[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by drvhplyevraftr

How is the night time visibility with the 3M CR-70 film?. Does it reduce any glaring at all?. What is the cost involved?.

It does, in fact it does 2 things which I have observed closely

• It does keep the temperature inside the cabin lower by a degree or so. Earlier, I used to set the Aircon temperature to 25 degrees and currently set it to 26 degrees and have the same effect.
• I waited to test before I wrote this. It helps a bit but not to a great extent. During day when I look through the front windshield (where it is applied) vs the side glass the visibility is more pleasant through the front windshield. I'll post a picture soon.

Cost: I paid 7500 to 3M car care.

Originally Posted by t0m

When I purchased the S-Cross, the first question people asked me, why not Creta. None of them do anymore after having a drive in the car and seeing the comparative feature list. I believe most people still do not research about cars before buying and just go with the popular choices. Most people i talked to were not even aware of the features available in S-Cross.

Exact same experience again and again for me. A colleague of mine was very vocal about going for the S-Cross, but as soon as he stepped inside my car and drove it, he was floored!!

Originally Posted by t0m

You are going to be my engine tuning guru Sudeep as I am also planning to augment the engine performance. Although i am more tilted towards a race chip instead of remapping or a tuning box. Do update the thread about what you do on this.

Will do.

Originally Posted by t0m

One question for the fellow owners, the maps Suzuki claims are Here maps but i scoured the sd card and did not find any Here maps signature.

It is HERE maps. I think there is a picture of it from official thread and the Car manual also indicates a license from HERE.

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

Having came from a City, do you feel your 1.3 S Cross is an real upgrade other than the features & higher GC?

It's subjective. If you are looking for more excitement from the engine, you will be disappointed unless you get the 1.6 engine. But apart from that it is definitely an upgrade from the Honda city for the following reasons (IMO)

• The interiors are well put together just like in Honda city and the grade of plastics is way ahead than in the City. Fit & finish is really good.
• Space and comfort at the front and rear is as good as the city. The only fly in the ointment is the lousy head rest. Ingress and Egress is much better than in the City, although doors don't open at right angles.
• Better ground clearance and ride comfort compared to the City.
• Disc brakes all around - Very good safety equipment too.
• Fairly well planted in the handling department too.
• Loaded with features.

The only disappointment might be with the boot space.


More Updates on my experiences with the S-Cross

Inconveniences

1. Scrolling through Phone Contacts or logs - It's difficult to scroll through the contacts list especially when the list is very large. You could swipe continuously in a quick fashion and it will keep scrolling for a until you tap the screen again for it to stop, but it's mostly not the experience you want.

   Warning - Never do this while driving or you are looking at creating an accident.
   

   Tip: Use the Voice calling feature instead - It works very well.

2. The headlamp switch positions go like this Auto (Pilot, Tail and Headlamps come on/off automatically). The second position brings on the pilot lamps plus tail lamps. The third position brings on the headlamps, tail lamps and pilot lamps. In the auto mode, the lights come on as soon as I enter the basement of my office and my apartment. Also, they come on early during evening time. I usually prefer to turn on the lamps when it's a bit more darker. If you are in the habit of turning off the headlamps (but keep the pilots and tail lamp on), then the easiest way to achieve this is to twist the control stalk forward rather than backward. Backward twist switches off all lamps. It turns out that the darkness level at which the lights come on can be adjusted by service. Great! See this:
   
3. The HIDs take some time to get it's full brightness. It's not effective if you enter a dark area suddenly, for example a tunnel. You should turn on the lights well before you hit the tunnel.
   
4. In the Auto mode, HID's come on and off un-necessarily. For instance in Bangalore, when you drive through roads with lots of shades, the HIDs will turn on. Best to control it manually
   
5. Fog lamps are not bright enough and hardly visible from the cabin. There is a separate switch to control it.
   
6. The HERE maps navigation system gives you very long round about routes sometimes rather than short routes even with well-known roads. For instance I was on queens road, Bangalore trying to get to the Pratham Service which is adjacent to it. To get there, the easiest route was to use cunningham road and take a quick deviation. Instead of that the system took on a very long roundabout route that was well over 5 KMs more!!

