[Vigkey]

Happened to visit the Nexa showroom again as my RM wanted to brief me about the ongoing discounts and also discuss about my plan on when I will confirm the vehicle.

Based on our discussion, I can very clearly understand one thing. S-Cross DDiS 200 is a decent seller while DDiS 320 is actually a dud. Everyone knows that the DDiS 320 is over-priced for what it offers and VERY FEW are ready to shell out 15+ lakhs for this vehicle. Coming to the discounts - as of now, DDiS 200 only has the loyalty bonus of 20k. Which I feel is just to make sure the DDiS 200 customer does not feel cheated seeing huge discounts on the DDiS 320. 20k is not a huge sum for someone who spends 12 L on a car and IMO will not really influence any buyer's standalone decision.

IMO, I never felt the DDiS 200 was over-priced - At least the Zeta variant. Compare it with the Duster, Creta 1.4 CRDi and even City and Ciaz. Zeta is a tremendous VFM option + it is not just value - it has features which can even shame the Hyundai. Those who want SUV looks - please look elsewhere. Otherwise, IMO, it is one of the best cars in that price range.

To everyone who is calling S-Cross a dud, I am not really sure how true that statement is. Is it a runaway hit? No. Is it a dud? No, IMO. It has started decently and will settle down probably at 3k per month in the coming months which I think is a very good number considering this is being sold only in 50 odd showrooms and does not have the reach of a usual Maruti Suzuki product. Moreover, this is a premium product costing over 10 lakhs. I mean, based on Aug numbers, Maruti Suzuki has dispatched almost the same number of S-Crosses as all products of established car makers like Fiat, Skoda, Nissan and Renault put together.

[ghodlur]

Its been not even a couple of months and Maruti has already started offering discounts on S cross close to a whopping 1L on the DDis 320 models. For DDIs 200 models the discounts are close to 20K. The catch here is the offer is valid till 30th September i.e today. .

This is generally unheard from Maruti on the new launches. Did the S cross sales never took off as Maruti had expected through the Nexa Showrooms? The S Cross's close competitor the Hyundai Creata still does not have any discount on it. More details in the link below.

Maruti Suzuki has started offering discounts on the new S-Cross at select Nexa showrooms across the country. In Delhi, NCR and Chennai, the discount ranges from Rs 20,000 for the 1.3-litre DDiS 200 and goes up to Rs 1,00,000 (Rs 70,000 worth of benefits and Rs 30,000 as an exchange loyalty bonus) for the DDiS 320. Other Nexa dealerships across the country offer benefits worth Rs 90,000 for the DDiS 320 variant. These dealerships also offer the S-Cross DDiS 200 and DDiS 320 with an exchange loyalty bonus of Rs 20,000 and Rs 40,000 respectively. In Mumbai, Nexa dealers are offering an exchange loyalty bonus of Rs 20,000 on the S-Cross.

http://overdrive.in/news/maruti-suzu...n-the-s-cross/

[mrbaddy]

Originally Posted by mrbaddy

S-Cross is launched slightly later than Creta which is why there is an increase in the sales number for SCross. Maruti might have produced less in July and increased the production in August after the vehicle is launched. With high number of bookings for Creta before launch, Hyundai had planned higher production for Creta in July itself.

Note: I'm not arguing on Sales Dud part of your comment and am hoping both S Cross and Creta to not do too well, considering the overpriced launch for both of them.

Originally Posted by t0m

With due respect, i disagree with your assertion. The S-Cross currently has a waiting period of 3-4 weeks. So I would assume that all cars being shipped have already been booked and would be delivered within days they reach the showrooms.

As for the numbers here, any car that sells around 62% vehicles as compared to one that's being proclaimed a 'runaway success' is doing pretty well, in my humble opinion. Just bear in mind that most tier 2 and tier 3 cities don't have NEXA showrooms as yet and people can't even test drive the car if they want to as compared to Hyundai which has a huge footprint across the country. I would just imagine the difference in the sales figures had S-Cross been available for viewing and test drive in all Suzuki showrooms across India. I am sure it would have given the 'runaway success' a run for it's money. I think Suzuki chose to market it's new brand using a new car and not the other way round. Was that the right move or did they stop the S-Cross from realizing it's true potential, only time will tell.

As I said in my previous post, I'm not commenting on the Sales Dud part. I only commented about the increase in numbers for SCross from 1000 odd to 4000 that you mentioned in your original post.

I tried to explain the reasoning behind it. You may want to read the Note in my previous comment. As I hope both Creta and S Cross to not do well considering their launch pricing. Alas, market does not work that way and I have to accept it.

I agree if SCross is consistently selling 4K units, it should not called a Dud.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Vigkey

Happened to visit the Nexa showroom again as my RM wanted to brief me about the ongoing discounts and also discuss about my plan on when I will confirm the vehicle.

Didn't you book the vehicle already? If 20K discount is not that big a deal then what are you waiting for?

I happened to drive the 1.3DDIS yesterday. The guys from Bimal nexa came to my office in Electronics City within 2 hours of calling them. I was amazed with the response.

