[aniruddh1987]

Dear BHPians,

It is lovely to be part of such an esteemed community of auto-enthusiasts and I thought what better way to begin my journey of becoming a new BHP member than share my own journey of picking a new car during the last two years.

First a little about me:
- 34 yr old, self-employed professional running a performance marketing firm
- Largely operate from home after the pandemic, and even when I drive, it is
- Mostly city driving with few long trips per year with family (hence the all-in-one factor in the thread title)
- Family of 4 + 1 dog
- Weekly driving < 100 kms (not much but may increase later)
- budget < 13 lacs on-road (or approx 10-11 lacs ex-showroom)

Looking for:
- safety (4 & above NCAP rating with basic safety features)
- comfort & ride quality,
- low total cost of ownership
- petrol/electric car
- preferably automatic

Background:

From the longest of time, I am a minimalist and pro-climate person, not for the sake of it but because I had started a business right out of college which taught the value of every paisa and buying a car while living in a metro city with great infrastructure (Delhi) never really crossed my mind as a strong need. At our home, we had a faithful Wagon R LXi that my elder sister had bought (her first car) in 2006, which she let me use for trips on and off as needed and later gave to me as a gift when she got married and went to a different home (usually, it's the reverse :P).

Anyways, fast forward 2020 and I realize that the car will expire in 2021 as it would complete 15 years mandated by law. Most of my friends around me had fancy cars they had bought recently and often used to ask me when I planned to get rid of this old horse and get a new ride, to which I never really had a concrete plan. Except for the safety angle, I did not have a lot of demands from my car, which it wasn't able to fulfill.

Research phase:

May-Aug2020
Being a pro-climate person, I started off my journey looking at electric cars. In my budget, I could only hope for an e-Verito or a used Nexon EV, both of which were not very exciting as a package. Low range, questions around reliability and battery replacement were staring at my face so I decided to park this thought for the time being.

Sept-Dec2020
I started looking at what were the best options available in petrol. Given my requirements, I took a fancy to Kia Sonet iMT/DCT, Tata Nexon AMT, XUV300 AMT and Skoda Kushaq 1.0 AT. While Nexon and XUV300 were selling like hotcakes, Sonet eventually getting launched in September with much fanfare and slightly disappointing pricing packages, Kushaq was still far away. Keeping the Sonet pricing, Kushaq's launch delay as well as rumours around Tata launching an electric sedan with sub-10L pricing in mind, I decided to hold off my decision till 2021 as I still had time till August 2021 before our car expired.

Jan-June 2021
Much of the first half of the year went away in anticipation of details around the Kushaq and Taigun launch and their pricing. As cars come, Kushaq and Taigun were coming from a stable which is known to make safe and well-riding machines. I had partially made up my mind to keep these two cars in my final list of cars that I would eventually test drive.

July-August 2021
Rumours around Tata's latest EV launch turned true in the form of Tata Tigor EV and the inner feeling of being in the driver's seat to take us into an all-electric future starting taking hold over my thought process. I watched all videos, read all reviews and visited showroom a couple of times before coming across latest Delhi EV policy where they stated that they were no longer supporting subsidy on electric cars they were earlier providing. Without the subsidies, the car would've went way over my budget. Combined with the fact that most people I spoke to recommended me not to get an electric car if my running is not high enough (say >1000km a month) as it would not turn out to be a financially wise decision, with a heavy heart I decided to drop the EV idea once and for all and settled with the thought that my next car would definitely be an EV as by then I would have much more choice and the ecosystem would've also matured by then.

If you guys are interested, I created a detailed google sheet on EV vs Petrol financial TCO analysis, which can help someone mulling on this thought.

Sheet link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...#gid=371879933

Sept-Nov 2021
This was the most action-worthy phase of the entire journey. The WagonR had expired and I could no longer use it to commute around and barring a few situations, it used to pinch me a lot. Most frustrating situations used to be when Uber/Ola drivers used to ask "Kahaan jana hai" ("where do you want to go?") and then proceed to cancel the rides, not once, not twice but 4-5 times in some cases. Something had to be done.

Another exciting development around this time was launch of MG Astor. After looking at the prices, I pre-booked the Astor Style variant in the first 10 minutes of booking opening on Oct 21st, thinking that I'd cancel it if it didn't work out later.

I took advice of a trusted friend who had recently bought XUV300 and started taking test drives.

First things first was to create a final list of contender cars, including some great manual packages. Also, I removed all Hyundai/Kia cars from my list due to poor safety ratings. So goodbye Venue, Sonet, Seltos and Creta.


Below is that finalized list along with their negatives in bracket:


Petrol automatic cars shortlisted:
Mahindra XUV300 (P) 1.2 W6 AMT (less boot space + mahindra service issues)
Tata Nexon XZA+ (tata service issues + weird rear design)
Maruti SCross AT (questions around safety for India spec car)
Renault Kiger CVT (long term reliability + service/spare issues)
Honda Amaze CVT (did not love built quality)

Manual cars shortlisted:
MG Astor 1.5L MT Style (long term reliability + service/spare issues)
Taigun MT Trendline (base model needs upgrades + expensive service)

Other cars shortlisted:
Toyota Yaris CVT (discontinued)
Rapid AT (discontinued)


Final decision making and picking the winner
From my list, I took the advice of some sane people around me and removed both discontinued cars (Yaris and Rapid) from my list as the first step.

