Cross it over by SX4 S-Cross

Front part of SX4 S-Cross

         Hello guys welcome to my blog http://techsonwheel.blogspot.in/. First of all i want to say thanks for spending your time in reading my blog. Today I'm going to write about a special car which has been anticipated after its unveiling at 2013 Geneva Motor Show in March. The S-Cross will be launched in India in the last week of January 2015. The S-Cross is going to notch up the level of hot and lucrative crossover market followed by equally awaited Maruti XA Alpha mini-SUV.

          So the final deal is what is a crossover? We have all known and seen Hatchback(Maruti Alto, Hyundai i10 or i20, Ford Figo etc) and SUV(Tata Sumo, Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Fortuner etc), so the crossover we can say a mixture of both Hatchback and SUV. So simply its a vehicle which is built on car platform combining the highly variable degree of features of SUV along with that of passenger vehicles that of hatchback. It may offer FWD, RWD or AWD configurations along with the capability of light off-road. The SX4 S-Cross is going to take over Renault Duster, Ford Ecosport and Fiat Avventura.

        The SX4 S-Cross being a crossover does have familiar looks due to the presence of SX4 on India grounds since 2006. The car on the front has a three piece black grill with prominent Suzuki logo in its middle. The headlights have projector headlamps along with LED daytime running light(DRL). The S-Cross has sporty front guard below the license plate which runs below till the rear that helps accentuating higher ground clearance.

       The side profile of the car has changed a bit with the roofline being altered. The rear has a newly designed tailamps but it could have made much more sportier like the Honda Mobilio RS. The silver claddings can be seen on the rear and runs along the length. The Indian version is also expected to get black roof rails.

Rear part of SX4 S-Cross

        The interiors looks familiar to the ones found on the smaller hatch Swift. If someone is blinfolded and made to seat in this car it would be hard to tell the difference on which Suzuki vehicle is he/she sitting. The only major difference would be if the Indian variant possess the four wheel drive configuration there would be drive selector and if lucky Diff-Lock. The rear seat can generously sit three people comfortably. The car has a generous 430litre boot space which can be increased by 60:40 split of rear seats.

      The Indian version of crossover is expected to be powere dby different set of engines. While the European markets has 1.6litre petrol and diesel variant, but the Indian bound S-Cross is going to get 1.3litre fiat multijet diesel(92hp) and 1.4litre petrol(94hp) units.

       Got any question in your mind post it below in the comment section. Thank you.

e-Clutch as an alternative to AMT

The Automated Manual Transmission is a familiar concept which was first introduced by Maruti Suzuki along with the hands of Magneti Marelli. It eliminates the need for clutch providing an affordable automatic driving experiences. Bosch has developed a system called the e-clutch that functions in a manner similar to AMT but does not eliminate the clutch pedal from the car.This allows users to shift manually but at the same time allows an automated response from the transmission when required, say while driving in urban traffic conditions.

electronic clutch

          The source of the AMT has encouraged Bosch to engage in talks with several Indian Automotive manufacturers to adopt the system since its benefits outweigh those offered by AMT. Mr. Steffan Berns, MD of Bosch limited and President of  Bosch Group India, told that several manufacturers were interested and that they are conducting their due diligence on the system. Bosch is working closely with all three big Indian Automotive manufacturers Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors in additon to players in the commercial vehicle segment.

          The first biggest benefit of the system is the higher fuel efficiency derived as compared to the AMT. The e-clutch has a start-stop coasting function that reduces fuel consumption by nearly 10 percent. The Bosch e-clutch system has an intelligent system when it detects that the driver is reducing the pressure on the accelerator pedal it decouples the engine from the transmission system to reduce the fuel intake.

           The e-clutch system also offers other benefits such as smoother and quicker gear shifts. Bosch's e-clutch system is going to score big in the larger hatchback and mid-range C-segment  sedans where customers would appreciate the better refinement, smoothness and efficiency without burning  hole in the pocket. The Bosch e-clutch system definitely has the potential to bring that sort of interest levels for clutchless driving in higher segments given its fuel saving credo.

            The biggest question would be how affordable will it be. Although Bosch claims the system would be cheaper than any conventional automatic transmission available today.