[laluks]

2017 S-Cross comes home on 31.10.2017.

SCross'd


After 1 month of ownership and 2000Kms let me put my impressions on what I like and dislike.

Likes
1. Ground Clearance
2. Good Suspension. Bad roads not an issue.
3. Solid Handling at speeds
4. LED Headlamps with Auto ON and leveling
5. Functional Gears with good ratio (I love the third gear)
6. Auto Dimming Rear view mirror
7. Comfort of Key less Entry
8. White Color with black cladding
9. Mileage
10. Service centers every where, never too far away
11. Functional No Nonsense National engine, Good support and availability of spares, perceived lower downtime/wait times on issues. To me this is very very important factor. No point in buying a car and perennially waiting for spares to arrive.
12. Practical and not so jazzy dash and interiors.

Dislikes
1. Start Stop system (Always keeps it switched off)
2. Infotainment System (Always keeps audio system off, except for Bluetooth for phone)

• Sound quality of audio system
• Outdated Navigation maps, The lady who dictates sounds real funny
• Sluggish UI

3. EPS, since I am used to HPS of Civic, and feedback. Not so bad, but my Civic days makes me want more feedback
4. Niggles like rattling and squeaks - that's a Maruti feature
5. Wanted more storage area near the gear and hand brake. The ones provided are too small and mostly useless.
6. All stuff shared from lower siblings, feels funny!! Same infotainment, same interior lights, same window switches, etc.
7. Quality of plastics, some what better, but not so good as my 10 year old Civic
8. Floor hump could have been avoided. I looked under the car, it could have been done easily.
9. Three point seat belt for the middle passenger in rear missing.
10. Steering wheel - leather cladding - I am not happy. The one without it felt nice.
11. Dashboard glare on windscreen. Too Too bad.
12. Haters of this car and negative feedback aplenty

[laluks]

How it all started!

Our Civvy has done 1.6Lakh Kms, and our Swifty 70K Kms. These days Civvy needs more time in the Spa (read my FNG) to pamper itself and rejuvenate. While Civvy is at the spa, I will be with Civvy fully as my TLC towards it doesn't allow me to leave it all alone there. This indeed takes a toll on my precious time. While I was noticing the need to spend quite a bit of time, this year several days, I also felt the need for a third car in the family.

While I was on a holiday in Goa, I pinged my close friend if he is willing to give me his Laura 1.8TSI. I thought I'd get a used car and a sporty one at that, a little fun more than Civvy. But he told me he would sell me his Mercedes, but not his 1.8 TSI. Never!!

Our common friend had a Laura 2.0L Ambiente diesel to give away, since he was upgrading to a Q3. But then all my DBHPian friends advised me against a Skoda at this stage. I am used to a Honda, less maintenance and moving to Skoda would have been considered moving to the other end of the payment spectrum .

Meanwhile I started looking out for a used CRV. Many deals came up, but all were high on mileage and dealers trying to sell with higher prices which I did not want to pay. By this time our Moderator and my childhood friend and classmate Jaggu put me in right perspective and made me think to get a new car and be done with it for the next 10+ years like I did with my Civvy and Swifty.

The million dollar question was why was I looking for a third car? It just spun off as an afterthought since Civvy demanded more of my time at the Spa. So I still have my Civvy, so why am I again looking at an enthusiasts car and trying to get an used one!! It all amounts to the same as having another Civvy and more time at the spa for the pre-worshipped fellow I pick up. So if I wanted to avoid my time spent at the Spa, then it definitely has to be a new car.

I announced to my family I am going to look at a new car. A third car, this time a car for the family. I have put a budget of around 10+ Lakhs, definitely under 15L. My kiddies wanted me to upgrade to a Q3, which I rejected saying at this point in time I am not going to throw away 30+ lakhs on a car. If I were to, obviously the decision would have been the new Octavia VRS, a decision fully from the mind, and live with whatever consequences that would lead me to !!