One of the Sr. manager's in my office has been deciding between Duster and Creta to replace his 8 year old SX4. Suggested to check the S-cross as he did not like the Creta's drive and the Duster's interiors.

He doesn't need the 1.6 and was ok with the 1.3. He was impressed with the drive of the S-cross and did not find the performance lacking but did not like the looks much.

I drove the car with a full load of 5 passengers and was reasonably impressed. While the performance was adequate, mechanically the S-cross is in a class of it's own. The way the S-cross takes bad road and then handles is just too impressive.

The guy from Bimal Nexa recognised me from my visit to the showroom when the S-cross was launched. He knew I was looking at 1.6 but was put off by the price and was quick in telling me about the discounts available now. I told him if the 1.6L Alpha was closer to 16 I would have considered it.

[Tommie]

S-Cross is offering discounts upto 1 lakh. I have seen only one or two S-Cross in Bangalore eventhough I stay pretty close to the Nexa showroom.

Originally Posted by Tommie

I was doing a back2back test drive of Jazz, Polo and then went to the Nexa showroom. Saw the car, saw the pricelist and walked out of the showroom for a dead on arrival product.

Originally Posted by Eddy

...which means that you should have a re-look at your avatar

The SA at Nexus Dwarka told me that he has 50 confirmed bookings of S-Cross, out of which 15 are for DDiS320.

Originally Posted by Vigkey

And something to be noted - S-Cross is definitely not a dead on arrival product. In fact I have seen more S-Crosses on road than new Jazzs. For its price S-Cross will do pretty well at least in the initial period - so based on what I see, it is not dead on arrival. Only request to you is, please do not pass on your judgement as a general verdict - might not always be true.

Read the news http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/whe...s_3323181.html

[aerohit]

This may be an AWD version, but it sure can haul!

[vishnurp99]

Hi All,

Just had a long test drive of Scross yesterday and wanted to post driving impressions and compare it to terrano/duster and Creta. Went to kochi nexa which is around 250 Kms from my home town.

1. In terms of looks, the car looks better in real than in pictures. The car looks and feels substantial. For me Terrano/duster twins still score in looks but Creta and Scross are at par.

2. In terms of Ergonomics and comfort for the driver, I felt that the scross is best and almost sedan like in comfort even though you sit higher. Creta was also good but the seat cover material on Scross felt better. In comparison, Duster/terrano was not comfortable because of positioning of the power window switches interfering with the knees. if I pulled the seat back for duster, the rear leg room was compromised.

3. In terms of ergonomics and comfort for the rear passenger,I felt that scross was the best closely followed by Creta. Somehow the creta didn't offer a flat ride at higher speeds but did seem plusher at low speeds. For duster/terrano, my ankle was hitting the front seat and hence was not able to stretch my legs to relax on the back seat. I am only 5.9 and I think people over 6 would really struggle and I am surprised why this has not come as a strong negative in test drives/reviews for a 12 lakh car.

4. Now to the drive, I drove the 1.6 and was completely impressed by it. The car just pulls from 1600 rpms onwards and went up to 3000+ rpm easily. The high speed stability and the behaviour is amazing. Turbo lag is there but not a show stopper for somebody who loves driving. The ride and handling was also too good. Of course, the car is not practical for the kerala roads since the speed limit here is 80 kmph and even those speeds are unachievable most times of the day on our highways. To me the duster 1.5 85 bhp and the scross 90 Bhp looks much more practical for Kerala.

Ran out of time and hence has scheduled the 1.3 drive for today. I also went to the yard and saw at least 20 s-cross of different variants/colours. Apparently they were all vehicles ready for delivery.

After experiencing the car today, I felt that Maruti had got the marketing/targeting of the car wrong since the sales is only 4-5k per month. More than the SUV aspirant (the guy who wants SUV looks but can't afford a larger vehicle because of mileage/space/money constraints ), the scross seems to be an ideal choice for the self driven family guy who might buy a city/vento/rapid/ciaz. With the aerodynamic profile , decent fuel efficiency, interior quality/space and features the car has the potential to be a sedan killer.

At the end of it, I left quite impressed by Scross in comparison to the Creta, duster and terrano. However we will most probably not buy this car because of lack of access to the car.

Dear Mods,

In my research, I have found some discrepancies in the reviews that we have on the forum about the kerb weight/power to weight of Duster , scross and ecosport. just wanted to highlight it so that it can be corrected.

Kerb weight for Scross - 1205 for 1.3.
1250 for 1.6
Duster and Terrano kerb weights - 1285 for 1.5 85 ps,
1310 for 1.5 110 Ps, 1345 for Terrano
1400 for AWD
Ecosport - 1285 Kilo

Basically Duster is approx. 100 kilos heavier than scross and same weight as the ecosport.

[Vigkey]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Didn't you book the vehicle already? If 20K discount is not that big a deal then what are you waiting for?

Yes Vidyut, I had booked it long back. But I have not taken delivery yet In fact, I can get the vehicle any time as I will be on top of the list now. But then as fate would have it, I am in no position to buy the car now even though there is no issue financially or from my family.

