Maruti Suzuki has been planning to offer a petrol variant of the S-cross in India, which so far has been running only with diesel engines. Launched last year, the Maruti Suzuki S-cross hadn’t been doing well, till the company slashed the car’s price by about Rs. 2.05 lakh.
After the price reduction, the sale of the Maruti Suzuki S-cross began picking up. Even then, the top-end variant with the 1.6-liter, DDiS 320 diesel engine, refused to move, which the Maruti then limited to “made-to-order” sales. However, the sale of the 1.3-liter DDiS 200 picked up.
Now, Maruti Suzuki has also planned to roll out a petrol variant with the 1.5-liter, M15, 1490 cc, 4-cylinder engine that produces 100 hp at 5900 rpm and a torque of 133 Nm at 4100 rpm. This engine might also replace the 1.4-liter K14 engine of the Maruti Ciaz. The S-cross with the M15, 1.5-liter petrol engine will be mated to the usual standard 5-speed manual transmission. However, an optional 4-speed automatic transmission may also be on the cards, which is not confirmed yet by Maruti.
The switch to a petrol variant is seen as a move by the Maruti Suzuki adhering to the dictates of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which has been cracking down heavily on diesel engines in many states. Similarly, this is also intended to further boost the sales of the Maruti S-cross, which has been languishing for a while, since its launch, last year.
The 1.3-liter diesel engine variant of the S-cross is priced between Rs. 8.03 lakh and Rs. 10.6 lakh. The 1.6-liter diesel S-cross is priced between Rs. 10.23 lakh and Rs. 12.03 lakh. The petrol variant in the works with the 1.5-liter petrol engine may be priced above Rs. 7 lakh and below Rs. 10 lakh, it is expected.
Despite these changes, though not confirmed yet, the buyers and auto enthusiasts are not too pleased, as they believe that the more powerful 1.0-liter, turbo-charged, booster-jet, petrol engine, producing 110 PS of power and 170 Nm of torque, could be a fitting replacement. Besides, instead of the 4-speed automatic transmission, considered outdated, customers seem to want CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) to take its place.
The new petrol variant of Maruti Suzuki’s premium crossover, the S-cross, if launched, could be purchased through the Maruti’s premium Nexa dealerships, where it will be sold along with the Baleno
