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-   -   Maruti S-Cross : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/166376-maruti-s-cross-official-review-5.html)

Bingo! People have almost forgotten SX4 in the middle of Creta cyclone.

Maruti seems to have got everything perfect except for the styling. But on the other hand it is a design that is going to offend none.

The rear of the car looks more like a Nissan QASHQAI lol:

All that could very well come in an update with the review of the 1.3 .

The fact is that we are all spoilt by the exhaustive and comprehensive reviews which are the trademark of a Team-bhp official review!

Great review as always. My first post here for the community had to be helpful and I have been waiting for the 'right time' for months now. For all the things I have learned from the members on here - I thank everyone for their contributions.

Finally, here we go:

With better alloys:


Did I just make a Suzuki look better than Merc?


Are you ready for some serious competition, boi?

Some of my notes:

- As Vid mentioned, after seeing the Creta up close and also reading this, I get the same feeling that indeed S-Cross will invoke driving emotion; much more than the Creta.
- The best part being the ride quality. On a head to head comparison I think S-Cross will be much better. (Will wait for some one to confirm though).
- The understated looks is what appeals to me more. Its some thing which will get the job done, without any one noticing it and yet not compromising on quality and build. Thats how I like my cars to be.
- 1.6 Sure seems to be a mile cruncher. Perfect for our roads. A pity why Fiat did not get it first to India
- The rear AC seems to be a serious miss. They should have had it
- The only thing now is how Maruti prices the product
- 17.12 L OTR Bangalore for Creta would definitely give them a huge band to play with.
- I am guessing they will be pricing it, at about 30-50K lower variant-by-variant
- I expect the top end 1.6 to be about 16L OTR Bangalore.

Looks being subjective, I'll go as far as saying that I like the looks of S-Cross much better than Creta or Active. There's something in that stance that gives it a sturdy look. The long sloping bonnet area and those head lamps and grill; they add to the bold look. I have seen Creta rolling on the road, and I did not feel the looks are imposing and special. It looks unmistakably Hyundai. Except for the bland alloys on S-Cross, I like everything about it. Both exteriors and interiors. Maybe I'm the only one here!!

Sorry about that. GTO and other mods have raised the bar a bit too high I guess :)

As mentioned in the review, if you are someone who drives with a light foot using 10-15% throttle most of the time, stay above 1,000 rpm and this 1.6L motor has enough torque to pull you through most situations, be it inclines or regular city commuting. It is only when you stomp the throttle that you begin to realise that upto 1,500 rpm, the progress is really slow, between 1,500 - 1,750 rpm the turbo starts spooling and after 1,750 rpm you're aggressively pinned to your seat due to the wild turbo kick.

Do note that a detailed spec and comparo sheet will be put up once the car is officially launched and prices are announced.

Dimension are as following:
Length: 4,300 mm
Width: 1,765 mm
Height: 1,590 mm
Wheelbase: 2,600 mm
GC: 180 mm
Kerb Weight: 1,180 kg for 1.3L and 1,250 kg for 1.6L

Is there anything in particular that you would like to know regarding the cruise control feature?

It performs like it would in any other manual vehicle equipped with this feature. You can set the speed and free your right leg. Any pedal input and it is overridden. You can also increase or decrease the speed by 10 km/h increments by pressing the +/- button on the steering wheel once the feature is active.

The old Jetta has been my favorite car and clearly the benchmark when it comes to handling. Comparing the Jetta to the S-Cross might not be fair but you'll be pleased to know that if I'd rate the new Jetta a 9, I'd say the S-Cross is an 8 out of 10! That includes the high speed stability, ride & handling, its ability to mask speed and its overall mannerisms. The Rapid and Vento are left behind in comparison. For better understanding Rapid/Vento < S-Cross < Jetta.

The first thing I remember commenting was that this car has the turbo-kick like the old 1.6L diesel Vento. It is that explosive! I haven't driven the new 1.5L VW diesels so I won't comment on the same.

