All carmakers are rushing to crossovers

Fashions change and the ever-growing tribe of young buyers want cars that reflect their young and sporty attitudes. It is therefore no surprise ethat many of them are being attracted to the sudden flurry of new models that offer all the comforts of a sedan but with the looks and attitude of an SUV. This trend began with the game changing Ford Ecosport, followed by Toyota Etios Cross, Hyundai Creta and Maruti S-Cross.

These so called ‘crossover’ vehicles actually began life as ‘glammed up’ normal cars like Toyota’s Etios Cross that is

essentially a rather uninspiring Etios Liva hatchback with bigger tyres, an aggressive plastic grille and tough looking side cladding.

Though bigger tyres are better for bad roads they slightly reduce the handling and fuel efficiency but customers do not mind as they like the feel of a more aggressive looking ‘Macho’ vehicle. It does not cost much for a car maker to add these cosmetics that can help to widen their market appeal and pull in valuable extra sales. The market is very competitive so new models and new variants of existing ones are essential formaintaining sales velocity.

Very few of these ‘Crossovers’ will actually see serious off-road use but most buyers like the SUV feel. This is evident from the fact that neither car offers a 4-wheel drive option that would be essential for serious off-road performance especially on wet or icy roads. In any case, most buyers are not willing to pay a good bit extra for 4-wheel drive transmission when they need to use it so seldom. With big fat tyres a 2-wheel drive vehicle provides very adequate traction.

Hyundai’s 4.27 m long Creta is a very good example of a recent success but it is much more than a cosmetic job and

is built on a completely new platform. Its 1582 cc 126 hp diesel engine is also mated to a six-speed manual gearbox to make the gear shifting easy and also slightly improve fuel efficiency. Maruti, who cannot ignore a challenge, has

responded with their slightly shorter 4.3 m long S-Cross that has a 1598 cc 118 hp diesel engine and a similar six-speed transmission.

Both cars are therefore large enough to be comfortable five-seaters with good seat comfort and leg room though the 75 kg heavier Creta has slightly more ground clearance and a more powerful engine. It scores well on comfort,

ride, handling refinement and performance even if the ride is a bit too soft for a real off roader.

The Maruti S-Cross is an exceptionally comfortable vehicle with good ride, handling and refinement but it looks more a luxury sedan than a SUV. Good looking for sure but not very aggressive looking. Though it has a punchy engine, the Creta offers better acceleration. The S-Cross also offers a few more features for safety and driving pleasure even though these make it more expensive. Not every buyer is willing to pay more for audio controls on the steering, automatic headlights or automatic windscreen wipers. The excellent audio systems of both cars have now dropped the CD player and offer the more modern blue tooth or USB systems. All carmakers are rushing to crossovers and many other models will soon be in the market.

(The author is the region’s most celebrated automobile columnist)