Since the decision of Maruti Suzuki withdrawing diesel engines from its entire lineup before the BS-VI era commences broke this year, there has been a lot of ambiguity around its diesel-only models – the S-Cross and the Vitara Brezza. However, 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.
And then raises the confusion – why Maruti isn’t upgrading its own 1.5-litre oil burner and trading in for the bygone 1.6-litre mill? Wouldn't the in-house developed diesel engine be a cheaper alternative compared to the Fiat-developed unit? Also, the 1.6-litre engine would lead to higher GST and make its vehicles costlier.
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.
Also See: 2020 Maruti Vitara Brezza (facelift) - IAB Rendering
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.
[Image Source: GaadiWaadi]
