Maruti Suzuki S-cross petrol launch on July 29

• Maruti Suzuki S-cross petrol prices to be revealed on July 29
• 105hp, 1.5-litre mild-hybrid engine with manual and automatic options to be on offer
• Expected to be priced at the same level as the Renault Duster

The last remaining Maruti Suzuki car to make the transition from BS4 to BS6, the S-cross, will go on sale on July 29. This petrol-powered Maruti Suzuki S-cross had been showcased at Auto Expo 2020 and its launch was expected way back in April. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted those launch plans.

What are the biggest differences on the Maruti Suzuki S-cross?

As the S-cross’ BS4-compliant 90hp, 1.3-litre diesel engine – otherwise known as India’s ‘national’ engine – was not upgraded to meet the more stringent emission norms and instead discontinued, the crossover will switch over to a petrol engine,much like the Vitara Brezza. The S-cross will be using Suzuki’s now ubiquitous K15B petrol engine, first seen in the Ciaz, which makes 105hp and 138Nm of torque, and comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard.

What will be new for the S-cross range is an automatic gearbox option; the petrol engine can also be had with a 4-speed torque-converter automatic.While the BS4 S-cross – which was diesel-manual-only – was available with mild-hybrid tech across the range, the BS6 version will only have the tech on the automatic versions. The automatic gearbox will be offered on the higher three variants of the S-cross petrol; there will be a total of four variants on offer – Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha.

Is there anything else new on the Maruti Suzuki S-cross petrol?

Other than the new powertrain, the S-cross will be unchanged, inside and out. Maruti’s crossover was last refreshed in 2017 and is now approaching the end of its lifecycle. It’s likely to be replaced by a midsize SUV that’ll be derived from the the Futuro-e concept SUV showcased at the Auto Expo.

How will the Maruti Suzuki S-cross petrol be priced?

Compared to its diesel-powered predecessor, which cost between Rs 8.81 to 11.44 lakh, S-cross petrol prices are likely to be slightly lower. Unlike the Brezza, which lost its sub-4-metre ‘compact SUV’ tax break and got more expensive when it switched to the 1.5-litre petrol engine, the 4.2-metre-long S-cross didn’t have that advantage to begin with. With prices expected in the Rs 8.5-11.5 lakh region, the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross petrol will go up directly against the now petrol-only Renault Duster (Rs 8.49-10.00 lakh).

All prices, ex-showroom, Delhi

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