Good things:

1. The infotainment system is quick to respond mostly. Long press will put the unit into standby mode and it's back playing the song as soon as you tap the power on switch. If you stop at a red signal and turn off ignition, it will cut the media playing, but the system starts playing as soon as you tap the engine start/stop switch to get into accessories mode.
2. The screen is bright, fairly good colour usage and has good and easy to read fonts. Gentle tap is all that is required to get a command going.
3. The voice response system is pretty good. It recognizes my voice well. If there are multiple numbers for a contact, you can choose one using the line numbers listed.
4. Does it work for dialing a number that is not in your contacts list? (Yet to try)
5. Automatic wipers are really good. They come on and turn off when there is mist to good rainfall. Adjust that with the time delay and you can leave it at that for the rest of the car's life! One important thing though - Never wash your windshield with the ignition on. Chances are that you may get hurt when the wipers come on unexpectedly in Auto mode.
6. Pairing with my phone via bluetooth works quickly every time!
7. Pretty clear reverse camera!

Mileage driving in City with A/C at 26 degrees auto mode. (Using tank-tank method) - 16.03 KMPL - this is just awesome - a clear 25% increase from my city!

Some pictures

Pilot Lamps



Deep Storage Space to the right of engine start button



Reverse Camera



Pockets in Boot are great to store cleaning material

You can see the glass cleaner, waterless body cleaning solution, 3 micro fibre cloth, polishes, Washmitt and applicators - All a neat fit.
further, My car vaccum and car duster are stored in the area around the spare tyre allowing more room for luggage!



Information from Manuals

Turbo Cool Warning



Programmable head lights



Smart Parking Sensors tell you when to clean them



KeyFob Working Area - If you are in this area, then the keyfob will detect the fob being inside the car, else the warnings are shown as appropriate

[sudeepg]

Update on First Service.

The owners manual clearly indicates that nothing will be replaced, only inspected.

Since I was on a long travel, I got the car serviced from BRD Auto, Thrissur. My car was their first S-Cross for service and I was promptly attended to by the Works Manager Suresh and Service Advisor Shajan.

Total cost: 46 INR for some covers they had used when handling the car.

No difference in the overall feel of the car. The car was washed and cleaned and handed over after an 80 point inspection.

The car has done 1079 KMS as of this writing.

Next Up: Drive to Guruvayur and then Cochin/Ernakulam

Some driving experiences

• During running in period, I had kept the speed under 100 and mostly 80-90 KMPH (Max 2500 RPM). I got a fuel efficiency of 22.03 KMPL, which is excellent IMO.
• Post first inspection, I opened her up a bit more occassionally with revs rising up to 3000-3500 RPM.
• 1800 - 3500 RPM has good output from the engine, although closing tight gaps on the highway is not meant to be done with this car.

I repeat, don't even try it - You will be caught unawares because right when you need that full punch to complete the maneuvre, you will fall short of power.
My city was the best for those times when you had to close a tight gap quickly - Downshift to 3rd and floor the A pedal and enjoy.
This is the ONLY part I miss about the city. It was free revving and the moment it cross 2000 RPM, it has a super duper punch all the way to 6000 RPM!

• For medium to longer gaps in traffic, the car does complete the procedure very well.
• The car is excellent on the highway for long distance cruising in the speed range of 80-110. Turn on the cruise control and you can relax
• I have used cruise control a lot on the Bangalore - Coimbatore stretch and it has worked flawlessly.
• Ride comfort is excellent and got a notch better after changing to Pirellis.
• Road noise does not filter through much in the cabin.
• Handling is one of the great plus points of this car. It handles turns and corners very well and I love it.

Another Observation
If you stop the engine and leave the car unlocked, you can continue to steer the vehicle when pushed. The steering does not lock unlike non-smartkey vehicles that lock the steering the moment you take out the key and try to steer. I don't know if this is good or bad, but that was something I was not expecting.

For folks who asked this question:

Is S-Cross and upgrade from City apart from features & Ground Clearance?
Well, it depends on how you view it or what upgrade means to you. If you love the VTEC's performance and absolutely need that type of performance or more, this car is definitely not for you (Unless you are thinking of remaps). You might as well kit the car with more stuff and keep it. In most other ways, it is definitely an upgrade.