The reason I did not want to throw away such huge money on a new car was due to the observation I had over a period of 10 years with my Civvy. I picked up my Civvy in 2007, and the car was a very good choice. Today such a car which makes me have a love at first sight does not exist at any price point. All cars on sale seems to be a compromise on many aspects, adding to the fact that there is a noticeable offset in pricing. Civic in 2007 was quite a good VFM package and today a D segment sedan seems to have an offset of 5 to 10 Lakhs, Hatches by 1-3 Lakhs, and as you go to higher segments atleast by 10+ Lakhs.

And then even if you decide to throw away that money, the infrastructure has seriously deteriorated a lot in these years. I felt from 2015 till now, roads were pathetic across the country and crowded too. The fun days I had with my Civvy doing cross country drives, are a bit low these days due to the ever increasing traffic everywhere and deteriorating roads. Having thrown in that much money the issues I will have to face given the current scenario (we can term that as unforced errors leading to further payouts from your pocket) did not prompt me to decide on a higher price tag car at the moment. Also I though it would be better to park that funds for the education of my girls or for a love at first sight car whenever that gets launched.

Further the possibilities of self drive car rentals increasing the availability of high end cars in their portfolio, would see me picking one of them for a drive with no concern about maintenance or long term ownership costs, while parking a functional car at my garage for my daily needs. Also hope SAIC and those Chinese companies land upon India and do what Reliance Jio has done to telecom prices. A correction is highly required!!

Thus a third car for the family, a functional one priced in the 10-15 Lakhs bracket, evolved.

What followed!!

Many asked me why I did not wait for the next generation Civic though. Some contemplation that it might come to our side in 2018. I wanted to. But north of 20-25 Lakhs, I wouldn't invest now. From the pictures I saw, I did not like it much too. The eighth generation Civic has set a standard, it's difficult even for Honda to break it in my mind unfortunately.

I had a look at all Honda cars on offer. Nothing inspiring. City, BRV, WRV, nothing!! After seeing the plasticky interiors on offer in Hondas I am seriously disappointed and set back. So no Honda car as on date on my list.

Previous gen Civics, Accords and CRVs were class apart in build and quality. PERIOD.

I was not too sure on a Maruti. My experience with Swift while holding a Honda made for a good comparison. Honda is miles apart. I am so used to that, and that makes it very very difficult to make me change my perception. Civic was expensive to buy, cheaper to maintain. It aged well too. Swift was cheaper to buy, expensive to maintain - really.

I am some how paranoid with the ever rattling Swift experience. Maruti and me after the love affair with Honda is not so easy. The experience while Swift was delivered itself was a downer. While the car was driven out, I heard a rattle from the rear view mirror. On telling the service advisor, he was not much worried, he took out a piece of paper/foam and stuck it behind the rear view mirror cover, ruining our happiness of a new car purchase. So anything from the Maruti stable was not perceived at this point, though I heard some good feedback on SCross.

Nothing worth considering from Toyota stable as well. Well there goes the Japs, with nothing impressing me.

This left me confused. This demanded a discussion with the family and my fellow DBHPians.

The Discussions

Family
Now all family members came in with views.

1. Good looking car. Subjective what I like they might not and vice versa. I decided to let them pick and advise now.

2. Tall car, elder's demand. They particularly did not like getting into Civic for even shorter runs. Longer runs they never joined in Civic. Swift was ok for them

3. Slow car - They do not want me to do the stunts I do with Civic. My kids keeps telling them dadu did this and that, when they were small and were enjoying the drives. Civic did some great speeds, but now that equations are changing, they want me to be more saner. They stick to the advise get a safe and slow car. The Car should not prompt you to over speed, but should be good enough to do its job to ferry from point A to B.

4. Kids wants space inside the car. They are grown up, one is already an adult and the next one is in her high teens. Have to listen to them.

5. I want a car in 10 - 15 Lakhs bracket

6. Somehow, I understood my girls wanted me to consider a Q3, and kept on showing the ads of Kodiak on the streets. But I had to tell them, that kind of budgets not this time, probably the next ones after 10 years, till I clear all the commitments of their education and stuff. They understood, and the elder even told me "Its a hard decision for you, you'll be making one not from your heart this time. It's ok, we acknowledge that"

7. 7 seater ruled out, since any usable and comfortable 7 seaters I would be looking at Innova / XUV. Both not considered at this point. BRV, Ertiga was looked at. Somehow both were out rightly rejected.