No in-gear acceleration timings. Sorry.

No, these don't feature on any variant.

Rehaan (who has driven the Duster AWD) commented that the S-Cross is nearly there but the Duster still remains a benchmark when it comes to ride comfort. We could easily drive at 50-60 km/h on a kaccha road and the car remained flat and didn't toss us in the cabin nor felt unsettled. In fact, it smoothened out the road the faster we drove.

For someone tackling broken roads often but doesn't need an SUV, this surely makes a strong case.

Bose speakers??? I highly doubt. Maruti would have been shouting on top of their voices had they equipped the S-Cross with these.

NO, to both these questions. The sales guy has high expectations from the product.

Horn isn't a wind tone unit nor a typical 'peep' sounding type. Most people won't complain. Can't describe the sound though :) The horn sound is well controlled inside the cabin and isn't intrusive at all.

We tested the car with 2 on-board, so cannot comment on how it is when fully laden.

It is only on close inspection that you notice the orange-peel effect. Overall, it had a nice, glossy sheen.

Excellent Review guys :thumbs up

An excellent and very competent product, IMO.

Performance. Check.
Safety. Check.
Premium Quality Interiors. Check.
Reasonable steering feedback. Check.
Good Ride Quality and Dynamics. Check.
Gadgetry. Check.
Maruti Suzuki Badge (synonym for reliability:D). Check.


Except for the timid front end looks which still works for me, I find it to be an ideal driver oriented car. A car which I'll definitely look forward to buy in future.

I have high hopes in future too from the cars sold under NEXA. If Maruti wanted they could have sold the Ciaz too under their NEXA brand but no, they didn't, either due to following two reasons:

• They must have thought that the limited NEXA dealership will reduce the Ciaz' sales, or;

• Ciaz as a whole does not lives upto the expectations of a premium NEXA product, while the S-Cross does, which is evident from the review. People should feel that this car is unlike any other Maruti on sale today. Good build quality, inside out et cetra.

If its the latter, Maruti sure has a good strategy to gain some more share in future in a market in which they already dominates. Watch out Germans!

Also, this review could not have come at a better time. Folks, looking at buying Creta and those who prefers good driving manners over the looks will surely wait for the pricing of S-Cross to be disclosed to make an informed decision.

Thanks. When I meant how the horn sounds, I meant whether it was intrusive or not and did not seek a description of its sound :). Happy to note that it is not so intrusive unlike my SX4 where the horn is loud inside the cabin. Awaiting the detailed specs comparison of the 1.3 and 1.6 with its rivals.

I thought so. I guess he did not know what Bose speakers are.

He pointed at this thing (shown in this picture between return air grills) and said that this is the sensor for auto dimming wind shield.

Great Review, Excellent, As always. Rated 5*
Infact I had booked the 1.6 alpha, was planning for the 1.3 alpha because of budget constraints. Seems like I ll take the 1.6 base delta over the 1.3 alpha..Or i ll loosen the constraints..

Brilliant review guys!!

When I saw the car displayed, I was impressed except for a few shortcomings like sharing of switch gears etc. The review cements my opiniom that this is a great effort from Maruti. Being a Maruti I always expected it to drive well however the verdict on high speed stability is really making me eager to try this car. Specially if you say it masks speeds better than Vento/Rapid.

I love cars with suspensions on the firmer side than those towards the softer side. I am glad Maruti has not tried to make it exceedingly soft.


One question however, how does the DDIS 200 match up?

I believe that will be the variant driving the numbers for S Cross. How does that match up? Say compared to the 85ps Duster?

Will the engine be a deal breaker for DDIS 200?

Moreover being a crossover, how does it fare off the tarmac?

Not just broken roads, can this car handle a bit of softroading too? Considering that it is labeled as a crossover.

