While the S-Cross is available with an AllGrip all-wheel-drive system in the overseas market, but the Indian market gets only the front-wheel-drive version
The S-Cross might not be a strong seller for Maruti Suzuki in India, though this uniquely positioned crossover ticks all the rights boxes as a practical and decently enjoyable car to drive. In the erstwhile-available diesel version and the currently-on-sale petrol version, the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross has a front-wheel-drive configuration as standard.
This owner from Faridabad customized his S-Cross with an aftermarket all-wheel-drive system, making it India’s one and only all-wheel-drive S-Cross. A video from the YouTube channel of Panwar Brothers shows the owner describing his experience of living with the S-Cross all-wheel-drive.
What the changes in this Maruti Suzuki S-Cross AWD?
The video starts with a glimpse of Karan Madan’s S-Cross Alpha diesel version, which he purchased in 2019. Karan further explains that he has customized his S-Cross with an all-wheel-drive system in place of the factory-fitted front-wheel-drive system from an aftermarket shop in New Delhi.
In the video, Karan hasn’t explained much about the processes involved in replacing the front-wheel-drive with the all-wheel-drive system. However, he has openly given his opinions and ownership experience of the modified S-Cross. However, he hasn’t changed the state of tune of the 1.3-litre DDIS diesel engine of his S-Cross, which comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and produces 90 PS of power and 220 Nm of torque. The overall installation of the kits for this new all-wheel-drive system, sourced from international markets, costs Rs 1 lakh.
Why you should not do it?
He says that the S-Cross feels much better to drive with improved traction and grip levels on loose surfaces and inclines. This S-Cross doesn’t lose out on grip even while driving at faster speeds. At the same time, he also explains how the system has adversely affected the fuel efficiency of the S-Cross. At its best, this modified S-Cross returns a fuel efficiency of 11-12 kmpl, while in urban driving conditions, the fuel efficiency further drops down to 8-9 kmpl. There are no changes in the overall performance, acceleration and braking of this modified S-Cross.
Is it legal to make such changes?
He spent Rs 1 lakh on the conversion
The S-Cross owner Karan is very much satisfied after the installation of the all-wheel-drive system and is comfortable living with the downsides the system has brought to his car. However, there are a few points that you should keep in mind if you wish to install such an after-market all-wheel-drive system in your SUV.
Firstly, installing such systems requires heavy modifications to the basic architecture of the vehicle, which will immediately terminate the warranty of the vehicle offered by its manufacturer. In such a case, if any bigger foil happens with your car, the carmaker will not be responsible for any possible mishaps related to it. Secondly, be ready for the significant drop in fuel efficiency.
Compared to around 20-21 kmpl of real-world fuel efficiency of the diesel-powered S-Cross, this modified version owned by Karan gives almost half of it.
Do you think installing an after-market all-wheel-drive system in a vehicle is a good idea in the long term? Let us know in the comments below.
Keyword: The Cross In ’S-Cross’ Makes So Much More Sense On India’s Only AWD Suzuki S-Cross