[t0m]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

If you remove Suzuki Logo this will probably qualify as Baby Audi overall looks looks good and your choice of Alloys is equally impressive.

Thanks bud. The front always seemed a bit tapered down to me. My car guy is also sourcing the Europian grill, black one, am sure that would complete the front .

[vinit]

News in today's times of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/b...w/49221624.cms

S Cross facing lot of heat from Hyundai Creta

[grevvity]

Is it only me who feels that Maruti is not promoting S-Cross much. Haven't seen any hoardings, paper ad's or in fact a proper tv commercial.

Seems like Maruti has already lost hope on its premium offering against the likes of Creta which is a bad sign because they also have a tough competitor (read KWID) to challenge their entry level hatch Alto. Looks like some rough time ahead for Suzuki India.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by grevvity

Is it only me who feels that Maruti is not promoting S-Cross much. Haven't seen any hoardings, paper ad's or in fact a proper tv commercial.

Not sure which newspapers or TV channels you are referring here. However I have a different opinion. If you are watching F1 on Start Sports4, in every commercial break there is this S-cross ad. I think Maruti marketing dept is positioning this car more as a Sports Crossover rather than a family car. Hence airing the ad on sports channels more often than on family channels airing soap-operas.

Seems like Maruti has already lost hope on its premium offering against the likes of Creta which is a bad sign because they also have a tough competitor (read KWID) to challenge their entry level hatch Alto. Looks like some rough time ahead for Suzuki India.

I don't think so that MSIL has lost hope on S-Cross. The only difference is that they have entered into a niche segment, which is like un-chartered waters for them. Till now Maruti was associated with mass market, but this is the first time they have a premium offering (probably after Kizashi), hence a different approach.

[grevvity]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

I don't think so that MSIL has lost hope on S-Cross. The only difference is that they have entered into a niche segment, which is like un-chartered waters for them. Till now Maruti was associated with mass market, but this is the first time they have a premium offering (probably after Kizashi), hence a different approach.

It's good that Maruti is marketing S-Cross as a niche product however I do not see any harm in promoting the product during prime time to also make mass market aware that they have entered into a premium segment. I for one do not watch motor sports but that does not mean I may not be interested in S-Cross.

Buyers are more mature now and do not mind spending a million bucks on a hatch and maybe stretch their budget to even look for premium product. But for that, they need to be aware about the offering which I believe Maruti is missing here.

[sou_3749]

Time for another FE update.

Last longish drive to chennai and back

Total distance covered - 815 km
Highway/city - 600/115 (out of which around 70 km in horrible bumper to bumper traffic due to Gandhi Jayanti)
Total number of passengers - 3 + 2 luggages
ACC - Always on 22-24C
Fuel Used - 36.7 ltrs
Combined FE - 22.2 KMPL
Although I have touched 26 KMPL but the traffic has dented the numbers.
Full distance driven at sane speeds, but not very slow (read <80 kmph).
The usual cruising speed was between 90-100 kmph with cruise control.
The return journey was completed in 1 day and it was really comfortable for both driver and passengers.

The city FE stands rock steady around 17kmpl with AC. Odo just below 4000 km mark. At least on the FE part s-cross lives to the mark.

[lovetorque]

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[Satishtv]

Thought of getting a floor mat for the boot yesterday and went to a local shop nearby. The sheet covering the spare wheel was removed and I observed the below anomalies. Rushed to the service center and asked my SA to check the same. He was surprised to see these patches and told me that he has not observed it before. Naturally we went to a couple of new S Cross being readied for delivery and the same markings and patch could be found there as well. Not sure the purpose of this. Whatever the reason could have been done neatly. If this were a second hand vehicle I was examining as a prospective buyer I would certainly think some shoddy patch work has been done





Talking about the floor mats I recommend that the new buyers avoid the mats from Maruti. They are very slippery. I am considering changing the same.

[mustang_shelby]

Originally Posted by grevvity

Is it only me who feels that Maruti is not promoting S-Cross much. Haven't seen any hoardings, paper ad's or in fact a proper tv commercial.

