My very own first car - Ritz Zxi or i10 Asta? EDIT: Booked Ritz Zxi.

[Gandhi]

I am in a dilemma here. Ritz Zxi vs i10 Asta.

Let me first list out my requirements from the car.

• This is my first car and will be used only by me and my wife 95% of the time.
• This car will be my weekend trips companion as I will use my bike for city commute. So 95% of the time it will be on highways (though this may change after couple of years).
• My monthly usage will never exceed 700KMs.
• I plan to keep the car for at least 5 years as I can't afford switching cars every 3-4 years. Hence, build quality matters lot to me, I don't want to hear rattles after say 2-3 years of usage.
• Resale doesn't really matter as I may never sell the car.
• I don't want to compromise on FE, I should get around 17-18 KMPL on highways and I'd be happy.
• Safety features are must. No compromise on that front. Hence Zxi vs Asta ONLY.

I have test driven both the cars and found that i10 was easier to drive compared to Ritz (I am a novice driver with very few - read negligible - experience of driving in India.). Ritz felt heavier to me compared to i10. i10 was just boon to drive and I was happy with the power. The gearshift in Ritz was short but hard compared to i10. Because Ritz is wider at it's base, it was difficult to judge the space required for the car in traffic (not a big deal I think). I was a bit nervous when driving the Ritz that I don't want to hit something and damage the car. The moment I floored the pedal of i10, it gave me some good confidence and within moments I felt comfortable driving the car (that never happened with Ritz).

Overall visibility from inside the car was much better in i10 compared to Ritz. Rear windscreen of i10 is much better. I had test driven both the cars in rainy weather, i10's wipers did a much better job than that of Ritz's. Though the steering felt a bit light at high speeds, I think upgrading to better/wider rubber should help here.

If we compare both the cars from features point of view, Ritz takes the cake. It has 14" tyres + alloys, seat height adjustment, steering mounted audio controls, 60:40 split rear seats, not present in i10 Asta. Whereas dealers are giving discounts worth 26K (without asking, I think I can negotiate more) for i10 Asta. This covers for the cost of better tyres and alloys. Seat height adjustment and steering mounted controls are something I can live without (but I find 60:40 split seats very usable). I could easily find a comfortable position in i10 and never felt the need for height adjustment.

Now comes the FE part, here I feel Ritz is ahead of i10. Though there are i10 owners who have reported 18+ FE figures, they are rare to find. Ritz owners have reported consistent good FE figures.

My wife was just amazed at the interiors of i10 and she was like WOW at the exterior paint job of i10. Exteriors and interiors of the Ritz didn't excite her at all (I am not really going after looks, but it matters for her). When we were in Maruti showroom, we were confused about which color was best looking on Ritz as no color looked really good except Black and Red. We were confused in the Hyundai showroom too, but in a positive way. All the colors looks so good that it's difficult to decide which color to go for. I just hate the instrument cluster of Ritz, it looks like that of a toy car. I would prefer analog gauges for fuel level and temperature.

Dealer experience was also in favor of Hyundai. We have been to Sagar and Bimal for Maruti and Advaith for Hyundai. In Maruti showroom, nobody was interested in selling the car to us (Bimal was much better than Sagar though). We felt like king in Hyundai showroom. We were attended by a knowledgeable guy who explained every bit of the car whereas the Maruti guy didn't know most of the things about the car. He kept making false claims about FE (was claiming 18+ in Bangalore City). The Hyundai guy was honest in accepting that FE is not as good as Maruti's KB12 engine, but isn't that bad to rule out the car. One more thing going against Ritz is the waiting period. I have been quoted 1.5 months to 3 months for the Ritz Zxi version. i10 will be available in 15 days from booking date.

So now this is a head vs heart decision. Head says Ritz but heart wants i10. It's the build quality of Hyundai and fit and finish of the interiors that is tilting the decision towards i10.

I have these questions for i10 -

• I plan to upgrade the tyres to 185/60/R14 with alloys. Will this affect the FE too much?
• How are the maintenance costs of Hyundai vehicles in long run? By maintenance cost, I mean spare parts and service costs. Will it be really expensive to maintain in long run?
• I felt that Hyundai should come out with a facelift for i10 and fill the gaps in features. Even Hyundai sales guy didn't had any answers when I countered him for features in Ritz. Is there such a facelift planned for i10? I can wait till Feb, not more than that.

Are there any other factors need to be considered before I go ahead with the booking of i10? Please help.