8. Ecosport wifey rejected, duster/terrano - kiddies rejected, Jeep I rejected. I am now not left with much options.

I had extensively driven the Ecosport during my Himachal trip, at least 15days and 4000kms. Loved the turning radius and easy maneuverability. But the dominant dash board which protrudes towards you was intimidating to me, and same views shared by my wife. The boot was not adequate for our luggage for that trip and we had to keep some in the rear seat. This was another major let down. With that already my wife have written off Eco sport as a choice. I would not want to invite any unnecessary issues for the love to drive by bringing it back to the list. Also the new facelift dash with the User Interface sticking up from it was a let down as well. It looked all jazzy for me! Eco Sport goes out of the list.

Duster was ticked off very early itself. No particular reason, it didn't inspire me nor my kids.

When Jeep Compass was revealed, my mind skipped a beat. Only to be disappointed after seeing it in flesh. The lack of space and the rear seats set me off. So Jeep also goes out from the list. Also their pricing, was way off for me at this point for the offering. No Jeep.

No Tata's and Mahindras for me. Don't ask me. I don't know.

8. They wanted to take a look at a few cars. I booked a slot with Hyundai and Maruti for considering Creta and S-Cross. Well that's the ones that were left!

So in all this is going to be a buy as a family man, honoring everyone's opinion and not as a hard core petrol head. I had my way 10 years ago with swift and Civic. Seems not any more

But I do love the attention I get for taking all of them along.

DBHPians
Meanwhile the DBHPians were giving very precise points and left no stone unturned in confusing me to the core. Love you guys

[laluks]

Initial Experience

Hyundai
Went to Hyundai to check out Creta. Unenthusiastic sales guys did nudge me a bit. But still hung around and checked the interiors, variants, pricing etc. By this time my kiddies came with the verdict the car is rejected .

They felt the dashboard is like a dead butterfly with wings expanded stuck to the windscreen. Well that was a first, from that statement every time I tried looking at the interiors that gets reminded . I don't think I can live with that feeling. Creta out of the equation.

Some variants were too expensive too, but had a lot of bells and whistles. Unenthusiastic sales guys added to the misery and test drive vehicle perennially being tested added to the frustration. Left the showroom disgusted. No Hyundai's for me, ever!

Nexa
Last trip was to Nexa. Those guys were waiting with a test drive car. A blue alpha one. Kiddies liked the plane jane functional dash and its layout, and materials. Also they liked the rear seat. Wifey approved the dash and boot space. I asked her to take a test drive, she drove around and was comfortable with the overall viewing angles from the drivers seat. She is short just about 5 feet, still at the tallest position of the seat, it was comfortable. As per her a drive able car.

We all were then looking at the front of the car, at any angle it was not that attractive. Then came the comparison with Creta, Ecosport, Duster and SCross. Jr. felt Ecosport looks better, I too agree. Finally Sr. says she likes it, and says the vertical lines on the grill looks different than the others.

We had the car to ourselves as long as we were there in the showroom. Pretty sure this car has not created any enthusiasm in anyone. Well that's my view.

We all reached back home, and I waited for an opinion.

Family Verdict and Test Drive and DBHPian discussions

Family Verdict
It evolved that from the existing scenario it is the SCross that was getting the benefit of doubt and was favored by family.

Now some time to seriously test drive and discuss about the SCross.

Test Drive
I called up Nexa nearby my home. I was attended by Mr. Pradeep Nadegowda. I told him I will visit his place and needed a test drive vehicle. In some 30 minutes I showed up at Nexa near to my house . I was immediately given a Blue Alpha variant for the test drive. A copper one was standing inside the display. Copper one looked cool, I thought for a moment I liked it.

After the license photocopy/formalities completed I was given the SCross for the test drive. I really did not know what to expect. I am a petrol guy. Swift 1.3L, Civic 1.8L and mostly with the free revving Civic and slingshots, and fast runs as the order of the day, I was left confused as I started the SCross.

The only time I ever drove this national 1.3L engine was at Chitkul, on a swift diesel many years back. The non linear behavior and the need to keep rpms high and the lag created some unimpressive moments then. I was not sure what I would get here.