Am I happy with the car? Absolutely! I no longer have the stress of encountering bad roads. The one and only thing I miss in S-Cross is the free revving VTEC (Or the 1.6 CRDI from the Creta - It's pull is very addictive and satisfying). But I knew this clearly before I purchased the S-CROSS.

Will I remap? I most likely will, because it will complete the car.

[sudeepg]

Another update to the car

Quality issue -

When I was cleaning the side glasses, noticed that all 4 of them shake in their position. This is unlike my earlier Honda city where in the glasses were fixed and not movable in their position. I'll capture and post a video of it soon, but you will see that you can move the windows glasses if you roll them down a bit and hold them by the top and try to move it.

Got the first mirror bashing on the Thrissur - Palakkad highway. Thankfully, the right side mirror was not damaged by the biker who rammer into it. I was quite upset and gave him a earful though. This happened when all of us were waiting to move ahead at an accident spot.

[deetjohn]

Great ownership report there sudeepg. And thanks for sharing these lovely details which is what makes the ownership reports scale above reviews.

Originally Posted by sudeepg

[*] 1800 - 3500 RPM has good output from the engine, although closing tight gaps on the highway is not meant to be done with this car.[/list][indent][indent] I repeat, don't even try it - You will be caught unawares because right when you need that full punch to complete the maneuvre, you will fall short of power.
My city was the best for those times when you had to close a tight gap quickly - Downshift to 3rd and floor the A pedal and enjoy.
This is the ONLY part I miss about the city. It was free revving and the moment it cross 2000 RPM, it has a super duper punch all the way to 6000 RPM!

The way to overtake with a diesel car is quite different to how we are used to do it in a petrol. With diesels, especially the small capacity ones, they run of out power mid way during overtakes as the power band is quite narrow. The trick is to shift up quickly mid way during overtakes to be in the power band again and complete the move. So, if you're overtaking in 3rd and as soon as the engine hits the max power, shift up to 4th and the engine will again be bang in the middle of healthy power and torque.

This clearly defies logic and not easy when you are used to a high revving petrol which makes most power at the upper end. This is why I always prefer to drive a powerful petrol compared to a diesel. They are clearly more fun. Someday I hope!

You might be doing all this already and the best thing to do as you rightly pointed out is not to commit when the gap is tight.

[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The way to overtake with a diesel car is quite different to how we are used to do it in a petrol. With diesels, especially the small capacity ones, they run of out power mid way during overtakes as the power band is quite narrow. The trick is to shift up quickly mid way during overtakes to be in the power band again and complete the move. So, if you're overtaking in 3rd and as soon as the engine hits the max power, shift up to 4th and the engine will again be bang in the middle of healthy power and torque.

This clearly defies logic and not easy when you are used to a high revving petrol which makes most power at the upper end. This is why I always prefer to drive a powerful petrol compared to a diesel. They are clearly more fun. Someday I hope!

Thank you, deetjohn! That is a great tip and it couldn't have come in at a better time. I am using your tip on my long distance trip and although not easy to execute it is better than nothing. I loved the wide power band available in the honda. The problem with upshifting midway is that you lose a few moments of power surge and that still doesn't work well to cover tight gaps, as you already pointed out. When every second matters to close that tight gap, it just can't be done in S-Cross 1.3 DDiS. I don't know how 1.6 does in this area. Hoping to see some ownership reports around the 1.6.

[aerohit]

can you tell when only front pilot lights are on, anything at the rear also on?

[sandygordon]

Originally Posted by aerohit

can you tell when only front pilot lights are on, anything at the rear also on?

Pilot lights are basically park lights. So the rear red lights will be on.

[sudeepg]

Got to spend a lot of time with my S-Cross and also had a chance to notice the quality issues with the car.

Notice the odd cut at the rear top edge of the door.



There is a huge gap between the rear boot lid and the door.



Huge gap between the hood and the bumper near the front grille



Very wide gap where the A Pillar meets the Side Fender.



Uneven gap where the tail lamps integrate with the boot lid.



