Customers are often the best brand ambassadors of a car and Bunny decided to meet such owners while also undertaking a 400km road trip with the Nexa S-Cross
The NEXA S-Cross is one of Indias finest mid-size SUVs and sales figures reflect the same success story. In fact the company has sold over 1.5 lakh units of this all-rounder in India and this definitely calls for a celebration and congratulations to the entire team behind this successful product. So what makes the S-Cross so popular? To find out just that I decided to come all the way to one of its biggest and strongest markets, Hyderabad. Why? To not only meet customers, who are the brand ambassadors, but to also take the S-Cross for a scenic, adventurous drive around what is known as the city of pearls.
Before heading out to meet proud owners for my road trip, I decided to drive around Hyderabad to experience the S-Cross in an urban environment. This bold looking mid-size SUV certainly felt peppy with light controls and great visibility. A very important factor that makes this vehicle easy to drive in traffic is SHVS or Smart Hybrid Vehicle System. This set-up includes a small electric motor that is powered by its own independent battery. The motor, while in action, ends up taking load off the engine, thereby improving fuel economy and also aiding in extra torque when required. All this happens seamlessly and smoothly, without the driver coming to know about what is happening under the hood. Really smart I would say.
The next day, I headed out for a 400km return trip to Srisailam. While rains were a constant companion, the confidence from the S-Cross kept my spirits high. In spite of not so friendly wet road conditions, I loved the overall dynamics and the confidence it oozes into the driver. This was also to be seen on long winding roads once we hit the reserve forest area before Srisailam. Likewise, at highway speeds, you remain cocooned from the outside world, thanks to low NVH or noise, vibration and harshness levels. And before you ask, the on-board display showed over 18 kmpl constantly during the overall road trip.
Over the years the S-Cross has ticked a lot of right boxes. The comfort levels for example, the engine performance, or the highway manners. And while driving the Nexa S-Cross on open roads towards Srisailam, I could relate to these terms. When we say comfort levels, it's not only got to do with the ride quality but also other important parameters that play a vital role. For example, the ergonomics, the fatigue free drive or the comfort levels from the seats or the visibility all around - these parameters fuse together to give you a comfortable experience.
Back in Hyderabad the next day, it was time to meet customers who are also the best brand ambassadors for a car. I ended up meeting not one but four owners and all of them echoed the same thoughts, with an overall positive feedback. While Mr Venkateswara Rao appreciates the fact that he is constantly getting a higher mileage figure than the one NEXA claims, Mr Azad, a young data analyst loved the luxury feel and comfort levels on his 2500km trip to South India. Mr Kumar, Manager at Prasads Multiplex opted for the S-Cross over the WRV due to its confidence inspiring dynamics and low service costs. In the end, I also met Mr Sinha, a retired IPS officer who has put his trust into the brand and loves the rear legroom, reclinable rear seats and the boot space.
So as you saw, it's just not the sales figures that do the talking for the success of the Maruti S-Cross but also customers who only had praises to share with me about this vehicle. In the end I think you would agree with me, for the mid-size SUV, the S-Cross definitely ticks all the right boxes for a prospective customer.
So what does a prospective customer want from his mid-size SUV? He wants design, space, features, interiors, performance, reliability from a brand - yes, the Nexa S-Cross delivers on all those accounts and this without burning a hole in your pocket - both in terms of the initial purchase price as well fuel economy and service costs. In fact, while most other mid-size SUVs have a starting price of over Rs 10 lakh (ex-showroom), the S-Cross is available from as low as Rs 8.6 lakh (ex-showroom) with safety features like dual front Airbags, ABS with EBD, ISOFIX child seat anchorages and even seat belt pre-tensioners with force limiters as standard. Safety for sure? Yes!
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