A huge safety update to Mahindra’s ANCAP-tarnished big seven seater has finally availed.

MAJOR safety ingredient improvements for a Mahindra that achieved the worst possible rating in the national crash test two years ago are expected to lift its standing here.

But how long before the Scorpio Z8, a seven seater sports utility whose supply in its updated L Plus form is expected to begin very soon, can shake off its albatross of a zero score from Australasian New Car Assessment Programme is less clear.

It is understood a revised ANCAP rating on Scorpio could be in the pipeline, but talk is that the organisation is now so heavily booked - mainly by Chinese emergent makes - that a test slot might not be available until late next year.

Meantime the distributor will go ahead with introducing the 2026 product, which having previously represented in several trims will now relate in just one upmarket four-wheel-drive trim level. The $55,900 price represents as a $4000 lift over the outgoing equivalent, but maintains the model as the cheapest large SUV in the market.

The biggest change for it is adoption of a suite of Level 2 Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS). Almost none of the ingredients it delivers were previously offered.

Additional to the extensive safety feature upgrade, the MY26 Scorpio scores ventilated front seats, electric park brake with auto hold and auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror.

The ADAS safety and driver support suite ushers in Autonomous Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control with stop and go, Front Vehicle Start Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist and what is called Smart Pilot Assist that employs a virtual smart pilot in charge of steering, acceleration, and braking to help the driver to keep the vehicle in the centre of the traffic lane (aka lane centring).

Other ADAS features include Traffic Sign Recognition, Forward Collision Warning and High Beam Assist.

Lack of many of those features hurt the car in its original format significantly when its crash test result from ANCAP issued exactly two years ago this week.

Back then it provisioned with little more than ABS with electronic brake distribution (EBD), dual front airbags and a reinforced body structure.

When media, this writer included, drove the original car in India ahead of NZ availability, the maker said it understood autonomous emergency braking and lane assistance being absent then would immediately deny it a five-star rating, as that was required by ANCAP.

It also knew the Melbourne-based independent assessor expected to see driver attention monitoring and speed warnings, also lacking from the Scorpio.

Nonetheless, the subsequent zero rating came as a shock to Mahindra and its NZ distributor.

At that time the rating was the lowest safety score – in both crash protection and crash avoidance – ever awarded by the New Zealand Government-accredited test.

The ADAS package might well impact on the car’s sticker, but there is also some potential relief as well.

While the MY26 Scorpio continues to be powered by a turbocharged 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine generating 129kW and 400Nm, recent amendments to Clean Car Standard made by the Government means the CO2 penalties it used to attract have eased. The engine meets Euro6 standard.

Power transmission is via an Xplor “intelligent” selectable 4WD through a six-speed Aisin automatic with low range and a rear mechanical diff’ lock.

The model features brake disc wiping and electronic brake pre-fill, five driving modes, LED headlights and taillights, an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charging, and a 7.0-inch colour driver’s display.

Among an extensive standard features list, the Z8L Plus is also equipped with seven seats, sunroof, dual-zone climate control, and a cooled glovebox.

Scorpio is medium-large body-on-frame four-wheel drive wagon, similar in size to a Ford Everest, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and LDV D90, but much cheaper.

It is tow rated at 2500kg braked and has a full size 18-inch steel spare wheel.