SCOOP: Maruti’s Duster Rival – S-CROSS Spied Testing, First Time Ever!

A little while back we reported about Hyundai’s ix25 which has been confirmed for a launch next year and as we stopped writing our eyes got popped out at this interesting scoop – first ever spyshots of Maruti’s Duster rivaling S-CROSS from India.

These spyshots, courtesy Autocar India, confirm that Maruti Suzuki has started testing their crossover in India. Maruti first showcased the S-Cross in India at the Auto Expo in February with a launch promised for early next year.

Maruti-Suzuki-S-Cross-India-Spy-Pic-front

S-Cross is not an all-new car and has been on sale in some international markets already. Without changing the basic looks of the crossover, Maruti Suzuki will definitely tinker with it to make it more India-specific. This mule has been snapped in Manali and quite clearly it is going through high-altitude testing.

S-Cross doesn’t really look as butch as the Duster but it does appear to have a slightly bigger footprint. Renault has officially announced that they will launch the 4X4 Duster in India towards the end of this year and this, we believe, may compel Maruti Suzuki to consider launching the ‘Allgrip’ 4-wheel drive S-Cross here.

Maruti-Suzuki-S-Cross-India-Spy-Pic-rear

There is a big point of speculative debate on the diesel engine S-Cross will be plonked with, with a few reports predicting the debut of 1.6L Multijet and at least one report claiming it to be a 1.6L Peugeot sourced motor. We believe, it will be the 120PS 1.6L Multijet diesel sourced from Fiat, like the 1.3L DDIS, mated to a 6-speed transmission!

Maruti-Suzuki-S-Cross-Pic
Here is how it looks like

However, speculations predict a higher-than-expected price tag for S-Cross at a range of 13-14 Lakhs which is certainly a dampener if you are considering buying one. Let’s wait for some more sneaking bits to pour in before we understand this Maruti product completely.

Related: List of 4 Upcoming Maruti Car Launches This Year

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