The test drive SCross was a brand new one with 100Km on the odo. Switched on and the diesel clatter was evident. Closed all windows and listened to the noise, it was not much inside. Pressed down the accelerator to increase the revvs, and at above 2.5K rpms the noise was evident inside. Not much damped like the Civic. But we missed hearing a City honking to glory from behind while I was trying this in the small bye lane.

Drove SCross out of the bye lane, just by releasing the clutch without pressing the accelerator. It really pulled the car along, and this behavior would really help me with the bumper to bumper situation in Bangalore. I felt this torque as usable. Next thing which made me feel good was the way the suspension handled the dug up bye lane at that slow speed. It felt nice to be able to maneuver that with out concern of a bottom scrape nor excessive turbulence inside.

I took it on the ORR and slowly increased the speeds and gears. It felt absolutely normal and it pulled up to 100Kmph with no sweat. It was ok, not exhilarating like a civic, but pretty usable.

Yes, its nowhere near the power I am used to in my Civic, and obviously it will be a very very bad scaling down for me in terms of fun.

But now, the decision is not on fun to drive factor. I have the Civic for it still.

Test drove it for like 30 minutes, and also on some rough patches. was kind of impressed, since I had no much expectations.

I said bye to Pradeep and came home.

DBHPian discussions
The discussions were ongoing with the DBHpians. Dhanush and Shankar asked me to reconsider since the 1.3L was puny. They warned me about the known issues like gearbox synchro issue, Oil guzzling issue, lack of punch etc.

VbSan helped me by saying S-Cross probably is the only Suzuki sold in India which does not feel like a Maruti.

Hope S Cross doesn't show typical Maruti character. I still remember the disappointment on my wife's face when she took out the Swift from the showroom. It was rattling and whining somewhere and the sales representative was oblivious of what she was referring to! And they solved it immediately by pushing some foam in some crevices!! That was 10 years ago.

Situation is like this : - Either I should not buy one now and push for another 8+years with the current ones, or add a functional one now and wait for the dream one later. I prefer the second option since the existing cars are getting high on mileage and age.

Whether its an SCross, I am yet confused though.

Tough decision.
So mostly a functional family car, and a car that doesn't allow me to do stunts (as the way my folks put it) is the one. I added safety, some space and economics to the equation. S-Cross wins

[laluks]

Purchase Decision and Vehicle Delivery

30/10/2017. Decision
It was obvious that S-Cross is the one. I called up Pradeep and said about my decision.

There was a wait of 6 to 8 weeks for the vehicle. Well that is like I get it by end of the year, makes no sense. If I get something tomorrow we talk, else I am not buying now. I wanted White Alpha.
Pradeep came back after 30 minutes. He checks in the inventory, and he says we can deliver one subject to financial clearance the next day, a brand new White Alpha SCross

The loan papers were cleared quickly by SBI, and I transferred the rest of the amounts to Nexa, and the vehicle went for registration the next day.

31.10.2017 : SCross Delivered
Pradeep told me I could take the Vehicle anytime in the after noon. I went to Nexa by 12PM and took ample time in checking the documents, and other details and checking the accessories and the car. The Car got ready to be delivered by 14:00 hours. I was alone, wifey at office and kids at college and school. A very low key affair.

A moment etched in memories for years to come


My first view of our SCross




The car had just 11Kms on the ODO


I was handed over a bouquet by the Manager


Pradeep gifts me a box of chocolates and a Cake for the family and kids


The Keys are handed over


I was then introduced to the Manager by Pradeep and also to the quality manager of this Nexa showroom. After exchanging pleasantries I rolled out of the showroom by 14:30 hours.

I took a drive to the nearest pump and filled up the tank. It took some 41 liters of Diesel. I was told by Pradeep some 7 liters were already filled. So this makes it some 48 liters in the tank. I smiled when I saw the bill, 2400Rs at 58.34 to a liter of diesel. I am used to filling my Civic with 45+ liters of petrol over 3000 Rs every time. Sub 3000 is nice, Its going to be mileage days

SCross Parked at our place


18Kms on ODO


It was now time to check the car for its build quality

[laluks]

Build and Quality check

Thankfully SCross did not rattle or whine like our Swift on delivery and the drive to home. But indeed the parcel tray started making noise on every humps . On careful investigation I felt I need to pad it up with some foam where it touches the hard plastic. Not impressed.

