[Dr.Naren]

Hello Team-Bhp Says My 1.6 Beast!!!


This is my 5th ownership review in this forum about the best car I have owned till date. I hope this review is helpful for fellow enthusiasts and prospective S-Cross buyers.

Cars at home :

1. Renault Kwid
2. Baleno (New)
3. Grand I10
4. SX4
5. Maruti 800
6. HM Ambassador

7. HMT Tractor (Oops.. Not a car!!)

Maruti 800 and Ambassador are hardly driven by us. It is used to drive inside our farm/transport crops to merchants.

Sx4 is my daily drive (remapped by Wolf Moto). Baleno is mainly driven by dad for highway trips to Bangalore every month. Grand i10 is hardly used after purchase of Baleno(Planning to sell it in few months). Kwid is new entrant to our garage. I have not driven it much. It will be used for short trips.

Why New Car??

SX4 was our car for long drives. We faced numerous issues in SX4(driven 1 lakh plus kms) and dad was not confident enough to take it on long drives. We wanted a car with good build, GC and Safety features. Compact SUV/Cross Over is the present trend and that was missing in our garage. Dad wanted only a Maruti and obviously the options were Vitara Brezza & S-Cross.

I always wanted to own 1.6 S-Cross. But dad was dead against it. We test drove 1.3 S-Cross and Brezza.

Vitara Brezza

1. Good ground clearance
2. Road presence might be better due to increased height
3. Performance is marginally better
4. Wider tyres and better alloy wheel design
5. Cooled glove box, multi color MID
6. Good visibility from driver seat
7. 5-6 months waiting period
8. Halogen projector

S-Cross 1.3

1. Better build and obviously a bigger car
2. Handling is way better than brezza
3. All 4 disc brakes
4. Better interior plastic quality
5. Comfortable seats with better underthigh support
6. Telescopic steering
7. Minimal waiting period
8. Bixenon projector

April 13 : Finally booked S-Cross 1.3 Zeta in premium silver by paying 11k and waiting period was 2 weeks.

April 13-22 : Argument with dad every day to go for 1.6

Dad's point of view:

1. 1.3 is our National engine and spare parts won't be an issue.

2. 1.6 is fully imported and long term reliability is a concern.

3. 1.6 costs 1.5-2 lakhs more just for the engine and we can't even touch above 100 kmph on our roads. So why pay so much just for power which can't be exploited.

My Point of view:

1. We already have 1.3 engine in our SX4 and driven 1 lakh plus kms. So why not a better new powerful engine.

2. Numerous issues faced in 1.3 engine of our SX4(My ownership review has all details)

3. We would be keeping the car for 6-7 years, Maruti will provide warranty for 4 years and 1.6 might be localised in future. So long term reliability should not be a concern. If Maruti can provide spares for Kizashi, why not for 1.6 S cross.

April 23 : My RM called to inform that car has reached. I told dad and he says I thought you wanted 1.6. My deal with dad was I will take care of the loan and he will fund the balance amount. I had got loan for 90 percent ex showroom price of car and dad had to pay me 2.25 lakhs balance. We made a quick calculation for 1.6 alpha and dad had to pay me balance of 3.15 lakhs. Dad agreed for it and I just couldn't control my excitement.

April 25 : I drove straight to Nexa and changed my booking to 1.6 Alpha Premium Silver/Granite Grey. There were only two 1.6 alphas in transit (white and brown). I am being quoted a waiting period of 4-6 weeks.

April 26 - May 9 : I had taken multiple test drives of 1.6 S-Cross . I will compare 1.3 vs 1.6 with few points.

S-Cross 1.3

1. Better driveability in city traffic, thanks to light clutch & minimal turbo lag.
2. Gearshifts were more slick compared to 1.6.
3. Braking was slightly better than 1.6 (might be psychological)

S-Cross 1.6

1. Just one line - Torque Monster On Roads!!!
2. I found handling slightly better in 1.6. 70 kgs heavier nose?

May 10 : RM calls to inform that no 1.6 Alpha in granite grey is alloted to them for this month. But they have a white 1.6 in transit and could block that car for me. I took a wise decision asking him to block the car. With no assured delivery date of 1.6 grey, I did not want to wait more. I was told that car would reach in a week.

May 14 : RM called to inform that car has arrived at their yard. I asked them to get the car to showroom. I drove to showroom and checked the car. I could decode the VIN in S-Cross unlike my Baleno. It was April 2016 manufactured. Everything looked fine and I asked them to give delivery after 3 days. Thanks to Leoshashi, I had ordered machine finished alloys of Brezza and dealer had sourced it on same day. I found the alloys really impressive.



