[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Good observations you've made while checking the car. I spent some time feeling the leather on the S-Cross and I'm somewhat convinced these are leatherette quality, not real leather. At least, it doesn't feel like real leather (and I have scandinavian and nappa leather on 2 of my cars, so I know the feel).

Only top model (Alpha) will come with genuine leather, Delta is in PU leather. That's what the RM told me.

I liked auto dimming mirror and and darkening of front wind shield in case of high beam by on coming vehicle. This is very useful feature for me. The RM also confirmed that the top model well come with a car fridge as standard equipment.

[nik_kapur]

The more i see of the S Cross the more I'm convinced that its going to bomb in India ! Its just not the right kind of vehicle for India and i don't see Indians adopting such a lifestyle vehicle. It looks like a station wagon version of a sedan and we all know how those cars have never been accepted in India.
Bad car to choose to launch the Nexa brand i feel. Nexa as a concept is a good idea and it would have made sense to launch it with the Ciaz.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by mrbaddy

Yes anurag, I'm planning to visit. Based on how I like the car, I'll either go ahead and book Creta on 21st or continue waiting till S Cross is launched.

Hey, did you visit the mall to have a look at the S-Cross?

__________________________________________________ ___________

It is being displayed at GVK One mall as I said earlier. I just did a flying visit to see the car again.

These guys have received 100+ bookings and out of this figures 70% is for the DDiS 200. I knew the RM there as it was by Varun Motors where we are old customers. I could not get to click pictures thanks to the rush at the spot.

The launch is on August 5th as per him and all TD (Both 1.3 and 16 variant) will be given then. He didn't disclose the pricing but will be between 8 to 12L ex-showroom.

The Nexa is coming up at KBR Park road beside the KTM showroom (incidentally owned by Varun motors).

I have been asked to come after 5th August if I needed to check the car out in peace and all for myself.

Onto the car now from my point of view; I'll not be listing out the features as there is plenty information available in the previous pages. I did spend around half an hour around and in it totally in spite of the rush.

Exteriors: Pictures don't do justice at all. One needs to be there in live to feel it and gauge the size of this crossover. With the 4.3m length, it looks great and I can expect good road presence and stability. Large headlamps (SX4-ish) look fabulous and that twin-slat chrome grille lifts the ambience on the otherwise dull looking car. The plastic cladding all around, the size of the car isn't understood. It kind-of hides the size I mean to say. The dash of silver skid plates all around give the car a good stance. Alloys are a main downer for me but can live with it. I love the rear end especially those tail lamps, look great when viewed from the 3 quarters. The design and creasing is similar to what my Alto K10 has - Concave crease. Last but not the least, the blue colour is fantastic and I am even more confused whether to go for Brown or Blue!

Interiors: Fantastic! As I am a current owner of the Swift ZDi for over 1.6 years, this interiors to me look familiar with mild re-designing to the central console to hold the 7" AVN unit with the hexagonal border and also the central armrest housing a deep area to store stuff and also the USB+AUX slot for the HU being hidden in there. Premium and soft ouch materials all around, I could gauge the difference within minutes of sitting inside. Great job Maruti on the interiors part to get all the negatives right this time with the S-Cross.

Seats: Large, Supportive, well-contoured with a good range for seat adjustment, finding a comfortable driving spot will not be an issue at all along with the reach/rake adjustment for the steering wheel, it is just a perfect car for both city driving and highway hauls. With the seats pushed fully ahead, I could rear my elbow comfortably on the armrest - another plus point. The rear seating is another good area to be in. Slightly higher seating plane than the front seats, visibility is good. With the drivers seat adjusted to my height and comfortable position (which I go within 2 minutes), there is enough space for a 6 footer behind - Another plus.

Boot: Fairly large if I compare it with my Swift, I can sit in it comfortably. The same boot lamp is carried over from the Swift in the S-Cross. IMO a brighter boot light is what I feel was required.

Fit and Finish / NVH: I feel it be better built than the Swift. With all the windows and doors shut, I could not hear the outside noises (bear in mind this is at a mall so it fairly noisy!). This is another plus as the Swift has horrible NVH levels. Waiting to feel how good it is on the road.

I am now fully convinced for this being a replacement for my Swift ZDi when it completes 1 lakh kms. Pricing though will be the ONLY thing that will either make or break the deal for me. If it goes too high, I'll go with XUV 5OO W8.

I have only one picture of the car and yours truly:



EDIT:

All the guys who book now will be getting deliveries by August 3rd or 4th week. Maruti is dispatching enough stocks so that no customer (pre-booked ones) are left waiting for their cars. I am happy that Maruti is doing everything to see the success with this model. Way to go!

[balajisv]

Originally Posted by nik_kapur

The more i see of the S Cross the more I'm convinced that its going to bomb in India ! Its just not the right kind of vehicle for India and i don't see Indians adopting such a lifestyle vehicle. It looks like a station wagon version of a sedan and we all know how those cars have never been accepted in India.
Bad car to choose to launch the Nexa brand i feel. Nexa as a concept is a good idea and it would have made sense to launch it with the Ciaz.

Exactly my thoughts!

