Maruti has discontinued diesel variant of the S-Cross
Ahead of its expected launch in early June, key details about Maruti Suzuki S-Cross have been revealed. Maruti had recently resumed operations after restrictions were eased during Lockdown 4.0. One of the key changes in new S-Cross will be the 1.5-litre petrol engine that will be replacing the 1.3 litre diesel unit. S-Cross never had a petrol engine, so the shift to a petrol-only format can influence customer purchase decisions.
The BS6 compliant 1.5 litre petrol unit generates max power of 103 bhp at 6,000 rpm and max torque of 138 Nm at 4,400 rpm. In comparison, the 1.3 litre diesel unit makes 88.5 bhp at 4000 rpm and 200 Nm at 1750 rpm. As is evident, the petrol engine delivers more power but lacks the high torque offered by the diesel unit.
To ensure that customers don’t miss out on the powerful torque offered by diesel S-Cross, new S-Cross will be offered with Maruti’s mild hybrid system. This is already available with other Maruti cars such as Ciaz. Maruti’s advanced Smart Hybrid Technology is powered by lithium-ion and lead-aid dual battery pack. The hybrid technology is aimed at enhancing driving pleasure and has three primary components – torque assist function, brake energy regeneration and engine idle stop / start.
Torque assist supplies additional power, which in turn boosts acceleration. Engine idle stop start feature is aimed at improving fuel efficiency. The engine automatically turns off when idle and automatically starts when predetermined conditions are met. Brake energy regeneration coverts kinetic energy into electrical energy, which in turn is used to recharge the batteries.
Another key change in new S-Cross will be a 4-speed automatic transmission. This will be in addition to the 5-speed manual option. The earlier diesel variant only came with 5-speed manual transmission.
As compared to the outgoing model that was offered in four variants, new S-Cross will be available only in three variants – Delta, Zeta and Alpha. Manual and automatic transmission options will be available for all three variants. The base-spec Sigma variant will be discontinued. Delta will now be the base-spec model, which is expected to be priced at Rs 9.90 lakh for the manual variant.
Maruti is yet to open bookings for new S-Cross, but certain dealerships are taking unofficial bookings for a token amount of Rs 11k. New S-Cross will take on rivals such as Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Renault Duster and Nissan Kicks.
It will be interesting to see how petrol S-Cross fares in the market, as compared to the outgoing diesel variant. Maruti has already developed a 1.5-litre diesel engine in-house, but it has not been updated to BS6. As of now, the company has adopted a petrol-only roadmap for its cars. There are reports which hint that Maruti may never launch a diesel engine powered car in the future.