Actually my impression is also the same. I watched the INDvsSA T20 match for an hour and although there were multiple ads of Alto, Ciaz and Swift Glory during the same time, I did not see a single one of S-Cross. I did not watch the entire match, so it is possible that there were ads I did not witness.

If so, it is indeed surprising that MSIL would not advertise their new premium product that they are trying so hard to sell from their new dealership network. On top of that, discounts of > 1 lakh within 1.5 months of launch are are unheard of. MSIL have deep pockets and could have waited out a few months easily before starting discounts, if that was their strategy of gaining numbers.
Things are not adding up.
This does not seem like excess inventory clearance. It seems like entire stock clearance. I have a feeling Maruti is working again on the S-Cross to address some of the feedback related to unappealing looks, and a new version with mostly cosmetic changes might come about in a few months. Meanwhile NEXA dealers would be kept busy with upcoming Baleno, which has had better reception so far. This would also give them time to expand the dealership network.
Of course, this is conjecture and I could be totally wrong. But what makes me think I am not completely off the mark is that once huge discounts like these have been introduced, the company can never hope to go back to original price on that same model. MSIL know that and a permanent price drop would not be their strategy. Also, they had no reason to offer discounts on the DDIS200 version which was already considered VFM.

[pannags]

Originally Posted by sandygordon

Alloys look cool I think black alloys are better suited for light coloured cars. Moreover happy to hear that you are satisfied with the stock performance.

Thank you Sandy! I must say the "alloys effect" did show up in the form of head turns.

Originally Posted by volkman10

Though have driven diesels this is the first ownership of one. ( Never owned vehicles with the DDiS engine, until now)
Must say I am extremely satisfied with its performance, this for being a city ride for me. Surprisingly was never left for lack of power during a bit of the highway drive( with 3 on board). Slotting in reverse gear seems a bit tricky at times.

I'm yet to cross the 500 KM mark, but the one thing that stands out for me is the excellent driveability in city conditions. The DDiS200 seems to be able to slow down to single digit speeds and accelerate, while staying slotted in the 3rd gear. Of course, I'm avoiding driving at slow speeds in higher gears, to comply with the run-in guidelines.

The reverse gear has been trick to engage in my car as well. I'm having to re-engage at least 2/10 times.

Originally Posted by cjsarora

A Ciaz or a City doing 4000-5000 numbers per month, and that too from many more outlets, are considered hits; but S Cross doing 4000 plus from only 50 odd outlets is considered a Dud. Guys just wait a couple of months before passing judgement.
In my view, even if it does 4000 units consistently, it would be doing better than many other cars in this price range. Lets wait a while. Cheers!!

Originally Posted by audioholic

Cant agree more. Given the limited number of dealerships, even 3k units is an acceptable number. Definitely beats what most of the other manufacturers in the market would be doing having a larger number of dealerships.

Just to add, considering that most variants of the S-Cross cost upwards of 10 lakhs, I think Maruti will be very happy doing 1300-1500 a month and will be looking at Baleno to entice B1 owners who are looking to upgrade.

Also, unlike other manufacturers, most supplies to dealers will most probably be against projections. Therefore, the sales figures quoted may not be very far from the actual sales. OTOH, Maruti may be expecting better numbers, but the initial response is anything but a dud.

Originally Posted by volkman10

3M Paint selant ~ 6.2K
Paint prtection Film ~ 12K (front and rear bumpers, door sills, door edges)

Originally Posted by sudeepg

I am going in a for a full paint treatment and protection worth 12K. The car came with a lot of swirls because it was parked in the basement and the cleaning folks had a good time cleaning it "well" creating all the swirl marks. Luckily, I will be taking it to ultimate detailerz to get a ceramic coat and paint treatment.

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.

@Volkman10: Thanks for the details. I plan to get at least the paint sealant and protection for the mirrors after my first service.

@Sudeepg: Can you please elaborate how different the "treatment & protection" is from the 3M offering? My car doesn't have any swirl marks, but a couple of very fine scratches that my RM has promised to address at my convenience.

