[Vigkey]

Friends,

Have crossed 4500 kms in a little over 2 months in my S-Cross. I am just back from a Chennai trip (Bangalore to Chennai to Bangalore in a day). I have been the sole driver of the car except when it was in Maruti Suzuki premises

One important issue that was stopping me from writing my ownership review was the steering vibration over 125 kmph. Just to give the history, I first noticed this in my first long trip to Tirupati after which I got the hub rings fitted. In my next long trip Bangalore -> Tenkasi -> Trivandrum -> Bangalore, the issue was more pronounced (now appearing ~110-120 and having more vibration) and I was deeply frustrated. Back from that trip, I had gotten the wheels balanced and waiting to show the S-Cross some open roads.

Yesterday was the D day. And I am really glad the car is doing absolutely splendid now!!! I did high speeds just to check if the vibrations are present and there were NONE. As I get ready for the second service and I feel to have driven the car enough to come up my impressions, I might come up with my own thread in a few days.

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Finally-Changed My Booking To 1.6

Congrats Dr!!! Wonderful decision, I should say!!!

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

So I ended up booking 1.6 Alpha from 1.3 Zeta.

Ditto!!! My initial booking was for a Premium Silver 1.3 Zeta and now I drive around in a Pearl Arctic White 1.6 Alpha!!! Took a lot of work by the heart to move over to 1.6 - and the price cut + discounts helped my cause.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaKnight

The car was brought home the very next day for a 1 hour demo drive and boy,was I happy.

Hey, SCross looks very masculine from the front compared to the Swift and Esteem!

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Finally-Changed My Booking To 1.6

Originally Posted by Vigkey

Ditto!!! My initial booking was for a Premium Silver 1.3 Zeta and now I drive around in a Pearl Arctic White 1.6 Alpha!!! Took a lot of work by the heart to move over to 1.6 - and the price cut + discounts helped my cause.

Seems like many enthusiasts here have moved to SCross!

Had SCross been a bit more sporty in looks while maintaining its understated elegance, the sales would have touched 5K units per month, IMO.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Vigkey

Congrats Dr!!! Wonderful decision, I should say!!!

Ditto!!! My initial booking was for a Premium Silver 1.3 Zeta and now I drive around in a Pearl Arctic White 1.6 Alpha!!! Took a lot of work by the heart to move over to 1.6 - and the price cut + discounts helped my cause.

I would have got my 1.6 now if I opted for Pearl Arctic White. Dad did not agree for White and insisted on granite grey. Dealer has ordered for 1.6 granite grey Alpha. It's being a painful wait now and I am sure it's worth the wait

I had visited showroom today for minor booking change formalities. I happened to see a limited edition 1.3 Zeta. It has all features of 1.3 Zeta except Navigation and reverse camera. But it gets black spoiler and ORVM. It is priced 30k less than regular 1.3 Zeta variant. This is a new limited edition and not to be confused with old one which was Delta variant with additional features.

1.3 Zeta limited edition-black spoiler and ORVM will be put by dealer

[SafeDrive0107]

Originally Posted by Vigkey

Friends,

One important issue that was stopping me from writing my ownership review was the steering vibration over 125 kmph.

Back from that trip, I had gotten the wheels balanced and waiting to show the S-Cross some open roads.

Yesterday was the D day. And I am really glad the car is doing absolutely splendid now!!! I did high speeds just to check if the vibrations are present and there were NONE. .

Thanks a lot for that update. I am facing the same issue too after 125 kmph. Maybe I should get the wheel alignment checked too.

What surprises me is that wheel alignment was done in the second service and I experienced this say just after around driving 300 kms post the second service. Maybe the service guys at Bimal did not do great job with the wheel alignment.

