[pgsagar]

I am totally disappointed by its looks. It may have any number of virtues but looks, it does not have. That sloping bonnet makes it look like a big hatch. SUVs need to have vertical grill and bonnet line parallel to ground. And boxy, not curvy. Curvy looks good on hatches and compact sedans but big SUVs and lux-barge sedans have got to be boxy. If it were not for the Maruti badge, no one would have even bothered to check this car out. Why are they not bringing in XA Alpha? That would give Creta a tough fight.

[SchumiFan]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

SUVs need to have vertical grill and bonnet line parallel to ground. And boxy, not curvy. Curvy looks good on hatches and compact sedans but big SUVs and lux-barge sedans have got to be boxy. If it were not for the Maruti badge, no one would have even bothered to check this car out. Why are they not bringing in XA Alpha? That would give Creta a tough fight.

S-Cross is not an SUV. It's a crossover. Its competition in Europe all look the same way; Peugeot 2008, Qashqai etc.

If Indians can go past the looks and buy the car for what it is, it will help them and Maruti as well. After all looks are not everything, right?

Will wait for Team-Bhp review before commenting on the traits of the car.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

I am totally disappointed by its looks. It may have any number of virtues but looks, it does not have. That sloping bonnet makes it look like a big hatch. SUVs need to have vertical grill and bonnet line parallel to ground. And boxy, not curvy. Curvy looks good on hatches and compact sedans but big SUVs and lux-barge sedans have got to be boxy. If it were not for the Maruti badge, no one would have even bothered to check this car out. Why are they not bringing in XA Alpha? That would give Creta a tough fight.

Completely agree on characteristic of an SUV though there are few good exception available (Cayenne for one). However, I don't think Maruti is claiming S-Cross to be an SUV. This is not an SUV and it might be good for what it is supposed to be, a crossover.

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

I am totally disappointed by its looks. It may have any number of virtues but looks, it does not have. That sloping bonnet makes it look like a big hatch. SUVs need to have vertical grill and bonnet line parallel to ground. And boxy, not curvy. Curvy looks good on hatches and compact sedans but big SUVs and lux-barge sedans have got to be boxy. If it were not for the Maruti badge, no one would have even bothered to check this car out. Why are they not bringing in XA Alpha? That would give Creta a tough fight.

This feedback and disappointment of yours is because the S-Cross doesn't look like an SUV for you? Hope you took the time to check what Maruti has been marketing it as.

Just checking.

[manishkapadia]

Maruti has started making marketing calls for the Scross . Yesterday i got a call from Nexa division saying that they are taking booking at Rs 11,000 totally refundable and that they are calling their esteemed clients . Oddly i have never owned a maruti vehicle earlier so no way i can be their client.

Not even been into any car showroon in the past 3 years.

I anyway plainly told him that i would not pay any advance till i can see the product in person and take a trial . The guy at other end said that there will be a wait when product is officially launched . He also says you would have seen the car in the IIFA award ceremony . I was like wow , this is how you will sell cars now .

I find this excessive giving in to temptation thing weird . Its not that anyone is stuck without a vehicle . Why would i even want to pay even 100 Rs as advance for a product that i may or may not like . I would not even be amongst the first few owners of a yet to be launched car. The first 6 months is when the company corrects the small niggles that come up and makes minor tweaks based on market feedback. After that period its a more stable product . If the prices increase a bit at that time , so be it.

[Vigkey]

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

S-Cross is not an SUV. Its a crossover. Its competition in Europe all look the same way; Peugeot 2008, Qashqai etc.

If Indians can go past the looks and buy the car for what it is, it will help them and Maruti as well. After all looks are not everything, right?

Yes SchumiFan, you are correct. S-Cross is a crossover and Maruti has been very honest about it - both in design and also marketing it as a Premium Crossover and not calling it an SUV or giving funny new names like LUV (Ertiga), CUV (Contemporary Urban Vehicle - Avventura) or SSV (Sports Style Vehicle - i20 Active).

However, why do you think it will help us if we go past the looks and buy this car? And even more, why should we buy the car to help Maruti?? For majority of Indians car is a HUGE investment and is symbol of status in the society. Unfortunately for us, Sedans and SUV oozes status and that is simply the reason, we get so many SUV look alike Crossovers - Ecosport, Cross-Polo, Etios Cross, Avventura, i20 Active are all the same - Hatchbacks posing themselves as SUVs and ONLY Ecosport and i20 Active to an extent have been successful. WHY?

Ecosport has a LOT of muscle and high ground clearance, flat bonnet and a rear mounted spare wheel making it LOOK like an SUV. i20 Active has a lot of distinguishing features that separates it from i20 and also the long flat bonnet gives it some good SUV-like looks. Others did not manage this and hence failed. Why would someone pay extra simply for the claddings if the looks do not justify the premium.

Next set of Crossovers (only including compact ones and not the 7-seaters like XUV and Aria) are more mature and designed to look exactly like SUVs and not like hatchbacks with claddings. Duster, Terrano, Creta form this league. They are over 4 m length and the design is to look butch like an SUV with flat bonnet and good ground clearance and sometimes equipped with AWD also.

Now, the problem with S-Cross is it falls under BOTH the above categories. It is a proper crossover i.e. a hatchback with cladding and also is above 4 m. Now, S-Cross will charge premium for the engines, features, space and also higher duties for length and also bigger engines. Now, no one can force the customer to see the benefits of a crossover - he will see only what he wants to. For majority of buyers spending over 10 L, status is VERY important and so looks will automatically come into picture and unfortunately for S-Cross, looks is not its strength.

One should buy a car if and only if it satisfies him. Obviously no car is perfect and suits one to the T. I for one, will buy the car which makes me feel that I am making the least amount of compromises. And looks is one department I will not make much of a compromise. My car will reflect my personality and why should I look past it and compromise on it?

By saying all this, I do not mean to say that S-Cross will be a flop. It has a lot of potential to be a hit and it could well become one. However, if it was styled to look more like an SUV (you can still market is as a cross over and gain a lot of success), it would have given a serious competition to the Creta and would have wiped off Duster from the market. Now, it will only manage decent sales. I will be really sad if a car of this potential does not manage to do great numbers.

[volkman10]

For guys looking forward to seeing, including touch and feel of the S Cross - The CROSSOVER will be displayed shortly in key shopping malls across India.

Though the bookings will be through Nexa, if you approach the normal dealers they will help you co-ordinate through Nexa.
Going through Nexa seems very promising.

For Bangalore it will be at Garuda mall- (10th or 17 th July?)

Launch date given to me is still 27th July ( not confirmed)

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

This feedback and disappointment of yours is because the S-Cross doesn't look like an SUV for you? Hope you took the time to check what Maruti has been marketing it as.

Just checking.

Didn't you read my full post where I said it got everything going for it except looks? Do you mean to say since it got everything else, it need not have good looks. Imagine what all this + good looks could have done to this car on sales front. Do you mean to say since it is not an SUV and it is cross-over, it need not be good-looking? Strange?

Schumifan, I only meant Scross looks ugly. Period. SUV or Crossover or whatever. And we hardly bother about what they sell and buy in Europe. Here, we attach lot of importance to looks. Well, most of us do.

[SchumiFan]

Originally Posted by Vigkey

However, why do you think it will help us if we go past the looks and buy this car? And even more, why should we buy the car to help Maruti?? For majority of Indians car is a HUGE investment and is symbol of status in the society.

It will help you since you are getting a dynamically sound car with a lot of features even in the base model. It will help Maruti since its cash registers will be ringing. I disagree with car being a symbol of status. Just because I have a thing on four wheels doesn't mean much these days. Cars are no longer a luxury.

IMO, S-Cross is the first true crossover. It has the length of a big car and sufficient GC to to not be bothered by big craters. Others are just Pseudos pretending to be one. Ecosport may be a exception but being under 4M, it doesn't necessarily feel big.

Originally Posted by Vigkey

Ecosport has a LOT of muscle and high ground clearance, flat bonnet and a rear mounted spare wheel making it LOOK like an SUV. i20 Active has a lot of distinguishing features that separates it from i20 and also the long flat bonnet gives it some good SUV-like looks.

Next set of Crossovers (only including compact ones and not the 7-seaters like XUV and Aria) are more mature and designed to look exactly like SUVs and not like hatchbacks with claddings. They are over 4 m length and the design is to look butch like an SUV with flat bonnet and good ground clearance and sometimes equipped with AWD also.

Unfortunate that we restrict the SUV to just the way it looks. A 2WD SUV is not going to take you a lot of places which an S-Cross cannot. SX-4 sedan would very well do all that a 2WD Duster does. And how many actually buy AWD versions of these cars? Very very meagre I suppose as mentioned by someone earlier in the thread.

Also Elite i20 offers a lot more features than base Active. And there is no other model of S-Cross in the market. One is not paying for the claddings here but the whole car. So that argument doesn't apply here.

Originally Posted by Vigkey

For majority of buyers spending over 10 L, status is VERY important and so looks will automatically come into picture and unfortunately for S-Cross, looks is not its strength.

Is there some research you conducted or you are talking about all customers assuming they have a similar mindset as yours? The price is not yet announced and Maruti have quite a gap in the price range to place the S-Cross in. Again, Status/Luxury is no longer associated with a car in this range. Duster starts at 8L and to an outsider it will not matter if it is the top of the line or the base model. It is a Duster. Period.

If that is Status, then I am out of words to comment

Originally Posted by Vigkey

One should buy a car if and only if it satisfies him. Obviously no car is perfect and suits one to the T. I for one, will buy the car which makes me feel that I am making the least amount of compromises. And looks is one department I will not make much of a compromise. My car will reflect my personality and why should I look past it and compromise on it?

There is no perfect car that will match the requirements of any given customer. S-Cross doesn't look like an SUV because it is not one.
If customers can't get that into their head, then it is not Maruti's fault here as they never mentioned it to be one. A car is much more than looks. And Maruti seem to have gotten most things right in that case with S-Cross with respect to safety feature, interiors and space as well.

If at all a person buys it for their requirements, he/she wouldn't be too bothered about the exterior appearance as one cannot look at it once inside the car. It is launched in India just how it looks abroad as well.

Finally, none of the models that are a competitor to S-Cross are actually selling well these days. Duster has waned off, Terrano never took off and that leaves only the Ecosport which is long in tooth and urgently needs some facelift along with new features to make it appealing. We don't know how much of an impact Creta is going to make. We will see in the months to come if the market has matured or still sticking to 'it doesn't look the part' mode
Cheers!

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Schumifan, I only meant Scross looks ugly. Period. SUV or Crossover or whatever. And we hardly bother about what they sell and buy in Europe. Here, we attach lot of importance to looks. Well, most of us do.

Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I certainly don't think the S-Cross is ugly but it does not look like an SUV because it ain't one.

And I think people are bothered about what they sell/buy in Europe. There was a whole gang demanding the same spec Swift as they sold in Europe, to be available in India.

Maybe our memories are short.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Disagree. That would still be the Duster, specially since it offers AWD in our markets.

Yes, just revisited the norms and found Duster satisfied it all. A good car it is but heavily overpriced for the space and ride it offers.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Which one would I buy? Given a choice only between these two - it has to be the S-Cross. From the reviews, it reminds me a lot of the Punto - brilliant ride and handling dynamics, good highway cruising ability, no nonsense looks, high GC etc, but with a lot more powerful engine and some added features and space all around. Might not make the neighbours envious, but would be a brilliant car to live with!

Exactly what you have mentioned above. I am still not sure where the price range would be, but Maruti generally don't get their price wrong and even their Ciaz venture is reasonably successful to hope that they will repeat the same with S-Cross.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

IMO, S-Cross is the first true crossover.

Disagree. That would still be the Duster, specially since it offers AWD in our markets.

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

Finally, none of the models that are a competitor to S-Cross are actually selling well these days. Duster has waned off, Terrano never took off and that leaves only the Ecosport which is long in tooth and urgently needs some facelift along with new features to make it appealing. We don't know how much of an impact Creta is going to make. We will see in the months to come if the market has matured or still sticking to 'it doesn't look the part' mode
Cheers!

I'd be willing to bet my money on the Creta. It will be a smash hit and will probably do what XUV 5OO did to the segment long back. Specially with the rumoured price tag of 11.5L ex-showroom for the top variant.

I'm also confident the S-Cross wont be selling anywhere close to the numbers Creta is capable, if its pitched directly against it. That is not because the S-Cross is a lesser car, but because the market pays huge importance to looks, specially when it comes to crossovers and SUVs. As i mentioned in an earlier post - I believe Maruti should target the top end Honda Jazz diesel with the 1.3 diesel S-Cross and Ecosport with the 1.6 diesel S-Cross. And stay a little away from the Creta and (the overpriced) Duster.

