Crossing ways with the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross

For anybody who gets a jaunty kick out of that perfect swirl of wine tickling their taste buds, like myself, Nashik is nothing short of a dream destination. But when we were invited by Maruti Suzuki for the NEXA Experience, we were more curious about the next car we were about to drive than the vineyards of the town. NEXA Experience stands for New Exclusive Automotive Experience, an initiative by Maruti Suzuki to offer their premium customers an exclusive experience of luxury, and to ensure that the whole car buying process is completely hi-tech with the after-sales service as smooth as ordering a pizza.

Interiors

The NEXA experience kick-started with the S-Cross, the first crossover from MSIL. With high expectations we started our drive, and, as they say, first impressions usually stick to you the longest. As soon as you step into the car, the first thing you notice is the fit and finish of the dashboard. It comprises of a seven-inch infotainment system that comes with a touch panel that, in turn, doubles up as a high definition TFT screen for the rear-view camera and parking sensor. It’s moulded in top-notch plasti. The leather upholstery is both comfortable and chic. Practicality of the cabin is what catches your fancy next. Loads of trays and cup-holders to keep your things intact, it’s quite capable of carrying your big 1-litre mineral water bottles for those long drives. And those in the passenger seat can’t complain either, because the length of the car is around 4.5 metres, which means there is no compromise on leg-space or headroom. And the rear AC vents do their job well to keep heads cool. So, none of you married folks need to worry about your mother-in-law cribbing about your car or her arthritis.

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Exteriors

The exterior design hosts impressive HID headlamps with LEDs, robust roof rails, stylish fog lamps and 16-inch alloy wheels that come packed with disc brakes. The car boasts of some garnishing silver skid plates along with the aggressive front grille, supporting it with mirrors, designed to flatter the aerodynamics. Our only point of concern? It has to be the look of the car. Design could be ions sharper and we think that it might get out of the league too soon for its not-too-sharp curves.

Engine and drive

The Maruti Suzuki S-Cross will be available in two variants- the DDiS 320, which is a 4-cylinder, 1.6 litre engine and the DDiS 200, which is again 4 cylinders but with a 1.3 litre engine. We opted for the DDiS 320, which is the biggest engine to date by Maruti Suzuki. The engine delivers a good torque of 320Nm@ 1750 and comes equipped with a Variable Geometry Turbocharger with the best-in-class power of 120 PS. Renault, Ford & Hyundai folks, are you listening?

The drive quality is quite impressive. With minimum cabin noise, long drives will be a real bliss, especially with your family. The car really surprised us on tight corners as it handled them really well, in spite of the speed doing 70 kmph. The 0-100 shootout in an impressive 11.3 seconds shows what the DDiS 320 is really capable of. The return of a good mileage of over 20kmpl is like the icing on the cake. Although we had few initial niggles with the clutch, as it doesn’t release as smoothly as it’s supposed to, leading to unexpected stalling. But we got used to it after a certain amount of time.

Conclusion

The S-Cross carries gigantic expectations from MSIL. It’s their first attempt to enter the crossover segment, a car with a powerful engine with only diesel variants and the NEXA experience of exploring the premium market segment. The pricing will be a key factor for the S-Cross, since the Hyundai Creta is already geared up to lock horns with it, as also some existing brands like Renault, Nissan and Ford already have their feet quite deep in the market.

From the August 2015 issue of FHM India.