[Dr.Naren]

Advice Required On Mods For My Future 1.6

1.Tyres & Alloys

I wish to keep the size stock. I have read in various reviews that stock JK tyres offer poor grip. I do not want to go for Michelin/Bridgestone due to my previous experience of weak sidewall. Which brand would be good? About alloys, accessory manager advised me to go for Brezza alloys. He will update me about buyback price for stock alloys. Other option is Momo Win pro/Quantum/Revenge

2.Projector lights

I have booked alpha variant which comes with projector lights. But it is not clear lens and ballast is only 25W. I am not happy with throw and cut off of stock projectors. I am planning to go for Mini D2S projectors from Xenon Planet.Would it void my warranty if it is plug and play?

3.Wolf remap vs RD dual channel box

I usually tend to remap or go for tuning box post warranty period. I might end up doing this in 1.6 much earlier

I spoke to RD guys and they have both single and dual channel box for S cross. Coupler is same as 1.3 S cross/Sx4. They have not dynoed S cross and willing to do it in my S cross if I buy the box.

I discussed about remap option with Rajiv,Wolf tuner. He would be out of country for next 4 months. Remap for 1.6 S cross requires opening up of ECU(bench flash) and also a chip would be put so that it can be flashed via OBD later. My only concern is about warranty. Maruti can detect ECU being tampered. Many tuners claim remap is not detectable. But it can be easily detected if service guys know what they are looking for. OBD log will show all the values and compare it with normal values from worksop manual-remap detected-warranty void. Since Rajiv would be out of country, I will try RD box first. They offer free demo of the box. I have a single channel RD box in my grand i10 and power gain is prominent only in mid range. I drove a Jazz with dual channel box and power gain was appreciable throughout. I will try both single and dual channel box from RD and decide.

4.Grill, Spoiler & ORVM

Grill: Should I paint it black or apply 3M gloss black wrap? I am not sure if wrap would stay on it.

ORVM: 3M wrap or black paint?

Spoiler: Body color or black paint or 3M wrap?

[sahiltodankar]

I am in two minds now.I got my car diagnosed for Black smoke last week.now I can hear engine noise in 1st gear inside cabin even when windows are closed.I am sure engine noise is getting transferred inside cabin more than earlier.when I press the accelerator in neutral I can hear the noise very clearly and it feels like loose undercover vibrations are making that noise.i can easily masked the sound by keeping the music sound around 15.my dad is against sending car again and again to service Centre.next service is still 1k km away.should I get it checked now or wait for next service (may be next month). No other issues faced.

[KiloAlpha]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Advice Required On Mods For My Future 1.6

Here is what I plan for my silver 1.6 Alpha, being delivered Friday (April 29th)

Tyres and Alloys: will immediately ditch the stock JK for something better. Most people recommend Michelin or Continental. The Alloys are OK for now, will look for nice designs later. Maruti has started painting the Alloys gunmetal grey, which looks not as bad as before.

Remap: strictly after warranty only. I would like a remap to boost power and torque a little bit, but mostly looking to flatten the torque curve

Headlights: I used to have a Figo, which was notorious for poor headlights. After much experimentation, settled on fitting aux lamps with headlight bulb upgrade to better brand. If same wattage/specs and it is plug & play then I don't think warranty will be voided.

Grill: black gloss wrap should look good, I will try that out. Am also going to try sourcing a EU spec grill if I can.
ORVM: As above, going to do gloss black wrap.

[f1fan]

Originally Posted by sahiltodankar

I am in two minds now.I got my car diagnosed for Black smoke last week.now I can hear engine noise in 1st gear inside cabin even when windows are closed.I am sure engine noise is getting transferred inside cabin more than earlier.when I press the accelerator in neutral I can hear the noise very clearly and it feels like loose undercover vibrations are making that noise.i can easily masked the sound by keeping the music sound around 15.my dad is against sending car again and again to service Centre.next service is still 1k km away.should I get it checked now or wait for next service (may be next month). No other issues faced.

