Indian testing is underway for Maruti’s upcoming crossover SUV, the S-Cross, and we’ve got our hands on the very first set of spy photographs of the car in Manali, India.
The S-Cross is Maruti’s entrant in the growing mid-size crossover-SUV segment in India. Maruti had the S-Cross on display earlier this year at the 2014 Auto Expo and sources tell us that it will hit showrooms early next year. Maruti is expected to make a number of changes to the S-Cross for the Indian market before launching it here next year.
As you can see from its basic silhouette, the S-Cross’s shape is more crossover than upright SUV. Still, it will have the requisite off-roader details, like high ground clearance, black cladding all around and metal scuff plates at the front and rear. Overseas, the S-Cross comes with Suzuki’s ‘Allgrip’ all-wheel-drive system, although it’s uncertain whether or not the Indian car will adopt this, or stick with two-wheel drive.
The Maruti S-Cross is expected to come with LED daytime running lamps and 16-inch alloy wheels, at least for the top-spec variant. The interiors of the Indian version are expected to feature a two-tone theme and, taking a page from Hyundai’s book, Maruti is also expected to load the S-Cross with a lot of equipment too. Much of the switchgear and even the steering wheel will be shared with other Maruti models to keep costs in check.
The S-Cross is expected to come with a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine. This unit, like the 1.3-litre diesel that does duty in other Marutis, will also be sourced from Fiat. It churns out a decent 118bhp of power and 32kgm of torque, and is expected to be mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.
When launched, the S-Cross is likely to be priced at around Rs 13-14 lakh, which will pit it against segment heavyweights like the Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano and some versions of the Mahindra XUV500.
AKBAR MERCHANT
Suraj Viswanathan
Glenn Noronha
Dhruv Dhaka
Dipan Sur
Uday Singh
