 Rs to 99 Rs per liter)
• Total fuel : 224 liters approx.
• Total Distance Covered : 2976 Kms
• Avg FE for 3000 Kms : 13.28 kmpl

Fast Tag Charges:

• Total Paid : 2825.00
• Costliest Toll : Sheshagirihalli Toll Plaza : 165.00
• Surprise Toll : Fast Tag Boom Barrier @Doddabetta Peak ! : 20.00 

Preparation and Homework:

• DEF topped up to 100%
• Air pressure topped up (34 psi in all wheels)
• No Servicing done (my 10K service was still a good 3K Kms away)
• Li-Ion Battery Jump Start Kit (70mai MAX) - Link (never needed to use it in the journey)
• 12V Michelin Air Pump - Link (never needed to use it in the journey)
• Garage Pro Car OBD scanner - Link (never needed to use it in the journey)
• Baby wet wipes. With the help of my kids, I cleaned my Scorpio-N (inside and outside) at Ooty using one entire packet of baby wet wipes and two cans of water. The wet wipes are wet (duh!) and have mild soapy content which makes them very useful. Do not dispose them anywhere though, they are not biodegradable. Link
• Phone charger cables dedicated for car
• Preloaded songs on USB sticks. Scorpio-N's entertainment unit allows one to browse through folders on the USB stick very easily in the UI.
• Route on Google maps with stops added to favourites (restaurants, lodges, turns etc)
• Garbage bags (came in handy for wet clothes and keeping the hotel rooms clean)
• Pillows (you don't want a sprained neck from hotel pillows)
• Both car keys
• 7D mats (Remember to remove and dry them incase of accidental water spills)
• Car Door Edge Anti-Scratch Protectors. These are cheap and really help as your family will have no time for careful ingress and egress during trips. Once they get dirty, you can peel them off and paste new ones. Link
• Motion sensing light in the boot, very useful when working with luggage. This is very useful and runs off AA batteries which last a long time. It comes with a magnetic sticker which sticks to the side of the boot and the light bar sticks to this magnetic sticker. Link
• Window shades are a must , the OEM ones work great.
• Dashcam DDPAI X5 PRO
• STEK PPF which was already done post delivery in Oct 2022
• Spare Dashcam SD cards (incase you want to preserve your ride up the mountains). Note that each 1 minute 4K video by a good dashcam like DDPAI X5PRO takes 140 MB of space. So, a 128 GB micro SD card will fill up easily from a drive of about 15 hours and then the Dashcam starts to overwrite old videos.
• Car Fire extinguisher (Cease Fire) - Link (never needed to use it in the journey)
• Glass breaking and seat belt cutting devices (at least two) (never needed to use it in the journey)
• Umbrellas and Ponchos
• Winter wear
• Insurance, RC card, DL, Pollution certificate, Hotel tickets, COVID certificates etc

Driving and Parking Precautions:

• Never engage child lock in any doors (including the child lock in the boot door)! This will be a disaster for occupants incase of any emergency in the hills or highway
• Park car in shade to avoid heating up interiors (specially when your vehicle is loaded with Chocolates and Cheese from Ooty)
• Never park car under trees (to avoid insect poop, dry leaves etc). This kind of debris will clog the drains at the bottom of the windshield and of the sun roof. This was a nasty lesson learnt which required some amount of panic cleaning measures.
• Stop and take shelter incase of hail storms or heavy rains. Don't take the risk.
• Be vigilant about height available when passing through bridges or tunnels or basements or parking areas (specially if you have installed a roof carrier and have luggage on the roof)
• Carry or purchase 5 liter water cans and steel/pearl pet water bottles. The 1ltr water bottles are banned in the hill stations like Ooty and they are not available to purchase anywhere.
• Most ghats are now packed with new age trucks (like Bharath Benz) which are huge, fast and powerful. One has to drive carefully around them.
• Lot of the roads leading to Ooty have warning signs for wild animal crossings and the animals do show up (see pics below).
• If you plan to do lots of night driving, you may want to get some radium reflective stickers installed at strategic places on your vehicle (doors, bumpers etc). The highways in India are now awesome with reflectors on the road that look like airport landing patches.
• Use a stone if you are unsure of the inclines and handbrake power. The Scorpio-Ns handbrakes are awesome though.
• Carry glares (goggles). Eyes dry up quickly due to the strong AC on the Scorpio-N.
• Avoid depending on Google maps blindly. Specially in towns and villages, Google will show shortest routes that will take you through really narrow (sometimes slum) lanes!

