[NPV]

Got a call from the Nexa RM whom I had interacted with during the vehicle launch couple months ago. He invited me over for a family get-together (snacks on offer at the party) at the dealership during the weekend and also mentioned there are discounts being offered on the S-cross. I could not visit the Nexa dealership as I was caught up with other work, and am not really in the market for a new car. Wondering what the discounts are and on which variants ?

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by NPV

Got a call from the Nexa RM whom I had interacted with during the vehicle launch couple months ago. He invited me over for a family get-together (snacks on offer at the party) at the dealership during the weekend and also mentioned there are discounts being offered on the S-cross. I could not visit the Nexa dealership as I was caught up with other work, and am not really in the market for a new car. Wondering what the discounts are and on which variants ?

DDIS 320 has discounts upto INR 90K going on, including Loyalty bonus. I too got a call from the showroom manager saying that additionally they are giving a 5 gram Gold coin with every car till Diwali.

I politely told him that I am not looking for a new car atleast till early 2016. I was mighty impressed with the DDIS 320 but, with the impending launch of Abarth Punto I might be tempted to exchange my 75 Hp Punto for the Scorpion. Completely different segments though

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by vibbs

with the impending launch of Abarth Punto I might be tempted to exchange my 75 Hp Punto for the Scorpion. Completely different segments though

Would it not be a lot more fun, to transplant 1.4 turbo motor into your existing Punto? You would save a lot of money and save yourself from buying a car that is at the end of its product life-cycle. This money could help you buy a new car or mod the Punto even more (just think what a delight it would be with a better gearbox )

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by srideep233

Can you please share any inputs on what to bear in mind while choosing alloys? For example, enough gap between spokes to ensure brakes get enough air? Or the weights of the alloys to be close to 'official' alloys?

Here is what I dis while selecting the alloy.

1. Check for the open area for cooling- any alloy in the S Cross will be better than the Stock ones
2. Go for a reputed brand
3. Check the weights of the OEM and the proposed one
4. Balancing of the wheel - (this will be done by the alloy dealers)

Experts on alloys can comment more on alloy selection ( technical reason)

[SDK]

Finally got my S-Cross DDiS200 Alpha Caffeine Brown delivered today after 6 weeks of waiting. This after escalating to all the higher ups in Maruti.
Due to all the escalations was given real VIP treatment when I went for delivery in the evening

Accessories from showroom :
Body cover, mud flaps and illuminated door sill. They did not have the carpet mats so have to get them from some other NEXA dealer.

Drove straight to Ashoka Wheels in Minister Road. Got the tyres and alloys changed. Was planning to get the Pirelli P4's but on hearing the price for the Primacy 3ST, I jumped for them. It seems there is 1.5K discount on them from tomorrow. Ashoka wheels agreed to give me the offer even though it was not officially announced.

Buyback for JK Elanzo @ 5000/tyre. OEM alloys @ 3000/alloy.
Primacy 3ST @ 7700/tyre. Plati Alloys @ 6300/alloy.

Must say that I am highly impressed by the Michelins. Road noise has totally disappeared. Its super silent.

More later including pics.

[sou_3749]

Have completed 2nd free service last weekend after churning out 5000 kms under 2 months. All thanks to the beautiful machine and some long drives.
Here are the details:

1. The bill came Rs. 0
2. The engine now is much smoother and quieter.
3. I can feel the eagerness in pulling.
4. The turbo lag is minimal and boost is pretty linear, but you will feel a little glance of swift if you give a little more gas in lower gears.
5. Engine noise is much better apart from cold start during morning.
6. I feel the tyres are not that bad and the outside noise is more from the wind rather than from tyres on highways.
7. The suspension is settled now and much silent.
8. Last but not the least, now it's easy to get 17kmpl in bangalore traffic even if you don't drive very sedately.

Happy motoring to all s-cross owners.

[rednikhil]

Originally Posted by t0m

3M super gloss on the roof with matt black under the grill, beneath the front number plate. Gives a block look to the front. Detailing next week.

