Maruti Suzuki S-Cross facelift spotted testing in India !

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, the premium SUV offering from India’s largest carmaker has been spotted testing under heavy camouflage in India.

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross was launched exclusively as the first premium offering from Maruti stable through its Nexa branded dealerships in 2015. The initial pricing was a bit too high for the customer’s liking and since competition had sub 4m SUVs at a cheaper price with similar performance, the Maruti Suzuki Crossover did not perform well.

Also, the SUV’s looks were more in line with an extended hatchback than an aggressive SUV and that too did not auger well for its career. Sensing low demand for its first premium SUV, the brand slashed its prices by over 2 lakhs. After the price correction the SUV has comfortably settled around 2500 units per month.

Considering the initial negative sentiments against the SUV, Maruti Suzuki has been very keen to bring the facelifted SUV to India. Suzuki had given an exclusive preview of the S-Cross facelift to a select group of people in Hungary last year. The feedback was more positive especially for its more aggressive nose design. The updated version of the premium SUV was previewed once again at the 2016 Paris Motor Show in September and had garnered good response.

Now, a heavily camouflaged version of the S-Cross facelift has been spotted testing in India indicating a nearing launch date. The Maruti Suzuki S-Cross facelift is expected to be launched around Diwali in Indian domestic market.

Currently, the S-Cross model available is for sale in 4 variants namely Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. The base variant starts at around Rs.8.2 lakhs and goes upto Rs.12 lakhs Ex-showroom, New Delhi for the range topping 1.6 Alpha variant. Expect the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross facelift to be priced at a premium of Rs.30000-50000 over the current sticker price.

While the International spec S-Cross is available with 1.6 litre petrol and 1.6 litre diesel engines along with a turbocharged 1.4 litre Boosterjet petrol engine with direct injection technology, the India spec model should continue with the two diesel engine options currently offered- 1.3 litre Multijet diesel good for 90 hp and the majestic 1.6 litre diesel generating 118 bhp. A 5-speed manual and a 6-speed manual should take care of transmission duties respectively for the two engine options.

Rumours are also rife about the launch of a 1.5 litre petrol engine developing around 100 hp to satiate the petrol heads. Expect the facelift to carry the redesigned nose along with updated interiors. Dimension wise the facelift should be identical to the outgoing model.

[Credits: GaadiWaadi]