Which one would I buy? Given a choice only between these two - it has to be the S-Cross. From the reviews, it reminds me a lot of the Punto - brilliant ride and handling dynamics, good highway cruising ability, no nonsense looks, high GC etc, but with a lot more powerful engine and some added features and space all around. Might not make the neighbours envious, but would be a brilliant car to live with!

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Didn't you read my full post where I said it got everything going for it except looks? Do you mean to say since it got everything else, it need not have good looks. Imagine what all this + good looks could have done to this car on sales front. Do you mean to say since it is not an SUV and it is cross-over, it need not be good-looking? Strange?

Schumifan, I only meant Scross looks ugly. Period. SUV or Crossover or whatever. And we hardly bother about what they sell and buy in Europe. Here, we attach lot of importance to looks. Well, most of us do.

Well, I certainly read your post and I normally avoid jumping the gun. Let me remind you again what you wrote and discuss further then.

Originally Posted by pgsagar

I am totally disappointed by its looks. It may have any number of virtues but looks, it does not have. That sloping bonnet makes it look like a big hatch. SUVs need to have vertical grill and bonnet line parallel to ground. And boxy, not curvy. Curvy looks good on hatches and compact sedans but big SUVs and lux-barge sedans have got to be boxy. If it were not for the Maruti badge, no one would have even bothered to check this car out. Why are they not bringing in XA Alpha? That would give Creta a tough fight.

So you did say you were disappointed by its 'looks'. Agreed. But why you then be comparing with the looks of an SUV to a Crossover? Does a crossover also have to look like an SUV, when brought to our land? Because someone spending X amount should have butch show-off looks, have a bonnet line parallel to the ground and not have subdued/actual looks like the vehicle it should be?

Your post invited my attention only because of comparison of a crossover with that of how SUVs look. Not because of 'only looks'. A crossover can only and should only look like one. No point in trying to pretend to be a vehicle it is not (which Indians seem to love n embrace?).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vigkey, you are forgetting that Maruti has another (sub-4 meters?) 'looking like SUV' car in the making (XA Alpha/YBA). It is why the S-Cross was not modified to look like an SUV (others take note too). No opportunity has been wasted.

Link: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ught-camo.html

[Vigkey]

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

I disagree with car being a symbol of status. Just because I have a thing on four wheels doesn't mean much these days. Cars are no longer a luxury.

Let us agree to disagree with this point SchumiFan, but for a vast majority of Indians, ANYTHING on 4-wheels is a luxury and a symbol of status in a lot of societies. We never owned a car till 2013 simply because we could not afford one and did not prefer to go for a loan - we ended up with a pre-owned Dzire in 2013. And believe me we were looked up by many of our relatives as our first car itself was a sedan. Please do note that most of my immediate family in India do not own a car or own a pre-owned car (mostly hatchbacks). Now, does not mean that I subscribe to their views but I speak from my experience and probably you are not able to (or want to) relate with them. Not your fault though.

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

Unfortunate that we restrict the SUV to just the way it looks. A 2WD SUV is not going to take you a lot of places which an S-Cross cannot. SX-4 sedan would very well do all that a 2WD Duster does. And how many actually buy AWD versions of these cars? Very very meagre I suppose as mentioned by someone earlier in the thread.

Dear friend, I have also mentioned the same point. Unfortunately the market wants SUV look alike cars primarily because they aspire to own an SUV but cannot afford a real SUV. I very well know the capabilities and limitations of a FWD crossover.

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

Also Elite i20 offers a lot more features than base Active. And there is no other model of S-Cross in the market. One is not paying for the claddings here but the whole car. So that argument doesn't apply here.

SchumiFan bro, are you even reading my comments? I also said the same - Elite i20 is the ONLY cross version (except Ecosport) that sells primarily because it offers much more than i20 along with the SUV-ish looks.

S-Cross does not have another version - agreed. But, the fact is the market has just warmed up to the premium hatchback concept and I don't think it is ready yet for the premium crossover segment. If it proves me wrong, I will be very happy.

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

Is there some research you conducted or you are talking about all customers assuming they have a similar mindset as yours?