Pasting a favorite view angle of head lights. The car received a lot of attention due to the headlamps. We had several people overtake us to take a look at the S-Cross in Kerala. There are tons of Cretas everywhere but hardly any S-Cross. I found just one other S-Cross in a trip spanning two weeks across Kerala and being on the road 80% of the time!



The rear view camera is excellent at day time too!



Issues

• The windows do not sit tight. If you roll them down a bit and attempt to clean it by holding the top of the glass, you will see that it can be shaken a lot. Really odd!
• If you view the top of the doors from the side in bright light, you will see that the pressing is not even!! Hard to spot though.
• Auto head lamps come on too early. It seems the sensitivity can be adjusted by service folks.
• The manual says for updating maps, lookup the maruti suzuki website. The website has 0 information on maps. Called up Nexa helpline and they directed me to the RM. They have no clue about it! Very bad!
• Got a neat scratch on the rear left door while waiting at toll booth yesterday. The driver of a Figo was in such a hurry that he scraped while trying to jump queues! Need to get that fixed. Then again, today morning a hawker lady grazed the right side doors with her bangles while I was waiting for my wife. When asked why she did that, it seems she liked the car and color and wanted to "pat" it. :(

During the long drive, I noticed that the following:

• First gear is just good enough for start off. You cannot do a slingshot with this engine. The positive side is that it's still great for moving off with 5 people and luggage on board and a boot full of luggage!
• Reverse gear is weak if you try to back up into an incline and with people on board, the car will vibrate a lot. Annoying!
• Second and third gears are where all the action is and in 2K-3K RPM. Beyond that, there is only more noise and progress is very very slow.
• Fourth and Fifth gears are very tall and useful only for cruising. Drop speed a bit or hit a small incline on the highway in either of these gears and you will have to downshift.
• Top end performance of the 1.3 MJD is mediocre.
• Ride quality on rough roads with people on board is just splendid. Excellent marks there for S-Cross. You will not hear the suspension and the ride is flat & very comfortable.
• Brake pedal feel is poor in high speed braking. No problem with the stopping power, but you just do not feel the brake bite enough.

[aerohit]

i think panel gaps are normal, you are just looking too hard

[sudeepg]

Major Update : Last week, my S-Cross underwent a major update. It got remapped!!

On Page 4, I had made a note of the driving characteristics of the stock map, which were:

• 1800 - 3500 RPM has good output from the engine, although closing tight gaps on the highway is not meant to be done with this car.
• First gear is just good enough for start off. You cannot do a slingshot with this engine.
• Second and third gears are where all the action is and in 2K-3K RPM. Beyond that, there is only more noise and progress is very very slow.
• Fourth and Fifth gears are very tall and useful only for cruising. Drop speed a bit or hit a small incline on the highway in either of these gears and you will have to downshift.
• Top end performance of the 1.3 MJD is mediocre.

The remap is subtle and has made the engine free revving all the way to redline. In other words, the RPM climb is much faster. Some observations:

Torque: Lost after ~3200 RPM and progress was very slow. Now, it is available all the way till ~4500 RPM from ~2000 RPM

Acceleration: in stock map, progress to 60 was quick and then 100 was slow. Now, progress to 100 is much much quicker if you up shift ~4000 or post, due to more power being generated beyond 3000 RPM. You really need to watch out for the RPM and speedo.

Gearing: The punch was available in 2nd and 3rd gears. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gears are much more usable now. I didn't really understand it, but 4th gear has much better pickup if you drop speed.

EGR: Enabled in the ECU. Post remap, it is disabled. The valve remains closed.

1. Engage 2nd gear, and floor the pedal - Once the turbo spools up, you can feel a slight push back into the seat now. I also have a good smile on my face.
2. Mid to Top end performance has improved, not by a huge margin, but better than before; Mid-range specifically.

!!! CAUTION !!!

• If you opt for remap, you must watch your RPM carefully. It is now easy to hit the redline!
• Turbo cooldown: DO NOT turn off your car after a spirited drive or after climbing a hill in lower gears. Always let the engine idle for 90 seconds or more before turning off to let the turbo cool

What has not changed.

