S Cross - miles of smiles

Requirements- 1. Spacious 5seater car 2. Diesel engine with good fuel efficiency 3. Bulletproof reliablity 4. Optimum maintenance cost 5. Good build quality 6. Safety net (ABS, airbags) which weren't that pervasive in 2015 7. Interior of the car was more importance than exterior (as we would be spending more time inside the car) Options that the market had - 1. Renault Duster 2. Hyundai Creta 3. Maruti s cross 4. Maruti Ertiga 5. Ford scosport Thoughts behind my decision - 1. Passenger space was more important over bootspace. Interiors looked outdated. Hence, duster was eliminated 2. Creta 1.6 was expensive and out of the budget. Creta 1.4 was narrowly eliminated as it was less fuel efficient than s cross 1.3 and had less shoulder room in the rear as compared to s cross (Creta is genuinely a wide car, but the rear bench doesn't extend till the entire width of the car) 3. S cross loved the interiors - dark colour and rich texture. Wouldn't get soiled easily. Engine had just decent power. Lacked rear AC vents. Passenger room was the best. 4. Ertiga - didn't like small tires, less width and the interiors. 5. Ecosport - great car. Only downside is that the space offered is equivalent to space offered by a hatchback. Inadequate leg room for a family if plus sized adults. I harboured concerns regarding build quality of maruti, but s cross prooved me wrong. The doors shut with an European thud and body panels felt as if they were built to last Buying experience - Undoubtedly the NEXA guys (NEXA cybercity, Bhubaneswar) take the buying experience to a different level. You are well attended to at their showroom. The sales rep explain you all the options and prices. There were several good deals that we're available like alloy wheels, reverse parking camera, seat covers, floor mats, mud flaps - which we're almost an upgrade to the next higher version. I did a lot of research on various blogs (team BHP, etc) and finally zeroed on the S Cross. Riding experience- Stellar ride quality - eats up bumps and potholes with ease. Expansion joints become a thing to play with. Planted and plush ride over undulations. Handling was average. Yes, the A pillar does obstruct vision at times. Looks, performance and others- Looks wont slay you. But they will gradually grow over you. I fell in love with the interiors - they cocoon you. Soft texturing on the dashboard makes the car feel rich(better material than Creta) and the large glass area makes it feel airy. Turbo lag is present and below 1700rpm, the car feels like a sloth bear. Once the turbo kicks in, there is no dearth of power. The mid range and the top end are good. However, the car lacks bottom end. Max speed achieved - 170kmph (though 180kmph has been achieved by some in vast open stretches of tarmac) Car had the best manners on our highways. Servicing cost - 1st servicing - rs 3500 2nd servicing - rs 6800 3rd servicing - rs 8000 Costs include all consumables, engine oil, oil filter, etc Maruti guys provide excellent service at doorstep for any NEXA car. Even minute sounds inside the door were prompty attended to. We had also observed minute noise from the rear suspension. Maruti guys replaced the entire unit on the same day. Pros - 1. Excellent service 2. Fuel efficiency - 17.5 kmpl inside city (I am not always gentle on the throttle) 21kmpl on highways (100-120kmph) 23kmpl (80-100kmph which my father does) and 16kmpl (130-170kmph) 3. Good build quality (not aware if maruti has cut costs on the current models, but the first batch of s cross had great build quality. They were made for the European market and we're later introduced in India) 4. Ride quality is excellent - way ahead of Creta 5. Passenger space is the best in the segment. Large glass area is also an added advantage 6. Excellent brakes - disc brakes at all four ends - rest offer 2drum + 2disc Cons - 1. Turbo lag - takes time to get used to 2. Lack of rear AC vents - AC is adequately powerful to cool thanks cabin , but the driver will feel the chills first.. 3. Ground clearance - though 180mm ground clearance is good , with a full load of passengers , you can end up scraping the bottom (over mountaneous speed breakers and humps - has happened only once) 190-200mm ground clearance would have been better 4. Looks - won't set your heart on fire, but with time, they can grow on you People who love understated elegance (like Volkswagen) will love the car. People who long for looks won't. Happy car buying!