[nimit3105]

This is my first Ownership Review here! So Please bear with me if I make any mistake. So here it goes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21vwtNknWUE

1.Introduction


Around June of 2015, I came across this car named “S-Cross” in a TV commercial for IIFA Awards. While, I am usually updated about the upcoming car launches in the country, I had no clue about this car. So, I started researching about it and found out that it was made by none other than Maruti Suzuki. We have owned the Ritz(Bought in 2010) and the SX4(2007 model, bought in 2011) and both of the cars have served us very well. My Mom has rheumatoid arthritis and hence, Cars with a low seating position(Most of the Sedans) were always a No-No. The SX4, compared to other sedans, had a higher seating position which was a boon to people with knee problems. So when I found out that the S-Cross is a Crossover and was based on the SX4, I thought this would be the perfect next car for us.
Around the first week of July, the prices of the Creta and the S-Cross were out and as we all know, Maruti made a huge blunder in the pricing of the 1.6 variant. With a price of around 17 Lakhs on-road, the 1.6 variant was crazy expensive and it made a lot of potential buyers opt for the 1.3 instead. But fortunately, at the same time, Dad said that he has no plans of getting a new car right now and the idea of buying the S-Cross was shelved. Later on, in around October, While the Baleno was launching, we paid a visit to the Nexa showroom in Lower Parel just a have a look at the S-Cross. I and my parents loved the car and we got the brochures, pricing etc from the RM. The 1.6 was still too expensive and I actually did not want to go for the 1.3 variant
2 months passed by and while casually browsing the S-Cross thread on Team-BHP, I read about the massive discounts that were being offered on the 1.6 variants. Had a quick chat with Dad and we were back in the market getting quotations from the two Nexa showrooms in Mumbai.



2.Booking
In mid-December, I was constantly back and forth with the RMs of the two Nexa showrooms negotiating and trying my best to get a good deal on the 1.6 Alpha variant. All of us loved the Urban Blue Colour and it was decided that if we are getting the S-Cross, It has to be in Urban Blue. The first deal I got from Navnit Motors was around 15 Lakhs on-road(Mumbai registration) including some extra accessories. We have had good relations with Navnit Motors and wanted to get the car from them but I still approached the other Nexa showroom(Sai Service). They were quite adamant in offering discounts on the 1.6 even after I told them about the deal that I was getting at Navnit Motors. Their Sales Manager said that he would call me in a day and give me the best price. 2 days passed and since this was the last week of December, we had to take a call as there was a speculation about car prices being hiked in January of 2016. We were keen on buying the car from Navnit motors as we’ve had good relations with them. So after finally negotiation with them even further, we closed the deal at 14.75L along with a good amount of accessories for free. The booking cheque was given and we decided to take the delivery of the car in January 2016.
However, 2 days after we booked the S-Cross, The Sai Service Nexa guy calls me up and offers the car(same colour, variant etc) for just 14L inclusive everything. I was shocked by such a low offer and while he insisted on coming up and picking up the booking cheque, I told him to give me some time. Meanwhile, Dad had a talk with the guys at Navnit Motors and within a few hours, they were ready to give the same deal and we kept our booking with them. Had the Sai Service guy approached me earlier(He said he would call in a day but took 3 days) with this offer, I would have booked the car with them. So finally, my deal was-
S-Cross 1.6 Alpha Urban Blue – 14L with Mumbai Registration and some amount of free accessories from Navnit Nexa in Andheri West!
All the payments were cleared before 31st December and now I was eagerly waiting for the delivery day!


3.Delivery
After waiting for around 2 weeks, the day finally arrived when we brought the S-Cross home. We reached the showroom in afternoon and got all the paperwork etc done within an hour. The service was prompt and everything was completed within the time schedule given to us. Our RM, Mr. Rahul, at Andheri Nexa got everything done on time. Meanwhile, the guys at Navnit were cleaning and decorating the car for the “ceremony”. We were greeted with the customary Ferrero Rocher box and a bouquet. We handed over a box of sweets to our RM and then finally left the showroom after completing a few rituals.


