[tunedv8]

Congratulations! The S-Cross is a truly global product that ticked all the right boxes! Us Indians missed seeing the potential. Anyway, when I was hunting for a 1.6, I found two well maintained cars but the clutch was on the heavier side. Is this a characteristic trait of the S-Cross 1.6?

[Abhi_abarth]

Congratulations, I have been hunting one since Oct 2021. Found one but as I got busy on some personal work it was sold. I did come across some base versions but for me the rear wash/wipe are deal breakers.

Surprisingly, I find one listed as Alpha variant but it doesn't not have rear wash/wiper while the headlamps are of the Alpha variant including alloys.

However, my hunt continues.

[sudeepg]

Thank you all for your wishes! Much appreciated.

Originally Posted by travelling owl

Hi Sudeepg, where did you source the Morimoto's from? I have been trying to source them for my Jeep Compass and so far didnt find any reliable source. Could you please share your source and contact details?

I bought the entire kit from Dixit (The reseller for Morimoto HID in India). The last I have heard is that their business was a near victim of the pandemic and I lost contact; I'll try to get it for you. Unfortunately, I cannot PM you being a newbie.

Further, the last time I checked, the prices of the Projectors were much higher than the price I bought at, making them simply too expensive to consider while there are competitive products available today (Check Dr. Naren's ownership thread on his recent light upgrade). This is how I ended up talking to Blaze India. I don't endorse them personally, but my experience so far has been excellent.

The sealed LED fog lamps shipped by Blaze India arrived yesterday and their build quality is pretty high. Take a look.

I'll install them in the coming week but I can tell you right away that the bench power supply test shows they have a 6000K colour temperature, sharp cutoff and a very nice blue hue in low beam. I'll update the thread once I complete the work.

Originally Posted by tunedv8

Congratulations! The S-Cross is a truly global product that ticked all the right boxes! Us Indians missed seeing the potential. Anyway, when I was hunting for a 1.6, I found two well maintained cars but the clutch was on the heavier side. Is this a characteristic trait of the S-Cross 1.6?

It definitely is stiffer than the DDiS 200. A couple of friends own a DDiS 320. When they drove my DDiS 200, they exclaimed "Dude! this feels like stepping in butter". I agree somewhat with them, but the stiffness isn't to a point where it is unbearable for me. That said, it does get difficult in Bangalore traffic where you crawl for several KMs most of the time.

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

Congratulations, I have been hunting one since Oct 2021. Found one but as I got busy on some personal work it was sold. I did come across some base versions but for me the rear wash/wipe are deal breakers.

Surprisingly, I find one listed as Alpha variant but it doesn't not have rear wash/wiper while the headlamps are of the Alpha variant including alloys.

However, my hunt continues.

Awwww. I am sorry to hear about the missed opportunity to own one. I can understand your feeling since I had a similar experience during my purchase. Keep looking out, there should be good examples out there.

The official review perhaps has the answer to your question. The Delta didn't come with a rear wash wipe. I can also confirm this since I have seen one in person. I agree that it is convenient during rains and while backing up in rains, but let me also add that what is under the hood is going to take away your grief. As I noted in this ownership report, the Alpha variant's headlights are pretty useless. It definitely needs an upgrade.

What's life with S-Cross without some great mods?

[hari_rama]

Congratulations Sudeep

Happy to see another story of pre-worshipped 1.6.

I myself added a 2016 1.6 Alpha (1.02 Lakhs on odo) to my garage in June month. Covered 10k km in last two months.

I have been using a 2011 Vento TDI which unfortunately had to go through Engine rebuild (@1.8 lakhs km) which was when i started looking for alternate.

Positives in my view compared to Vento

1) Space everywhere inside cabin - Front seats and rear seat
2) Better ground clearance as well as higer seating height for better visibility
3) Boot floor in same level as loading lip - good to sit while long drive pit stops
4) Ofcourse the explosive nature of engine
5) Chiller AC even at 1 Lakh km when compared to dull VW acs.
6) Cruise control and auto dim irvm
7) Fully foldable rear seats

Negatives compared to Vento

1) Ride is quite bumpy - I doubt the suspension setup as car is 1L plus run.
2) Very non-linear acceleration. Driver enjoys and passengers curses - Mine is on stock map
3) Very hard clutch compared to Vento
4) FE seems to be lesser (14 kmpl in city and 18 kmpl on highways) when compared to my Vento with almost same thrills of 1.6 Litre diesel.
5) Noisy and vibration during idle and cold start - improves when running.
6) Rattles !!! Vento @1.8 lakhs and engine rebuild is way better in build fashion.
7) Smaller boot

Good part is having both 1.6's in garage and having best of both worlds.

After reading all over tbhp on the Scross 1.6, wolf remap, lamp upgrade and alloy change are on the wishlist.

