[AkMar]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

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

1. Should bring a smile to my face.
2. Cruise control.
3. Diesel.
4. High GC

Apart from requirement #4, the Polo GT TDI seems to suit your requirements, isn't it?

[sandygordon]

2 more snaps of the hippo with the big boys
Sizing the S Cross.
Detailed photo-shoot with the Creta coming soon

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by AkMar

Apart from requirement #4, the Polo GT TDI seems to suit your requirements, isn't it?

We have a GT TDi in the family, that belongs to my cousin. Yes- it's a very good car and the pick among the diesel hatchbacks, but it is not an upgrade in many ways like interior space, ground clearance, steering feel etc.

1.5 TDi is tame compared to the old explosive 1.6 TDi. The spirit of the old 1.6 is now alive in the 1.6 DDiS of the S-Cross. Incidentally, I took the S-Cross TD on the same road as I drove the old Vento 1.6 and had the same silly smile on my face once done.

Probably if I were to pick a fresh diesel car for that budget- it would be the GT TDi over anything else from crossover or C segment. But as an upgrade- it's either the Creta or S-Cross.

[vaspro]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

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!
...
I am yet to drive the XUV5OO.

I strongly suggest TD the XUV5OO immediately as it would be nice comparison with the other 2 cars that you already drove. Take a longish TD, I would suggest something like Blr-Kolar or NICE road where you can actually use cruise control.

[sandygordon]

A light footed drive from home to my office, Time taken 19 minutes
3 km through town,9.6 km of highway (seaport-airport road)
Rest through a highway, no much vehicles on the road
Cruise control at 70 kmph for 5 km
ACC at 23 degrees, Soft music.


It had gone up to 24.8 but reduced after I slowed down in the hospital campus
Would that make me a non-enthusiast??

[sou_3749]

Originally Posted by sandygordon

A light footed drive from home to my office, Time taken 19 minutes
3 km through town,9.6 km of highway (seaport-airport road)
Rest through a highway, no much vehicles on the road
Cruise control at 70 kmph for 5 km
ACC at 23 degrees, Soft music.
Attachment 1410668

It had gone up to 24.8 but reduced after I slowed down in the hospital campus
Would that make me a non-enthusiast??

Fantastic to say the least. This is one of the usp of the engine. Hats off to maruti guys. No matter whatever the weight of the vehicle, it delivers what it is known for. People can say many things, for me an enthusiast is someone who has a passion/goal and tries to achieve that within rules/boundaries. S-Cross satisfies most of the parameters without compromising the fun part.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by KPS

They should have launched the face lifted car here first, as a commitment to the Indian market.

Presenting the S cross with 1.4boosterjet petrol Engine. Unveiled in China and will be on sale there shortly. India launch could be in 2017.

Suzuki is likely to introduce this variant in all markets in due course along with the exterior changes as facelift.

The new 1.4-litre Suzuki BoosterJet engine is a 4-cylinder, 16-valve turbocharged gasoline motor, with Dual Over Head Camshaft (DOHC). It can fit into a box of size 537 mm x 450 mm x 696 mm. The unit puts out 136 PS and 220 Nm. Mated to this new engine in the S-Cross, will be a six-speed automatic transmission, driving the front or all wheels. A start-stop system is included for fuel efficiency benefit.

http://indianautosblog.com/2015/09/s...sterjet-190050

[sreepathy]

Went for one more td of DDIS 1.6, this time I wanted to check out high speed stability and braking.

The Nexa showroom that was opened last week is a stone’s throw from my house at Prahladnagar and we went for a TD on SP Ring Road.

And boy! What performance. Went into three-digit speeds often and slammed the brake more than a couple of times. The car stopped without any drama. But the RM who was in the front passenger seat and my wife who was sitting behind were not at all amused

Wife had a headache after the TD and the RM was speechless for a few seconds after each braking. I guess it was due to my unusual driving style -- spirited driving, frequent sudden brakings and lane changes.