Upgrades/Accessories installed in the car
We did get quite a few accessories from the showroom itself. The major ones being:-
1. Rear Spoiler
2. Interior Wooden Styling Kit
3. LED Door Sill Plates ( A must have for the S-Cross, really transforms the look of the car)
4. Hertz Component and Co-axial Speakers
5. Hertz DBA200 Active Subwoofer

After continuously browsing the S-Cross review thread and a few ownership threads here, one thing was clear – I wanted to swap the stock JK Elanzos for something better. Talked with a few owners and finally decided to go in for the Michelin Primacy 3STs. Exchanged the stock tires and paid around INR 12,000 for the 4 tires. The Michelin P3STs are very good and provide a very comfortable ride.



4.My Experience with the Car



At the time of writing this ownership thread, My S-Cross has clocked a little over 1000 kms and the first service was done a few days back. I did not have to take the car to the service workshop and instead, the Maruti guys came with an Eeco to our house and carried out the whole service there. Quite convenient I’d say.
The 1.6 engine is a gem! Especially when you are in the turbo zone, the car pulls hard and can quickly reach 3 digit speeds. It feels very planted on the road and the driving position, with proper seat height and steering adjustments, is very comfortable and not tiring. The car has been giving me an average economy of around 16.2 kmpl with a mixed type of driving in Mumbai. The interiors are very comfy and there is enough legroom at the back. We did take the car on a trip to Panchgani and the felt very safe on the Expressway. The steering is also not that heavy and it is easy to maneuver the car around city. The road noise is controlled and I think that the 1.6 engine is very refined too.


There is a lot to say about the S-Cross and hence, I personally made a video review of the car on my YouTube channel which is linked at the end of this thread. Do take a look at it and let me know your feedback








5.One Small Unfortunate Experience
When we were travelling to Panchgani via the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, we fell for a tyre scam that has been going on in Pune for quite a while. While, we were travelling, somewhere after the expressway, a biker told us that our tyre has punctured and pointed at the roadside tyre guy nearby. We stopped to take a look and before we could even check what happened, the tyre person came with the Jack and other tools and started checking the tyre. He said, “The tyre’s pressure has reduced to 5” (I was quite confused and was trying to figure out what happened.) He started throwing water from a bottle and showed us a puncture. It was 150 to fix one puncture and hence, we agreed. But, after fixing one, he kept on showing us more and more punctures on the same tyre and kept fixing them. He said “You must have driven over pieces of glass due to which you have multiple punctures”. I did have a bad feeling about this but since we were going on a trip, we didn’t want to face any more trouble. Moreover, someone had told us that Michelins are more prone to punctures, so all of this seemed quite true. Ultimately, he ended up showing 15 punctures in one tyre and 5 in the other. Something didn’t feel right, so after leaving from there, I did a quick google search and then found a similar experiences faced by some other individuals near Pune. It was the exact same situation like I faced and hence, I realized I got fooled by a huge scam. Definitely, I should have been more alert but lesson learnt! And I wanted to share this experience because I don’t want anyone else to get fooled by such a scam.
Now, I am wondering whether I should change those two tyres to new ones as the guy put multiple punctures in them. Should I keep them or replace them with new similar tyres?

Conclusion




Although the tyre scam made us really sad, the S-Cross always puts a smile on my face whenever I drive it. I have always driven petrol cars and the S-Cross is the first diesel in the family. So the turbo-lag was quite new and the 1.6 definitely has some lag. It is evident especially in first gear during traffic below 1800 RPM. I did take sometime to get used to it but it is manageable. The smartplay infotainment system works very well and the Alpha variant comes loaded with a lot of features. The Bi-Xenon Projector headlamps offer a very good visibility during night time. I still haven’t used the Cruise Control feature but I will write about it soon once I use it. The Hertz speakers/subwoofer which I got installed, sound great! The bass from the DBA200 Subwoofer is phenomenal. The sliding armrest is a boon while driving and provides a very good support.