• First & fifth gear behaviour remains the same.
• Turbo lag below 1800 RPM continues.
• Drive normally (upshift early) and the fuel efficiency remains the same. Drive hard and the fuel efficiency drops by about .5 KMs

The car is really fun to drive now and I am absolutely enjoying it!!!

Minor Updates:
There were some accessories pending at the time of delivery. Got them fixed

• Sun Visors

• Scuff Plates (Sorry about the poor quality, my phone camera is not good for night shots. I'll add more later)

Biggest Change

[sudeepg]

When I bought my S-Cross, there were a few things that required fixing.

1. 3M-CR 70 film on the wind shield
2. Change of tyres to Pirellis
3. Change of rear head rests.
4. Ceramic paint protection from Ultimate Detailerz
5. Remap from Code6 engineering (later)
6. Dash cam (later)

Completed Items

a. Tyres changed to Pirellis.
b. 3M-CR70 film on the windshield. Additionally, paint protection films on the doors and behind door handles.
c. Tuning from Code6

In their lowest position, the headrests tend to jut into your upper back (Source: Team-BHP Official Review). This is especially true for tall people.



Although not a big botheration for me at the moment, it is still an inconvenience. I have been looking to change the head rests to something more comfortable but have found none until now. The primary challenges are to get an exact match of the leather seat upholstery and something that is comfortable. It's a small job and there aren't many people who are interested to do this. Initially I thought I'd just swap the head rests with something from the desire, but that will cause a lot of wastage too. I am yet to figure what exactly to do, but the research is on. I'll update the thread as I get further into this.

Scuff Plates - Installed yesterday and I can see that they are of very high quality. The entire panel from that section is removed and a replacement part is fixed. The wiring inside is neat and it took hardly 10 minutes to install them. The wire channels under are also well laid out.







The Maruti Service Experiences

Wiper blade Replacement: My first experience with Pratham Service was when I found out that the front windshield wipers started streaking. I called my RM and advised him of the same, who in turn asked me to bring in the car to get it replaced under warranty. I was greeted very well on arrival and handled on priority. But it took them over 50 minutes to open the job card, get the part and replace it. The billing took some time as well. I personally think it shouldn't take this long to replace wiper blades. Cost: 0.

First Service: Since I was travelling, my first service was with BRD Maruti, Thrissur. I was greeted well on arrival and the car taken in on priority. Mine was the first S-Cross they received for service and no one was really aware of the car. The service advisor wasn't aware what needs to be done until I mentioned that the manual only shows an 80 point inspection. They finished the job in 1.5 hours, another 2 hours to clean the car and handed it over. They cleaned it really well! Cost: 40 bucks for seat covers used to prevent soiling.

Ad-Hoc Service: Upon my return, I called Pratham works manager and advised that I wanted a change of engine oil, regardless of what its state was (following T-BHP advice). I scheduled it 2 days ahead and called up service. He asked me to bring the car in. As usual, they gave a warm welcome. I asked for engine oil change and oil filter replacement. Est. time: 1 hour. I went for a stroll and returned an hour later. Another 15 minutes pass and the works manager walks in and says they don't have the grade of engine oil for this car and therefore they haven't replaced it!!! I lost 3 hours overall for nothing. Further, when the car was returned, the upholstery was soiled and I had to clean it separately. Cost: 0.

Accessories Fixing: When the car was delivered, not all of the accessories were fixed, which included the door sill guards and door visors because they didn't have the proper mechanics to fix it at the Museum Road showroom. Since I had some time post the tuning, I drove up to Kudlu village (11 KM away, where Pratham has service centers and personnel qualified to handle accessories) and got these installed. The experience there wasn't any different from the workshop on queens road. They had confusion about what exactly needs to be done, even though I had called my RM and had him schedule it. The biggest disappointment was when the guy installing these used paint thinner to clean the door surface where the visors would sit. In that process, he also "cleaned" up the plastic around the mirrors and that caused it to lose its finish. I was quite upset and shared my displeasure with him. I always carry cleaning stuff in my car and I had some plastic protectant, which I used to restore the shine back.