Btw, in case if it helps you can try using diesel additives once, i tried using an diesel additive for injector and fuel system cleaning. Used once a brand called Bardahl and another time a brand Adon (IOCL marketed, made by Total). I could feel the injector valve noises reduce and overall engine felt smoother and bit silent.

[ampere]

Some how I think Fiat should have commercialised the 1.6 MJD more aggressively. Its an amazing beast in terms of what I heard and the BS6 version if possible would have added to it.

But we never would get to know what would have happened if that engine had made it to more cars in India!

[Thatautoguy46]

Can you tell at what price you got it for? I'm looking at a 2016 1.6 Alpha, 50K KMs with an asking price of 7.5L.

[hari_rama]

Originally Posted by Thatautoguy46

Can you tell at what price you got it for? I'm looking at a 2016 1.6 Alpha, 50K KMs with an asking price of 7.5L.

I bought mine (June 2016) for 6.5 Lakhs. It could have been further negotiated to 6.2 lakhs i guess, but felt will lose this car to someone else.

Mine was Alpha with just 1k run tyres, 2022 battery and 7 months insurance pending. It had run 1.02 lakhs run and thorough detailed service history with Maruti showroom.

Hope this helps.

[jaunthead]

Congratulations SudeepG! This was an excellent buy. The little that I drove the car, the clutch surely felt lighter than on my 1.6. Plus with it being wolfed- more fun to drive overall. Finally this was bound to happen. You were distracted by other love interests momentarily but then at the end you returned to your one true love- scross 1.6!

[sudeepg]

***** First Long Drive *****

I completed a three day solo trip to Hyderabad last week. As expected, S-Cross performed extremely well and I thoroughly enjoyed the drive, so much that I didn't use the music system until the last several KMs. It was a great feeling at the end of the trip and I appreciated even more what a wonderful machine this is!

--- The trip summary ---

• To begin with the highway is just too good! Smooth tarmac but many rumble strips. With the correct tyre pressure, this isn't much of a problem.
  
  
• Effortless cruising! I don't recall my RPM going anytime over 3,500-4000.
  
  
• At 6th gear with a speed of 120 KMPH everything feels normal and in control. RPM is ~2300. Turn on the cruise and you are set for a relaxed drive. Just watch out for cattle crossing at all times.
  
  
• The 5th and 6th gears are tall! Once you shed speed below 100 KMPH, you HAVE to drop two gears to not lug the engine and get back to cruising speed quickly.
  
  
• As expected, there was some competition. A couple of them were dismissed without much effort. Of course, I also had the weight advantage of an empty car.
  
  
• On the return journey, the advantage of Morimotos was extremely helpful to see far and wide at night.
  
  
• There are two segments of the drive experience - The quick pull away to 100 KMPH & post 100 KMPH. Beyond 100 you have very less competition because of the stability and effortless pickup even in topmost gears due to the wonderful gearing. I wonder what the Wolf Stage 2 & 3 maps are like with the bigger turbo. Would like to experience this before I think of hardware upgrades
  
  
• I started the return journey with just over a half tank and got lost in the experience of the drive that I failed to notice the reducing range. I was alerted to a low fuel warning on the outskirts of Ananthpur. The warning came when the range was about 70 KM to go and then there was no range display at all!!! I kept pushing forward in the hope to find a fuel pump close by but found none. The ones which I did find were closed. I made a decision to turn towards Hyderabad upon spotting an open one on the other side of the highway. This turned out to be a good decision since many fuel stations were already closed.
  
  
• It is quite normal for people to block and cut you off on the highway - Don't fret, find that gap and you will leave them far behind quickly. Once you go past them, you will find yourself looking at the rearview mirrors - Picture this: You are picking up speed as you see the cars behind you go smaller in the rearview. You may see wide open mouths, while you are grinning from side to side. Just don't forget to look at the road ahead, heh!
  
  
• You pull over at a picturesque spot and you can't help taking pictures of your ride and you think to yourself - What a heck of a machine is this in this segment at this price point?

No update is complete without some stats. So for the folks who like to know, here it is

• Total KMS driven: 1242
• Fuel Consumed: 64 liters
• Mileage given: 19.40 (MID says 20.1)
• Average Speed: 58 KM/Hr
• Toll Charges: INR 545
• Time (both directions on the highway): ~18.5 hours with 2-3 breaks
• Smiles: Unlimited

[trinity0114]

Originally Posted by sudeepg

***** First Long Drive *****

• Total KMS driven: 1242
• Fuel Consumed: 64 liters
• Mileage given: 19.40 (MID says 20.1)
• Average Speed: 58 KM/Hr
• Toll Charges: INR 545
• Time: ~8.2 Hours with 3 breaks
• Smiles: Unlimited

If I am reading it correctly then you covered 1242 KM's in 8.2 hours that translates to an average speed of 151 KMPH Is that even possible on Indian highways?