Front view


Right Side View




Left Side View




Huge Panel gaps








All this had one thing in common. The gaps are where there is a moving part. In the headlamps case the bonnet and in the tail lamps case the boot lid. Probably they could have reduced the gaps by some rubber insert or so. But anyways we live with it.

But I was annoyed with the seat height adjuster lever


Pathetic plastic and looks like it will come off immediately

[laluks]

A look inside the hood

A peep into the engine bay




The national 1.3L engine


Enough space inside the bay

Space probably is to accommodate future engine variants. Europe has a 1.5L AWD variant, would have been nice if it was offered. But Price points wont match. Probably Maruti is waiting for the competition to raise the prices so that they can command a premium since everything is expensive. May be that is the strategy.

The ABS unit




The air piping over the battery.


India Japan Lighting


Exide Conservo battery for the Smart Hybrid system needs

[laluks]

Some more observation for Day 1

I liked the alloys


215/60/R16 tyres, JK UXRoyals. I am not going to change it. I cannot make out if I am riding on feather or rock anyways


Range says 384KMs. Well that is lesser than a Civics full tank range


Mileage says 6.6Kmpl. Did Maruti cheat me? ARAI says 24kmpl


By this time, it was evening and kiddies and wifey came home.

Time to cut the Nexa Cake and celebrate the new member of the family.


Wishing us many more Scross Miles.

And thus guys we are Scross'd.

Hoping to bore you guys with many SCross'd Travelogues from now...

[laluks]

Day 02
01.11.2017
SCross stayed parked at the location where I left it after I took delivery. I went and took a look if all was well. Kiddies and wifey were busy with their chores, they didn't really bother much about the new arrival.

Day 03
02.11.2017
I realised that SCross was still parked at the same spot, and was never taken inside our home. I felt bad, felt sentimental. This is definitely not right, this is a step son type treatment SCross is getting. What wrong did SCross do other than to be deliverd to a family who was pampered by the quality and experience in a Honda Civic.

I took SCross out for a spin, some 5Kms.

First 25KMs comes up ( In 3 days )


I then took SCross inside our home and parked on the drive way.


Probably if SCross could speak, it would have said a Thank you


Probably SCross is happy to have finally a much deserved place inside






It stayed parked like that the entire day.

The same day evening I got a call from my sister that she's landing up in Bangalore to visit us for a few days from Delhi. Well her son likes my Civvy, and I was about to take the keys of Civvy for the airport run. But then while I walked out, saw the SCross still in the drive way. Unattended, without pretensions, no complaints. Just there.

I reached out for the keys of SCross, took SCross for the airport duty. It's a 100Km round trip. Started by 22:00 hours from home for the pickup. SCross comfortably cruised at lower rpms, and 80Kmph, since I did not want to stretch it in the initial period. Somewhere I read be good with it till 950Kms or so. I was also testing the LED headlights and was quite good throughout the drive. I switched on the fogs to realize that it was still the halogens. So we have LED white lights for the headlamps, and yellowish halogens for the fog lamp. Quite a colorful deposition

While I was lost in thoughts, I saw I have already climbed to triple digit speeds. SCross was comfortable. I pressed ahead, SCross ready to deliver. Well that was amazing. I was thinking to myself, why did I think that SCross cannot deliver? Why do I have that perception, which indeed makes me and others give a step brotherly attitude to the SCross. I wanted more of SCross after this small experience.

I picked up my sister and her son. He was annoyed I was not in my Civvy. He was telling me why am I bringing a Brezza? B R E Z Z A ????. That's the first reaction I get. This car has an identity crisis among Marutis. No wonder if you start reusing and sharing every other component in all the cars in the stable it is bound to happen.

And to me "Welcome to reality!! This is a mass market manufacturer's car!! Gone are your exclusive Civic days. Be prepared for similar comments, let downs"

Well the return drive I tried to concentrate on SCross's response and I was impressed. My sister commented on the rear seats and the noise insulation and the all black interiors. She felt it like a car she would hire in Europe. I was happy noticing a normal feedback than from the self professed knowledgeable petrol heads that we feel we all are!!