@t0m: You car looks fabulous indeed! In fact someone's bought a Creta in the apartment complex I live and has had the roof blackened - believe me, the S-Cross (as in your car) easily looks a couple of notches classier!

@All: BTW, I'm seriously thinking of putting off my plans to have seat covers installed. For one, the good ones like Karlsson demand that we remove the factory fitted fabric covers (which is a strict no-go for me) and I don't have much experience with the likes of Ceralli or Marvin. OTOH, I could just live with the stock covers, which I very much like, and have them cleaned every 6 months at 3M. Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by sou_3749

Total distance covered - 815 km
Highway/city - 600/115 (out of which around 70 km in horrible bumper to bumper traffic due to Gandhi Jayanti)
Total number of passengers - 3 + 2 luggages
ACC - Always on 22-24C
Fuel Used - 36.7 ltrs
Combined FE - 22.2 KMPL
The city FE stands rock steady around 17kmpl with AC.

Thanks for the update sou_3749. Like I mentioned earlier, I have yet to hit the 500 KM mark, but did a short trip to Devanahalli on Friday. While we were 4 adults and a kid, and although I did not want to cross the 100 KMPH mark, the car was a breeze to drive on the highway. The cruise control system is extremely easy to use as well and came of good use on Airport road, what with a strict 80 KMPH limit.

My FE reading is at 16.2 thanks to a couple of bumper-bumper trips to work.

Originally Posted by Satishtv

Talking about the floor mats I recommend that the new buyers avoid the mats from Maruti. They are very slippery. I am considering changing the same.

Thanks for pointing out the shoddy patchwork. Just to let you know, I'd seen something similar (I hope I remember correctly) on a Rapid a few months back. Hopefully, this is nothing worth worrying about. About the mats, not sure what you got from NEXA, the ones I got are carpet like, have S-Cross branding and sit quite neatly. Cleaning may nowhere be as easy as the likes of 3Ms or the 3Ds.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by pannags

@All: BTW, I'm seriously thinking of putting off my plans to have seat covers installed. For one, the good ones like Karlsson demand that we remove the factory fitted fabric covers (which is a strict no-go for me) and I don't have much experience with the likes of Ceralli or Marvin. OTOH, I could just live with the stock covers, which I very much like, and have them cleaned every 6 months at 3M. Any thoughts?

Stock covers will last long if even you have them cleaned annually. Only issue is when you travel with kids and/or pets, you may have to increase the frequency in such cases. I have August 2008 Swift (with 110000 kms in odo) with stock fabric on seats and trust me they look far better than after market covers.

[sandygordon]

3 pics for visual treat (from my recent road trip - see thread)

[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by grevvity

Is it only me who feels that Maruti is not promoting S-Cross much. Haven't seen any hoardings, paper ad's or in fact a proper tv commercial.

There are TV Commercials and a huge hoarding in Domlur, right next to Domlur flyover/Babeque nation.

Originally Posted by pannags

@Sudeepg: Can you please elaborate how different the "treatment & protection" is from the 3M offering? My car doesn't have any swirl marks, but a couple of very fine scratches that my RM has promised to address at my convenience.

I am going in for the paint treatment provided by Ultimate Detailerz.

Got it always on my Honda city and I am extremely happy! Their latest offering is Ceramic coat which it seem is tougher than regular paint protection. This, in no way means you will never get scratches, just that it will be harder with the recommended maintenance procedures.

Check this link: http://ultimatedetailerz.webs.com/apps/photos/
Please note, I am in no way recommending or promoting this, just merely sharing information and sharing my experiences

[jvk84]

Originally Posted by sandygordon

3 pics for visual treat (from my recent road trip - see thread)

Nice pictures.

Also, did you feel any drop in performance while driving in high altitude?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by sudeepg

Got it always on my Honda city and I am extremely happy! Their latest offering is Ceramic coat which it seem is tougher than regular paint protection.

Hey Sudeep,

Can I know how much will these cost? I am thinking to get it done for my Swift ZDi.

Initially thought of getting the Paint protection - Advanced treatment from 3M but have this Ceramic Coating as an option. Do these guys have any website with more details?