The BS6 model of Maruti Suzuki’s Nexa badged crossover has been due for a long time but now, finally Maruti Suzuki has announced that the BS6 S-cross will go on sale on August 5. Like its younger sibling- Vitara Brezza, the Maruti S-Cross is all set to be offered with a petrol engine only, as the Fiat-sourced 1.3L national diesel engine was discontinued in order to meet the stringent emission norms.
The car was originally supposed to hit the dealerships in April but the imposition of nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic force pushed the launch.
How is it different from BS4 Maruti S-Cross?
The crux or rather, all the changes have been made with respect to the mechanicals only. As mentioned earlier, Maruti has finally parted ways with the Fiat-sourced diesel rig that produced 90PS and was offered on a number of Suzuki cars.
S-Cross now gets the BS6 norms compliant 1.5L petrol engine which is also offered with many Maruti cars like mid-size sedan Ciaz, Ertiga, XL6, and Vitara Brezza. This engine produces 105PS of power and 138Nm of torque. It will come mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. It also expected to borrow the 4-speed torque converter automatic that is offered with the Ciaz and Ertiga.
Unlike the BS4 variant which offered the choice of Suzuki’s mild-hybrid tech across the range, updated S-Cross will feature the tech only with the automatic variants.
Apart from mechanicals, there will be no cosmetic changes. However, In terms of features, it is expected to get the latest version of Suzuki's SmartPlay Studio Infotainment system. Apart from this, It will continue to get features like apple carplay & android auto connectivity, auto climate control, LED projector headlamps, 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, driver seat height adjustment, etc.
Expected Pricing
Since the petrol engine is all set to replace the diesel which was being offered across its entire range, S-Cross’s price can be expected to drop marginally. While the BS-4 S-Cross retailed in the price range of Rs 8.81-11.44 Lakhs, the BS-6 S-Cross which will only be offered with a petrol engine is most likely to be priced in the range of Rs 8.50-11.50 lakhs.
As the Crossovers have not really gone well with the taste of the majority of Indian buyers, It happens to be a pretty limited segment. Thus S-Cross will lock horns with Honda WR-V and even the likes of Renault Duster, Kia Seltos, Nissan Kicks, and Hyundai Creta indirectly.
Author’s Take
Maruti S-Cross has not really taken off, a probable reason has been the fact that it has not really been able to define its personality properly. It comes across too blank to be deemed the tag of a compact SUV (with the likes of Creta doing very well) and as a pricey offering when pitched up against compact crossovers (likes of Freestyle comes across as much more value for money).
The Crossover received its last update in 2017, which simply suggests that a major update is need of the hour to spark a revival in crossover’s fortunes.