Besides, wife was not at all impressed with the all-black interiors, as she is used to the ‘premium’ beige in our Vento. She also reported unsettled backseat ride to RM. The RM was surprised at her comment as he was used to the ‘comfortable backseat ride’ report from others.

He has promised me another TD on city roads where we will go on a “normal” ride and see how comfortable it is.

[atnyia]

I have had a change of heart.

I have taken back to back test drives of Ciaz 1.3 and S-Cross 1.3.

Ciaz was peppier, much more quite, and surprising offered far plusher ride on a broken patch. S-Cross offered better all-round visibility.

S-Cross rode 'Hyundai i10' level harsh. I can't help thinking whether it was due to over-inflated tyre. I mean people have been comparing S-Cross to Duster!

The RM told me it S-Cross rides stiffer as it is a cross over.

As of now, S-Cross 1.6 is overpriced and 1.3 does not have a real USP. Add its bland exterior, it's a recipe for a failure. I really liked it initially, but Ciaz feels better value for money with SHVS.

I might be wrong but I'll not spend my money on this.

Ciaz it will be. Family car.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by atnyia

I have had a change of heart.

I have taken back to back test drives of Ciaz 1.3 and S-Cross 1.3.

Ciaz was peppier, much more quite, and surprising offered far plusher ride on a broken patch. S-Cross offered better all-round visibility.

S-Cross rode 'Hyundai i10' level harsh. I can't help thinking whether it was due to over-inflated tyre. I mean people have been comparing S-Cross to Duster!

The RM told me it S-Cross rides stiffer as it is a cross over.

As of now, S-Cross 1.6 is overpriced and 1.3 does not have a real USP. Add its bland exterior, it's a recipe for a failure. I really liked it initially, but Ciaz feels better value for money with SHVS.

I might be wrong but I'll not spend my money on this.

Ciaz it will be. Family car.

Being a tall person I found the Ciaz rear seat to be very low on headroom. My head actually hits the roof of this car because it has a very low roofline and the seating position in the rear bench is like that. This doesn't happen in some of the other International Marques, which also have sloping rooflines, and this I guess is mainly because they are designed for European builds and not shorter people.
The S Cross on the other hand has decent headroom even at the rear.

Just FYI, in case this is somewhere in your priority list.

[SDK]

Visited Nexa Varun at Banjara Hills today afternoon with wifey and had quite long back to back test drives of both DDIS320 and DDIS200.
Drove the DDIS320 for around 10 kms and DDIS200 for 30 odd kms.

Great all round visibility and excellent front seats. Did not take much time to find a comfortable driving position.
Headroom and legroom was more than sufficient for me both at the front and the rear.

Balanced ride though a bit stiff at slow speeds. Handling much better than my SX4. Steering weighs up quite nicely with speed.
AC is a real chiller atleast for the front occupants but lack of rear AC vents meant that my wife was complaining that the AC is not effective at the rear.
ICE was decent but more bass oriented. The smart play screen was quite responsive without any lag. But there should have been a knob for adjusting the volume instead of the touch interface.

1.6 engine appears more refined and it sounded less noisy compared to the 1.3. Below 2000 rpm its very sedate and anyone driving it for the first time (like me) will be at its behaviour post 2000 rpms.
Really transforms into a monster once past 2000 rpm. Had to pull my leg off the throttle to prevent hitting the car in front which was a good 10-15 meters ahead.
The clutch felt harder than the one on the 1.3 and took sometime getting used to. I managed to stall the car couple of times.
The TD car was showing an average FE of ~8 kmpl. For sure would be a great highway cruiser.

Next up was the 1.3 avatar and it immediately felt so much more drivable in bumper to bumper traffic.
Drove it for a good 45 mins across varied road surfaces and traffic conditions from the showroom to Shaikpet, ORR and back via Hitech City.
NVH levels definitely not upto the mark for something which Maruti is advertising as a "Premium" car.
Tried the cruise control on the ORR and it worked as intended. Must say its quite useful on open highways.

