Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Discontinued - Model Removed From Official Website

Though Maruti Suzuki sold almost 1.7 lakh units of S-Cross premium crossovers in India, these figures barely represented the potential of the segment in which it was competing. One of the reasons for the reduced popularity among its target customers could be linked to the styling of the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross itself.

While the world is obsessed with SUV-like styling, the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross looked more like a bulked-up hatchback. This hatchback-like styling did not go well with its target customers, and the Indo-Japanese automaker couldn't utilise the potential of the segment. In contrast, the South Koreans nailed the design department and racked up consistent MoM and YoY sales for the respective companies.

Speaking about the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, the premium crossover was launched back in 2015 around the same time Hyundai launched the Creta SUV in the country. Though Maruti Suzuki offered many segment-first features to maintain the premium image and added convenience, Creta sales skyrocketed.

At the time of launch, Maruti Suzuki also offered the S-Cross premium crossover with two engine options. The base engine was a tried-and-tested 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder, multijet diesel engine with 88bhp of peak power and 200Nm of peak torque. Whereas the next engine option was the larger 1.6-litre, 4-cylinder multijet diesel engine with 118bhp of peak power and 320Nm of peak torque.

In terms of gearbox options, the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross during this time came equipped with a manual gearbox only. While the 1.3-litre variant used a 5-speed manual gearbox, the more powerful 1.6-litre unit came with an extra cog to fully utilise the additional power and torque from the larger engine. It is also worth mentioning that Maruti Suzuki never launched the S-Cross with a diesel powertrain and an automatic gearbox - A combination that is still very popular today. Apart from that, this engine is a favourite among tuners in India.

However, with the introduction of BS6 emission norms in the country, Maruti Suzuki pulled the plug on diesel engines and the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross was updated with a tried-and-tested 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, naturally-aspirated, mild-hybrid petrol engine with 103.3bhp of peak power and 138Nm of peak torque. Moreover, this engine was offered with a choice of either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed torque converter automatic gearbox.

However, despite sporting numerous design revisions and an updated powertrain, further backed by a big marketing budget, the sales figures of the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross failed to impress the Indo-Japanese automaker despite improved popularity among buyers.

Thoughts About Maruti Suzuki S-Cross

Though the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross is a solid product with good driving dynamics and efficient powertrain options, the model failed to excite Indian consumers mainly due to its hatchback-like styling, leading to mediocre sales performance. As such, Maruti Suzuki finally decided to pull the plug on the model to make more room for the new Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara hybrid SUV.

Moreover, the launch of the Grand Vitara SUV will enable the Indo-Japanese automaker to compete more directly with the segment-dominating South Korean SUVs such as Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos.