Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Long Term Report: May 2016

Mile Muncher

Having driven the S-Cross on a couple of occasions before, I think it’s apt to say that it’s not a love-at-first-sight kind of machine. Firstly, I still don’t think it qualifies as a crossover. The Fiat derived 1.6-litre oil burner is a terrific performer, but low down in the rev-range it only has dollops of lag on offer. And those bland looking alloy wheels need to go – they simply look boring on an otherwise good looking car.

But, after a short road trip, the S-Cross started to grow on me. A well balanced ride and handling setup makes it a kickass mile muncher, although it does tend to wallow a bit over undulations at high speeds. The diesel mill also comes into its own on the straightaways, since there’s absolutely no dearth of torque with 320Nm on tap. The engine doesn’t skip a beat as long as you keep the tacho needle hovering above the 2,000rpm mark. On top of that, the fuel-efficiency did not budge below 18km/l during the entire trip – even though I hardly used sixth gear at all.

Among the other things that I love about the S-Cross – the illumination from the HID projector lamps is phenomenal, the disc brakes on all four wheels provide impeccable stopping force, and the feature-loaded cabin has everything you’d ever want in a car. Overall, I think it’s a great value-for-money – especially after the price cut.