After reaching home, I let SCross stay in the driveway for the night. It deserved it.

[laluks]

Day 04.
03.11.2017
SCross stayed parked on the driveway, no one really looked at it.

Day 05
04.11.2017

SCross gets a chance to visit a mall


Day 06
05.11.2017

My sister was booked on a flight back to Delhi, and the airport duty was done in SCross. Swallowed all the suitcases and luggage happily for the airport duty. For the first time after many years I did not really care about the weight of the luggage. I normally would be bothered by the thoughts in my Civvy with a heavy boot. Not anymore.

In between the airport duty run SCross completes 250Kms


Day 07
06.11.2017

I started taking SCross to office, one week after I acquired the SCross. At office, my good friends could not beleive it. They were shocked that I took a practical car and not an enthusiast's car. I can understand, they never could imagine me making this decision. Well that's one reason why I penned this all down. Sometime later I too would be reading all this and getting amused at myself.

Day 08
07.11.2017

SCross reaches a significant milestone - 336. What's this number BTW? Read on, you will come to know.


SCross continued to do office commutes, and my colleagues slowly got used to my decision. They slowly started seeing the merits of the car, though they never wanted to give me any positive feedback on the SCross.

Day 11
10.11.2017

SCross gets the registration number - 336


Its been 11 days and SCross never got a wash! DBHPian NPV was not very happy about that scene, he felt I already crashed the SCross and all those marks on the bumper are scratches.

[laluks]

Day 12
11.11.2017

SCross gets the first bath of its life




Now you know the 336 connection


SCross gets a good coat of Collinite too


White looks good after a nice wash.

This picture is for NPV. @NPV I did not crash SCross, all is well



A look at panel gaps again. I will have to agree to consider it as a feature from now on.

[laluks]

Day 14
13.11.2017

SCross continues to do office duty and another milestone came up.

500Kms in two weeks


Well I am by now happy with the SCross in its City use. Usable torque for Bangalore bumper to bumper traffic. I do not want anything more. SCross in its factory tune is perfect for city commute. I do not know the reasons why we make this a big affair, believe me there is absolutely nothing wrong. It has usable torque for city.

Coming to think of it, indeed there were discussion about the GC of Civic and its low end torque. There was such a hue and cry and I do not know how many got carried away and did not get themselves a Civic. Never, not even once did it create an issue for me in my ownership of 11 years and 1.6 Lakhs of mileage munching.

So the info I received about SCross was taken with a pinch of salt, the same way I did when I picked up Civic. I believe its all about getting to know your car, and using it the way it should be used, with TLC.


Now that city commute is fine, I wanted to know for myself what was the hue and cry about highway cruising, lack of punch in overtaking on single lane roads, lack of breath in climbing hills. This prompted me to set on a driving trip to Yercaud and Meghamalai. The trip was planned from 16.11.2017 to 19.11.2017. Idea was to thoroughly test SCross for all the use cases I would subject it to in its stay with me. Yes there would be more guys in the car and a loaded boot for the test.

Before the trip I made a full tank. 594 Kms on Odo and 39.5 liters it drank, giving a first recorded mileage of 15km/liter of diesel. Coming from 8km/liter of petrol for the civic, this is like nothing!! It translates to some 2.5 times savings, boy I am starting to love the mileage crazy days ahead

[laluks]

The Test
16.11.2017 - 19.11.2017
Bangalore - Yercaud - Megahamalai - Vellimalai - Bangalore

I took the SCross to finally make the test for myself and deduce my inferences than go by hear say. Well after the step brotherly treatment I gave to SCross, it deserved this attention and test. I started early from Bangalore on 16.11.2017 by 6AM and reached Yercaud by 09:30AM. I would be taking the same time even if I had taken my Civvy. We comfortably cruised at good speeds keeping rpms low.

On highways SC was at home at 120 kmph speeds. 100Kmph/2100rpm, 120kmph/2600 rpm. Sweet spot of the car is 80-120, probably a bit more, quite stable and comfortable.

