Maruti S-Cross diesel gets automatic gearbox

The India-bound Maruti Suzuki S-Cross would now be offered with an automatic gearbox in the UK. The range-topping diesel variant, comprising of the DDiS powertrain and company’s AllGrip AWD system, would now be available with Twin Clutch System by Suzuki (TCSS) in the UK. Just so you know, the Suzuzki S-Cross was sold exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission in diesel trim in Europe in both 2WD as well as 4WD modes, till date.

Though, the newly-introduced Twin Clutch System by Suzuki (TCSS) is basically a six-speed automated manual transmission (AMT), albeit with two hydraulically controlled clutches; similar to Volkswagen’s dual-clutch gearbox (DSG) technology. In this technology, one clutch is at the helm of gears one, three, and five, while the other clutch handles gears two, four, and six. It can be said a big success of company engineers as they have skillfully combined dual-clutch technology in a budget-friendly package of an AMT. The Japanese automaker says that with the Twin Clutch System by Suzuki (TCSS), any desired gear would be on offer instantly. The Indian buyers would be deprived of this new technology as Maruti would launch the compact SUV with manual gearbox only.

For those asking, Maruti Suzuki S-Cross is powered by Fiat’s 1.6-litre, four-cylinder Multi-jet diesel engine in UK, which develops 118bhp of power and 320Nm of torque and it remains unchanged with the Twin Clutch System by Suzuki (TCSS) automatic transmission as well. The India-spec S-Cross premium crossover would also use the aforesaid diesel engine with almost same power and torque figures.

Additionally, S-Cross also gets steering wheel mounted mounted paddle shifters, albeit the driver uses manual operations. The new automatic variant is around 30 kgs heavier and fuel efficiency is also a bit low than the standard variants. As for pricing, the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross is GBP 1350 pounds (Around INR 1.34 lakhs) more premium than the standard manual variants.