One of the side profile pics posted above has an uncanny resemblance to Ertiga. Looks more a MUV than a crossover to me!

[nurni76]

I had an opportunity to view the S Cross in Forum Mall Koramangala. While a lot has been covered by others, here are some key takeaways from me

Things I liked:

1. I definitely feel the car looks good. Definitely not a wannabe SUV but feels quite big, balanced and aerodynamic. It gives you a premium feel from the outside.

2. Interiors are definitely the best I have seen in a Maruti. The dash has a very sporty appeal though the top and bottom parts could have been of better quality.

3. Lots of storage space in the front and the back.

4. The touch screen felt nice to operate. The sides of the screen could have had some buttons and feel bland with the piano black effect.

5. All seats barring the middle seat in the rear are extremely comfortable with the raised transmission tunnel posing some discomfort for the rear middle passenger

Things I did not like:

1. Lack of an Auto variant when they are trying to position it as a premium vehicle.

2. The alloy wheels are a let down. They do look better than in pictures, but definitely a poor effort from Maruti

3. No rear AC vent is also an opportunity missed. When they can provide it in a Ciaz why not the S cross?

4. Some of the interior bits are still like any other Maruti, seat height adjust lever, power window buttons etc. Need to still go some distance to meet the quality of a Hyundai.

Overall I quite liked the vehicle and am considering this after TD the 1.6 version. Hoping the experience turns out a positive one in favour of a purchase.

Other facts:

The car on display was of Nexa Pratham in St Marks Road. Booking could be done in any of their other Pratham showrooms as well.

RM claims the OTR for Alpha 1.6 could be 14L give or take 20k. This would be a good price in my opinion.

Launch is slated for July 25th. When I told him it is supposed to be in Aug he said the date was advanced.

Deliveries will take 3 to 4 weeks based on the booking order.

Attaching a few random shots

[audioholic]

Even I caught a glimpse of the S-Cross in Royal Meenakshi a while back and yeah for once the car looked a lot better than the usual Maruti does(bored of my current garage ) and the exterior has just the right amount of silver and chrome and is not over done like the dzire or upcoming ertiga. Looks really good in person and the feeling I got while having to open the door suggests that this is built well.

To keep it in short the top end 1.6 is supposed to retail at 14.5 OTR which is real good pricing given the high taxes here. The 1.3 top end will be around 1.5L less variant to variant. July 25th is the launch and I will get to lay my hands on the 1.6 for a test drive in a day or two.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by balajisv

Exactly my thoughts!

One of the side profile pics posted above has an uncanny resemblance to Ertiga. Looks more a MUV than a crossover to me!

I think people going for looks may not prefer S Cross over Creta or Duster but those who are looking for practicality will go for it. However, pricing will play a major role in it's success or failure.

[sandygordon]

Originally Posted by audioholic

To keep it in short the top end 1.6 is supposed to retail at 14.5 OTR which is real good pricing given the high taxes here. The 1.3 top end will be around 1.5L less variant to variant. July 25th is the launch and I will get to lay my hands on the 1.6 for a test drive in a day or two.

14.5 L OTR in Bangaore will translate to around -70 to 80k in low taxed parts of the country. So in Cochin, 1.6 alpha would be around 13.5-13.8L OTR.

Other vehicles available here for 13.5 to 14.5 L OTR

Honda city i DTEC VX option pack (13.7L OTR) - Loaded to gills
VW Vento TDI DSG Highline (13.7 OTR) - Automatic, that too DSG
Renault Duster RXZ Diesel Plus 110 (with current discounts - 14.40L)
Hyundai Creta 1.6 CRDI SX+ if priced well or SX(O) if priced really well
Hyundai Verna 1.6 CRDI SX AT (4.15 L OTR)
Renault Lodgy 110 ps Stepway RXZ
Mahindra XUV 500 W6 (14.4 L)

Maruti.. Are you listening
With that price, getting into competition would be like Indian Team touring the New Zealand. ICC Rankings wont help (Maruti name) Unless you have a dependable player like the Wall ('pricing' here) 1.6 wont take off.

Likely that the story will be different with the 1.3 DDIS 200.
All maruti needs to do would be to price the 1.3 on par or lesser than the ford ecosport. 1.3 can woo the customers looking for ecosport and i20 active. Some Ciaz and city customers may cross-shop as well.

[Whichcarnow]

Hi resolution photos of the S-Cross by Maruti Suzuki -

https://www.flickr.com/photos/126049...7655108793638/

Looks good in blue. If only we had the international alloys.....

[mrbaddy]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Do go with an open mind and without any comparison to a mini-SUV. This truly is the first real crossover (if we consider dusters and terranos and ecosports as mini-suvs). Let us know your feedback after you've seen it.

Definitely Ajay. Leaving other things aside, for my next car upgrade I'm definitely keeping an open mind with practicality right at the top of preferences. I like Duster a lot for its exterior looks and road presence. I'm impressed with Creta too(online pictures only till now). But still keeping my options open including S Cross too.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Hey, did you visit the mall to have a look at the S-Cross?

It is being displayed at GVK One mall as I said earlier. I just did a flying visit to see the car again.