May 16 : I visited Nexa to complete all formalities. Dealer had installed new alloys and it totally transformed the looks of my S-Cross. I could manage to get only corporate discount of 10K.









May 17 : Delivery Day

Delivery was scheduled at 3 PM. RM gave a demo of all features. A box of chocolates & 10 L diesel coupon was handed over to me. I got temporary registration from Mangalore RTO and need to register the car within a month at Kasaragod RTO.



Pricing, Discounts & Accessories

Ex-showroom price : 12,51,335
Insurance (Zero depreciation) : 40,768
Extended Warranty (4 years/80k KM) : 17,363
Temporary registration charges : 1400
Road Tax (10 % @ Kerala) : 1,25,133
Discounts (Corporate discount) : 10,000(less)

Accessories :
Alloys : 24000
Mats : 1390
Mud flaps : 490
Sport pedals : 295

Total Cost : 14,52,174 ( including 10K discount)

Special Thanks to Ajith & Prathap of Mandovi Nexa for the support!!

[Dr.Naren]

Exteriors :

S-Cross is replacement for SX4 globally. It is called "SX4 S-Cross". Maruti has safely ditched the SX4 name as it did not do well in Indian market. S-Cross looks like evolution of SX4. Front end resembles SX4. S-Cross looks like a big hatch. It won't turn any heads but it is not ugly. Design is quite bland (major reason for low sales!!).

Maruti should have given grill of International version and I am not a fan of present one. Projector headlamps add on to the looks. I wish Maruti gave blackened headlights like Baleno. Black cladding and faux aluminium inserts look good on White colour S-Cross.

Side profile looks neat with black cladding and silver roof rails. Stock alloys looks like wheel caps of Swift Dzire. I got 16 inch machine finished alloys (official accessory of Brezza) and it did transform the looks. Side profile looks elegant now.

Rear end looks the best. Suzuki has done a good job here. Tail lights integration & design is very good. S-Cross gets dual reverse lamp unlike SX4, but misses out on rear fog lamp.

Paint quality is top notch. I could hardly notice any orange peel effect. Panel gaps are tight & consistent at most of the places. Build quality is really impressive for a car from Maruti stable. Doors shut with decent thud. Bonnet & boot lid has good weight.

Front view


Front 3/4 th view


Side profile - looks sweet with machine finished alloys


Rear view


Rear 3/4th view - My favourite!!


With all doors & boot open


Along with Baleno(Nexa mate) & SX4(Big brother )



Pictures with K(W)ID



Few random shots

[Dr.Naren]

Interiors :

Maruti has termed S-Cross as "Premium Cross-Over". Interiors do feel premium for a Maruti car. But it is not upto levels of Hyundai/VW.

I am not a fan of beige interiors. I am happy to see black theme for dashboard & Seats. It gives a sporty touch. Plastic quality is good but not great for a premium car. Fit & finish is decent. Middle portion of dash gets carbon fibre textured plastics and looks good. Maruti has used hard plastics in lower part of dashboard. Driver side console design is slightly different from other Maruti cars but power window & central locking buttons are carried over from lower Maruti variants. It's high time Maruti ditches this, atleast for "Nexa" cars. There are features like push button start, power folding ORVM, automatic day/night mirror, automatic headlights & rain sensing wipers.

MID function is same as my Baleno. But it doesn't get colour TFT display like Baleno. MID shows Average & Instantaneous FE, distance to empty, driving time. It also shows exactly which door is open. Foot well lamps, lane change indication, Shock sensors functioning can be set in MID.

Steering wheel is leather wrapped and good to hold. It misses out on chrome inserts unlike Baleno. Cruise control buttons are additional compared to my Baleno. It gets both tilt & telescopic function.

Auto AC is quite powerful and chills down the cabin soon even when parked under soon. Auto AC display console looks premium.

S-Cross gets touch screen audio system along with navigation. Recent batch of S-Cross is upgraded with Apple car play. Sound output is decent and S-Cross has the best stock audio setup out of all cars in my garage. Audiophiles would definitely tend to upgrade but I can live with it. I couldn't mirror link my Xperia Z1 to head unit. Thanks to govigov, I was able to mirror link.

Originally Posted by govigov

Disable wifi. (Or make sure you are not connected to one)

Connect phone via bluetooth.

Connect phone to USB inside the armrest.

Go to settings > xperia connect > and you will see mirrorlink; tap that to start mirrorlink server.

You may need to change the IP address range sometimes. Do watch out for that.

Now tap connect on the headunit.