Attachment 1422983

Attachment 1422984

Superb mods! Really takes the look up to another level! Did you consider blackening the front twin-slat chrome grill? It would lead to a floating-logo (Suzuki), completing the look, IMHO.

[t0m]

Originally Posted by rednikhil

Superb mods! Really takes the look up to another level! Did you consider blackening the front twin-slat chrome grill? It would lead to a floating-logo (Suzuki), completing the look, IMHO.

Thanks for the suggestion. Rather than blackening the front grill, I have asked my dealer to get me the European grill. Should be getting it by the end of the week if all goes well. In case it does not turn up till the next week, I am gonna cancel the order and get the present one 3M'd. :-)

[sou_3749]

As we know the new baleno with the same smartplay info system gets the Apple Carplay along with Android mirror, will this also make way to S-cross and ciaz? I believe there are no requirement of hardware unless the connection is wireless. So ideally a software update should provide the new feature.

On a side note if you long press the "Mode" button on the steering wheel, it will toggle the screen with navigation. Not sure if it's already discussed.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by sou_3749

As we know the new baleno with the same smartplay info system gets the Apple Carplay along with Android mirror, will this also make way to S-cross and ciaz?

I had discussed on this with the RM at Nexa and he mentioned that this was covered during the training of Baleno stating that Maruti will confirm the suitability of Apple Carplay in S Cross/ Ciaz!

Maybe in a week's time this will be known. Looks positive though.

[wilful]

Test drove the S-Cross today (the 1.3). I was pretty impressed with the overall quality and build. Did not appear to be flimsy at all. My company plans to buy two new vehicles (around 10 lacs OTR) and this one is very much in contention. The ride, handling, NVH etc was impressive and my colleague (who has to take the final call) seems to be inclined towards this car.

[t0m]

Originally Posted by volkman10

I had discussed on this with the RM at Nexa and he mentioned that this was covered during the training of Baleno stating that Maruti will confirm the suitability of Apple Carplay in S Cross/ Ciaz!

Maybe in a week's time this will be known. Looks positive though.

Even my RM is pretty positive that the upgrade would be passed on to S Cross. On a side note, the Bosch infotainment unit in the S Cross can be rooted and its software modified. I am planning to do it, but the only catch is the tamper flag would be incremented which might cause warranty as well as upgrade issues. Would probably wait for some word regarding the upgrade. If we by any chance dont land up an upgrade, i am going to root mine, couple of custom android roms for Bosch on the way in the next month or so.

[funnyguru]

Originally Posted by t0m

Even my RM is pretty positive that the upgrade would be passed on to S Cross. On a side note, the Bosch infotainment unit in the S Cross can be rooted and its software modified. I am planning to do it, but the only catch is the tamper flag would be incremented which might cause warranty as well as upgrade issues. Would probably wait for some word regarding the upgrade. If we by any chance dont land up an upgrade, i am going to root mine, couple of custom android roms for Bosch on the way in the next month or so.

Can you share any link on the internet regarding custom ROMs available for Bosch.

[Speed.Demon]

Hey guys, I too am in quite the soup, regarding my car purchase.

Called up the Popular Nexa at Kochi, and they brought the 1.6 Alpha to my house, even though it was a good 1 hour away from the showroom. +100 for that Nexa.

Now, I had just taken a TD of the new Abarth punto yesterday, and that is still fresh in my mind. So even though I know the two cars belong to totally different segments, I am sharing my views on them


In a way, I suppose the DDiS is what the Abarth should have been. Even though I am a fan of linear accelaration and redlining, I guess that many are right when they said that a hot hatch should be exciting. While the Abarth is quite effortless, and dare I say, a bit lazy, this is a monster. The torque makes its presence known.

