[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by McLaren Roxx

Are you sure about the upsize clause that states warranty void?
Reason being, many owners will go in for the basic 205 to 225 mm width upsize of the rubber and some for the size upgrade too.

@Sandy - any insight on this?

Have heard sales people mentioning this ever since the days I had a M800. But Maruti is generally not very strict on warranty approvals. So unless the upgrade is unreasonable, there should not be any problem.

PS- 205 itself is wide enough. 225 is almost an overkill. An upgrade to stickier 205 rubber will be more than enough.

[McLaren Roxx]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

That's the first question I shot to the RM @ NEXA.

I asked him what if I do changes to the ICE setup like changing speakers etc, he was firm in his reply of loosing warranty.

Dang! Even though a simple speaker swap nowhere requires any splicing of the wires? Its a straightforward plug & play job.
I'm sure most RMs will not even realise that the speakers have been changed, since they are so well hidden.

I guess they are simply playing the safe card here. Will have to do some digging to confirm the actual facts.

Also, if they do not allow after market rubber upgrade, then they should have atleast set up in-house upgrade and exchange options

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Have heard sales people mentioning this ever since the days I had a M800. But Maruti is generally not very strict on warranty approvals. So unless the upgrade is unreasonable, there should not be any problem.

PS- 205 itself is wide enough. 225 is almost an overkill. An upgrade to stickier 205 rubber will be more than enough.

Agreed. But it would come as a rude shock if you realise that youve lost warranty because of this.

Also, I would personally go in for a size upgrade, rather an the width, or probably both (size being more important). So it would be worth confirming.

[sandygordon]

Warranty Issues
May be I would lose suspension warranty. Upgraded to 225 profile knowing that it could void warranty reduce acceleration and FE. There is slight understeer and there is possibility of aquaplaning. I dot think it is that much of an overkill.
Will confirm warranty policy during first service.

Nexa accesories have speakers, amps and even Hertz shallow mount sub woofers. Probably nexa installation would preserve warranty. I believe RMs (atleast here) know nothing about the car other than grooming and holding ipads. I think it will take some time for these guys to learn. I did not see any document about warranty policy.

Adding a snap
Hippo with the GLA

[vin11]

Originally Posted by sandygordon

Warranty Issues
May be I would lose suspension warranty. Upgraded to 225 profile knowing that it could void warranty reduce acceleration and FE. There is slight understeer and there is possibility of aquaplaning. I dot think it is that much of an overkill.
Will confirm warranty policy during first service.

Nexa accesories have speakers, amps and even Hertz shallow mount sub woofers. Probably nexa installation would preserve warranty. I believe RMs (atleast here) know nothing about the car other than grooming and holding ipads. I think it will take some time for these guys to learn. I did not see any document about warranty policy.

Adding a snap
Hippo with the GLA
Attachment 1410322

I assume that the suspension warranty is gone, since you've changed the stock recommendation. But you can confirm once again, I have 205 section on 16 inchers (upgraded from 165/80R14) and my suspension warranty is gone.

Installations done at Nexa would preserve warranty for sure, that is the reason for the premium they charge.

Fantastic picture with the GLA - My desktop got a new wallpaper! Both the cars seem to have a similar stance, plus matching wheels! Is the Merc yours?

[McLaren Roxx]

Originally Posted by sandygordon

Warranty Issues
May be I would lose suspension warranty. Upgraded to 225 profile knowing that it could void warranty reduce acceleration and FE. There is slight understeer and there is possibility of aquaplaning. I dot think it is that much of an overkill.
Will confirm warranty policy during first service.

Nexa accesories have speakers, amps and even Hertz shallow mount sub woofers. Probably nexa installation would preserve warranty. I believe RMs (atleast here) know nothing about the car other than grooming and holding ipads. I think it will take some time for these guys to learn. I did not see any document about warranty policy.

Adding a snap
Hippo with the GLA
Attachment 1410322

I'm sure the understeer and aquaplaning is far less pronounced / probable with the meatier rubber that you have got now. I can only imagine how the poor 205's will react to the 1.6

Letting go of the suspension warranty is a big risk imo. You never know what might go wrong in the next 4 years **touch wood**

Do check during your first service & let us know.

Awesome snap btw, brown looks really mature & elegant, I guess your hippo will age well

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

S-Cross 1.6 diesel- Test drive experience

Took the S-Cross 1.6 for a TD, along with wife and also accompanied by BHP'ian nkrishnap. Here are a few impressions from the eyes of a Punto owner looking at an upgrade.

