S Cross --> The Ultimate Cruiser

Dear Readers, I am not a good writer but I have put in my best efforts to make this review worth a read. After extensive research going against everybody's (friends family) suggestions, I bought S-Cross in Dec 2015, and today I can proudly say that I made the right decision. S-Cross is a very practical offering from Maruti Suzuki, it has a plethora of features at a very competitive pricing not offered by any other OEM. What You may like: Big Safe build, Comfortable Ride,  Black Interior yet not claustrophobic , Tilt telescopic steering, ABS/Air Bags/ 4 Wheel Disc Brakes as standard across all variants, Superior Quality Brand Trust What You may dislike, Alloy wheel design, Bland looks Apart from the above two points there is nothing that you won't like in S-Cross. And while I am writing this review, Maruti-Suzuki has already worked in this area. The 2017 S-Cross has new set of alloy wheels which has a sassy look. Moreover, they are soon coming with a major facelift next year. Refer to the images attached. Now let's look at each area in Detail. Exterior The S-Cross has a huge bonnet designed to accommodate both 1.3 1.6 Diesel Mill which gives a bold look from the front. It is accompanied by a 2 slat grill with Suzuki Badge in between big halogen headlamps on the sides. The top-end variant gets the LED ,Pilot Lamps (don't confuse it with DRLs) and HID projector lamps. The bumper is divided into two halves of body color black cladding which continues on all four sides to give it a cross-over look. Fog lamps have been nicely integrated with silver chrome accents. You also get matte silver skid plates side skirt on all four sides. The roof rails could have been taller but still look very decent. On the rear you get the NEXA badging on the windscreen nice wrap-around tail lamps. For higher end models the reverse parking camera is very well integrated in the license plate lamp area. Also, S-cross doesn?t have the regular mechanical lever for the tail gate but it has an electronic button or a request button (in Higher variants) to open the tail. Interior Coming to the interiors, S-Cross offers a complete black package. The dashboard is made of soft plastic with a carbon fibre look which is very nice to touch feel. The A/C louvers knobs have a chrome accents. The instrument cluster is big with very elegant blue white back lit arrangement 3.5 Inch MID in the centre which displays information about your vehicles performance, the fuel economy, programming the safety alarms, cabin illumination settings. It also shows exactly which door is open. You get tilt telescopic steering which means you get both reach rake which I guess is the first in segment feature. Also there are steering mounted controls for telephony, audio cruise control. Yes S-Cross has cruise control which can be activated once you are above 40 Km/Hr. The centre console houses the audio system depending on the variant you get. On Alpha Zeta the touchscreen infotainment system is borrowed from Ciaz or 2-DIN audio system ( Delta Sigma) with CD player mated to a 6 Speaker configuration eliminates the need of any Audio upgrade in your car. The seats are well cushioned and offer phenomenal under thigh support which makes long journey very comfortable. Also, the driver seat is height adjustable, so one finds a comfortable position in no time. The sliding arm ? rest is one of the most delighted feature by Maruti, you can rest your arms easily change gears which adds to your comfort. Since the overall length of the car is quite long the same is reflected inside where you get ample leg room. I am 6ft tall so even at my driving position people at the back have ample space to stretch their legs. Also the overall height of the car is higher than other cross-overs in the market which gives you very good visibility. What you will miss in this car is the rear- air con but that will be compensated by the chilly A/C in the front. The S-Cross has a lot of storage space all around, 1 litre bottle holder in all the doors, 2 cup holders in front, illuminated glove box, storage space under the arm rest, for the higher variants you get centre arm rest on the rear set with cup holders. The boot size is 353 litre which is spacious enough to hold two large luggage bags and there are two storage bins on each side of the boot. Refer the images attached. Ride Handling The ride of the S-Cross is very smooth. It is truly a highway cruiser, it will absorb all the potholes on its way, thanks to its suspension system. S ?Cross is available only in diesel with 2 options 1.3 which is common with Ciaz Ertiga the all-new 1.6 multijet sourced from FIAT. The 1.3 engine is perfect for city riding as well as your weekend getaways. There is an initial turbo lag which vanishes once you pass the 1900RPM mark. The S-Cross has a rock solid stability when it comes to highway cruising. The body roll is minimal due to long wheelbase. But if you need extra power , extra fun, and you want to hear co-passengers saying ?Mazza aagaya ? go for the 1.6. It is so powerful that you will have joy of your lifetime pushing the throttle. Safety The S-cross scored 5 stars in ASEAN NCAP crash testing for adult safety. It offers Dual Air ? Bags, ABS EBD with all four disc brakes. The build quality brings the confidence of riding a safe car. Verdict Maruti Suzuki is working very aggressively for eradicating any of the short comings they feel in their products to deliver a perfect customer oriented products. S-cross is a star in every area. It has very spacious practical interiors/exteriors/performance safety combined with the premium touch feel at every corner. Ofcourse, the brand trust is always there with you.