Following this, I further researched more on automatics and decided to only go for true automatics for that refined experience of AT/CVT over AMTs, if I'm going to spend 13 lacs on a car. I had decided not to go for DCT (like I had a lot of choices to begin with) due to it being not the most friendly transmission system for city driving. Out go Nexon and XUV300.

Furthermore, decided to let go of cars with poor service network or question around their long term presence in India, which removed Kiger from my list although at this stage I decided to keep Astor for the sheer value it offered.

Final four cars left: S-Cross AT, Amaze CVT, Astor MT and Taigun MT.

After taking all test drives, few things were clear as day:

- Taigun had the best drivability but lacked some basic features in base variant
- Astor had the best interior so far of any car in this range. I was mesmerized and decided to keep the booking
- Amaze was no longer in the race. It did not particularly shine in any department except the Honda reliability and engine refinement
- S-cross was looking like a near-perfect package with great ride quality, proper automatic, assumed 5 star safety rating of the India-spec version and Maruti's ownership as cheery on the cake making it look like it had all the potential to be my next car

I decided to book S-cross but still wait for a response from the Astor team on delivery updates. Not long into November, I started hearing excuses from MG and my SA that base models are not in the first batch delivery and I would need to wait 6-9 months to get the car if I was lucky, combine this with the fact that mileage and MG's future in India was/is still a puzzle.

This was the final blow. I decided to not wait any longer and confirm S-Cross as my next car. I got the confirmation that I'll get the car in 3-4 weeks and voila, my Nexa SA called me on my wedding anniversary on 5th of December that our car has arrived at the showroom and asked me to come check it out personally for the PDI.

I got the car home on 14th December and have clocked close to 150 kms on it so far and loved every minute of it.

Thank you for reading thus far. Would love to get feedback, suggestions, advice anything.

[shancz]

Our Transformer strikes again

Congrats on the car and assuming its a Zeta AT and I guess caffeine brown ?
Would like to say good choice but as we've seen with the S-Cross its more of the car chose me situation. From not in contention/bottom of the list to becoming the purchase.
Hence we call it Our Transformer.

Do share your experiences especially with the AT in your usage but more importantly, enjoy the drives

[aniruddh1987]

Congrats on the car and assuming its a Zeta AT and I guess caffeine brown ?

Thanks a lot. Indeed it is the Zeta AT but in granite gray.

Do share your experiences especially with the AT in your usage but more importantly, enjoy the drives

I haven't driven a lot but some early feedback.

- Torque converter unit is smooth as butter both on city roads and highways
- 4-speed gearing is not noticeable in city driving but you may feel the lack of more gears while out on the highway
- Suspension setup is just right, not too soft and not too hard
- Being a NA engine, acceleration is linear and you may miss your instant torques in certain overtake situations, but it is not a problem for me
- The automatic creep function works well but at a rather slow speed. I would've liked a slightly higher speed

That's it for now. Will share more as I gather more experiences on an upcoming long drive.

[AjinkyaP]

Originally Posted by aniruddh1987

- The automatic creep function works well but at a rather slow speed. I would've liked a slightly higher speed

Congratulations!
1.5L NA with torque converter = bullet-proof reliability.
I felt the creep function in Vitara Brezza AT which comes with same engine and gearbox is more eager than Scross AT.
Even the throttle response too is a tad quicker.

[aniruddh1987]

I felt the creep function in Vitara Brezza AT which comes with same engine and gearbox is more eager than Scross AT.
Even the throttle response too is a tad quicker.

I guess this is due to S-cross being a few dozen heavier than Brezza.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by aniruddh1987

- but in granite gray.
- Torque converter unit is smooth as butter both on city roads and highways

- The reflections from the lights made it difficult to figure but good choice on the color.
- Nice to hear about it in city traffic

Enjoy your long drive.

[i_s_bajwa]

Highly reliable Nexa product.
Congrats !

[amol4184]

Congratulations on a great car. In my opinion this is a very underrated car that deserves more love.

Hopefully new version that looks more SUV-ish will find lot many buyers.
But tell you what, I actually prefer current generation's hatch/wagon type looks. It's fantastic.

[Andaleeb]

Congratulations on your new car.
S-Cross perfectly fits with the requirements listed down by you.
It is indeed a very practical choice.
Wishing you many happy miles with the car.