As i pulled out of my house on the main road, I was immediately bogged down by choc a block traffic, and was merely pootling along. This is a fine time as any to talk about the turbo lag. Yes the lag is there, and yes its annoying. But there is torque, not a lot, but sufficient enough to not be a liability on the open road. As i passed a little junction, I saw a gap in which I could overtake a Super fast KSRTC and a Bharatbenz in one go. The RM sensed what I was about to do, and he said "Go for it sir, but do hold on, she torque steers like a mother if you put your foot down." A coy smile and a moment to brace myself later, I went for it. Holy cow.

You can feel the front of the car rise a bit in response to the tidal wave of torque and the tires were scrabbling for grip as I just kept my foot welded to the carpet. God, the way it picks up pace is just mind boggling.

Right. overtake over, I was cruising again and thinking.Hang on, I have seen power like this before, and yes you guessed right , it was in the Cruze. Although I can say, despite the spec sheet and the torque to weight ratio , the Cruze feels faster. Maybe because this is a new car? (Odo reads a mere 430km) The Cruze literally kicks your behind when the turbo spools up, this not so much.

Anyway, back to the road.. After Perumbavoor town, There is a super long stretch of road and behold , it was completely empty. This really must be my lucky day. I glanced at the RM in the back seat, and he was belted already. We grinned at each other and I put my foot down. The speeds climb, and I keep looking out of the windshield, and the RM says " Have a look at the speedo sir". Well, it was way into the triple digits. Bloody hell, it feels like 80! I don't give in, and keep it going. Higher and higher the needle climbs, and now we're doing seriously silly speeds. There was a corner dead ahead. I step hard on the middle pedal, and the speeds come down without much fuss, but yes, I can feel the tires struggling. The brakes are good, but no, they're nowhere near the Fiat in terms of pedal feel and precision.

And so I keep going, at sane speeds. On the way, I got to try out the cruise control, and it works as advertised. I even overtook a couple of autos using just the buttons on the steering. Man, that felt weird. Right. I'm nearly at the next town, so I take a U-turn. U turn done, I'm now heading back to Perumbavoor. On the way, I test out the GPS and the Bluetooth streaming. Yes most bugs are fixed(compared to the Ciaz), but there are some gremlins still remaining.

It's at this point I realised I hadn't tested the ride yet. So I took a deviation that's mostly used by the KSRTC boys and it was in a terrible condition. Perfect.


It's a bit lumpy at low speeds, but gets brilliant once we get moving. The ride is super composed and mature once the speeds climb. And all this on JK Elanzos. What will a set of soft Michelins do I wonder.

Fast forward another 5km, and here are some twisties. Right, into 3rd gear, foot down. Tight right hander, I throw it in, squealll.. Next corner, this time to the left, squeaalll... The one after that again a medium right hander, squeaaAAAAllll.


You get the gist. The composure of the car is amazing. No body roll and a FLAT ride. Wow. But all that ruined by those tires.


While the Fiat feels heavy and doesn't change direction quite so quickly, the Scross will let you get away with bloody murder on the road. Only if the gearshift was better. That's not to say this isn't good , but both the swift and polo have better gearboxes. I especially missed the 'clack-clack' of the Swift.

Fiat vs Maruti.

Is the Fiat faster? Probably.

Is it better to drive? No, I liked the Scross better.


Forget the engine, how about otherwise? Even so, the Scross despite being big doesn't feel that way. When you throw it into corners, The car seems to shrink around you, while the Fiat doesn't.

Again, I know comparing those two doesn't make much sense, but the Fiat is without doubt one of the best handling hatches we have in India, and with the Scross also being such a delight in the corners, I couldn't help comparing the two.

Despite having read all the reviews, I never expected to be smitten by the Scross this way.

[printh]

Wow I literally travelled with you speed.demon !!!. The s- cross is one hell of a torque and handling monster as I saw one in highway leaving all cars to dust. IMHO, the list of right competitors for hot hatch won't be complete without s-cross 1.6 ddis. Waiting for first ownership review of 1.6 ddis !!
Your mini review proved without a doubt not always a turbo petrol is needed for being an enthusiast car.