I was no fan of the looks. After seeing the car in flesh, I had remarked that I have not seen anything in this car that will make me not buy it while I had already seen a couple of reasons to buy it. The review takes it further. I can safely say now that if I was in the market to buy a new car, S Cross would be a strong contender. Of course still depends on the pricing.

Okay, this might be a little OT and optimistic!
Why don't Maruti try and put this gearbox and the 1.6 DDiS which seems to be having a lot of potential, in the Swift and give it a bit of an upmarket and a sporty makeover like a stiffer suspension, all round disc's, etc? And with the already above par handling of the present Swift and try taking on the likes of the VW's GT twins and the upcoming Punto T-jet(if it is ever going to be launched).
This will be a good combo for Maruti entering into the Hot Hatch segment. And mouth watering for any enthusiast, isn't it? :uncontrol
Oh, and let me remind you that the Swift is sold with a more powerful Engine options and a lot more kit in the international markets!

Good and concise review, but I'd also like to know how the DDIS200 fairs in this car; could Maruti have worked any more magic on it? I found it to be quite good in the Ciaz but that was a sloppy rather soft and extremely light car. Rating 4 stars only due to the lack of drive opinions on the 1.3 liter car however, I rather like the concise nature of the review :thumbs up

No Bose speakers, No auto-dimming windshield, no HUD and no Fridge mate :uncontrol The last two can probably be organized as accessories but seriously, a NEXA executive gave you such information? BTW that sensor he pointed to for the auto-dimming windshield (something I believe does not exist on any car currently in production) is actually the sensor for the climate control

I am absolutely bowled over by this car and I have to say, it is the first crossover/softroader after the Forester, that has proved its worth. I detest every single other one of them because of the way they drive but with this car keeping ground clearance high enough, suspension stiff enough and overall dimensions not unnecessarily tall, one can drive the car quick on the highways with a smile plastered on his/her face knowing that a quick lane-change maneuver won't be too demanding, and keep that smile when the going gets tough as well. Only gripes would be the lack of better tyres and alloy combo (hopefully the company will offer those sexy 17inchers on the European version as an optional extra), also it is sad to see the same steering wheel; not like I care about whether their smaller cheaper cars use the same one, but because I remember hating how it felt to hold when driving the Ciaz. It felt too narrow and hard and poorly contoured for my palms. Does the fact that it is now wrapped in leather make its case somewhat better?

Looks like Maruti has another winner. There were apprehensions about the Ciaz, but with a strong sales performance, it has dismissed all of them. Maruti seems to have hit the sweet spot for the Crossover with the bragging right for FE and power. (1.6 D)

This car takes the game forward. I recently drove the SX4 on NICE road, it's a wonderful car. Nice flat ride, decent steering (Pretty harsh as I come from a Getz and an Innova), excellent petrol engine. Wish the S-Cross had that M16A petrol engine. There was some body roll, but it doesn't bother you on straight highways.

The downside is the boot space. It's as small as a Jazz. :Shockked:

Also, Maruti surely missed a big chance by not giving the AWD/AT+ AWD combo. Price it below/ on par with the Creta and eat the competition.

Also a serious miss is the petrol engine. A great 1.6 liter petrol would do no harm.

Slightly OT, I think Maruti should have handled the Ciaz like how Hyudai handles the Verna. MSIL should have given lower variants of the Ciaz a 1.4 P and a 1.3 D and the higher variants a 1.6 P and 1.6 D. And they should have planned the importing the engines/assembling locally as the Ciaz and the S-cross could share the engines and would really widen the appeal. It's a segment where power also matters.

What I like most about the S-Cross is that it isn't a wannabe SUV. It's a crossover with some sharp lines and great GC and excellent dynamics.

We tested the sensor too. How? Blocked it with my hand - headlights turned on; sprayed water over there - wipers turned on. It is located in the same place as shown in the review.

What you have highlighted is the heat sensor / in-car temperature sensor which works in tandem with the acc. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I guess the NEXA guys aren't well-trained just yet!