Have to thank my RM (Vivek) for agreeing for the long test drive of the 1.3. He was with me for the entire 2 hours I was there.
During the TD did not push me to return to the showroom even though he was getting calls every couple of minutes from the other RMs.

Finally head prevailed over heart and booked a 1.3 Alpha in Caffeine Brown. Even though the 1.6 engine is a gem, I could not convince myself to pay 300K extra just for the engine.
Expected delivery in 3-4 weeks. Need to get the company lease processed now.

[itsashishsharma]

Originally Posted by SDK

Finally head prevailed over heart and booked a 1.3 Alpha in Caffeine Brown. Even though the 1.6 engine is a gem, I could not convince myself to pay 300K extra just for the engine.

Not only you saved those 300k, you also got a better car in city conditions. After all, that is where that is where we drive most of the time. Isn't it?
Also, the same 1.3 in my father's Zest feels so peppier that I am sure even for a heavier Scross, it should be just fine, and we have guys like Wolfmoto if needs prevail.

[PetroTurbo]

The new 1.4-litre Suzuki BoosterJet engine is a 4-cylinder, 16-valve turbocharged gasoline motor, with Dual Over Head Camshaft (DOHC). It can fit into a box of size 537 mm x 450 mm x 696 mm. The unit puts out 136 PS and 220 Nm. Mated to this new engine in the S-Cross, will be a six-speed automatic transmission, driving the front or all wheels. A start-stop system is included for fuel efficiency benefit.

I don't understand this logic of the manufacturers in the recent past. Why do they always want to couple a Powerful Turbo Potrol engine with an Auto Tranny? Why don't they allow us to choose what to do when with the engine rather than a programmed CPU. When I drive an Auto Tranny, I somehow feel that am playing a NFS video game But Polo TSi is in my next change list , as that's the only one which has satisfied my thirst and could be comapred to the 1.8 TSi I drove in Germany

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

[*]No buyback of alloys or tyres at the NEXA. All such deals need to be done outside and any upsize will void warranty.
[*]No accessories or customization options available currently. Later on they should be brought-in - Like alloy choices etc.

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.

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.
Will confirm warranty policy during first service.

Been to Nexa(Bimal) today and had seen an accessorized DDiS 200 Delta on display.

Note: This is dealer specific and the accessories are by them.( Tyres/alloys)

Surprise: Tyres offered are Yokohama 225/55 R16, and wheels are of Neo make. Complete package will cost INR 70K ( 4 - Alloys and tires) with a buyback of 6k included.



They are open to giving this option to Zeta buyers but buy back of alloys will
be ~ 2k /Alloy.

So I guess atleast here the warranty issue does not arise for upgrade to 225 tires.

Some other accessories - Rear Spoiler ~ 6k, Leather wrap on steering wheel ~ 2000, Seat cover ( options are art leather to Leather) 13k -40 k.

Other designs of alloys too are available- all from Neo.

Fully accessorized Delta variant.

[Vigkey]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Been to Nexa(Bimal) today and had seen an accessorized DDiS 200 Delta on display.

Saw an S-Cross with the same set of alloys a couple of days ago - parked in front of the Nexa showroom. Not able to recollect if it was silver or white. I actually thought it was a mod done by the buyer. To be frank, I did not like the red border in the alloys - felt like it shouting for attention. Quite a shame that the premium Nexa showrooms are not offering genuine accessory alloys. I am quite sure that the same dealership will warn the buyer not to go for wider tires and threaten about warranty issues if the buyer were to do it outside.


In fact my RM advised me to hold on the JK tires till the OE tire warranty expires. He also asked me not to go for any accessories from outside at least for a year. I did not get that logic as it makes no sense if I opt for extended warranty.

Any clue if they are offering the HID projectors as OE accessory or at least as a spare which I can buy and replace?? That is one feature I don't want to miss when I buy the Zeta variant. Don't really want the auto headlight and wiper feature. I anyway plan to get the leather steering cover - I simply loved the feel of it. I can live with the fabric seat cover even though it is not quite premium IMO.