I did consider the Creta but I found it to be very over-priced, especially the top of the line variant. The S-Cross too was over-priced earlier(17L OTR) but for the price that I bought it(14L OTR), it is definitely VFM. The Duster/Terrano were out of the equation because I just didn’t like the interiors of those cars. And Maruti, if you are reading this review, You should get some new window switches and get rid of the swift ones
Overall, I am loving the S-Cross and would definitely recommend the 1.6 variant if you enjoy driving! Do let me know your feedback about this review and feel free to ask your questions about the car.
Cheers!

[IshaanIan]

Congratulations on the car mate looks striking in blue. Liked you review of the car but I saw that you drive it under 1300 revs a lot and in some parts even under 1000 revs. This put a lot of stress on your motor and its life decreases (unless you are being extremely light with the throttle). Try keeping a healthy rpm and if you want to floor it, drop a gear

Wish you a million happy miles in your 1.6 Alpha brute
Cheers!

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by nimit3105

This is my first Ownership Review here! So Please bear with me if I make any mistake. So here it goes!

Are you really sure about this nimit3105 ??

You review is almost on the lines of an intermediate to expert level buddy, just lovely. Congrats on your latest acquisition and it looks stunning in that shade

I am honestly not a big fan of the S-Cross design but if I were to choose one shade for this car, it has to be this blue. IMO this shade really adds some Class to the Cross.

Wish you a very happy motoring and drive safe.

[nimit3105]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Congratulations on the car mate looks striking in blue. Liked you review of the car but I saw that you drive it under 1300 revs a lot and in some parts even under 1000 revs. This put a lot of stress on your motor and its life decreases (unless you are being extremely light with the throttle). Try keeping a healthy rpm and if you want to floor it, drop a gear

Wish you a million happy miles in your 1.6 Alpha brute
Cheers!

Thanks a lot! Well I do drive around 1300-1500 rpm but don't remember driving as low as 1000. However, I will keep this mind. The car has completed the run-in period now and I usually drive at around 2000 rpm

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Are you really sure about this nimit3105 ??

You review is almost on the lines of an intermediate to expert level buddy, just lovely. Congrats on your latest acquisition and it looks stunning in that shade

I am honestly not a big fan of the S-Cross design but if I were to choose one shade for this car, it has to be this blue. IMO this shade really adds some Class to the Cross.

Wish you a very happy motoring and drive safe.

Thanks for your wishes! I do review gadgets on a day to day basis but this was the first time I was reviewing a car. True, the S-Cross does not look that great but I loved the Urban Blue colour the most.

[nndp87]

Hearty Congratulations for the new ride.

Please share your experiences in respect of things which you didn't like or things which could have been improved or should be improved. In my view design is very simple, it will definitely not grab attention. Price, Top end variant of S-Cross is almost equal to W4 variant of Mahindra XUV 5OO. Going by the general Indian mindset of Bigger is Better, it has a tough competition from Renault Duster, Hyundai Creta, Mahindra XUV 5OO.

Also I would like to know the reason for introducing 1.3 Litre Model in S-Cross. It's already there in Baleno, Swift, Dzires, then why again in S-Cross.

Overall a wonderful package, however prize needs to corrected marginally to get the attention.

[ghodlur]

Heartiest congratulations on the Avatar ride.The colour looks super cool on the car. I must say, I was pretty much impressed with your video review, it seems to be trend now to post the video review and gives lot of perspective to a buyer. I wish you had included a bit more about the HU, Music output, boot space etc. .

One more observation - it seems that you generally drive with one hand on the gear knob which is generally not advisable. Or was it just for the video review??

Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

[engine_charan]

Congratulations on the Awesome ride of S-Cross 1.6 DDIS. The car really looks good in Blue color and with spoiler at the back it changes the posture from backside and looks very nice. Your review is very Crisp and interesting. Request to post the pictures as per below at your convenient time
1)LED Door Sill Plates
2) Rear view of the car in three of four angles to see how good the car looks with the spoiler

Have fun driving the car and thanks for updating the thread about the tyre puncture Scam

[nimit3105]