Others: The owners manual isn't really comprehensive when it comes to explaining certain features, for e.g. the intermittent wipers, the the foot lights usage and programming etc. Same with the entertainment manual. you have to sometimes read things a couple of times to understand what exactly it means. There is zero information on how to update maps. I heard that ciaz got a map update recently, none for S-Cross.

Overall Opinion: Now I realize what to expect from this Nexa brand. I don't think it's going to be anything premium as what Maruti says. The only consistent thing I notice is that you are given some priority, but the way the car is handled and their expertise in handling the cars under Nexa brand is nothing different than a regular Maruti. Maruti still has a long way to go to really give that premium offering in terms of vehicles and service levels. Thus I also feel that I have paid a premium for this car for just a better maruti car. Don't expect any premium service experiences from Maruti.

[sandygordon]

Congrats on the remap.

Heard there is code 6 in Cochin as well. How much did they charge for remapping?
Planning for a remap in the next 6 months.

Would you recommend it above an RD tuning box (available for 19k)? Any ideas about code 6 vs Wolfmoto?
(PS:I am not an engineer)

[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by sandygordon

Congrats on the remap.

Heard there is code 6 in Cochin as well. How much did they charge for remapping?
Planning for a remap in the next 6 months.

Would you recommend it above an RD tuning box (available for 19k)? Any ideas about code 6 vs Wolfmoto?
(PS:I am not an engineer)

That's correct. Code 6 is available in Cochin via scheduled sessions. Check out their schedule on their facebook page. You can reach out to them to setup a time when you can do a remap if you prefer.

I had read about the RD tuning box but didn't opt for it (although it seems very popular). First of all, I do not know if it's available for the 1.3 MJD. While the RD tuning box allows you to switch maps, I didn't really have a need to switch maps but rather have a permanent map that suffices my needs.

Secondly, from what I can tell, you definitely need a little amount of work in the engine bay with the RD tuning box and zero with Code 6. If you plan to remove it before service, you must know what exactly you are doing.

In the current map, I can drive it everyday like a stock map and when I feel like driving spiritedly, then that's possible too. Earlier, the engine was sluggish after 3000 RPM but now the engine is generating about 118 PS/255 Nm of torque. Further, I am not sure if there will be problems when switching the maps. Although not 100% sure, there is a chance that your security codes for the immobilizer, the keyfob may go out of sync. This happened with us during the remap and the car wouldn't start, but the problem was fixed easily. Sajan is very confident & excellent with his work and always ready to take on any questions and support you as needed after the remap.

I am fairly sure that the current map cannot be detected by the service folks unless there is a very good mechanic which I doubt Pratham motors have.

FYI - After this remap, Sajan recommends an oil change every 5000 KMS.

The only issues I have now are as follows:

a. Turbo lag below 2K RPM. Not a problem in city driving, but if you are in a hurry you have to wait for the turbo to spool up. I plan to meet with Sajan to see if the map can be further tuned.
b. During the remap, Sajan pointed out that the cold air intake pipe is not of a great quality and it flexes during spirited driving which causes less air intake. I need to fix that.
c. I plan to go in for a SS catback and that will help with a slight increase in performance.

End of the day, both these options will let you get about 25% - 30% more output from the engine (and the RD tuning box will also be cheaper a bit). The 1.3 MJD in my S-Cross is now free revving all the way to about 4500 RPM. The major goal of closing in tight gaps in the highways is somewhat completed now, except for the turbo lag below 2000 RPM.

Wolfmoto - I have no idea about them.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by sudeepg

In the current map, the engine is generating about 118 PS/255 Nm of torque.

Way to go sudeepg and you have actually got your 1.3DDIS to the bigger siblings power figures

I am sure you have had this in mind, but is there any way for you to come up with the changes in 0-100, 40-100, 20-80, etc sort of timings post the remap?

This must give a good idea as to what the other prospective DDIS 200 owners can expect from the remap.

[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

is there any way for you to come up with the changes in 0-100, 40-100, 20-80, etc sort of timings post the remap?

This must give a good idea as to what the other prospective DDIS 200 owners can expect from the remap.

Unfortunately, I do not have the figures from the stock map. I didn't bother measuring it. But I can get the timings from the current map. I'll need to find some time to do it though.