[rednikhil]

Just saw the S Cross being reviewed on the Overdrive Show on CNBC TV 18. Wow, what a poorly edited and shoddily put together show! They had the background music playing at full volume when the reviewer was telling us about his experience while driving the car; I think they intentionally masked his voice so that the listeners would be unable to make out the incorrect facts being dished out. . They even called the lower engined variant as the "1.2 L Diesel", without any reference to it being the "National diesel" ie the 1.3 DDIS that is doing duty in all other Maruti diesel cars. In the race to becoming the first ones to feature the S Cross on their show, they have lost out on having even a remote semblance of quality! Really pathetic show. Two thumbs and Two Toes down.

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

I agree this is the Torque monster here , atleast on the paper. But more than the peak torque figure, it's the spread of torque across the revs that matters more.

118 Bhp for 320nm car means, the top end is not that strong. Typically 320nm Diesels with VGT these days are tuned for around 140-150hp. Weak Low end + Relatively weaker Top end= Narrow Power Band.

The Torque/Weight comparison to 320d might sound great on paper but 320d's real world performance with ZF8 transmission is in a different world altogether. S-Cross won't even be good for sub 10s, 0-100kph.

What i've said here is pure speculation derived from paper figures, let's not jump to conclusions before driving the car.

You're absolutely right about the narrow(er) power band as compared to the full fat 2.0 German diesels. Here are the dyno curves for the 320D & the S-cross, and we see that the peak torque is sustained for much longer
in the Bimmer. Absolute performance is determined by the power rating, and power rating alone. Which is the reason why when it comes to 0-100 timings, the S-cross plays within its league and posts 0-100 timings in the 11 second range. In gear performance would be much closer though.

The 320NM of torque will do extremely well on the 'butt-dyno', where the turbo kick is going to make this extremely addictive to drive, 0-100 timings be damned!

[Turbo_Charger]

Originally Posted by rednikhil

Just saw the S Cross being reviewed on the Overdrive Show on CNBC TV 18. Wow, what a poorly edited and shoddily put together show! They had the background music playing at full volume when the reviewer was telling us about his experience while driving the car; I think they intentionally masked his voice so that the listeners would be unable to make out the incorrect facts being dished out. . They even called the lower engined variant as the "1.2 L Diesel", without any reference to it being the "National diesel" ie the 1.3 DDIS that is doing duty in all other Maruti diesel cars. In the race to becoming the first ones to feature the S Cross on their show, they have lost out on having even a remote semblance of quality! Really pathetic show. Two thumbs and Two Toes down.

Quite Strange as I had also watched the show and the background music was reduced everytime the reviewer spoke. Also he specifically said the 1.2 Liter engine is called 1.3 Liter by everyone and he's correct as the displacement of the engine is 1242 cc only. He also mentioned that Maruti uses the same engine in all its cars. I know that most TV programs are not as objective & comprehensive as Team-BHP reviews but please do not post wrong info about them. All in all I thought it was quite ok review (par for the course) but it wasn't so bad like you are mentioning.

Here's the youtube link of the review :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhIlHQ-HqRw

Disclaimer : Am not associated with Overdrive or CNBC in any way. Just want to correct any misunderstanding caused by the above post. If posting of youtube links are against policy I apologise and request mods to remove it. Thanks.

[volkman10]

A preview of finer details of S Cross. Awaiting the TBHP 'Preview of S Cross' .















http://www.business-standard.com/art...0500027_1.html

[adimicra]

If the interest in T-BHP was a barometer of success for the car, it is already a blockbuster. But I sincerely believe the S Cross needs to undercut the Creta by a decent margin to make it a reasonable success. Indians don't like to pay 10+L for a large hatch and that's what the S-cross looks like.

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by Turbo_Charger

Quite Strange as I had also watched the show and the background music was reduced everytime the reviewer spoke. Also he specifically said the 1.2 Liter engine is called 1.3 Liter by everyone and he's correct as the displacement of the engine is 1242 cc only. He also mentioned that Maruti uses the same engine in all its cars. I know that most TV programs are not as objective & comprehensive as Team-BHP reviews but please do not post wrong info about them. All in all I thought it was quite ok review (par for the course) but it wasn't so bad like you are mentioning.

I agree. The review is not all that bad. He has clearly mentioned the same engine does duty on many other Maruti cars. Also he is factually correct, the engine is closer to 1.2 litre than 1.3 litre.

Coming to the 1.6 litre engine and it's monstrous torque, I am surprised that he says you don't get pushed to the seat feeling.

That kind of torque coming in suddenly is bound to push you back to your seat unless the first two gears have been tweaked to mask turbo lag.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

But more than the peak torque figure, it's the spread of torque across the revs that matters more.

118 Bhp for 320nm car means, the top end is not that strong. Typically 320nm Diesels with VGT these days are tuned for around 140-150hp. Weak Low end + Relatively weaker Top end= Narrow Power Band.

The Torque/Weight comparison to 320d might sound great on paper but 320d's real world performance with ZF8 transmission is in a different world altogether. S-Cross won't even be good for sub 10s, 0-100kph.

Originally Posted by d3mon

You're absolutely right about the narrow(er) power band as compared to the full fat 2.0 German diesels.
Absolute performance is determined by the power rating, and power rating alone.

+1.

I have been having my reservations regarding the peak torque as well, and how much of the same offered in the S-Cross is actually usable torque in daily driving.

118 PS of power and 320 Nm of torque is quite a big difference - this definitely translates into relatively weaker top-end. The car will top out at much lower speeds (per gear) than what that torque figure suggests. Combine that with the (reported) turbo lag within 1800 RPM, which means the engine will perform it's best inside a limited RPM bandwidth across all gears.

