Here, we have a digitally customised Maruti Suzuki S-Presso, which has been turned into the perfect little beach car
Maruti S-Presso was launched in India back in September 2019, branded as a ‘micro-SUV’ by the manufacturer. Thanks to its extremely affordable price, and tiny running and maintenance costs, the little Maruti is quite a popular vehicle among buyers in our market right now. However, even though it’s officially tagged as an SUV, the S-Presso doesn’t really feel like one.
Here, we have a digitally modified Maruti S-Presso, designed by Alpha Renders, which sports some actual SUV elements. The vehicle gets a blacked-out front grille, a snorkel, taller suspension, new blacked-out alloy wheels with knobbly tyres, and a tailgate-mounted spare wheel. A roof carrier has also been added, which is loaded here with some luggage and a tiny canoe.
The front and rear bumpers now get bash plates, finished in silver, which look great against the black bumpers. At the sides, the vehicle gets additional door cladding, along with side skid plates, which give it a very muscular appeal and gel well with the white exterior paint. Also, disc brakes are present on all four wheels, and we imagine this vehicle gets a 4×4 system as well, which should help negotiate the sandy beaches easily.
This digitally rendered model is extremely impressive, and it certainly gives a little credibility to the ‘SUV’ tag. However, the vehicle definitely needs a more powerful engine to be a practical off-road machine. A stock Maruti S-Presso is powered by a tiny 1.0-litre, naturally aspirated, inline-4 petrol engine, which generates a peak power of 68 PS and a maximum torque of 90 Nm.
Transmission options include a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 5-speed AMT. The manufacturer offers the option for a CNG kit as well on select trims, and the vehicle generates 59 PS and 78 Nm when running on natural gas. The CNG variants are only available with the manual transmission.
Currently, Maruti Suzuki S-Presso is priced from Rs. 3.78 lakh to Rs. 5.26 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). Its closest rivals in the Indian market include Renault Kwid, Datsun redi-GO, and even its own siblings, Maruti Alto and Maruti Wagon-R.