Originally Posted by engine_charan

Congratulations on the Awesome ride of S-Cross 1.6 DDIS. The car really looks good in Blue color and with spoiler at the back it changes the posture from backside and looks very nice. Your review is very Crisp and interesting. Request to post the pictures as per below at your convenient time
1)LED Door Sill Plates
2) Rear view of the car in three of four angles to see how good the car looks with the spoiler

Have fun driving the car and thanks for updating the thread about the tyre puncture Scam

Thanks for your wishes! The spoiler indeed looks great. I will definitely post a few photos soon

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Heartiest congratulations on the Avatar ride.The colour looks super cool on the car. I must say, I was pretty much impressed with your video review, it seems to be trend now to post the video review and gives lot of perspective to a buyer. I wish you had included a bit more about the HU, Music output, boot space etc. .

One more observation - it seems that you generally drive with one hand on the gear knob which is generally not advisable. Or was it just for the video review??

Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

Thanks a lot! Will update the thread about the HU, Music output etc. I don't always have my hand on the gear knob while driving.

Originally Posted by nndp87

Hearty Congratulations for the new ride.

Please share your experiences in respect of things which you didn't like or things which could have been improved or should be improved. In my view design is very simple, it will definitely not grab attention. Price, Top end variant of S-Cross is almost equal to W4 variant of Mahindra XUV 5OO. Going by the general Indian mindset of Bigger is Better, it has a tough competition from Renault Duster, Hyundai Creta, Mahindra XUV 5OO.

Also I would like to know the reason for introducing 1.3 Litre Model in S-Cross. It's already there in Baleno, Swift, Dzires, then why again in S-Cross.

Overall a wonderful package, however prize needs to corrected marginally to get the attention.

I, personally, did not like the design of the S-Cross initially. But, once you get used to the car, the looks do grow on you. The Duster, Creta and S-Cross fall into the same crossover league while the XUV is bigger than the others. The top end variant of the S-Cross is around 14-15L on-road which I think is a great price for the amount of features you get. I, personally, did not like the XUV and the 1.3 variant was probably made to offer the car at a lower price point. They did recently slash the prices down for the S-Cross, so let's see how the car sells!

[emperorofindia]

Congratulations on the purchase! S-cross is a solid car with great features and a lovely, lovely engine. Wishing you many happy miles on it.

[nimit3105]

Originally Posted by emperorofindia

Congratulations on the purchase! S-cross is a solid car with great features and a lovely, lovely engine. Wishing you many happy miles on it.

Thanks a lot! The 1.6 is defintiely a lovely engine

[S2!!!]

Congratulations on getting one of my favourite cars and you've got yours at a really mouth-watering price. There are very few cars that I'm a fan of and the S-Cross 1.6L is definitely one of them. Its ride and handling + that 320 Nm cracker of an engine just blew my mind during the media drive.

You did a really awesome job with the video review. Very balanced and unbiased approach. It showed more of the car than the host, just how it should be. Neatly executed!

[Mi10]

Many Congrats and nice review !

The Car looks much more appealing with the spoiler!

[nimit3105]

Originally Posted by S2!!!

Congratulations on getting one of my favourite cars and you've got yours at a really mouth-watering price. There are very few cars that I'm a fan of and the S-Cross 1.6L is definitely one of them. Its ride and handling + that 320 Nm cracker of an engine just blew my mind during the media drive.

You did a really awesome job with the video review. Very balanced and unbiased approach. It showed more of the car than the host, just how it should be. Neatly executed!

Thanks S2 for your feedback! It means a lot The S-Cross as I said always puts a smile on my face when I put my foot down the A-Pedal! Amazing engine.

Originally Posted by Mi10

Many Congrats and nice review !

The Car looks much more appealing with the spoiler!

Thanks Mi10! Congrats to you too for joining the DDiS 320 Club Have been following your ownership thread closely which is written amazingly well.

[Dr.Naren]

Nice review buddy!!

How's your 1.6 doing? Please keep updating here.

I am getting my 1.6 S-Cross on Tuesday

[Motormania]

Many congratulations on the S cross 1.6. It is my absolute favorite car today and would love to own one soon.

Can you please elaborate on the sub, viz price, performance, pictures etc?

Happy driving!