Sahil - I will suggest you taking you car to a different service station. I used to take my dzire to Vitesse, Prabhadevi and always had excellent service from them.
Opening the vehicle and not fixing everything back properly is not acceptable.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

Here is what I plan for my silver 1.6 Alpha, being delivered Friday (April 29th)

Congrats buddy!

Please do post pics and update on your mods!
Cheers

[GranvilleDsouza]

Congrats to you guys on getting the S-Cross
The new iPhone of the car market maybe?
Everyone's wondering why it's so expensive, people don't think the cost is justified, but only those who've used it know the value of it.

P.S: Still wishing and waiting for my booking which by the passing day is eating me inside.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Any idea what are the specs of the HID projectors used in the S Cross?

Saw one which was following my car the other day and it did not feel as bright as I expected a projector setup to be!

[Vigkey]

Originally Posted by SafeDrive0107

Thanks a lot for that update. I am facing the same issue too after 125 kmph. Maybe I should get the wheel alignment checked too.

What surprises me is that wheel alignment was done in the second service and I experienced this say just after around driving 300 kms post the second service. Maybe the service guys at Bimal did not do great job with the wheel alignment.

Just reiterating that I did not get wheel alignment done, I got wheel balancing done. I am not sure if wheel balancing was done during service. If not done, get that done too. I hope that will solve the issue for you. By the way, did you upgrade alloys? If yes, have you fixed hub rings? If no, please do that before getting the balancing done.

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

1.Tyres & Alloys

I wish to keep the size stock. I have read in various reviews that stock JK tyres offer poor grip. I do not want to go for Michelin/Bridgestone due to my previous experience of weak sidewall. Which brand would be good? About alloys, accessory manager advised me to go for Brezza alloys. He will update me about buyback price for stock alloys. Other option is Momo Win pro/Quantum/Revenge

I am having Continental ContiMaxContact MC5 and am pretty happy with the performance. I have driven in ghats and also in bad roads and highways. The tire is holding up pretty well. The tires offer nice grip and there was no case of grip loss till today. Touch wood. There is a bit of tire noise in bad roads - something I was concerned initially and my FIL also pointed out. But, I somehow am used to it now and do not find it too disturbing.

I am not a big fan of Momo Revenge. I loved Quantum, but it was not in stock in PCD 114.3 when I enquired. However, the beauty - Black Knight was available and I did not think twice before okaying that. A decision I will never regret

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

2.Projector lights

I have booked alpha variant which comes with projector lights. But it is not clear lens and ballast is only 25W. I am not happy with throw and cut off of stock projectors. I am planning to go for Mini D2S projectors from Xenon Planet.Would it void my warranty if it is plug and play?

IMHO, the performance of stock projectors is just above average. I expected much more from a HID projector setup. I can live with it, but it is not superlative. Any upgrade is good upgrade - provided it does not void your warranty. Make a wise call. I mean, even for engine failures, Maruti can be expected to say it was indirectly caused by the headlight upgrade

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

3.Wolf remap vs RD dual channel box

I usually tend to remap or go for tuning box post warranty period. I might end up doing this in 1.6 much earlier

Frankly, this is something I would not even think while in warranty period. I usually love to enjoy things in stock for some time before actually thinking of an upgrade. The two reasons why I upgraded the tire and alloys was - 1. Tires received universally poor reviews and alloys made sure the car was sporty in no angle. 2. Neither of the upgrade will void the warranty.

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

4.Grill, Spoiler & ORVM

Grill: Should I paint it black or apply 3M gloss black wrap? I am not sure if wrap would stay on it.

ORVM: 3M wrap or black paint?

Spoiler: Body color or black paint or 3M wrap?

Me too thinking of wrapping the chrome grille and the body-color part on the bumper housing the number plate in black. Confused between matt black and gloss black.

My spoiler is body color and I will let the ORVM and spoiler in white itself - at least for the time being. However, cosmetic upgrades are purely the choice of an individual - go ahead with your upgrades and share the pics. Will be useful for some of us who are in two minds.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Any idea what are the specs of the HID projectors used in the S Cross?