[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by trinity0114

If I am reading it correctly then you covered 1242 KM's in 8.2 hours that translates to an average speed of 151 KMPH Is that even possible on Indian highways?

Good catch. The time is one way towards Hyd, while the KMS covered is the total for both ways. The traffic was really slim during the onward journey.

Sorry I missed mentioning that specifically for the time part. Can't edit it now either.

[gururajrv]

Congrats Sudeepg for getting an excellent machine. Perhaps, the car would look smashing with a good set of wheels now I’ll be closely watching your thread for updates around the same.

Happy & safe motoring!

[sudeepg]

*** Updates to my S-Cross ***

We got a 10-day Dusserah holiday and this was another opportunity to do a long drive. I was planning to hit Kochi to get the map updated and this was one of the prime agenda for me. So off I started on Oct 1, 2022.

I reached out to Rajiv, who, as usual, advised that I drive down to Kochi and meet Sreekanth to get the map updated to a recent version which has better power delivery and less smoke. This map is named 1+. heh . I drove to their Edapally center and was out in about an hour. This is the first time I also got to see where the ECU for S-Cross 1.6 was located.

So here are the results. But before that:

*** Credits ***

I had an excellent experience with Wolf team. Rajiv, if you are reading this, then I am a H-U-G-E fan of your work and skill! Owning a good performance car like this gets even more sweeter when you have a dedicated tuning team like this. Also credits to Dr. Naren for all the tests & feedback from your car. Your ownership thread is a bible for 1.6 owners.


*** Tune behaviour before ***

• Low end power delivery is good enough to clear the 2nd gear speed breaker test. Moves without much clutch modulation. That said I would have liked the second-gear acceleration to be smoother. It felt like the car is being held back. Slot into third and the pull is strong with pushback under medium to hard acceleration.
  
  
• Mid range is strong as usual.
  
  
• Top end is strong with a downshift from 6th to 5th required if you drop speed at 120.
  
  
• I had a plume of smoke exiting the exhaust while accelerating from 1st to 2nd and slightly more from 2nd to third.
  

*** Tune behaviour now (What's changed) ***

• Great low end power delivery. I really mean it! This was verified by another BHPIan jaunthead who also owns an S-Cross 1.6 in stock form. The first and second gear roll is smooth & effortless. I can feel the better power delivery during second gear speed breaker move as well as on the exiting ramp in my apartment. The power delivery has been slightly panned out in these first and second gears is how I feel it. At 40 KMPH there is no lugging at all in third gear. The linear pull from that speed under medium acceleration is much enjoyable. Mind it, it is not a lot, but the way the tune is, the roll is effortless - Cross the speed breaker under 10 KMPH and off you go without any effort by applying power. My favourite activity is watching the rear view mirrors as the car picks up speed.
  
  
• Almost zero smoke! It seems the tune could be updated to reduce even this. I am looking forward to that.
  
  
• Mid range, and top-end remain more or less the same. I can't tell much, but the return journey was super duper fun with power spread very efficiently across the rev range.
  
  
• On the test run, I almost floored the A Pedal and experienced a nice wheel spin.

*** Real world experiences ***

• My favorite gears are 3rd & 5th and then 4th for that extra punch at overtakes.
  
  
• On the Coimbatore - Palakkad stretch, the L&T Bypass is the one I hate the most. The 1.3 S-Cross needed to be worked well to do overtakes, even then, overtaking multiple cars was a big challenge and had to be planned well. One or two car lengths were good after the remap. S-Cross 1.6 is a gem in this area with the 3rd & 4th gear making it really sweet. This machine keeps going and you can feel it on the pedal! Woohoo!
  
  
• Brake and Shoot - i.e. slow down and pick up speed: Again 5th, 4th, and 3rd are the real gears for these scenarios. I believe this is where many other cars find it difficult to keep the momentum. You drop speed and shift down and this thing accelerates effortlessly.
  
  
• High-speed acceleration - Engaging 6th ideally should be above 120 KMPH (at least in my opinion) and it goes all the way to 180 without a sweat. This is also another area where most cars fall out, including my S-Cross 1.3. The 1.3 was a comfortable cruiser up to 120 KMPH with no drama. A little more and she didn't complain in Map #2 & Map #3 until 140.
  
  
• At 6th gear 110 KM/Hr speed, you are at 2000 RPM, right at the beginning of the power band (no changes there)
  
  
• Idling RPM is ~900
  
  
• High-speed braking is very good initially, but I felt the brakes fade under hard braking. I tried high speeds and braking only twice in an empty stretch just to test.
  
  
• Need less to say the handling at high speeds by this car is absolutely good for a car of this segment! Wide curves can be covered at 140 KMPH without any fuss.
  
