Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker, was the first to introduce BS6-compliant cars in the country. And yet, it took almost a year to upgrade its crossover, the S-Cross. Well, finally, we have the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross with us. So what’s new? What’s the same? Let’s find out.
What are the changes at the outside?
In 2017, Maruti Suzuki gave S-Cross the midlife facelift. With this facelift came in new chrome grille sandwiched between LED projector headlamps and LED DRLs. On the side, you get to see 16-inch dynamic alloy wheels draped in 215/60 rubber. At the rear too, there were some minor changes with a mix of LEDs and halogen touch for the brake, indicator and reverse lights.
The 2020 S-Cross carries forward the design language from the 2017 iteration, as it is. There is nothing changed at the exterior.
What’s new on the inside?
On the inside too, there is no change at all except the all-new 7.0-inch Touchscreen SmartPlay infotainment system. It gets the same sophistication carried forward from 2017. So overall, there is no change when the design is concerned.
Getting under the hood of Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Petrol!
This is where the major change has taken place. Just like the other Maruti cars, S-Cross had to ditch the 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine. But the problem was, unlike other Marutis, S-Cross did not have any petrol engine earlier. This is when the company decided to give S-Cross its BS6-compliant K15B petrol engine.
Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Petrol | Engine Specifications
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| Engine | K15B Petrol |
| Capacity | 1,462cc |
| Power | 103ps@6,000rpm |
| Torque | 138Nm@4,400rpm |
| Fuel Efficiency (kmpl) | 18.55 (MT) / 18.43 (AT) |
The K15B powered S-Cross is really fun to drive. It has got an adequate amount of power and has got the torque to offer, especially in the low range. The Smart Hybrid tech adds a small boost as the engine crosses 2,000rpm. The 4-cylinder engine is highly refined.
The petrol engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission as standard. This time though, Maruti has also given the S-Cross their old school tried and tested 4-speed torque converter.
How feature-loaded is the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Petrol?
Being a product of NEXA, we expected S-Cross to offer some premium features. S-Cross does pack a lot of comfort and convenience features like tilt and telescopic steering, automatic climate control, cruise control, sliding armrest with storage, electrically adjustable ORVMs and steering mounted audio and calling controls.
But this crossover does lack some features that have become a common sight in the modern-day cars. These include a sunroof, front ventilated seats, rear AC vents and 12V or a USB socket. It’s 2020 and Maruti needs to offer more in their NEXA offering for sure.
Is the 2020 S-Cross Safe?
Cars from the NEXA channel are pretty loaded when it comes to safety. The 2020 S-Cross is no exception. It comes loaded with safety features like dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, Automatic LED headlamps, automatic wipers, Reverse Parking Sensors and camera, ISOFIX Child seat anchorages and hill hold assist.
It also comes with disc brakes all-around right from the base variant. This does put the driver in confidence for sure. Very few cars in the segment have this feature.
How was our experience with the S-Cross Petrol?
We took the S-Cross Automatic and tested it in the real world conditions. In the city driving, this is one of the finest cars we have come across. The smooth torque converter paired to the refined engine made the drive pleasurable. The NVH levels are pretty low, although the insulation could have been better.
The steering is responsive, the engine is great for city driving and the cabin is comfortable for sure. The air conditioning works pretty well and the rear seats too have got enough comfort one might look for in a crossover.
The length supports the thighs well making S-Cross one of the best in class for comfort at the rear as well.
The disc brakes all round with ABS, EBD and Brake Assist gives you good confidence and stopping power.
But when we took the car to the highway, the 4-speed AT restricted the engine to show its full potential. This is where we felt a CVT or a DCT would have been better. It took the S-Cross petrol around 14 seconds to reach 100kmph from a standstill. We expected the same from a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine. After all, it’s no 1.6-litre DDiS Diesel engine!
The company claims a fuel efficiency of 18.43kmpl with the automatic transmission. We were able to extract a mileage of 15.02kmpl in our run.
What will you have to spend on the all-new S-Cross Petrol?
2020 Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Petrol is offered in 4 variants: Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. The manual S-Cross starts at a price of ₹8,39,000 while the automatic variant starts at ₹10,83,500.
Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Petrol | Variant-Wise Price
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| Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Petrol Variants | Price (Ex-Showroom Delhi) |
| Sigma | ₹8,39,000 |
| Delta | ₹9,60,000 |
| Zeta | ₹9,95,000 |
| Delta Automatic | ₹10,83,500 |
| Alpha | ₹11,15,500 |
| Zeta Automatic | ₹11,18,500 |
| Alpha Automatic | ₹12,39,000 |
So, should you go for the 2020 Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Petrol?
If you are looking for convenient driving with optimum comfort and the VFM factor, S-Cross is for sure a choice you can make. It’s significantly cheaper than the equivalent Creta 1.5 and has almost all the bells and whistles you’ll need for your money. Talking about the pros, the S-Cross offers:
- Good Performance and fuel efficiency
- Great cabin space
- Premium interior and exterior
- Adequate Safety Features
Nothing is perfect in the world, not even the S-Cross.
- Does lack some premium features.
- Not much powerful when compared to rivals in the price segment.
- Could’ve got a turbocharged engine with a CVT or DCT.
So, if simplicity with performance is what you seek, go for the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross petrol. Still, got some questions? Do let us know in the comments section below. Also, subscribe to our YouTube channel to never miss such content.
Take a look: 10 Reasons Why 2020 Hyundai Creta is a Big Update India Needed!