[blackasta]

Gandhi, please find my comments inline.

Originally Posted by Gandhi

My wife was just amazed at the interiors of i10 and she was like WOW at the exterior paint job of i10.

Do you need any more reasons to buy i10 after this?

Originally Posted by Gandhi

I have these questions for i10 -

• I plan to upgrade the tyres to 185/60/R14 with alloys. Will this affect the FE too much?
  
  I have upgraded tires in my i10 to 185/60R14 Yoko ES 100, my FE is 12+ kmpl (mine is an A/T). So FE should not be affected, we can all safely presume that.
  
  
• How are the maintenance costs of Hyundai vehicles in long run? By maintenance cost, I mean spare parts and service costs. Will it be really expensive to maintain in long run?
  
  Hyundai i10 service costs are in the same bracket with santro (displayed in Hyundai service center), which is the lowest for Hyundai. Don't know about Ritz's positioning.
  
  
• I felt that Hyundai should come out with a facelift for i10 and fill the gaps in features. Even Hyundai sales guy didn't had any answers when I countered him for features in Ritz. Is there such a facelift planned for i10? I can wait till Feb, not more than that.
  We have to turn to our scoopmaster , Sidindica for this.
  

Are there any other factors need to be considered before I go ahead with the booking of i10? Please help.

see - you decided on i10 already !

Ritz is a pretty good car, and I might advise you to wait for other users to bring up pros and cons of ritz vs i10 (I know Ritz wins in feature to feature comparo)

[ravibhat]

Having seen both cars I suggest i10 Asta! With sun roof its still better choice! i10 is excellant product where Ritz is ugly in front of i10 according to me. There is no more Maruti brand image in India. People have learnt lesson by now how Maruti is coming up with bad products day by day in terms of quality.

i10 Asta feels like you are in 8+ lac car. i10 has grown very much now you will love every bit of it. Expect FE around 15-16 in highway driving with AC on. Change your tyres to Michellin and don't upsize please! Stock Michellin tyre with some alloys (appolo alloy with red/back/silver finish is nice one or any alloy you like) will make you very happy for Indian road. Safe speed is around 60-80kmph in either of these 2 cars.

If you are looking for more speed highway driving think about Punto!

Ravi.

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by blackasta

see - you decided on i10 already

Well, it's 70:30 right now in favor of i10. I am waiting for Ritz owners to convince me for Ritz and tilt this balance towards Ritz.

Originally Posted by ravibhat

Change your tyres to Michellin and don't upsize please! Stock Michellin tyre with some alloys (appolo alloy with red/back/silver finish is nice one or any alloy you like) will make you very happy for Indian road. Safe speed is around 60-80kmph in either of these 2 cars.

Any particular reason not to upsize? Do you have any bad experience with upsizing the tyres on i10? I felt the 13 inchers are too thin for i10 and I'll need at least 175 for better handling and grip.

Originally Posted by ravibhat

If you are looking for more speed highway driving think about Punto!

Punto is out of my budget. It is a lakh more costlier than my choices (heard that they have increases the prices of Punto recently).

[SamuraiJack]

But why!!

i10- loved this car when it came out first, like you say zippy drive and interiors feel good and all that, here is what happened- I went for a 7K KM drive in my Swift, came back and happened to sit in a i10.. I wasn't able to push the seats back to as much as I wanted, it has restricted seat movement, I would hate that on long drives.

Ritz- If I'm not wrong, all the Ritz models are a tad costlier than the Swift (Ritz ZXI will be costlier than a Swift ZXI)..this car is but(t) ugly and I'm sure has an equal driving pleasure comfort when compared to a Swift.

Have you driven a Swift? I think you should spend some time in a freind's Swift if not and get the feel of it- then try an i10, let me know your reaction.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by ravibhat

Change your tyres to Michellin and don't upsize please!

Safe speed is around 60-80kmph in either of these 2 cars.

Ravi, any specific reason for which you are advising against upsizing? Is it FE?
I am running upsized tires and feel no problem at all - I still manage to get better FE than most of other members running i10 A/T.

When you are done 1200-1300 kms in i10 , 80 comes up in a flash buddy . Its really hard for me to hold my car back with open road in front. Cannot comment on the safe speed though - to each his own standards.

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by SamuraiJack

Have you driven a Swift? I think you should spend some time in a freind's Swift if not and get the feel of it- then try an i10, let me know your reaction.

