2017 Maruti Suzuki S-Cross India Review, Price, Specs, Mileage, Image Gallery, Interior and Features

We were in Udaipur recently for the new 2017 Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Facelift Alpha Review. With the car parked outside the hotel’s gates, we were busy clicking the insides under some shade. Clearly impressed by what they saw, a family of four walked towards the car, tapped the window and shot many questions, the answer to which we had was some horizontal head movement. They asked if the facelifted Maruti Suzuki S-Cross gets a petrol engine? If it gets an automatic transmission? And if they could get in and take a look? For the last question though, we nodded vertically. As they got out and started walking away, they even turned their necks to give that new grille and those really bright DRLs a second look.

You see, this attention the S-Cross received is because it has spent time in Maruti’s wellness and grooming department to lose that droopy face. From back to front, the glide slope design on the earlier car has been jacked up at the front, and just that minor upliftment has transformed the S-Cross’ presence on the road. What else has changed apart from the chin going up? Let’s take a look.

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Design and Styling

Perked up and aggressive. That was our first impression when we saw the car in person. It is literally a facelift, where the new S-Cross’ fascia makes the older car’s face look tired and dull. Like somebody splashed icy cold water on the car’s face and injected a litre of caffeine in its body to awaken its appearance.

There are some bold creases on the hood, an imposing new chrome grille, and LED headlamps with some real sharp inputs. With the exception of those fenders, everything up front is new. And like us, if you didn’t really like the way it looked when it first appeared in pictures, once you see it in person, your opinion will most certainly change. The new S-Cross does have the presence, especially in this NEXA Blue shade.

Sideways, not much has changed except for those 16″ two-tone alloy wheels which come wrapped in 215/60 section rubber. Likewise, the only change at the rear are the details inside the taillight housing, which now gets LED combination lamps. Here too, the comparatively horizontal placement of illuminated bits enhances the car’s width. The changes aren’t revolutionary, but they’ve gotten the job done for Maruti by infusing new life into something, which to be honest, was never a looker. It is now.

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Engine and Performance

The refreshed Maruti Suzuki S-Cross will now only be powered by a 1.3-litre DDIS motor which is good for 89 bhp @ 4,000 rpm and 200 Nm of torque at 1,750 clicks. It benefits from a Smart Hybrid system which has been paired to an integrated starter generator. To break it down, what it adds to the driving bit is a clutch linked Start/Stop system, brake energy regeneration, and a torque assist function which harnesses the energy of the former and helps the engine when required. Of all the three functions, the Start/Stop system is the most apparent, while effects from the other two are barely perceptible. There’s a green light on the instrument cluster which glows every time the system is active. Oh and there’s a gear shift indicator too.

We don’t need to tell you much about the performance characteristics of this engine, as chances are, if you’ve driven a diesel-powered Maruti, you know how this motor performs. However, we’re glad to report that initial lag is well managed with respect to the older car. Power delivery is gradual and mature even when the turbo kicks in near the 2,000 rpm mark. Gearshifts are smooth, and the stick slots through the gates effortlessly. The clutch pedal is easy on your left foot too.

The motor is still chatty though, and inside the cabin, it does talk quite a lot when you push things a little. However, it isn’t that big an irritant as the native sounds it makes aren’t all that harsh on your ears. On the driveability front, you will be giving that 5-speed gearbox a good workout every time the engine speed dips into its not so strong bottom end. In the current scheme of things, overall performance is adequate and enthusiasts will whine about the 1.6-liter’s punch being taken away. But the country’s biggest car manufacturer knows what its majority of loyalists want and they’re giving them just that.

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Ride and Handling

Maruti hasn’t tinkered with the S-Cross’ underpinnings and the car continues with its appreciable ride quality. A bigger contact patch in comparison to the older car has only helped and lends the S-Cross with stable road manners. While turning the car around though, we figured that at 5.5 metres, the S-Cross’ turning radius could’ve been shorter. Ventilated front and solid discs at the rear provide strong braking performance but serious bite arrives only when the pedal has travelled some distance.

The steering feels slightly vague around its dead position but picks up weight once the car gets going. Through some fast, flowing corners, the car felt planted and settled, even when it encountered any odd undulations midway. The new JK UX Royale rubber rolls quietly in comparison to the Elanzos on the earlier car. However, the rubber quality seems to favour life instead of performance and it shows in its limited flexibility, which makes the ride slightly stiff at low speeds.

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Interiors and Features

Everything inside is just the same as the older car. However, soft-touch plastics and the fit-n-finish did impress. There’s a crisp looking MID in the instrument console and the infotainment system gets CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Satin chrome finished accents try to add some glitz to the all-black cabin and there’s some piano black insert around the infotainment screen to make things appear premium. That thing’s a fingerprint magnet though.

At the rear, space all round is more than adequate but taller folks might complain about not so great under-thigh support. The rear backrest offers a two-position adjustment for recline and can tumble in a 60:40 split to release more boot space. There’s a central armrest and pockets behind the front seat’s backrest but no rear AC vents to score more brownie points. Air conditioning through the main blowers is strong enough though.

Equipment wise, the S-Cross gets cruise control, auto headlamps and wipers, but no sunroof or a cooled glove box for that matter. Dual airbags, rear seat ISO-FIX mounts and ABS with EBD are offered as standard across trims. The new S-Cross is already compliant with upcoming new safety norms which decide a vehicle’s safety score by including parameters like frontal offset crash, side impact and pedestrian safety.

The refreshed Maruti Suzuki S-Cross will be available in four trim levels – Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. There will be five colour options to pick from, which include NEXA Blue, Pearl Arctic, Caffeine Brown, Premium Silver and Granite Grey.

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Details and Features Explained Through Images

That gap above those headlamps stands out if it ever catches your eye

Stop and position lights are combined in one

Sound deadening helps because the engine is pretty vocal on the outside

Rear backrest splits and tumbles

The flagship doesn’t get that fancy screen like the Baleno

Front chairs offer all-around support

No rear ac vents but airconditioning is strong

We almost read it as LUX

Infotainment screen doesn’t wash out even in bright sunlight

Glovebox is average sized

You see you

She sees her

Wheel is adjustable for both rake and reach. Varry Nice.

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Facelift Buying Advice

By the looks of it, almost certainly. Because in its new avatar, the new S-Cross ticks all the right boxes, including those related to aesthetics and appearance. The makeover has tightened the car’s loose ends and made it a strong contender in the segment it settles in. Powered by a tried-n-tested motor, sturdy mechanicals, and a well-finished cabin which gets most features, this is another no-brainer if somebody is out there for a practical family car. Moreover, the S-Cross no longer needs to sit around with a long face and with this makeover, it will definitely walk into many garages with its head held high. Almost literally.