Make sure you use the original cable that came with the phone.

Now a list of apps that are compatible with mirrorlink will popup on your screen. You may select from these apps.

Front seats offer decent comfort levels. But I would have preferred slightly wider seats like Baleno. Lateral support is good. Underthigh support could have been better. Front arm rest is sliding type and I find it very useful. It is very easy to rest your arm and shift gears. There is adequate legroom, shoulder room and headroom at front.

Rear seats are very comfortable. There is adequate underthigh support. Cushioning is neither too hard nor soft, which would offer good comfort levels on long drive. Rear seats can be reclined, but not too much. There are only 2 positions. Max reclined is the ideal one. At position 1, it is way too upright and not comfortable. Rear seats are set higher than front like SX4 which offers good visibility of road to rear passengers. Rear arm rest is equipped with 2 cup holders but set a bit low. Rear AC vents & charging socket is absent. It should not be a problem as AC is powerful enough.

All 4 doors get 1 L bottle holders. There are 2 cup holders on handbrake console and storage area inside front arm rest. Glove box is illuminated and big enough.

Boot space is lesser than competition. But loading/unloading luggage is very easy. Spare tyre is non alloy. Tool kit is placed in a thermocoal mould within spare tyre. This helps to prevent rattling.

Leather wrapped steering wheel


MID






Touch screen audio system & Auto AC console


Reverse parking camera display


Both sunvisors get illuminated vanity mirrors


Sunglass holder & Automatic IRVM


Driver side door console


Front seats


Rear seats


Door trims - All 4 doors get 1L bottle holders



Closer look at soft touch plastic


Boot space

[Dr.Naren]

Engine & Transmission :


Fiat 1.6 Multijet engine is plonked into a Maruti car first in India. This engine produces best in class torque - 320 NM. Hyundai/VW 1.6 engine produces only 250-260 NM torque. 1.6 Multijet can be termed as "Torque Monster".

Start the engine and there is a faint diesel clatter. It is not silent like Hyundai 1.6 diesel engine. But it is nowhere as noisy as Honda/VW. NVH levels are good but it is better in 1.3 S-Cross.

Figures on paper is reflected on road. S-Cross 1.6 is definitely fast. But the only fly in ointment is "Turbo Lag". Bigger turbo means more turbo lag. It is something which takes little time to get used to. Trick is to keep the car in turbo zone ~above 1800 RPM. 1.3 feels better to drive in city traffic, thanks to minimal turbo lag & light clutch. 1.6 would be irritating to drive in traffic provided only if you drive it like 1.3. I do not find it an issue anymore in 1.6. I make sure the car is above 1800 RPM. Another trouble is if you manage to get stuck on an incline, it's difficult to move on. Again, the trick is to maintain adequate revvs to be in turbo zone before approaching the incline and climb it effortlessly.

Now coming to the best/fun part of 1.6 engine. Turbo starts spooling at around 1750 RPM, followed by strong turbo kick. It's so addictive!!. Car pulls effortlessly from 2000 RPM. Mid range is just brutal and there is good juice even at top end. This engine is free revving and doesn't sound bad even at higher revvs. Tyre & Wind noise is evident at higher speeds.

S-Cross 1.6 is a very good highway cruiser. Car does 100 KMPH in 5 th gear at just 2000 RPM. It is 1800 RPM in 6 th gear. There is no need to downshift for overtaking as the car would be in turbo zone at this speed in 5 th gear.

I did not get chance to use cruise control much. I tried it only twice till date. It works well and really a good feature for long drives on near empty roads. I observed that car picks up speed better with +/- button of cruise control than pushing A pedal .

Ride & Handling :

Maruti has got right balance between ride & handling. Suspension setup is mature like European cars. Body control is good on curvy roads. Car holds the line pretty well and won't throw any nasty surprises. Steering feedback could have been better. It is not dead like Hyundai's though. Stock JK tyres doesn't do any justice to the wonderful chasis. Tyres give up before the chasis and screeches on every corner if pushed.

Ride quality is good but not better than Duster. It is slightly on stiffer side. But it won't break your spine. Bad roads are handled with ease. Ride gets better as you go faster. High speed stability is superb. All 4 disc brakes do their job very well. Car stops in straight line even under hard braking at speeds. ABS is not very sensitive like my SX4 and kicks in only if required. GC is lesser than competition. Even Fiat linea has better GC. But I have not scrapped the bottom even once. I need to check with full load on bad roads.