1. Showroom experience was good, and the NEXA showroom and the customer relations executives behave a lot more upmarket compared to the FIAT showrooms.

2. We got into the TD cars. Wife took the backseat, closed the door and told the executive - "this car is so flimsy". Should have seen the look on his face, but he recovered well and admitted that S-Cross is good only by Maruti standards but FIAT built quality can't be expected from it.

Yep, my wife can be too straight forward at times.

3. The all black interiors remind me of the Punto. In fact, better since this is all black, while Punto has some grey shades for the lower half of the dashboard. Glad to have a black option, in our country where every car turns to beige for that premium feel.

4. Driver's seat is perfect in terms of ergonomics. So damn comfortable compared to the Punto 90hp, specially for someone not used to the slightly weird ergonomics of the Punto.

5. The engine feels very refined compared to the 1.3 90hp in my Punto.

6. Turbo lag felt comparable to my Punto 90hp. I expected lot worse reading through the reviews, but no shocker here. The major difference is once the turbo kicks in. The car picks up pace so fast, it's almost deceiving. Nice shove into the seat backrest from the time the turbo kicks in.

Felt like the old Vento 1.6 TDi as I remember it.

I think most people complaining of turbo lag where trying to bury the throttle from low rpms. That way, the turbo lag feels more pronounced and I've felt this in my car as well. However, part throttle acceleration like how we would all drive normally doesn't show any annoying levels of turbo lag.

7. Suspension felt firm and had a nice flat ride. However, wife complained from the backseat that the ride was a bit stiff at low speeds, compared to the Punto.

8. No opportunity to judge handling, but I have a feeling it should be satisfactory. The increased ride height, cross over dimensions and all are not a differentiating factor for me since the Punto itself came with 185mm clearance.

9. The tyres were squealing to glory with Nkrishnap behind the steering wheel, putting the car through its proper paces. Torque steer was evident. A tyre upgrade is a must for people opting for the 1.6 diesel.

10. Meanwhile, I was checking out the backseat, and except for the known issue of the protruding neckrest, it was a very good place to be in. Miles ahead of the Punto in terms of available space and seating ergonomics.

In short, the main differentiator was the 1.6 engine and in a way- the space and ergonomics. Am I impressed? Yes. We've been wishing for the Linea or the Punto to get launched with the 1.6 MJD. The S-Cross feels like that car which ended up being a Maruti. There is nothing major to fault about this car, and it brings a huge smile to the face.

Am I impressed enough to upgrade? Well, no. While the engine is powerful and the increased space is welcome, these are not enough to feel good about parting with 14 lakh INR on top of the exchange value of a 3.5 year old Punto 90hp.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by sandygordon

Adding a snap
Hippo with the GLA

Mask the 3 pointed star car and quite a few of us might overlap one for the other.

And Congratulations, hope the car treats you well

@crazydriver - Curious, which car [presently on sale, below 15L ex-showrooom] would you buy in favor of your Punto 90HP?

[GrammarNazi]

Rs.17.5 Lakh (OTR Bangalore) for a 1.6 S-Cross Alpha is the craziest price for a non-SUV car advertised to start at under 9 lakh.

Only Maruti could've pulled this off.

This is the 2nd time I'm visiting this thread & I guess the last time. Unless they're giving a GenX Nano / Alto free with the S Cross. lol.

Just had to get my personal reaction to the outrageous pricing off my chest.

Owners, if the car makes you feel good, then there's nothing better than that. Enjoy

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Rs.17.5 Lakh (OTR Bangalore) for a 1.6 S-Cross Alpha is the craziest price for a non-SUV car advertised to start at under 9 lakh.

Only Maruti could've pulled this off.

This is the 2nd time I'm visiting this thread & I guess the last time. Unless they're giving a GenX Nano / Alto free with the S Cross. lol.

Just had to get my personal reaction to the outrageous pricing off my chest.

Owners, if the car makes you feel good, then there's nothing better than that. Enjoy

LOL they just might you never know. At one time they were actually offering a free alto on every purchase of a Kizashi

[sandygordon]

Originally Posted by vin11

Is the Merc yours?

Would have loved it to be mine

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Sheel

@crazydriver - Curious, which car [presently on sale, below 15L ex-showrooom] would you buy in favor of your Punto 90HP?

