Maruti S-Cross

The interiors of the S-Cross are quite promising. It’s a roomy car, with a lot of space available in both the front and rear rows, and it also has a fairly large boot. The S-Cross also shares a large number of parts with other products from the Maruti Suzuki range – such as the touchscreen multimedia system, the climate control system, and other items. And this is no bad thing, as all these components are tried, tested, and they function quite well. However, the touch and feel of the interior is an aspect that Maruti needs to work on.

The best part of the S-Cross is the debut of the 1.6-litre diesel engine. It belongs to the same engine family as the Fiat 1.3-litre diesel engine, which we are familiar with, and we like it a lot. The engine is fitted with a variable geometry turbocharger that enables it to produce 118bhp and 320Nm of torque. The other engine option on the S-Cross is the already existing 1.3-litre diesel, along with a five-speed manual gearbox – whereas the 1.6 gets a six-speed manual. And despite demand rising, the S-Cross will not be offered with an automatic transmission or all-wheel drive – with front-wheel drive being the only option.

The S-Cross is a good car to drive and it felt quite nimble and handled really well. The suspension is well tuned and quite comfortable. However, on bad roads, the ride can get quite choppy, especially in the rear. But the car feels very stable at high speed, and the standard disc brakes at all four corners, with ABS work very well. The wide 205-section tyres fitted on to 16-inch wheels also provide a good ride. The 1.6-litre engine is quite refined and has low NVH levels, but at low revs, somewhere below 1800rpm, it has quite a bit of turbo lag. This makes driving in urban conditions a little less relaxed. On the other hand, beyond 1800rpm, the engine revs very quickly and delivers fantastic mid and top-end power. The engine works best in the mid-rpm range, which is good enough for everyday use. The six-speed gearbox is quite nice to operate, offering crisp shifts with very well defined shift gates. The 1.3 litre unit on the other hand lacks any kind of exciting power all together.

While the 1.3 litre diesel engine can provide around 18kmpl, the higher spec 1.6 litre engine will offer around 14kmpl.

The car comes with some nice features such as power steering, power windows, steering mounted controls and then it also gets featured climate control, a 7-inch touchscreen with navigation and Bluetooth, cruise control, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, 16-inch alloy wheels, and loads of other features. It clearly shows Maruti’s seriousness towards targeting customers looking at premium segment products.

Safety features include several airbags and an ABS system.

The overall quality is very good but it’s not the best. However the car is built well and it’s got a Maruti badge on it so you can be rest assured the car will last and there will be no service issues.

The car is priced a little steep, and initially Maruti offered a very heavy discount on the car because of poor sales, but now its priced much more competitively and the value for money is quite good.

So, to conquer a segment that has remained elusive, Maruti is leaving no stone unturned with a brand new product, a new range of dealerships and a clear focus on taking the brand upmarket. The S-Cross is a refined machine, which is quite nice to drive and roomy, and this makes it a good, practical car for everyday use.