Highlights Of the Scorpio-N during the Trip:

• The Scorpio-N AT 4XPLOR Z8L Diesel performed like a dream throughout the 3000 Kms in a span of 10 days.
• No breakdown in entire journey of 3000 kms. Did not have to open the bonnet hood even once. Completed 10K Kms in my Scorpio-N at the end of this journey. 
• Was able to tackle hairpin bends with ease in the Scorpio-N (AT).
• Went over almost 60+ hair pin bends uphill and similar number downhill.
• Took all hairpin bends directly driving on the inner edge of the curve without a sweat.
• Never had to take the long edge of the curve (that many other cars had to do to acquire and retain momentum).
• The Scorpio-N's engine did not show any signs of struggle at all (see video below).
• It was like driving a car in a video game, almost boring at times. There was no drama, no suspense, no tension with the Scorpio-N.
• I think the ease with which the Scorpio-N climbed the hairpin bends was due to RWD, the enormous torque of the Diesel engine, the AT gear box and in general, great roads even in the hills.
• The AC is a chiller (both front and rear). I had numbness of hands in the driver seat on long journeys. Cooling after vehicle is parked in hot sun is super fast and comforting.
• Braking bite is awesome.
• The transmission crawl in the AT version (which makes the care move at 5 km/hr - 10 km/hr without any accelerator input) and availability of uphill/downhill assist are a boon in the hills.
• Did not feel the need for 360 degree camera at all, even in the hills and narrow roads.
• Lots of respect in the hills for Mahindra vehicles. Almost all vehicles in Ooty are either Mahindra jeeps or Toyota Etios or Innovas or other smaller cars.
• Exceptional ground clearance. Did not get a single underbody hit.
• Excellent boot space (with 3rd row up). Had 2 international size suitcases and about 15+ bags of all sizes and variations.
• No issue with tire pressure of all tires (though two air valve nuts loosened and vanished on the highway)
• Battery never lost charge
• No puncture!
• The handbrakes are awesome. I parked on most inclines with just the handbrakes and no stones kept under tires.
• DEF levels dropped predictably which was great. No regen warning till date.
• No Challans anywhere!
• PPF came in very handy (parking under trees, scraping sides of car on narrow roads with thorny shrubs on one side)
• Even in the hills, fuel efficiency remained higher than 9.5 kmpl. This was including climbing two ghats each with ~30 hairpin bends and lot of driving in and around Ooty and Coonoor.
• Sun roof was magical in the hills, specially when it was drizzling.
• Was able to take Scorpio-N (AT) right up to the top of all tourist spots (like Dolphins nose, Pykara water falls, Earl's Secret Restaurant, Doddabetta Peak) without any issues.
• The light steering is a boon.
• The roads were narrow with long traffic jams (buses, tempos, cars, taxis).
• Parking spots at the top of the mountains were extremely crowded, but, there was no issue maneuvering the N into those tight spots (see pic below of a tight spot at Doddabetta Peak).
• On a side note, these parking lots at the top of the hills were filled with noticeable smell of clutch plates burning. So, manual transmission car owners, please take proper precautions. I also saw many cars with their bonnets open probably to cool them down.
• Night time headlight throw is adequate, never felt any issues.
• 4XPLOR came in handy many times when stuck. Engagement and disengagement is seamless.
• Android Auto worked well and I used it to play songs from Spotify and for navigation using Google maps from my wife's Android Phone.
• Speaker quality on the Z8L is awesome, it is almost like a pub on wheels.

