Bookings for the Suzuki S-Cross have commenced in India and one can book their premium Maruti for an amount of Rs. 25,000/-. The compact crossover will be offered with two diesel engines.
You must be wondering as to why our heading reads Suzuki S-Cross and not Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, that is because the upcoming vehicle from India’s largest car maker won’t feature any Maruti badge on it. The Japanese automaker hasn’t had success in the Rs. 10 lakh plus segment and to tackle their image of being only a small car player, Maruti Suzuki has taken several measures. One of them is the lack of Maruti badges on its premium offerings while the other is the retailing of premium vehicles through a new dealership network called Nexa.
First showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo, the Suzuki S-Cross took everyone by surprise at the biennial event as everyone expected to see the production version of the XA Alpha which was showcased in 2012. The S-Cross does seem like a car which will have limited appeal in India as it doesn’t have the SUV presence most Indians crave for. But don’t write it off just yet, it’s a car from the Maruti stable and could just work. The massive service network is sure to play to its advantage and talking of which, dealerships have started accepting bookings for the crossover for an amount of Rs. 25,000/-.
Maruti Suzuki hasn’t officially announced start of bookings but the launch is set for July. There are some India specific changes to the car but for the most part, the S-Cross is quite similar to the one sold overseas. The vehicle will come with the SmartPlay touch-screen infotainment system that is also seen on the Ciaz, it gets navigation other than the usual connectivity options. The S-Cross will ride on 205/16 tyres and won’t get ESP or AWD, at least not at the time of launch. The compact crossover will be equipped with all-wheel discs and cruise control be part of standard equipment.
Powering the Suzuki S-Cross are a set of diesel engines, the tried and tested 1.3-litre Multijet diesel will find its way in 90 PS/200 Nm tune while a more powerful 1.6-litre oil burner too will be offered, also being sourced from Fiat and generating 120 PS of peak power along with a massive 320 Nm of torque. The Suzuki S-Cross will fight it out with the Renault Duster and upcoming Hyundai Creta.