Coming to the car itself, I am reminded of the i20 Active everytime I see the S-Cross (in pictures). It doesn't look any more than the Hyundai i30 or the Volkswagen Golf in size and stance. Someone mentioned that it's best to treat the S-Cross as a stretched out Swift (with an SX4-ish front), and that's the best perception you can have of the car.

But yes, I am reserving my final judgement until I see the car in person and actually getting behind the wheel.

[thesilentone]

I am pretty sure that the 1.6 will be 1.5 to 2 lakhs costier than the corresponding 1.3 model considering the cost incurred in importing the engine, the lack of excise benefit, etc.. In such a scenario, I can't see Maruti pricing the 1.6 below 10 lakhs ex-showroom for the lowest 1.6 model. I wonder how much of the general public would be willing to shell out so much money for a car which looks just like a large hatch. We will have to wait and see how this pans out.

[Abhi99]

This car is ticking all the right check boxes (except design,which has been endlessly repeated). It can only succeed if the pricing is right; Given that Maruti cant afford one more 'failure' at attempt of setting foot in the 'Premium' market, this car should be sensibly priced. I expect to see top end retail about 50k to a lac more than top end Ciaz. Any more money than that would be a recipie for disaster for Maruti.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by thesilentone

I am pretty sure that the 1.6 will be 1.5 to 2 lakhs costier than the corresponding 1.3 model considering the cost incurred in importing the engine, the lack of excise benefit, etc.. .

Slight correction to the above statement. Though the 1.3 litre falls under the less than 1.5 litre diesel, the 1.3 litre car as a whole won't enjoy the excise benefit compared to the 1.6 litre version for the simple fact that this car's length is going to be beyond 4 metre. Hence neither of the versions are likely to get the small car excise duty benefits

[audioholic]

In between all this, everyone forgot about the mysterious disappearance of the Dual Zone climate control which was 'supposed' to be offered. The nation wants to know, why did this happen and who is responsible for it

[Arjun Reddy]

Originally Posted by Abhi99

This car is ticking all the right check boxes (except design,which has been endlessly repeated). It can only succeed if the pricing is right; Given that Maruti cant afford one more 'failure' at attempt of setting foot in the 'Premium' market, this car should be sensibly priced. I expect to see top end retail about 50k to a lac more than top end Ciaz. Any more money than that would be a recipie for disaster for Maruti.

Guys, I must admit that I haven't followed the thread from the beginning. I am slightly going to go against the tide.

What so premium about this car? It looks like Maruti decided to sell this car out of the Nexa showrooms,so it is premium? I find the car very ordinary. Obviously haven't driven the car, but saw the overdrive video. The car he says understeers. There is no surge of torque felt. Typical Maruti? This is to please Arai?
It's on regular suspension set up.
Doesn't look a million bucks.
No dual aircon.
Most of the other features are any way present in hatches a segment below.
Having a 1.6 diesel is not premium enough.VW & Hyundai has been selling 1.6s for more than a decade and haven't ever badged the Verna or Vento as premium.
If Maruti gets this premium marketing bit wrong, this car will fall on its face. Their showrooms shouldn't look better than the car.
Don't forget it may reduce the footfalls to the regular showrooms and might have a sales impact on the other models.
If this sells extremely well,then we can safely assume that the Indian car market is mature.( it's that kind of a car). Correct me if I am wrong.
Cheers.

[volkman10]

Maruti is rightly marketing it as a crossover and truly it seems so - a vehicle built on a car platform and combining, , features of a utility vehicle with features from a passenger vehicle, and a great highway cruiser.
Yes, Pricing holds the key to this in India.

This could generate a new segment and Maruti could slot the NEW Vitara in the SUV segment a bit premium to S Cross.

Was not in market for a car right now, but will look at S Cross seriously and would decide. As of now no other vehicles in the market does tick most boxes but S Cross and Vento( TDI) are the closest.

Will decide early 2016.

Excerpts from CarDekho review,

The ride quality on the S-Cross is rather nice. The suspension is on the stiffer side much like the Swift, but it does manage to tackle potholes and broken roads relatively easily. It isn’t as bouncy as a Hyundai and definitely feels more sure footed when on the highways. The S-Cross manages to strike a nice balance between ride and handling. It isn’t uncomfortable and at the same time won’t deter you from pushing it into a corner. Speaking of pushing it into corners, the steering feedback is impressive. As is the case with most new Maruti’s, the S-Cross’ steering does feel direct

The S-Cross is Maruti’s best attempt yet at making a premium car. In a sea of hatchback converted crossovers, the S-Cross stands tall as a ‘built from scratch’ crossover. Plenty of features, great engine, good overall interior quality and space make it an ideal car. Do not expect it to be a compact SUV or an off-roader though. Consider it as a well-equipped big car, and it makes sense

http://www.cardekho.com/road-test/ma...review-321.htm

[aerohit]

Originally Posted by d3mon

You're absolutely right about the narrow(er) power band as compared to the full fat 2.0 German diesels. Here are the dyno curves for the 320D & the S-cross, and we see that the peak torque is sustained for much longer
in the Bimmer. Absolute performance is determined by the power rating, and power rating alone. Which is the reason why when it comes to 0-100 timings, the S-cross plays within its league and posts 0-100 timings in the 11 second range. In gear performance would be much closer though.

The 320NM of torque will do extremely well on the 'butt-dyno', where the turbo kick is going to make this extremely addictive to drive, 0-100 timings be damned!

With RWD and better suspension, i am sure 320d is a winner on a race track, but in real life indian road conditions s-cross 1.6 should not disappoint, not to mention s-cross will take you to more places across the country where 320d cannot!

[sathya_g_m]

Originally Posted by rednikhil

Just saw the S Cross being reviewed on the Overdrive Show on CNBC TV 18.

Do we have any link for this video?