Maruti Suzuki have nursed a burning ambition to dominate a slightly more premium segment than where they presently exist for a very long time. They tried with the SX4 and the significantly more premium Kizashi and Grand Vitara but Indian consumers just couldn’t accept a Maruti in those conditions. The environment has changed now and with it things are looking positive for every volume manufacturer wanting to go the premium way. So Maruti is making a second attempt at wooing this buyer but the plan is better structured this time around.

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It involves the S-Cross, a crossover projected to be a bit more premium than the Ciaz. A clever strategy is to position the whole retail experience of the S-Cross in a new avatar under the brand name NEXA. These are basically new showrooms where only products such as the S-Cross and above will retail in order to build a gap between Maruti’s current portfolio and the S-Cross.

Back to the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross however and a crossover sounds like a plan. There is a lot of attention being spared on crossovers and SUVs and this ideally puts the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross in a good place. But being premium is not just about having a high sticker price or fancy equipment. It’s also about how a vehicle rides and drives.

While the Ciaz replaced the SX4 sedan, the S-Cross in a way brings back the SX4 in the form of this hatchback-based crossover. Apart from the mock scuff plates and the all round cladding, the design is more hatchback than SUV. In fact it is Maruti’s contender to the Hyundai Creta, Renault Duster and Nissan Terrano rival but principally aims at luring the EcoSport buyer. Look at it and you’ll mistake it to be one of the cross themed hatchbacks that are on sale today. However in flesh, it’s a much larger footprint. The front end looks like an evolved version of the SX4 and the headlamps take priority. The lamps feature projector lighting and LED daylight running lamps too. It’s a large unit and is quite striking to look at. The grille is split by a body coloured section that holds the number plate too. For India, there’s a new twin-chrome slat grille. We still like the tri-slat metallic grey grille and the single chrome slat that is available internationally. The lower half of the bumper gets black cladding that houses the fog lamps and a contrasting mock bash plate like insert. The fog lamps gets a chrome surround but it is thankfully less bling compared to the S-Cross that was displayed last year at the Auto Expo.