[Tkm]

Welcome to the S Cross club.
I bought it when it came out in 2015 and replaced it with the next version in 2019
Have driven 1.5 lakh kms both cars included
Mr. Reliable is the first word that comes to mind
I needed to go from Rajkot to Amdavad where my kids were in medical college and I must have done the 230 km round trip more than 150 times in 4 years
The older S Cross used to give me a mileage of 25km/ l for a couple of years
Two round trips on a thankful of diesel
My only complaint was the road and engine noise which was loud.
Other than that a reliable, comfortable, economical, roomy car with a large boot .
I own a BMW X1 now but driving the S Cross still brings a smile to my face
So enjoy your time with the car
You will not regret your decision.

[Mustang Sammy]

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy

Hi all,
However, the ride quality is now back to bumpy levels and has even worsened; a far cry from how it was just a year back when the car was new. I feel every bump on the road, rumble strips will eventually shake out my fillings, and expansion joints are wreaking havoc on my lumbar joints. Multiple visits to the Maruti service center (recently to replace a recalled alternator) have been fruitless in this regard, with the service technicians claiming everything is fine, and that this is just due to the bad roads of Mumbai/Pune and the badly built Mum-Pune expressway.
The car only has 14000 kilometers on it.
Saw an older S-Cross thread that talks about this issue, and was wondering if any of the owners of the petrol model are also seeing the ride quality of their vehicles deteriorate like this.
Thanks in advance.

Despite zero inputs from this forum, just want to update that the ride quality continues to be terrible.
I even drove a TD car and a brand new undelivered vehicle from the dealership and could notice a distinct difference in ride quality.
Then the local Maruti Technical support engineer took a long drive with me, and also refused to admit the ride quality was degraded.
A quick check of the disassembled struts did not (as per him) show any issue as they were returning to their original positions.
He did say that the next step would be to have the suspension tested on a rig at one of the service centers. Let’s see.
Am completely at a loss for what to do.
Pics of one front and rear suspension setup attached as FYI. No leaks or overt abnormalities observed. The black color on the front unit is just the overspray from the underbody coating.
Any suggestions from this forum are highly appreciated as always.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy

Despite zero inputs from this forum, just want to update that the ride quality continues to be terrible.
I even drove a TD car and a brand new undelivered vehicle from the dealership and could notice a distinct difference in ride quality.

Kindly write a strong worded mail to NEXA and Maruti customer care, requesting for involvement of RSM of your area. Simultaneously involve TSM/RSM of your area, whose details you can easily get from your MASS. Keep both in loop and they'll soon acknowledge your issue and get the suspension replaced if that solves it.

Even if you escalate to workshop officials, they don't have the authority to replace parts under warranty unless approved by local TSM/RSM. Thus involving TSM/RSM from very beginning will help resolve the issue faster.

Also, once the suspension is replaced, I strongly recommend switching to better rubber like Michelins. They too contribute significantly to the overall ride quality.

Regards,
Shashi

[Mustang Sammy]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Kindly write a strong worded mail to NEXA and Maruti customer care, requesting for involvement of RSM of your area. Simultaneously involve TSM/RSM of your area, whose details you can easily get from your MASS. Keep both in loop and they'll soon acknowledge your issue and get the suspension replaced if that solves it.

Even if you escalate to workshop officials, they don't have the authority to replace parts under warranty unless approved by local TSM/RSM. Thus involving TSM/RSM from very beginning will help resolve the issue faster.

Also, once the suspension is replaced, I strongly recommend switching to better rubber like Michelins. They too contribute significantly to the overall ride quality.

Regards,
Shashi

Thanks Shashi.
Have already gotten the RSM in the loop. It was the regional Maruti engineer who drove the vehicle with me. Don’t know why they are unable to see or acknowledge the issue, or whether it is normal for new Marutis to start shaking and jolting over bumps.
I changed the tires to Michelins a couple of months back. The NVH levels are lower now and the ride quality did marginally improve at the time the tires were changed, but this is another level of bumpiness.

[PaddleShifter]

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy

Despite zero inputs from this forum, just want to update that the ride quality continues to be terrible.

I don’t have anything valueable to contribute w.r.t. the maruti provided suspension but in a S-Cross WhatsApp group that I am a member for the past one year, there is a sub set of owners who are simply not satisfied with the OEM suspension.

There is a solution for that but it involves putting aftermarket suspension that will cost around 35k. The wonderful KYB suspension for S-Cross is now available at Boodmo. Some of the early adopters got it from Singapore for their diesel variants and have been using them for atleast 2 years with complete satisfaction.

Front:
3358007
3358008
Rear:
3438005 x 2

I am not sure if the KYB part number is common for both petrol and diesel S-Cross.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by PaddleShifter

I am not sure if the KYB part number is common for both petrol and diesel S-Cross.

Thanks for providing the part numbers, but if they are for Diesel S Cross, they should never be used on Petrol if the user wants to experience a softer ride. They are mostly stiffer than Petrol shocks to account for heavier diesel engine, and another set of issues arise if they are used on Petrol cars.

I wouldn't name the BHPian, but despite my repetitive warnings, his mechanic used shocks of Swift Diesel on Swift Petrol, first gen, because of availability. He was shocked at the bone rattling ride quality and there was a weird jacked up look to his car from front. Eventually he ended up selling the car for something more comfortable.