Lowlights of the Scorpio-N:

• Pressing the horn of the Scorpio-N is very hard. In the hills, this can become the cause of a major accident as one needs the horn to work when it needs to work.
• Keeping your palm comfortably on the steering of the Scorpio-N on long drives is an issue. The gap at the bottom of the steering is not big enough (you have to squeeze your palm into it) and if you decide to keep your palm on the left or the right slots, then, you are twisting your wrist at an angle to a painful position. I am told the Scorpio-N steering is the same as the one on XUV700. See pic below.
• Rain wiser OEM accessory was useless, the rain water still came in when we opened the windows during drizzles. Had kept a cloth handy to wipe the window areas.
• Accessing the side door pockets for those with fat palms is really difficult. It becomes worse as objects get stuck inside (because the upper edge of these door pockets that have a slight inward bend which prevent objects from coming out easily). I constantly hit the seat adjustment buttons when removing items from driver side door pockets.
• Do not keep the window breaking devices in the door pockets, you will never be able to extract them in an emergency.
• While ventilated seats were not sorely missed, having them would have been awesome.
• Lack of sliding facility in the 2nd row seats was a let down in terms of overall comfort.
• Auto start stop is a nightmare in the hills as you don't want it to kick in when you are in a tight spot. One must switch it off after starting the car every time. Also, if you have connected your Dashcam to the 12V rear socket like me, then, with auto stop, the dashcam would also switch off.
• Third row had to be folded and tumbled to get maximum boot space.
• The AT versions of the Scorpio-N shifts to 6th gear only when you hit about 90-95 kms. This is a big let down as it causes a hit to the fuel efficiency. And shifting it manually does not work either. While this behavior of the vehicle may prevent DEF issues, it’s still an annoyance in the ATs.
• No puddle lamps for doors makes getting in and out in dark areas a bit challenging.
• Fixing my iPhone to a phone holder (attached to the windshield) caused the phone to heat up and slow down. I suspect this is because the windshield causes the phone to heat up (acts like a magnifying glass).

Must visit places in and around Ooty:

• Dolphin's Nose View Point
• Dodda Betta Peak
• Pykara Waterfalls and Pykara Lake
• Ooty Boat House (Lake)
• Honeymoon Boat House (Lake)
• Thread Garden  
• Pine Forest 
• Tea Gardens
• Tea Factories
• Chocolate Museums and Factories
• Ooty Karnataka Horticulture Garden
• Ooty Commercial Road (for purchases and walking)
• Ooty Toy Train (Mettupalian <> Conoor <> Ooty) 
• Earl's Secret Restaurant (sits on a hill top and from British Era)
• Le Cafe Restaurant, Ooty
• Hotel Mayur Sudarshan Restaurant 
• Black Thunder Water Theme Park 
• Acres Farm (for Cheese) 
• Ooty Golf Course
• Ooty Rose Garden
• Ooty Botanical Garden

Key points about Ooty:

• Absolutely no 1 liter water bottles available anywhere (they are banned). Not even in the hotels. In some shops, 5 liter water cans are available (branded ones) for sale. We purchased a few 5 liter water cans and kept refilling our bottles from them. 
• Plenty of walking even if you take your car to the top of the view points like Dodda betta, Pykara Waterfalls and Dolphin's nose. Not very senior citizen friendly, they may need to relax in your car if they are not comfortable. In the case of Pine Forest point, one has to walk down slippery incline filled with mud and rut and climb it back. 
• Every shop sells chocolates like staple food. Difficult to know which ones are good quality and which ones are not. Similarly, most shops sell spices, oils and sweets. 
• Plenty of taxis and autos available at reasonable costs (if you wish to ditch your car for visiting tourist spots). 
• The Toy train bookings on IRCTC are snapped up months in advance. However, the respective stations hold back a good number of seats to be sold at the counter 30 minutes before departure. If you can stand in the line, you have a good chance of getting the tickets at the counter. Also, the trains from bottom (Mettupaliam) => top (Ooty) and top (Ooty) => bottom (Mettupaliam) are just two in the day (one in the morning and the return is in the evening). However, there are a large number of trains between Ooty <> Coonoor if you don't want to travel the entire distance from the bottom (Mettupaliam) to the top (Ooty).  Coonoor station is situated about midway between bottom (Mettupaliam) and top (Ooty). You can make bookings such that you get a few hours in Coonoor to visit some tourist spots and catch the train back to Ooty in the evening. 
• Food in Ooty is now commercialized meaning you have Hyderabadi Biryani, North Indian Food, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominoes everywhere. It was hard to find local specialties in Ooty (like bakeries which sell local stuff or local food joints). Most bakeries have resorted to selling Chocolates and packed food products like chips and biscuits as they don't need to prepare food this way. This was a bummer. 
• Traffic on the climb from Masinaguda to Ooty and traffic in Ooty in June was average, not bad. However, the roads that lead to popular tourist spots get jammed as all tourists throng these places throughout the day. Drivers are really well behaved, there is no road rage at all and everyone sticks to their lanes. However, the taxi drivers try to avoid pot holes as much as they can and try to push you into them. Trafic during the night times in Ooty can be really bad as there are a handful of main roads and everyone needs to pass through them to go anywhere. 
• Most places have good mobile network except the climb up to Ooty and back from Ooty where network can be spotty. 
• Plenty of gas stations in Ooty and around.
• There are absolutely no Olas or Ubers in Ooty.
• While Hotels provide laundry services, drying clothes can be an issue due to the cold weather and rains. Its best to carry extra clothes incase clothes get dirty or don't dry.
• It was drizzling sometimes in early June, but there was no heavy rainfall as such anywhere.

Toy Train Ticket from Coonoor to Ooty 

Cost : 290/-

Class : First Class

Routes to Ooty and Back:

There are multiple routes to get to Ooty and they are pretty much controlled by the local police and the weather and the time of the day. 

Route #1 (Climb To Ooty) : Via Gudalur. This one is without the 36 hairpin bends, but folks cite this as more scenic. This is a bit longer by about 40 kms. 

Route #2 (Climb To Ooty): This is via Masinagudi and with the 36 hairpin bends. This one is sometimes closed if its raining or some other issue. Also, this route cannot be taken when the way back unless you are a local resident. So you will find relatively less returning traffic on this path which is great when climbing up.  I took this one when going up to Ooty. 

Return from Ooty: I had to come down to Mettupaliam to the Black Thunder Resort, so I took the route shown below via Conoor. For those heading to Bangalore or other cities, they need not take this route and can go for other direct routes from Ooty which are shorter. 

Hotel Stays:

I tried to cover about 600 Kms max each day and avoided night driving wherever possible. Also, tried to book hotels on the main highways to avoid going into towns/cities. 

All hotel bookings were done via Make My Trip. 

Hubli (KA) to Ooty (TN) : Took a night break at KK Comforts (Srirangapatna). Decent hotel on the main road with a Reliance supermarket on the ground floor and parking in the front and backside. They even had a room with 2 king size beds. No attached restaurant but they can arrange for food. There are good restaurants few minutes away from this hotel. 

Link

Bandipur (KA) : Although I did not halt inside Bandipur, the road through Bandipur is really picturous and filled with many wild animal sightings. We could also see a couple of resorts on the way which probably need to be booked in advance.  

Ooty (TN) : Stayed at KSTDC Mayura Sudarshan Hotel from Karnataka Government (Ooty). This is one of the most awesome hotels in Ooty and has really big colonial style rooms. The rooms are renovated and painted recently. The staff is awesome and the restaurant is even more awesome. The best part is that this hotel shares its space with the MEGA Karnataka Horticulture Garden which is epic. Guest at this hotel can just walk into the garden without any charges. The only downside of this hotel is that you need your vehicle as its a bit away from Ooty's city center. The hotel can arrange for cabs, autos and massage anytime though. It also has a lot of parking space. Driving at night to and from this hotel to other spots in Ooty is a spooky experience as Ooty has many winding roads with no lights (not dangerous in anyway though). 