To test the climbs we took Danishpet, Kanavaipudur, Nagalur route to Yercaud. Its a broken stretch with steep inclines and blind curves. SCross did not loose steam at any point in time. It climbed, took the bad stretches, the stop start climb on the hairpins with great efficiency and comfort. The SC lacks punch is some statement very much unfounded in this test scenario. This is the average climb mostly a family man would subject his family and car too, unless he tries to compete with mountain goats. I do not think I want anything more from SCross. In the Yercaud climb, I felt I would have taken faster climbs and tighter hairpins with my Civic. But that we do for fun, not as an absolute requirement.

But I was not satisfied with this test alone. So we took SCross to Meghamalai, where things are very different. Here you have climbs and have no roads, but boulders. A real start stop climb with accurate placement of wheels not to scrape the under body. SCross did it with great efficiency. I think I am becoming a fan of SCross.

In some single lane highways I tried the overtake. Never did I feel SCross lacked steam. Third gear usability was a surprise to me. SCross grunts all the way to complete the overtaking move with ease.

A few pictures from the drive. A travelogue is separately planned

Enroute Yercaud


Photoshoot at Shevaroy hills










Comfortable cruising on the highways


Resting at the Cottage in Yercaud


SCross at the resort in Yercaud


SCross enjoying the cool breeze and clouds


Some more pictures from the trip

Few Pictures from Meghamalai




Road conditions








At our Bungalow in Meghamalai




SCross gets its second bath, a grand one at that


SCross loved these roads


So most of the hearsay is tested in my drive. I can say with confidence SCross behaves the way a car should. It's not compromising on any of these absolute necessities as a car. All you need is to understand the SCross before.

Now that I have taken time to check my requirements from SCross, I am completely saddened by the fact that I did ignore SCross in its initial days with me.

Now only one test remains, whats the top speed and high speed handling. Well that's not in this drive nor in the highways. And to still answer my mind a climb via Masinagudi to Ooty is also planned, though I am sure SCross will win that hands down.

[laluks]

SCross seems to be an underdog upsetting the contest. Once I realized that, I am in complete respect for the SCross. I now look for SCross's keys more.
I named our SCross - Kungfu Panda. Unassuming and at peace with itself

And thus milestones keep following and looking forward for a long term association. Like my Civvy, I hope Kungfu Panda also ages very well.

Milestones








Getting all attention for the first service


Meanwhile two things worth mentioning.

The Mudflap fitted from Nexa, on the car was not fixed properly and it flew away in the highway run and I in turn ended up buying another set Rs 580/-. Complete irresponsibility from Nexa dealership.

Also the driver seat started squeaking and creaking like some springs gone mad. I asked the service guys to torque the seat bolts and nuts. But it is still persisting. Will keep a watch till second service. When can Maruti give a niggle free ownership experience from day 1? It's no different from our Swift 10 years ago

[laluks]

Meanwhile I happened to click a Nexa Blue SCross. Nexa Blue looks very good in brochures and videos, but I am not too sure in flesh. I like the white though. White and Black cladding is apt for my Kungfu Panda. Probably its just me

[laluks]

A review on the Infotainment System.

I am not much impressed. Sound quality is sub par comparing the stock system I am used to in Civic. The people in the rear if they have to hear anything, I need to increase the volume level. This is mostly switched off. Further the antenna is funny, the radio reception mostly gets noisy.

The Navigation system, since offline, maps are not the best. Also the routing is questionable and I avoid it. Doesn't help me much in my trips, which normally would be to unknown corners.

Android Play / Apple Car play - What is that? I don't need it. I consider that as a distraction.

Bluetooth phone connectivity works well and is the only thing I use from that infotainment system.

Start Stop
This is always switched off for me. I don't need this. Every time I start the car, before settling down I make sure this is switched off. Searching for a permanent switching off solution.

SHVS
I am yet to make sense from the Integrated starter generator for the additional torque assist. Probably its a puny 5KW. Need to experience a bit more to check the claims.

I can see that the start stop, restart is mostly taken care by this guy, and is a silent affair. But since that feature is always switched off in my use, it doesn't help much either.