One very tough question to answer. Let me list my 'good to have' requirements.

1. Should bring a smile to my face. A turbo petrol or a turbo diesel preferred. Something that has a nice turbo surge. Don't want it to be too linear!

2. Cruise control. I have done multiple weekend trips that came near to 1500 - 2000 kms on the trip meter. Sorely miss this feature on the Punto. Nowadays I maintain a constant 100kmph on the highway and can as well leave it on cruise for hundreds of kilometres all together.

3. Diesel. Completed 100k kms in 3.5 years on 22nd Sep and I'm looking at crossing another 5k kms by next weekend. Can't afford a petrol.

4. High GC- This is one aspect I loved for the Punto. It has taken me to a lot of hill stations without complaint. Would want a crossover / raised hatchback with good road manners. Should be able to hold a line through corners though!

In short - I'm confused with that answer. Hyundai's Creta and Maruti's S-Cross seemed ideal but both manufacturers turned a bit greedy in pricing the cars. I'm still not sure which is the better car among these two, because the Creta 1.6 is a better package while the S-Cross brought a bigger smile on my face. But neither seemed worth 14 lakhs above my Punto. I am yet to drive the XUV5OO. A lot of FIAT owners finally end up upgrading to one, and from specs and showroom experience- I think this one might blow the other competition away.

PS- I am sticking to my car as long as I can. The test drives and all are just to keep myself updated and see if something will come along that appeals to the head and heart together.

[bhansali_hardik]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

One very tough question to answer. Let me list my 'good to have' requirements.

I'm looking to buy one and have been pondering over the choices from past 3 months.
The creta is a big turndown for me. I did not like the handling, the rest bench is ridiculous, it scores big on looks only from the front end, rear is clumsy.
S cross on the other hand is mature, the handling is good, rear is roomier no rear ac vents though. It's more VFM going by current market scenario. But did not but one for now, alloys are bad voids warranty if you change them and I really am paranoid to put my moolah on the 1st gen cars. They are more like testing mules.

[KPS]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

The Suzuki SX4 S-Cross facelift has been spotted testing in Europe for the very first time.
Wearing minimal camouflage, the SX4 S-Cross is expected to have a new front bumper with a redesigned grille up front, and differently styled headlights.
On the rear, the taillamp section looks to have been updated.
Expect more news on this facelift to come in the next few months.

This is what I hate about Maruti, its desire to juice out the Indian market. India contributes a significant part of the global profits and Suzuki just cannot have enough from India.

Positioning the car as a premium segment with premium dealership experience smacks on the face, as the face lifted car will be launched globally in some time. Not sure when is the face lifted model expect to come to India.

They should have launched the face lifted car here first, as a commitment to the Indian market. People are paying a premium price and imagine if in less than a year the car is outdated

Full Details here

No Cheers

KPS

[Ragavsr]

Went through the S-Cross brochure to analyse the variant spread and what shocked me was the sheer amount of clutter. Do the product planners have any sense to offer different features in the same variant names between 200 and 320. I thought creating a simple variant spread with common features between engines improves inventory management and manufacturing process.

So made a spreadsheet to mark out simple differences.

1. The text hidden in last line in first pic is Rear Wiper/Washer and Demister
2. The text hidden in last line in second pic is Cruise Control
3.The text hidden in last line in third pic is back pocket on front seats.

The spots which aren't marked in the 320 list are same as the features in 200 variant.
There is an error in Footwell/Boot/ Glovebox illumination . Only the Sigma doesn't get it. The rest have it.

So, the only things the Alpha 200 has over the Zeta is
1. LED Positioning Lamps
2.Leather interiors
3. Leather wrapped steering wheel
4.Silver roof rails
5. HID Projector Lamps
6. Auto headlamps and wipers
7. Auto dimming IVRMS

The extra features don't seem to be worth 1.3 lac extra ex-showroom price and 2 lac extra on-road prices because the Alpha falls in a higher tax bracket of 15% in states like TN against 10% for the Zeta.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by KPS

They should have launched the face lifted car here first, as a commitment to the Indian market. People are paying a premium price and imagine if in less than a year the car is outdated

This facelift news is a bit misleading here. In fact if you see the interiors of the facelift is the Indian Smart play HU which is seen , which was not there previously in the International 2013 release.
The biggest news there is a new boosterjet 1.4P engine on test.

The Indian version is not expected to get this face lift earlier than 2017.