S-Cross
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Driven August two thousand fifteen
For a long time, India’s fattest carmaker – the one who manages to sell a lakh cars in thirty days – struggled to get its more expensive models, like the Grand Vitara and erstwhile Kizashi, out of its showrooms. For some reason, Indians refused to pay too much of money for the same logo that they would otherwise swear by when it came to smaller cars.
So, Maruti is taking this very earnestly and want to switch the brand’s positioning in our minds. Their solution – Nexa. It is essentially going to be a chain of dealerships that will sprout up all over the country to sell its ‘premium’ models. Better ambience, better service and more premium cars on sale is what Maruti Suzuki says. The very first one to hit those posh showrooms, is this S-Cross.
For starters, it may remind you of the SX4. It has a similar face, similar muscular looks and stance. But before you think this is the hatchback or the cross version of the SX4, permit us to tell you that it’s not. It’s all fresh, from ground up. Maruti has built a fresh platform specially for this car. It’s modern and stronger than what we’ve ever seen from Maruti. The carmaker says the S-Cross is for people who want something premium but not necessarily a sedan. Fair enough. But then, it would have been logical to up the ante and suggest an auto gearbox and/or AWD as a variant at least. More tech, more premium seems logical, too. However, that’s not on cards, just yet.
But the good news is that we eventually get to see a fatter diesel engine from Maruti. It’s called the DDiS three hundred twenty and displaces 1.6 litres. It generates a respectable one hundred sixteen horses and a hefty 320Nm of torque. All that torque is available from one thousand seven hundred fifty revs. However there is a bit of turbo lag at the bottom end of the rev range, its done with as the needle nears 1800rpm. The engine isn’t that noisy and the stimulations are taken care of. Typically, the mid range is very punchy, all the way till four thousand revs, but after that the power starts dying out and noise increases exponentially.
The engine is married to a 6-speed gearbox. It has brief throws and shifts slickly. A smaller diesel is on suggest as well, the same one that we’ve seen in a lot of Marutis – the 1.3-litre DDiS. It’s tuned for 87bhp and 200Nm of spin, and is mated to a five-speed gearbox – same as in the Ciaz.
The S-Cross has sorted driving dynamics. It rails well too and takes good care of the Excellent Indian road conditions. The steering feel is good, but it gets a bit floaty after 120kph. In terms of high-speed treating, S-Cross is let down by narrower tyres, most likely used with an eye on efficiency. That results into understeer through quick corners and makes it jittery under hard braking.
Apart from sound dynamics, the S-Cross offers a pleasing ambience in the cabin. The dash design is all fresh and the materials used are the best that we’ve seen from Maruti till date. The dash has soft touch feel that goes well with the intended more-premium feel of the car. The cabin is spacious and there’s ample room at the rear too, the boot too is big enough to carry things that will be good enough for a family getaway. In terms of features too, Maruti has caught on with the rest. There’s steering mounted controls, auto climate control and everything that you need in a modern-day car. However, rear AC vents have been given a skip.
The crossover and compact SUV segment is steaming up and the S-Cross will have rivals to worry about from Day 1. With formidable competition like the well-established Duster/Terrano siblings to the about-to-be-launched Hyundai Creta, Maruti Suzuki will have to toe the fine and difficult line, where the S-Cross plays the value card yet comes across as a more premium model. If you won’t look beyond a Maruti and have always wished an urban crossover, this will slot into your garage nicely. Of course, for the right price.
1598cc, 4cyl, turbo diesel, 116bhp, 320Nm, 0-100kph: 11.3s (claimed).
1248cc, 4cyl, turbo diesel, 87bhp, 200Nm
A crossover that’s got most things bang on – high ground clearance, sound dynamics, good looks and a long-ish feature list.