Voltage: 12V
Type: D5S
Wattage: 25W

Part No 09471 - 12237

On the other hand, Baleno's projectors are blinding bad. Too white and hard hitting the eyes. My Auto dimming IRVM fails if a Baleno is tailgating me.

[shankar.balan]

1. You've booked Alpha 1.6 which already comes quite well loaded.
In fact the stock alloys are very nice. Why bother changing them?
If you absolutely must, then go and get a one size bigger set of tyres 215/60/16 suggests itself as the right size. That will give you an additional 5-10 mm Ground clearance.
After driving it on bumpy roads, see if you want to do what Ive done, by adding those Rogerab dampers to give you better speed breaker and pothole handling ability - Im finding the above changes very good for my Yeti.

Other than that, my suggestion is to keep the vehicle stock. Its very nice as it is.
Keep it like this for a year and then do your mods.

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Advice Required On Mods For My Future 1.6

1.Tyres & Alloys

I wish to keep the size stock. I have read in various reviews that stock JK tyres offer poor grip. I do not want to go for Michelin/Bridgestone due to my previous experience of weak sidewall. Which brand would be good? About alloys, accessory manager advised me to go for Brezza alloys. He will update me about buyback price for stock alloys. Other option is Momo Win pro/Quantum/Revenge

2.Projector lights

I have booked alpha variant which comes with projector lights. But it is not clear lens and ballast is only 25W. I am not happy with throw and cut off of stock projectors. I am planning to go for Mini D2S projectors from Xenon Planet.Would it void my warranty if it is plug and play?

3.Wolf remap vs RD dual channel box

I usually tend to remap or go for tuning box post warranty period. I might end up doing this in 1.6 much earlier

I spoke to RD guys and they have both single and dual channel box for S cross. Coupler is same as 1.3 S cross/Sx4. They have not dynoed S cross and willing to do it in my S cross if I buy the box.

I discussed about remap option with Rajiv,Wolf tuner. He would be out of country for next 4 months. Remap for 1.6 S cross requires opening up of ECU(bench flash) and also a chip would be put so that it can be flashed via OBD later. My only concern is about warranty. Maruti can detect ECU being tampered. Many tuners claim remap is not detectable. But it can be easily detected if service guys know what they are looking for. OBD log will show all the values and compare it with normal values from worksop manual-remap detected-warranty void. Since Rajiv would be out of country, I will try RD box first. They offer free demo of the box. I have a single channel RD box in my grand i10 and power gain is prominent only in mid range. I drove a Jazz with dual channel box and power gain was appreciable throughout. I will try both single and dual channel box from RD and decide.

4.Grill, Spoiler & ORVM

Grill: Should I paint it black or apply 3M gloss black wrap? I am not sure if wrap would stay on it.

ORVM: 3M wrap or black paint?

Spoiler: Body color or black paint or 3M wrap?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

2.Projector lights

You can upgrade the wattage of the bulbs used.

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

3.Wolf remap vs RD dual channel box

I usually tend to remap or go for tuning box post warranty period. I might end up doing this in 1.6 much earlier

But Why buddy why?

I know none of your cars are stock (ECU Maps) they are either remapped or tuning boxes are sitting atop. I honestly can't understand the need to get the DDiS 320 a remap.

Those figures and drive-ability in stock itself is mind-boggling and 50% of that power & torque wouldn't be used in our Indian conditions so getting a remap/box and raising the figures is of no use IMO.

I can understand if you were getting the DDiS 200 as that engine seriously needs a remap of the highest grade in a car like S-Cross. That engine is good only for Swift. All above I am not happy seeing that engine in the bay.

What I will suggest is leave the engine stock. Rest MODS you can do but remapping a DDiS 320 to me is like

No offence buddy.