  
• Wheel balance was spot on even at 170.

*** Niggles/Irritants ***

• High sound intrusion at high speeds and Continentals are noisy. I sincerely hope we will get Michelins again. I miss those tyres!
  
  
• Rattles! The plan is to damp the car in the coming holiday season.

*** Others ***

• In city driving - The third gear is the best. You can drive this car almost like an automatic due to the tune it operates in. I am also extremely happy with the Morimoto Stage 4 headlights on this car. These lights or similar are absolutely a must for this car. Makes night drives very safe and enjoyable. LED Fog lamps with 3 different temperature (K) settings have been procured. DIY will be up soon.
  
  
• I also got healthy fuel efficiency figures on the onward journey at just over 20 KM/Liter of diesel.
  
  
• This car takes over a second to crank from a cold start. Turns out this is the typical behaviour of 1.6 MJD.

*** Conclusion ***

As always, I'd like to reiterate to our community that high-speed driving can be dangerous. I exercised much caution as I could with speeding only to test under 3-4 lane barricaded roads. 120 KMPH is home for this car and this made all the difference in the journey. Thanks to very less traffic on the return journey, we completed the Thrissur - Bangalore journey in 5 Hours and a little over 50 minutes. This is just running time to the point of exit at Attibele. No marks on guessing how long it took from Attibele to Whitefield

I am very happy with the updated map and thank Wolf and other S-Cross owners for their updates and passion for this car. I will surely go for the updated map when it comes out so that the car smokes less

[sudeepg]

Happy Diwali Everyone

Fog light upgrade

It is a very well-known fact that fog lights, and most OEM lights, are quite dull and ineffective for regular use. The premium offerings from Maruti all come with the dull fog lights that have been in use for years. I had previously used XP Micros on my blue S-cross and they never failed me, besides providing great light on highways. I wanted to install these fogs in my white S-cross as well and had procured them from Blaze India. As a Diwali gift, I installed them yesterday.

***** Credits *****

• To a good friend and BHPian Ashton Castellino who helped procure the H8/H11 connectors at a reasonable cost & for the good advice during install. Thoroughly enjoyed the conversation on how to go about the installation.
  
  
• To my dear son who always helps me with the DIY

***** The Product *****

Make: Sealed IPHCar Bi-LED Fog lamps with high and low beams
Lens Size: 3.0 Inch
Waterproof rating: IP67
Colours: Yellow (3000K), White (5000-5500K).
Operating Voltage: 9 - 18 Volts
Provider: Blaze India

***** The Installation *****

The box says installation is straightforward, but it isn't so. First, the low and high-beam wires do not come with end connectors for universal compatibility. They come like this:

We have to procure the corresponding waterproof connectors (For S-Cross H8/H11) or resort to using electrical tapes. The latter approach also makes it somewhat difficult to maintain it in the long run since these fogs sit very close to the ground and can be subjected to a lot of water splash.

Secondly, there are multiple problems I encountered when I began the installation.

1. The S-Cross comes with fog lamps which have a small protruding plastic latch that holds the stock fog lamps. These need to be cut so that the mounting bracket for these LEDs can fit in.
   
   
2. The mounting bracket is a curved T Shaped bracket with vertical and horizontal adjustments. It is impossible to tighten them once it is installed due to the lack of space for the Allen key to reach into the screw on the inside area. Not even a short, 90-degree Allen key can access it.
   
   NOTE: Keep in mind that the fogs are mounted in the S-cross from the front side, not from inside the bumper. Even in the case of mounting from inside the bumper, you will need the bumper to be securely mounted before alignment. To reach the inside area of the bumper, you have to remove holding screws which will throw the bumper out of alignment.
   
   
3. You need two washers to get a good grip on the mounting bracket for the projector. Even then I am 100% sure that due to the vibrations, they will come off by themselves in no time. You have to use a thread locker like Loctite to lock it in, but the issue again is, how do you apply the thread locker since aligning and tightening is impossible (due to the point noted above). If you remove and tighten it by hand, the alignment of the beam will go off. I resorted to using a bit of MSeal to secure the projectors. Unfortunate, but that is what it is.

You will have to bend the bracket a bit to align the mounting holes. I chose not to install the high beams for two reasons

1. One yellow light on high beam can be very distracting
   
   
2. The high beam isn't that tall & I am already having great high beams on the Morimotos.

The color is cycled using the fog lamp switch (On/Off)

***** Pictures of installation *****

[Ashtoncastelino]

A fantastic Add-on to the S-cross SudeepG ! The light output and cutoff looks great. It's nice that you can switch the colours on the go. The Scross lighting looks complete with this addition.

I love your attention to small details which a lot of people miss.Btw I can't thankyou enough for clearing all my doubts and queries about projectors and whatnot.

Happy Diwali

Regards
Ashton Castelino