Link

Mettupaliam (TN) : Stayed at Black Thunder Resorts (Mettuupaliam). This is just out of this world with the hills in the backdrop and a Water Theme Park at walking distance. The Water Theme Park is amazing and squeaky clean (did I say no compulsion to wear special costumes?). Also, guests at the resort get discount to go to the water park. The resort has restaurant in the garden which is too good to miss at night. There are ample play areas for kids in the resort and the rooms are well maintained. I stayed at this resort to take the 7.10 AM Ooty Toy train from Mettupaliam to Conoor and back. The resort will arrange for packed breakfast and auto to help visitors catch the 7.10 AM train. Plus, also spent time in the water theme park which was a hit with the kids. 

Link

Mettupaliam (TN) to Hyderabad (TS) : Stayed at Garlica Grand (Anantpur). This was the only hotel which did not meet our expectations. It is on the highway and is clean, but for the cost they charge, it was not worth it. I tried to book other hotels on the highway after crossing Bangalore, but I could not find any so ended up here. Also, the route from Mettupaliam to Anatapur took a good 11 hours with breaks and due to the Dhibam ghats with 27 hair pin bends which I had not factored in. 

Link

That's it for now folks! 

Below are some pictures and videos of the journey. 

Video of Scorpio-N taking on a hairpin bend with ease on the inner edge! 

• 36 hairpin bends from Masinagudi to Ooty
• 27 hairpin bends during the return journey from Ooty via Dhibam Ghats

Wildlife (Bandipur, Madumalai and others)

Deer

Gaur

Elephants

Scorpio-N's Luggage Capacity 

Two international size suitcases and about 15+ bags of all sizes. I could fit even more if I had installed a rear view camera which would have eliminated the need for rear view visibility through the OVRM. And I could have added even more luggage on the roof carrier.  

Love for Mahindra in the hills

The drivers here just love the trusty Mahindras and the Toyotas

Beautiful Ooty and Surrounding Places

Waterfall on the road to Ooty

Coimbatore seen at a distance

St. Stephens Church, Ooty

Entering Madumalai Tiger Reserve

Karnataka Siri Horticulture Gardens, Ooty

Ooty Chocolates

Hotel Mayur Sudarshan, Ooty

Pine Forests, Ooty

Pine Forest Lake, Ooty

Fresh Produce on the way

Pykara Waterfalls, Ooty

Toy Train, Ooty

Quail Eggs, Dolphins Nose Point

Karnataka Siri Horticulture Gardens, Ooty

Toy Train, Ooty

Black Thunder Resort and Water Park, Mettupaliam 

Food at Ooty and Other Places

Thukpa at Spicy Momos, Ooty

Momos at Spicy Momos, Ooty

Ooty Chocolates

Evening Snacks with Hot Coffee at KSTDC Mayura Sudarshan Hotel, Ooty

Pizza at Le Cafe, Ooty

Fresh cut fruits at Dolphin's nose point

2-Minute Maggi at Dodda Betta View Point on the Scorpio-N

Dinner at Earl's Secret, Ooty's best kept secret on a hill 

Acres Cheese, Conoor (owned by Mansoor Ali, Director of Movie Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak). Only one bakery "Baker's Juction" in Conoor sells it apart from the Farm itself. 

Famous Maddur Vada at Maddur 

Korean Restaurant and SEOL Shop near KIA Plant (60 kms from Anantpur) 

Davangere Benne Dosa at Davangere 

Mysore Bun and other delicacies at "Kichha's Halli Mane" near Kunigal. This is owned by Kannada actor Sudeep (Kiccha) along with his partner. 

And Finally, pictures of my Scorpio-N Z8L AT 4XPLOR (Diesel)

PPF saves the day from a fruit collision

Bonus : Pictures of Hotel KSTDC Mayura Sudarshan, Ooty 

One More thing ..... 

After travelling for 3000 Kms and being away from home for over a month, I drove back to Hyderabad to drive my other 11 year old 4x4 (Manual) SUV which was standing still in my parking. 

Any guesses which felt better and more superior?