205/60 R16 JK Elanzo tyres


Front & rear coil springs



Fuel Efficiency

I have not checked FE using tankfull method. I have observed that FE is very sensitive to throttle. Following figures are MID readings

City : 14-15 KMPL
Highway : 20-22 KMPL

I will update accurate values after I calculate using tankfull method.

[Dr.Naren]

Additional Points :

Both front & rear cabin lights turn on while unlocking doors


Rear parcel tray can be split to access boot from rear seat


Charging socket in boot (It gets high output to power car refrigerator)


Boot lamp gets On/Off switch


ABS Unit : Bosch


Seat belt pre-tensioners : Ashimori India


Turbo charger : Garrett


MAF sensor : Bosch Germany


Notice the date of manufacture of certain engine components - This indicates engine is atleast 1 year old



Glow plug module : Bosch


Thermocoal & Sponge covering on the engine to reduce sound



Sound insulation under hood


Full underbody gets protection


Tool kit is nearly placed inside spare tyre


Both front & rear wheel arches get full cladding



Only fog lamps + parking light



Low beam + fog lamp



High beam + fog lamp



Note :
1) Air filter change is recommended at every 40K KM. (Seriously??)
2) EGR cleaning is recommended only for 1.3 engine at every 30K KM.


Alloy Wheels details :

I have installed machine finished alloys which is MGA for Vitara Brezza. It is direct fit for S-Cross too. These alloys are not made by Enkei. It is imported from Indonesia and produced by P. T. Excel Steel Industry. Maruti has imported around 4800units (1200 sets). It is imported at price of 2500 rs and sold at 6000 rs(after custom duty, VAT, dealer margin). I had initially decided on Momo Win Pro Evo because they look superb and imported from Italy. But the fact is Momo alloys(16 inch) are imported from Taiwan (not Italy as claimed) for 4000 rs and sold at 10,500 rs/piece. Also I read about need of hub rings and vibration issue using aftermarket alloys. So I decided to stick to MGA alloys and saved cash too.




Source : Zauba

Part number : 43210M82PUO

Before


After


What I Like :
1. Good performance (even top end has punch)
2. Mature ride & handling
3. Solid brakes
4. Space & Comfort

What I Wish To Have :
1. 6 airbags
2. Wider front seats
3. Rear AC vents
4. Better stock bixenon projectors

What I Don't Like :
1. Declutching when stuck on incline
2. Slightly hard clutch and not so smooth gearshifts
3. Stock alloy wheels (But I love my current alloys )

Modifications Planned :

1. 3M gloss black wrap on grill & ORVM
2. HID bulbs (4300K) for fogs
3. 3M CR-70 film for front windshield
4. RD dual channel box/Wolf remap (not anytime soon, I am more than happy with stock power )

Last pic, but not the least


Thanks for reading. Happy to answer any questions/post any specific pics.

Cheers!!!

[ajay_satpute]

Congratulations Dr Naren !!!

Welcome to the wonderful club of a wonderful car. I have the same Pearl White Arctic shade, but in 1.3 disguise. I have to say that in the recent months, the 1.6 has completely taken over the game from the 1.3, especially after the price reduction.

You are lucky, you got those fantastic Brezza alloys without a fuss. Myself and another forum member from Pune tried to convince few Maruti dealers in Pune, to buy back the stock alloys and exchange with Brezza alloys. But it did not work out.

Enjoy the ride !

[abhishek46]

Congrats on your purchase. Enjoy the monster responsibly!
Those new alloys look really good, and are substantially better than the stock alloys of the S-Cross.
Even the stock alloys of the Brezza ZDI model are so much better looking than S-Cross stock alloys. By any chance, do you know how much the Brezza stock alloys cost?

[nishsingh]

Congratulations on the great buy! The S-Cross looks pretty drool in white!

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Pictures with K(W)ID
]

Boy oh Boy! The Kwid doesnt look like a small hatchback at all next to the S-Cross. It does stand tall!

But the zero star GlobalNCAP crash rating continues to haunt. If only the Renault structural engineers had put their minds to it as much as the designers did.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

Congratulations Dr Naren !!!

Welcome to the wonderful club of a wonderful car. I have the same Pearl White Arctic shade, but in 1.3 disguise. I have to say that in the recent months, the 1.6 has completely taken over the game from the 1.3, especially after the price reduction.

You are lucky, you got those fantastic Brezza alloys without a fuss. Myself and another forum member from Pune tried to convince few Maruti dealers in Pune, to buy back the stock alloys and exchange with Brezza alloys. But it did not work out.

Enjoy the ride !

Thanks buddy!!

Dealer did not buy back stock alloys. I am planning to sell on my own.

