SUVs may have the general ability to handle the rough stuff better than other cars but check out this video of Mahindra Scorpio vs Tata Tiago on a hill climb and you will probably change your mind.
India’s obsession for SUVs came out of nowhere and now, it is one of the most popular segment of cars sold in the country. Almost every manufacturer has a presence in the SUV segment and competition is quite cut throat. We admit there are quite some practical advantages of an SUV like more space, high ground clearance and general ability to handle the rough stuff better than other cars. However, this last point, as it turns out is always not true. Check out this video of Mahindra Scorpio vs Tata Tiago on a hill climb and you will probably change your mind.
This video has been uploaded by the Youtube channel ‘One Living Life’. Its a travelogue video where the vlogger is travelling to Dong Valley in Arunachal Pradesh to catch the first sunrise of India. The vlogger was on his way from Parashuram Kund to Walong Town which is the easternmost town of the country. The video starts by showing a broken patch of road in the area. Arunachal Pradesh is anyway known for very poor road conditions.
The vlogger is travelling in a Tata Tiago hatchback with a Mahindra Scorpio following closely behind. In this video, he is positioned at a hair-pin turn on a gravel mountain road which has an incline of about 30 degrees. He is doubtful whether the Tiago will be able to make it up the slope because of its ground clearance. The surface is quite uneven and has loose gravel as well. But when the Tiago actually arrives, it aces the slope like it was no drama at all.
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Quite surprisingly, the Scorpio following it – an SUV – is not able to make it in one go. It takes the Scorpio a couple of attempts before it is actually able to go up the slope. Why does this happen? Well, its all about weight and traction. The Tiago is a much lighter car than the Scorpio and being a front wheel drive car, it has much better traction on its front wheels with the weight of the engine directly on the front axle. It was thus able to easily climb the slope.
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However, in case of the Scorpio, its the 4×4 variant and is rear-wheel drive only. Firstly, it does not have enough momentum as its following the Tiago. Secondly its a much heavier car and with not an ideal weight distribution, it becomes a little difficult for the Scorpio. Due to the unevenness of the surface, one of the rear drive wheels is already in the air, and with traction on just one wheel, it struggles to pull its weight up. If the Scorpio had enough weight on its rear axle, it probably would have been able to do it in one go. However, with a little more momentum and the right approach route, the Scorpio eventually makes it up the slope.
