At the Crossroads
A lot has been said, and written, about the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross. Good or bad – we don’t really want to get into all that till we’ve actually driven it for a couple of months.
And, as luck would have it, Maruti sent us the top-of-the-line 1.6-litre S-Cross. Honestly speaking, it does lack road presence as it reminds one too much of the SX4. A little bit of dynamism could have helped the S-Cross’s cause. But, let bygones be bygones – and let’s look ahead, shall we?
There is, after all, more to a vehicle than just its exterior appearance. What has us smitten is the cabin. Maruti has smartly used a mix of soft and hard plastics – which, in their words, “does feel premium” and even special in some cases. The all-black interior also ensures that it doesn’t age rapidly. We love the 7-inch touch screen infotainment system, which lets you pair your smartphone easily. Maruti has kept the design simple and user friendly. It’s intuitive and has a responsive touch input – something that we all can relate to nowadays thanks to smart phones! The seats are big and wide, but how comfortable they’ll be on a long drive is something that we’ll have to comment on after a road trip. What is an additional boon is that the rear seats recline for better comfort.
The S-Cross’s trump card is the new 1.6-litre engine, which is one of the most refined diesel engines around. With 118bhp, it has decent power and the ride quality is also comfortable. But, again, we’ll only know how it really fares in time. One has to get used to the pedals a little bit, especially the bite point of the clutch. If the S-Cross stalls, don’t worry – you just have to get used to the pedals.
On the whole, my first first impression of the S-Cross is quite positive – barring its appearance. At any rate, I’m looking forward to living with it for the next few months.
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