2022 Maruti Suzuki S-Presso – First Look

Around three years after the launch of the original, Maruti Suzuki has updated the S-Presso for 2022. Introduced as more of a micro SUV than a traditional hatchback, the S-Presso has done fairly well for Maruti with sales of over two lakh units since 2019. Naturally, times have changed since then and there will soon be an entirely new rival to contend with in the form of the Citroen C3. Now I am aware that the C3 is bigger and in the turbo guise, a much quicker car as well but it ought to share market space with the 2022 S-Presso which is claimed to be even more fuel efficient than before. So let’s take a deeper look into what all has changed for this micro SUV.

The 2022 model remains the same as the original. The high stance is still there and so are the boxy proportions. While the flat bumper with lots of horizontal cuts adds some muscle to the front-end, the headlights appear basic and the ‘SUV-inspired’ grille simply looks odd. All in all, the S-Presso doesn’t look as striking as its competition and we feel Maruti should have given it more upmarket styling bits for this update.

Again, no visual changes in here to reveal. Maruti has continued with the centrally mounted instrumentations and the all-black theme for the dashboard and the door pads. The pillars and the roof-lining though are of a lighter grey shade which is always good for ambience. In terms of space, the S-Presso is strictly a four-seater given its narrow width but the headroom is more than usable and even the knee room is good. What’s more, given the small dimensions - it measures under 3.6 metres in length - it still has a pretty big boot.

This is where the updates for the 2022 S-Presso begin to show. For starters Maruti has added electrically adjustable ORVMs in the Vxi+ and Vxi+(O) variants. There is also a new air filter for cleaner air in the cabin. Lastly, all AMT variants come with ESP and hill hold assist as standard. Other notable features in the higher end variants include a touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, remote keyless entry, front power windows, engine start/stop during idle and a digital instrument cluster. In terms of safety, the 2022 S-Presso is packing dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors and auto door lock. The top-spec Vxi+(O) is well specified though we have liked it even more with a reversing camera, rear power windows and alloy wheels.

Moving to the meat of the 2022 update and that’s the 1-litre engine. It’s the same K-Series engine but the K10C version which gets dual variable valve timing and idle start/stop tech. The setup is the same as the one on the new Celerio. This engine now makes 66bhp and 89Nm of torque and is mated to a five-speed manual or the AMT. The real highlight though is that Maruti is claiming a 17 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency in AMT and 14 per cent higher fuel efficiency in manual version. As a result, the 2022 S-Presso is rated at 25.30kmpl in Vxi(O)/Vxi+(O) AGS, 24.76kmpl in Vxi/Vxi+ MT and 24.12kmpl in Std/Lxi MT.

The 2022 Maruti Suzuki S-Presso range starts at Rs 4.25 lakh for the STD MT version, going up till Rs 5.99 lakh for the VXi+(O) AGS version. In comparison, the 1-litre Renault Kwid range is priced between Rs 4.74 lakh (RXL) and Rs 5.64 lakh for the most expensive Climber Option dual tone AMT version.