The word ‘verde’ in Italian means ‘green’. The Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus is an eco-friendly tire for small to midsize crossovers and sport utility vehicles. This tire is primarily designated as an all-season touring tire but the ‘Scorpion’ moniker means it can also handle light off-road duty.
Come to think about it, when was the last time you came across a touring tire with the rugged DNA of an all-terrain tire? But the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus is not just about on-road and off-road performance. This green tire also incorporates low rolling resistance and reduced weight to enhance the fuel economy while reducing the CO2 emissions of your SUV. It all sounds unbelievable, right? Well, you better believe it.
The Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus offers all of that and much more. In reality, it has to be good since each tire will start upwards of $130 to $150 each. This is not the right tire to choose if you are short on cash, but very few SUV tires can offer the capabilities of the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus.
In this review, I was fortunate to acquire a 2012 Volvo XC90 SUV equipped with stock 20-inch wheels and Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus Tires. My test vehicle is the R-Design model with the 3.2-liter V6 gasoline motor and 6-speed automatic transmission.
I am entirely familiar with the merits of the Volvo XC90. It offers the refinement of a sedan and the off-road capabilities of a true-blue sport-utility vehicle. The owner told me he used to have highway-terrain tires on his ride. He decided to upgrade to a more rugged set of tires when he bought a piece of land that he turned into a chicken farm. That’s right, a chicken farm. How will the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus tires fare on a variety of smooth roads and rugged trails? That’s what I’m here to find out.
Features
I previously mentioned the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus is not the most economical choice for an SUV tire, but the tire is actually way cheaper than a comparable set of Michelin or Goodyear tires.
The Scorpion Verde All Season Plus is built with Pirelli’s PNCS or Pirelli Noise Cancelling System. This technology utilizes a sound absorbing device applied to the inside circumferential wall of the tire top significantly reduce road noise.
The tire is also equipped with optimized pitch sequence and phasing on the treads to further lower the internal noise. The tire also has a larger contact patch with four wide longitudinal grooves to offer better traction on wet and snow-covered roads. The tire is also equipped with a large number of longitudinal siping with high-lateral sipe density to offer excellent all-season performance even on light snow.
The Scorpion Verde All Season Plus is manufactured by using a silica-enhanced tread compound to deliver exceptional all-season performance.
Test Drive
There is a reason why some car buyers still prefer the old Volvo XC90 over the new model. This is the type of SUV that you can really drive every single day. It is not as big and wide as the Ford Expedition yet it is more refined and spacious than a comparable Acura MDX or Ford Flex.
Dry Traction
This might sound like an overstatement, but the Pirelli Scorpion Verde Plus tires were able to stick like super glue on dry pavement. The steering felt responsive and braking was superb given the size and weight of my test vehicle. Handling was also excellent as long as you remain judicious with your steering and throttle inputs. It really felt like my test vehicle was riding on summer tires in the dry. It was that good. Planning to do some off-road driving? No sweat. The tires are equipped to handle light off-road trails without a hitch.
Wet Traction
It’s sort of a mixed bag when you’re driving in the wet. At slow to moderate speeds, the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus tires felt confident in the wet. But if you like driving at higher speeds on a wet highway, you better keep a firm grip on the wheel as the tires have a tendency to temporarily break traction as you drive on rain-soaked pavement.
Snow Traction
Traction and grip in the snow was quite admirable. However, if you are planning to take your SUV to a skiing holiday, it is better to upgrade to a proper set of snow tires since the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus is not designed to tackle heavy snow.
Comfort
The suspension tuning of my test vehicle was the perfect match for the comfortable nature of the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus tires. Make no mistake about it since the Volvo XC90 is renowned for its ride comfort, but the tires were able to elevate the comfort levels to another notch. Considering the fact my test vehicle was riding on 20-inch wheels, this is high praise indeed.
Noise
Since the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus is basically a touring tire at the very core, it comes as no surprise that it rolled quietly even as I was breaching the speed limit on the highway. The tires were whisper-quiet at slow speeds and they remained muffled even at higher speeds. If you demand a comfortable and silent tire for your SUV, you don’t need to look further than this.
Treadwear
The Pirelli Scropion Verde All Season Plus tires in my test vehicle were purchased more than five months ago but the tires showed no signs of accelerated wear. I gave the tires a closer look and found minimal signs of wear on all four corners of the vehicle.
Conclusion
If you can afford it, the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus is one of the best tires for sport-utility vehicles and luxury pickup trucks. This is the type of tire that can perform exceptionally well in all types of weather and road conditions without sacrificing comfort and a silent ride.
I’m about to buy a 2020 Jeep GC Altitude with 20 inch wheels and OEM Perilli Scorpion Verde Tires need replacing. Should I ask the dealer to replace with the Perillis..or should I ask for the Michlien Defender LTX’s that I have read about…What is your recommendation?? THANKS!!