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It’s a mix of a large hatchback and a compact SUV
The CarDekho Garage just got its latest entrant - the Suzuki S-Cross. It's something my colleague Arun was most excited about.
Unfortunately, his excitement was cut short the moment he peeped under the hood and saw the DDiS200 engine and not the DDiS320. I, on the other hand, was more than happy to welcome this unique set of wheels.
Now talking about the car itself, the S-Cross isn’t like any of the run of the mill Marutis. In fact, it isn’t even a run of the mill car.
First, it is touted to be India’s first, true-blue, 'Premium Crossover' - unlike most hatchbacks that are converted into one. Second, Maruti introduced the Nexa brand with it. For plenty of reasons, the S-Cross was an extremely important launch for Maruti-Suzuki.
The S-Cross, like its name suggests - is a proper crossover. It’s a mix of a large hatchback and a compact SUV. From the front, the large headlamps take precedence over everything else and that isn’t a good thing. Other elements, including the grille and that skid plate, look smaller in comparison.
We like how it looks from the side, with the cladding and that strong swage line. We even love the way the 16-inch alloys look, even though at first glance they look more like wheel-caps.
The rear carries a safe design and there is nothing you can dislike. Overall, I’ll just add that even if you do not like the S-Cross at first glance, it’s a design that will grow on you. It definitely grew on us.
On the inside, the S-Cross does total justice to its premium tag. The seats feel great with generous contours and the quality of materials feel top notch as well. Even the dash is well laid out with very good feel.
The only bit of plastic we did not like was the power window switches which feel quite tacky compared to the plastics elsewhere. Our fully loaded Alpha variant even comes with the smart play infotainment system, multi info display and a reverse camera as well.
We loved how spacious the car is at the back and you can recline the rear seatback in two steps. We haven’t tried stuffing in luggage yet but at 353 litres, it’s a decent amount of space.
Since the car has just arrived, and we have barely clocked in some 70 km with all the driving being in stop-and-go traffic. But then, the S-Cross will see the highways pretty soon.
The DDiS200 engine may not have the oomph of the 1.6, but we can expect some very frugal figures from it.
The ride quality is extremely mature. The suspension is slightly stiff, but it does handle the bad stuff well.
The handling isn't quite sharp, thanks to the high ground clearance and the dual purpose tyres. That said, you can still have some fun in it.
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