My office has initiated a US Visa for me this month and I want to wait till the interview is over before getting the vehicle. If the Visa is confirmed, I will have to be out of the country for some time (at least a year) and I dont want to make a huge investment before that - as the vehicle will not be used till I come back. I will wait till the Visa status is known. If approved - I cancel the booking and if denied - I take delivery of the car. That is the update now.

Imagine, having booked a car - that you really want to buy but not able to buy because of stuff like this. You would not believe me, at some point I was secretly hoping that the Visa gets denied But Yes, if I get the Visa and go to the US, I will get to drive more exotic vehicles in much better roads. Thats a motivation now.

[AWD]

Originally Posted by volkman10

What you are predicting may or may not be true, let us await a few months for the sales to stabilize.

If they sell 4K units through Nexa outlets I don't think it can be termed a failure.

DDiS200 (Zeta) is having a waiting period of 6-8 weeks in Banagalore

Many may opt to wait to see its success or lack of it but for me its enough to gauge the performance. Its a actually good for the "to be consumers" able to get discounts but what about those who jumped the gun @ launch, they'd be a heartbroken lot!

Present figures are the initial euphoria, coming months will see sales dipping, unless Maruti reduces the prices drastically.

Waiting periods is a game Maruti plays best, we all know that so well!

Originally Posted by t0m

Well that depends on the company and their marketing strategy, there's no thumb rule here. Maybe they actually heard the crowd and did some sort of price correction. I won't call 20K as a huge discount that too as loyalty bonus.

Just because it's a Maruti, we should not lament about the pricing.

Indeed discounts is a big pointer. Not dwelling into Companies strategies & policies, this is what it clearly comes across. New vehicles don't usually carry a penny worth of discounts, if you find some, then perhaps it points to one direction only.

Oops so you are a consumer, let me tell you don't have to go to lengths to justify your purchase, you have to be happy & content with it, that's all that matters. We could not be more happier for you.

Now put your last sentence this way, lets not defend because its a maruti!! We point out anything coming from any manufacturer, this raised a flag here.

[romeomidhun]

I don't think the discounts for 320 is because of stock clearance; otherwise, they would not have imported the 1.6 engines even in August. Or do they have any agreement with Fiat for minimum number of imports? And now trying to to clear out the stock?

Or, do they have any surprise in their pocket, that in September, SCross may touch Creta sales figures?

[johannskaria]

A discount on S-cross already?
just couldn't believe it when I read the reports.
Its sure going to hit the resale value of the car!

As from my perspective its a good thing.
Always had a dream of buying a used car like Etios Cross or an S-Cross and make it a project car down the lane (tinkering with the engine, making it look like a rally car!).
Its a dream of my dad too

[BoneCollector]

The prices at Patna, Nexa Alankar.

[cjsarora]

A Ciaz or a City doing 4000-5000 numbers per month, and that too from many more outlets, are considered hits; but S Cross doing 4000 plus from only 50 odd outlets is considered a Dud. Guys just wait a couple of months before passing judgement.

Discounts might be dealer specific to achieve better numbers from HY closing.

In my view, even if it does 4000 units consistently, it would be doing better than many other cars in this price range.

Lets wait a while. Cheers!!

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by cjsarora

A Ciaz or a City doing 4000-5000 numbers per month, and that too from many more outlets, are considered hits; but S Cross doing 4000 plus from only 50 odd outlets is considered a Dud. Guys just wait a couple of months before passing judgement.

In my view, even if it does 4000 units consistently, it would be doing better than many other cars in this price range.

Cant agree more. Given the limited number of dealerships, even 3k units is an acceptable number. Definitely beats what most of the other manufacturers in the market would be doing having a larger number of dealerships. Price cut is mainly for the 1.6 and it is again a logical move to gather more numbers. All that is currently selling is the 1.3 and hence it has got a waiting period.

I dont understand some people's expectations. Its somewhat like:

• First, they expect this car to be on par with competition in terms of quality and features and performance and what not
• Next, they want it at a price significantly lesser than competition
• When pricing goes awry, they want it to be revised(read lowered)
• When discounts are offered, it is termed as a flop and all the talk about how lesser pricing will help goes to the bin

IMO, a 1L cut on the 1.6L version will definitely be a good thing, and it is quite acceptable compared to the difference now. After seeing the S-Cross on the road, it looks nice and doesn't *try* to get the look of an SUV. Also, this car has not yet penetrated into semi urban and rural areas where MS has a good chunk of sales coming from. Not saying it will significantly increase numbers, but this is just to prove that though the number of NEXAs are less, they are performing decently.

[mustang_shelby]

I wonder if not having a Petrol engine on offer is affecting S-Cross numbers in NCR region. I have heard from some friends in Delhi that due to NGT's ban on Diesel vehicles older than 10 yrs (which may soon become a reality) new buyers are leaning towards Petrol cars. This is just based on observations of new cars on the road. I don't think we have city wise variant sales data for cars anywhere as of now. But Delhi is a very big market for automobiles.

Its also baffling why MSIL did not offer the in-house 1.4L K14 engine on the S-Cross, given that the trend is changing towards petrol now.