No Anurag. Not yet visited as I stay at Kukatpally and didn't see your confirmation about GVK Mall till late in the day. I'll be going sometime this week in the morning.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

These guys have received 100+ bookings and out of this figures 70% is for the DDiS 200. I knew the RM there as it was by Varun Motors where we are old customers. I could not get to click pictures thanks to the rush at the spot.

The Nexa is coming up at KBR Park road beside the KTM showroom (incidentally owned by Varun motors).

Thanks for the info. If you have the RM's contact number, could you PM me? I bought my first car from KBR park Varun Motors.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Exteriors: Pictures don't do justice at all. One needs to be there in live to feel it and gauge the size of this crossover. With the 4.3m length, it looks great and I can expect good road presence and stability. Large headlamps (SX4-ish) look fabulous and that twin-slat chrome grille lifts the ambience on the otherwise dull looking car. The plastic cladding all around, the size of the car isn't understood. It kind-of hides the size I mean to say. The dash of silver skid plates all around give the car a good stance. Alloys are a main downer for me but can live with it. I love the rear end especially those tail lamps, look great when viewed from the 3 quarters. The design and creasing is similar to what my Alto K10 has - Concave crease. Last but not the least, the blue colour is fantastic and I am even more confused whether to go for Brown or Blue!

I agree. I'm not swayed by the lot of negative impressions about the looks of the car. I wanted to see the car in person before having an opinion. I prefer the Blue on the S Cross. I liked the Brown shade on Duster a lot, but not sure how it looks on S Cross.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by sandygordon

14
Other vehicles available here for 13.5 to 14.5 L OTR

Honda city i DTEC VX option pack (13.7L OTR) - Loaded to gills
VW Vento TDI DSG Highline (13.7 OTR) - Automatic, that too DSG
Renault Duster RXZ Diesel Plus 110 (with current discounts - 14.40L)
Hyundai Creta 1.6 CRDI SX+ if priced well or SX(O) if priced really well
Hyundai Verna 1.6 CRDI SX AT (4.15 L OTR)
Renault Lodgy 110 ps Stepway RXZ
Mahindra XUV 500 W6 (14.4 L)

.

Firstly, maybe some customers aren't going to see the value in 1.6 and add to that the heavy concentration and pushing of sales people, the 1.3 will see more customers and hence the pricing will be important wrt the mid and top end of the 1.3, just like how we see more of VXi and VDi on the roads.

Secondly, I disagree with comparing the car to the C segment sedans available. Capabilities will vary. Personally, I can only consider the Vento as a worthy alternative option if I have second thoughts. Apart from that, I don't understand how the Honda City VXD will be loaded to the gills compared to this one, I guess both cars are equally loaded. In addition to this, the interior and build quality of the Cross is far better than the flimsy build of the city or Ciaz or the other Maruti/Hondas we see.

A person looking for a sedan will always prefer a sedan, and a person who wants an SUV will see it higher than a sedan, even if technically its the opposite.

This car in no ways deserves to be priced at par with the Ciaz, so the top end diesel Ciaz retails at 13L IIRC, so 14.5 for top end 1.6 Scross is definitely justified.

BTW the salesperson there tried to speak about the attractive pricing and mileage of the 1.3 version and was going gaga over it, even offering to lend a test drive tomorrow once the car is moved out of the mall. I said "1.6 or nothing" (No offense meant to users of the 1.3), it was a misfit in the Ciaz itself, but an okayish compromise given its cruising abilities. But S-Cross - the 1.3 is a misconception.

[vibbs]

Maruti has created quite a buzz around this car. But I can see that the display cars are all DDIS 200. What I am interested in is the pricing for DDIS 320. Knowing Maruti, they will defenitely price DDIS 200 quite aggressively. But I doubt if they would do the same with DDIS 320 with the engine being imported.

The public however would not be too disappointed even with DDIS 200 I believe. It might not be a scorcher, but it should do the job for majority I believe. Eagerly waiting for Team Bhp review. Considering this car has a lot of other stuff going for it and being a Maruti, I already see good numbers.

Interesting times ahead.

[romeomidhun]

Maruti is playing a clever game. For initial tedt drive for journalists, they gave the 1.6 to create a buzz around its power. For mall displays, they chose the 1.3 - for pricing queries, they can say a lesser price, and is having more features compared to its 1.6 counterparts.

[sandygordon]

Neatly integrated AVN unit in the S cross European version. Missing it here.

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

Maruti is playing a clever game. For initial tedt drive for journalists, they gave the 1.6 to create a buzz around its power. For mall displays, they chose the 1.3 - for pricing queries, they can say a lesser price, and is having more features compared to its 1.6 counterparts.

Mall displays at Cochin were the 1.6. The SAs there with the 1.6 were promoting the 1.6. However the the guy who took my booking tried to promote the 1.3 (I might take the 1.3 if 1.6 is above my budget), but I finally booked a 1.6 alpha.

[chncar]

I can't see any headlamp washer on the variant that has HID headlamps. Isn't that required by law? Or is it something that is not yet regulated/ambiguous in India and Maruti was only to happy to skimp on it to save cost?