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Congrats on your purchase. Enjoy the monster responsibly!
Those new alloys look really good, and are substantially better than the stock alloys of the S-Cross.
Even the stock alloys of the Brezza ZDI model are so much better looking than S-Cross stock alloys. By any chance, do you know how much the Brezza stock alloys cost?

Thanks buddy!!

S-Cross stock alloys, Brezza stock alloys and Brezza machine finished alloys cost almost same. Difference is within 1K for set of 4.

[NiXTriX2004]

Congrats on the new car Dr.Naren
I have driven the 1.3 S-cross for over 500kms and can surely say that you have made the right choice in going for the 1.6. The 1.3 loses steam after the ton mark.
Are you already looking to do some perfomance mods on this? Please share your plans if so.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Hello Team-Bhp Says My 1.6 Beast!!!

Congrats Dr.Naren on your latest acquisition and I have posted this before but Nexa must really consider your idea for OEM rims on the DDiS 320 at least

S-Cross 1.6 is really a crazy car and I can vouch for this as I have driven this monster once. More than anything, I strongly believe that the latest products like S-Cross, Creta, etc are a proof that Indian Automobile industry is come of age and we truly have the international specs very much available in our country today.

Wish you a very happy motoring and drive safe.

Pictures with K(W)ID

In that first picture, that puny Kwid looks bigger than the S-Cross !!

I know its the angle, but that picture alone is enough the prove the runaway success of the Kwid. It really is an A-Segment SUV.

[rakesh_r]

Hearty congratulations Doc. The 1.6 is one heck of a monster. I would term the S-Cross as a perfect family car owing to the space it provides. I have noticed the car is more fun to drive when completely loaded with the boot full of luggage.
Those alloys have completely changed the looks. The car does deserve better shoes as I found the JKs very noisy. I have not changed the alloys but will do so.Most probably will go for the stock ones that come on the Breeza since they too are made by Enkei.
Congrats once again.

[CarMind]

Congratulations Dr. Naren and hello to your new '1.6 Beast'. Your choice of alloys has really made all that difference to the looks of the car and the white color sure sealed the deal. Enjoy the torque out there.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by nishsingh

Congratulations on the great buy! The S-Cross looks pretty drool in white!

Boy oh Boy! The Kwid doesnt look like a small hatchback at all next to the S-Cross. It does stand tall!

But the zero star GlobalNCAP crash rating continues to haunt. If only the Renault structural engineers had put their minds to it as much as the designers did.

Kwid is a clever design by Renault. Looks & ride quality can give S-Cross a tough fight.

Originally Posted by NiXTriX2004

Congrats on the new car Dr.Naren
I have driven the 1.3 S-cross for over 500kms and can surely say that you have made the right choice in going for the 1.6. The 1.3 loses steam after the ton mark.
Are you already looking to do some perfomance mods on this? Please share your plans if so.

Not anytime soon buddy!! I am more than satisfied with stock power for now. I might consider remap/dual channel RD box if I get bored of stock power someday.

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Congrats Dr.Naren on your latest acquisition and I have posted this before but Nexa must really consider your idea for OEM rims on the DDiS 320 at least

S-Cross 1.6 is really a crazy car and I can vouch for this as I have driven this monster once. More than anything, I strongly believe that the latest products like S-Cross, Creta, etc are a proof that Indian Automobile industry is come of age and we truly have the international specs very much available in our country today.

Wish you a very happy motoring and drive safe.

In that first picture, that puny Kwid looks bigger than the S-Cross !!

I know its the angle, but that picture alone is enough the prove the runaway success of the Kwid. It really is an A-Segment SUV.

Yes, 1.6 S-Cross begs for better alloys.

It's only camera angle buddy. As I said before, a clever design by Renault indeed.

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Hearty congratulations Doc. The 1.6 is one heck of a monster. I would term the S-Cross as a perfect family car owing to the space it provides. I have noticed the car is more fun to drive when completely loaded with the boot full of luggage.
Those alloys have completely changed the looks. The car does deserve better shoes as I found the JKs very noisy. I have not changed the alloys but will do so.Most probably will go for the stock ones that come on the Breeza since they too are made by Enkei.
Congrats once again.

Yes, car is more fun with loaded rear. I have unused set of Falken 205/60 R16 tyres which I had bought for SX4. I am planning to use them after running few thousand KM on stock tyres.

Thanks everyone!!

[Hemant_Joshi]

Congratulations Doc,
1.6 S-Cross is really a beast, Enjoy your new ride and drive safe.
Never been a fan of Maruti, but, This car(1.6) and Baleno are changing that perception for Me..