In the BS6 era, Maruti Suzuki will be moving ahead with petrol engines only and has ditched diesel models altogether across its portfolio. Earlier, the models in Maruti Suzuki’s line-up which were only being offered with diesel engines have also shifted to petrol engines. A fine example of it is the launch of BS6 Vitara Brezza sometime back. Maruti Suzuki S-Cross has a similar story arc as the Brezza. Previously, it was only being offered with a diesel engine but after discontinuing it, they have teased the launch of BS6 Petrol S-Cross on the NEXA website.
If you rewind the clocks a little, you would remember Maruti Suzuki showcasing the petrol-only BS6 S-Cross at the Auto Expo 2020. The major change in BS6 Petrol S-Cross is obviously the engine. The petrol variant of this crossover uses a 1.5-litre K-Series four-cylinder petrol motor that makes 104bhp and 138Nm of torque. This comes mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed TC automatic transmission. It also houses Maruti’s SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) mild-hybrid technology which promises good fuel economy without taking a toll on performance. It would be really interesting to see how this engine performs in the S-Cross. Besides the engine, expect minor styling updates and the Smartplay system to be introduced in the BS6 S-Cross, along with LED headlights in all probability.
It replaces the diesel motor, which was a very reliable and trustworthy oil burner which made roughly 89 bhp and 200 Nm of torque while coupled to a 5-speed manual. This wasn’t the only engine option on offer with the S-cross as there was one more diesel unit which was later discontinued in its BS4 avatar. It was a 1.6-litre diesel motor which churned out 118bhp and 320Nm of torque, paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox. Despite offering exciting performance, it was discontinued because of the low demand. Going forward, Maruti plans to equip most of the cars in its portfolio with CNG and beyond that, could take the hybrid route in order to continue offering pocket-friendly cars which offer great value.