A new set
of spy pictures suggest that apart from mulling a petrol variant of the
S-Cross, the company is going to surprise the Indian customers with the
relaunch of the 1.6-litre diesel variant.
There are two signs
which do indicate that the updated Maruti S-Cross will be a platform for the
comeback of the Fiat-sourced 1.6-litre DDIS 320 oil burner – the 1.6 badge on
the boot lid and a DDIS badge on front fenders. This might be the same engine
with which the Maruti S-Cross debuted in the Indian market for the very first
time back in 2015, along with the 1.3-litre diesel engine.
This 1.6-litre
diesel engine, christened as DDIS 320 by Maruti Suzuki, used to develop 120 PS
of maximum power and 320 Nm of peak torque output in the BS-IV version. It was
coupled to a 6-speed manual transmission. The test car spied had an emission
testing kit attached to it at the back, which clearly indicates that Maruti
Suzuki is mulling to upgrade the 1.6-litre diesel engine for the BS-VI era.
The pre-facelift
Maruti S-Cross 1.6-litre diesel turned out to be a sales dud because of its
expensiveness. Even an eventual significant price cut of more than a lakh of
rupees didn’t help, and so, Maruti Suzuki hasn't been offering the same engine
option in the facelifted model.
For the time being,
the Maruti S-Cross is available with only the 1.3-litre diesel engine (90
PS/220 Nm), which soon will bid adieu before April 2020 when the BS-VI era
kicks in. While Maruti Suzuki is already working on the petrol variant of the
S-Cross, which will be powered by the 1.5-litre petrol engine from Ciaz and
Ertiga, this 1.6-litre diesel variant should be an interesting proposition.
