The Maruti Suzuki S-Cross is a crossover that will be rivalling against the Renault Duster, Ford EcoSport, Nissan Terrano and the likes in the segment and will be offered with both petrol and diesel engines.
Maruti Suzuki’s next premium product after the Ciaz sedan, the S-Cross crossover will help the Indian auto giant establish its presence in the new compact SUV segment. With the launch still sometime away, Maruti is testing the S-Cross in the country and our reader Glen Pappan managed to snap the images of the test mule with heavy camouflage doing rounds near Gurgaon on the NH8. Showcased at the Auto Expo earlier this year, the production ready S-Cross will get certain aesthetic changes that will be differentiating the domestic model from the international version already on sale.
The Indian spec 2015 Maruti S-Cross gets a two-slat grille mostly with chrome garnish, instead of the 3-slat unit shown at the Auto Expo. Subtle revisions to the front and rear bumper and the tail gate are also expected. The S-Cross will get projector headlamps with LED daytime running lights and fog lamps most likely on the top end variants. On the inside, the crossover will be sharing several components from other Marutis, so don’t be surprised to see bits from the Swift, Ertiga or Ciaz trickle into the S-Cross’ cabin.
In terms of powertrain, Maruti will offer the car with both petrol and diesel engines. A 1.6-litre diesel engine that produces 118 PS of power, paired most likely to a 6-speed gearbox is expected on the vehicle. Both the engines will be available in three variants each.
It is still unclear whether Maruti would offer All-Wheel Drive or not, but considering that the Duster has it now, it would be a good idea to do so. The S-Cross will be competing against the Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano, Ford EcoSport, upcoming Hyundai ix25 and the likes in the segment, with the price range expected to start from Rs. 8.5 lakhs for the base variant going up to Rs. 12 lakhs for the top-end AWD equipped version. The S-Cross is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2015.
