The Nexa at Kochi seems to be in a bit of panic mode. I get daily calls from the team. One executive thought I had not booked and called me up today asking me to book the car for 11k and promised me delivery by 2nd week of August. The Queues at Nexa are much shorter than at the Hyundai showroom for sure. Kochi Nexa has managed only 80-90 bookings (Thats three districts in Kerala together) while a single Hyundai dealer has more than 30-40 bookings for the Creta. The whole S cross and Nexa concept has not 'gone in to' prospective customers.
My gut feeling is that the 1.6 price is going to be one hell of a shocker, aka the
Creta case. Asked about test drive car, said that it would be available by August 1st weekend. Ciaz has around 50k discounts, so a fairly kitted large sedan is available for 12L and if you choose a petrol version, you can have the Zxi for 10 L OTR. How will an average Indian car buyer (not me) prefer the 1.3 alpha at 13 Lacs (1 lac more than the Ciaz ZDI )??
I am particularly confused. I am going to upgrade from the old dzire vdi. It has no ABS, has joke of a front disc brake, no airbags and has reasonable amount of rattles and bumpy ride. Most of the time only myself will be driving the car; 50/50 city and 'highway' driving. I was on the lookout for a sedan.
The first one in consideration was the Verna 4s when it launched in Jan 2015. Thought about the VW Vento. Took a TD, loved it, but the dealership here is notorious in their service and many colleagues who own the VW warned me to keep away.
Then came the Ecosport, loved the design , though a bit overdone in my opinion, resembles one of those Kayan ladies from Burma who wear neck rings. The ford dealership at Thrissur impressed me. I will give full marks to the salesman Mr Gifto at the showroom. He was the only enthusiast salesman I ve seen in my life. No false promises, only facts. Took the TD.I liked the ride of the trend variant more than the titanium variant. (Something to do with the bigger tyres in the titanium that made the ride quite bumpy). Space at the rear was a premium. More over tall and fat me found it difficult to get a good seating position. I liked the zero lag engine, the unresponsive steering put me off a bit, but it was okay for me.
Then came my best driving experience. Went to Fiat, took a TD of the 1.4 T jet, loved the creamy pulling power, the soft clutch and the fantastic ride and handling. After I finished the drive, got in to my Dzire and when I started driviing, it felt like I was pedalling one of those exercise cycles on the maximum effort mode. Such was the clutch and braking experience of the Linea. Decided to go against the fiat as petrol running expenses would consume me with the current 1500-2000km monthly run. Moreover I would lose a lot on depreciation. Did not want a Diesel Linea as it was basically a 6 year old car.
Almost decided to go ahead with Ciaz booking. Liked the Ciaz interors, though I hated the tinny feel of the body. The bootlid was more tinny than in the 2008 Dzire. I used to feel that my Dzire had the tinniest boot of them all. Moreover loved the MJD, as I have already adjusted to the turbo lag and turbo kick. I had learned to keep the engine in boil whenever required. So I felt right at home in the Ciaz, except that I did not like the low seating and the tall dashboard.
Then came the S-cross. Maruti dealer gave a luke warm response to my enquiries. S cross got me interested in its punchy 1.6. I thought that the 1.6 would be priced may be one or 1.5 lakhs more than the ciaz. Decided to strecth my budget from 12 to 13.5. Registered at the nexa website, got a prompt reply nextday and I booked it the following day.
Brain to Heart: Why did you book the S cross?
Heart: For the 1.6
Brain: No for the features and because of the fear for shopping another brand
Heart: No...For the 1.6
Brain: Seems like the 1.6 would bepricey, why dont you go for the 1.3 alpha
Heart: No..I wont even mind the 1.6 delta
Brain: Ha Ha, So u want a swift in the size of a duster and priced like a creta and appointed like your Dzire ?
Heart: I want the 1.6 alpha
Brain: No the 1.3 would be fine
Heart: Saw the alpha variant, Convenience sort of pampers me, so Okay
Brain: So you are okay with the 1.3 alpha
Heart: yes
Brain: Ha Ha Ha, You ll buy a car at more than double the price you paid for in 2009 and drive the same teeny weeny tiny 1.3 MJD
Heart: It has VGT and 90 BHP
Brain: So what, you could have remapped your 1.3
Heart: No.. I want a 1.3 alpha
Brain: Why upgrade to S cross. It has 150 L less boot and no rear ac vents
Heart: It is safe, has two airbags and all disc brakes
Brain:Then why cant you take the ecosport it has six airbags, has a strong body, is equally powerful and it has everything except that fancy chineese touchscreen.
Heart: No I dont want an ecosport
Brain: So you want to upgrade to another 1.3
Heart: yes
Brain: Why upgade at all ?
One question lingers in my mind. Should I upgrade at all.?
Quote:
Originally Posted by wanderer4x4 Despite many people having doubts about its prospect, I was very optimistic and was looking forward to the S Cross, well, until I saw it in flesh. Now, I am not so sure. It does not even look like a hatch on stilts. It looks like a long hatch. And if the Ciaz+ pricing that we are discussing here is correct, then Maruti has some real tough job at hand.
Despite what we enthusiasts might feel, the general public will either need the butch, beefy look of an SUV or a boot to part with 10-12 lakhs for a car. Who wants to spend 12 lakhs and then be compared with the Swift or i20? |
The S cross is a sedan with its boot removed, something like a doberman with its tail cut. Thats why it looks like a long hatch. Like I mentioned earlier, ever since i saw the pic of the s cross with the duster, the Duster started to appear smaller. Infact Duster is a small car, compared to the SUVs like XUV or fortuner.