I haven't driven a swift yet. I have read your travelogue to Rohtang and loved every bit of it.

Things going against Swift are poor FE, poorer build quality, ridiculous waiting periods (3+ months) and it's just too common on the roads now. Still, I will take your advice and drive a swift too before I take the decision.

[flyingspur]

Originally Posted by Gandhi

Things going against Swift are poor FE, poorer build quality...

Same problems with the Ritz !! Infact, before I picked the i20, we were very much looking at the SX4. What kept us away was the build quality of all these new Maruti's. Can't live with a rattle, don't know about you.

[viper_711]

My replies in Bold below:

Originally Posted by Gandhi

I have these questions for i10 -

• I plan to upgrade the tyres to 185/60/R14 with alloys. Will this affect the FE too much? This will affect FE - between 5 to 10% The UK model of i10 does sell with 14" wheels! check the Hyundai UK website.
  
• How are the maintenance costs of Hyundai vehicles in long run? By maintenance cost, I mean spare parts and service costs. Will it be really expensive to maintain in long run? No worries here AFAIK.
• I felt that Hyundai should come out with a facelift for i10 and fill the gaps in features. Even Hyundai sales guy didn't had any answers when I countered him for features in Ritz. Is there such a facelift planned for i10? I can wait till Feb, not more than that. Well now, if you can wait, please do! Post the Jan'10 Auto expo, expect more new car launches: VW Polo, Chevrolet Beat to name a couple.

Are there any other factors need to be considered before I go ahead with the booking of i10? Please help.

[Moonraker]

I would advise you to go in for the i10. It would be the perfect car which meets all your requirements. Excellent driviability and good fot & finish.

[cruiser_1982]

Since you will be using the car mostly on highways, I would suggest Ritz instead of I10. I10 is a great city car, but not as good as Ritz on the highways. Ritz is a safer car than I10 in a highway too. There were many posts in T-BHP claiming that I10 does not have a front impact bar, which is an absolute must for Highways.I am listing a few below. All the best for your search.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatchb...10-unsafe.html (i10 unsafe?)
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-my-i10-8.html (i am liking all the attention - My i10 :))

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by flyingspur

Same problems with the Ritz !! Infact, before I picked the i20, we were very much looking at the SX4. What kept us away was the build quality of all these new Maruti's. Can't live with a rattle, don't know about you.

I think Ritz scores better in FE department here. For build quality, it doesn't look as good as i10, but I want to hear from Ritz owners if they felt any rattles in the car like Swift.

It's not that Hyundais don't rattle (check out svaid's thread on i10, where many have confirmed a tak tak sound from steering assembly and HASS haven't been able to figure it out), but they are surely better built than Marutis..

Originally Posted by viper_711

My replies in Bold below:

This will affect FE - between 5 to 10%

I can live with that much. The idea is to have better handling, control over the car with better/wider rubber.

Just to quote a colleague of mine, he has got 20 KMPL with his i10 Sportz AT on highways. He has upgraded the tyres to 175 keeping the diameter 13".

Originally Posted by cruiser_1982

Ritz is a safer car than I10 in a highway too.

Don't agree with you here. I will believe the EURO NCAP figures more than anything else. Here i10 fares better compared to Ritz.

[pb10gagan]

if you are not a regular driver (read more than 50K kms of experience) than do not even think about ritz.

its a driver's nightmare.

no visibility
cramped rear window
huge dash that protrudes upwards

and in a city like bangalore you will end up scratching ritz everywhere and would loose a lot of sleep over it.

so go for i10

i had indica before i got a getz. indica is pretty bad on visibility scale too. but after driving a ritz i felt like indica has quite a good visibility.

[joy_swift]

You can have a look at the Swift.

I had it for 3.5 years and its a dream to drive.

Its much funkier looking than the i10(for me),engine a lot lot better,FE better,interiors better(if you dont have a fascination for biege) and it comes with a host of features like automatic climate control,steering mounted controls etc etc.It also has 185/70/R14 alloys which really looks great.

In short,its a segment above the i10.

If you take a TD of the Swift,you can judge the difference and decide for yourself

[DCEite]

Ritz K series engine is a gem. It's revv happy, delivers good FE numbers and is more refined compared to the i10 Kappa.
i10 scores over Ritz in terms of beige interiors. There is nothing else i can think of where i10 is better than the Ritz.
But i guess Ritz P comes without any discount, whereas i10 has some. So if you want to save some money, go for the i10.