No, I do not conduct researches - but I always speak based on my experiences and what I get to hear from people around me. In my office and my friends circle there is a huge anticipation for the Creta SUV while S-Cross is dismissed off as a boring looking car. Admit it or not, it is the general public like them who majorly decide the fate of a car and we BHP-ians are a minority.

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

Again, Status/Luxury is no longer associated with a car in this range. Duster starts at 8L and to an outsider it will not matter if it is the top of the line or the base model. It is a Duster. Period.

Let me repeat, my friend - Probably for you, the big 3 Germans form the status symbol, but for the majority of Indians who own just a two-wheeler or an Alto or a Santro - Ecosport and Dusters are dream cars.

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

S-Cross doesn't look like an SUV because it is not one.

If customers can't get that into their head, then it is not Maruti's fault here as they never mentioned it to be one. A car is much more than looks.

Oh Yes, S-Cross is not a SUV, did I mention it is?? But then, neither is Creta nor is Duster - but they look like one and that look attracts a lot of buyers. I rest my case.

I never mentioned it is Maruti's fault - did I. My point is that Maruti has probably wasted an opportunity in bringing a pseudo-SUV and give a tough fight to Creta. Who knows, Maruti might create an all new segment altogether. But to me the chances of that looks very less.

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

And Maruti seem to have gotten most things right in that case with S-Cross with respect to safety feature, interiors and space as well.

Finally, none of the models that are a competitor to S-Cross are actually selling well these days. Duster has waned off, Terrano never took off and that leaves only the Ecosport which is long in tooth and urgently needs some facelift along with new features to make it appealing. We don't know how much of an impact Creta is going to make. We will see in the months to come if the market has matured or still sticking to 'it doesn't look the part' mode

Maruti has gotten most things right and will probably get the pricing also right. But it has no single USP - don't you think it is a small problem? Yes, it has safety features - but only 2 airbags even in top, Creta has 6. Interiors looks good and feels good, but hey Creta looks awesome and the plastic quality is top-notch. It has a lot of features, but Creta has all that and more. It has a lot of space too, but doesn't a much smaller Jazz get almost the same interior space and also boot space.

The only area where S-Cross was expected to beat the pulp out of Creta was the ride, handling and steering. But unfortunately most reviews point to S-Cross's inferior tires causing a lot of under-steer and the steering being not so precise. But then, a tire change can probably fix this issue. In short, for the mass market Creta has all it wants and to aid them, S-Cross will be sold only in limited Nexa showrooms. Let us see how the market reacts to all this. After all, they decide the fate - who are we to argue

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by Vigkey

The only area where S-Cross was expected to beat the pulp out of Creta was the ride, handling and steering. But unfortunately most reviews point to S-Cross's inferior tires causing a lot of under-steer and the steering being not so precise.

Was the Creta media drive done on normal or unpaved roads? We are yet to know its handling.

Let us await for the TBHP full fledged reviews on both the S Cross ( CROSSOVER ) and Creta (SUV, yes- Hyundai calls it so) and further debate.

Both cars will have its own following and let us respect that.

[neoonwheels]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Didn't you read my full post where I said it got everything going for it except looks? Do you mean to say since it got everything else, it need not have good looks. Imagine what all this + good looks could have done to this car on sales front. Do you mean to say since it is not an SUV and it is cross-over, it need not be good-looking? Strange?

Schumifan, I only meant Scross looks ugly. Period. SUV or Crossover or whatever. And we hardly bother about what they sell and buy in Europe. Here, we attach lot of importance to looks. Well, most of us do.

Looks are subjective man. And then even with so many aesthetically challenging cars, Maruti holds 47% of the market share. We will see how it sells 5-6 months down the line. Like it or not

[Abhi99]

Originally Posted by nurni76

Congrats on the booking. Which variant and what colour did you choose?

Thank you for the wishes.
Sales Rep did not ask for the color and the variant since as per him the variants are yet to be announced. He would seek those details in the next couple of weeks as they get the pricing and variant details. I am looking to get the Granite Grey 1.6 Zeta or Alpha if I get it around 14 OTR (which I doubt would be the case). Launch they say would happen within July (around the last week); Hence as Volkman10 mentioned - 27th Jul seems the credible date.
On the experience so far, I could clearly see the diff in the soft skills from the regular Maruti Sales folks who I have interacted with over the last couple of months.