[filcord]

I will seriously look at this when I change my present car - SX4Zxi. It ticks the price point, it looks reasonably good, and it has the interior space for those family drives. It also fits well in my garage which can take a car with max length of 4600mm. The SX4 is 4500mm. The SCross is 4300. Those 8 inches are the difference between a scratched bumper and a clean one!

[indian21r]

Scross build quality is exceptional. Though it may feel dated with respect to how the competition has evolved. Within our family we have these cars Scross 1.6, Honda City, Jazz, Duster, Innova and Swift, which I have driven extensively.

The amount of hits the rear bumper took before it got damaged is a simple testament to its Build quality.

1. My Scross took 10 hits to the bumper from 2 wheelers(5), autos (3) and cars(2). Finally it caved in when a Merc doing speed of 60kmph hit it on the edge. Mind you even that was only damaged partially. But I replaced it as it was not looking clean.
2. Swift- Every hit warranted a bumper replacement. Changed 3 times
3. City and Jazz- again Replacements
4. Innova /Duster survive mainly due to the rear guard.

Headon damage taken by Scross has been better than all the other Maruti's based on what I saw at the workshops.

Space wise it is very comfortable. I do not break much for potholes so I am forced to live with Rattles. Mileage I got close to 25kmpl on Hyderabad ORR when I drove at 90kmph. If the roads are smooth, at 80 -100 kmph the car is super silent. Beyond that wind noise starts to creep in. It is rock solid even at speeds upto 175kmph (I did this speed on elevated 6 lane road with long visibility and zero traffic, do not attempt this. )

Spares were not as easily available. Dealers mostly source parts from Maurti Plant rather than stock them. Service costs for 1.6 diesel roughly average 8k per every 10k Kms

Overall it is the best alternative within Maruti. Comparisons with other Maruti Cars is really doing injustice to this hidden dragon. Now if one wants all gizmos and sunroof etc competition has lot more to offer.

[vishnurp99]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

That's a double edged sword isn't it? A strong power/torque : weight ratio with a lower power engine also tells about something else.

the lower price is also linked to a lot of other aspects that the newer cars have over the SCross. SCross makes sense if the power:weight ratio & rear seat space are the top most parameters in one's wishlist. One glance on the brochures of these other cars you mentioned would generally be enough to sway consumers away from SCross.

Well. You really need to look at the numbers - weight of the engine/overall car with the weight that's sold outside India to make a decision. Scross's power/torque is not significantly better by the way. Also the engine is not significantly lower in power than the Kia, Creta and Kicks's NA engines.

However the price is significantly cheaper. I don't see the value in paying a couple of lakhs more for marginally better plastics. But some people do !. I also prefer a 4 cylinder NA engine over a 3 cylinder Turbocharged engine. Others may prefer the 3 cylinder engine.

For most of the general population, Scross will represent good Value for money. It's a vehicle with great dynamics/FE/build quality/decent power/decent space backed by the maruti network.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by vishnurp99

However the price is significantly cheaper. I don't see the value in paying a couple of lakhs more for marginally better plastics. But some people do !. I also prefer a 4 cylinder NA engine over a 3 cylinder Turbocharged engine. Others may prefer the 3 cylinder engine.

Of course. If I'm looking for a large comfortable petrol car myself, trust me - SCross is my ONLY choice. For exactly the points you mentioned. When it comes to the petrol engines, I have experienced a fair share across brands & I will swear by a Suzuki engine forever among the others; ignoring what the spec sheets and performance numbers say.

I was making a point that given how our market works and looking at the chart toppers, its evidently easy for most of the customers to go for the currently HOT offerings over the SCross. SCross has always been more of a niche car of the purists. That's the way it will mostly remain going forward.

[NFS2024]

Well let me tell why it may not sell. I took the petrol Scross for a short test drive and cut short the test drive.

The reason being, it felt like my Punto, very hatchbackish, doesn't feel like an SUV and was underwhelming. While the engine and drive was ok, it doesn't provide any SUV or cross-over feel and lot of customers might reject it given the price point and will look at base versions of Seltos and Creta.

The XL6 I test drove after this felt so much better, even though the build quality cannot be compared between the two.

The engine was good in both cases, light clutch, smooth gear box and can potter around in 3rd gear in city. Btw I test drove the manual in both cases.

[vishnurp99]

Originally Posted by NFS2024

The reason being, it felt like my Punto, very hatchbackish, doesn't feel like an SUV and was underwhelming. While the engine and drive was ok, it doesn't provide any SUV or cross-over feel and lot of customers might reject it given the price point and will look at base versions of Seltos and Creta. .

That's true. It's not a pseudo suv like Brezza or Creta. It's a crossover!. I have always seen that as a good thing since you get a great balance of GC/driving position along with dynamics and stability.

[JithinR]

S-cross reviews

https://youtu.be/EJ_Q-jCFsko

https://youtu.be/oheigc_15r4

https://youtu.be/VnULQqaJ3JE

https://youtu.be/fnKJa5Wsyus

https://youtu.be/9rkh_u45GjI

https://youtu.be/6az3RrAYVec

Mod Note: Our Maruti S-Cross 1.5L Petrol Review has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!