Grand Vitara Owners

[phamilyman]

boss,

Companies fall over their heads to find sensible experienced customers like us taking time out of our busy schedules (the cost of our times is huge). IMRB would like charge clients 300-1000 apiece just to speak to informed high quality customers.

So All i was pushing for, was to get a structured dialogue.

Unlike the guy who starts a what car thread - debates rage for weeks, and then he buys what his dad wants because she's the one paying! Give a direct good forum for us to talk.

To give an example - Bajaj LITERALLY wined/dined bike clubs like xbhp/bajajpulsar/bikenomads/bcmtouring on p220 launch. Bajaj also invited bikenomads for a chakan plant visit + trackday + interacting with top honchos + cocktails() Yamaha has also been working on reaching out to all clubs with R15 impending launch. Fastrack launched biker goggles and sent one apiece to key mods of biking groups online to spread the good word.

I have no issue with who takes the credit, its more with getting a good forum to voice, and the mocktails won't hurt either (cocktails for the bacchus followers ). Currently its not a win win imnsho!

[ram_hyundai]

Outside the GV looks pretty good.Not too flashy and not too low.Price could have been a couple of lakhs less but the CBU route is to be complained.If its built here then the cost would go down dramatically and with a diesel option would work wonders regarding volumes.I bet there would have been at least 50 owners here if it was the scenario.
Interiors are basic,switches have to improve and features have to increase.Climate control is the most welcome in the list.
ram

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by ram_hyundai

Climate control is the most welcome in the list.
ram

Good thing is they already have it in GV.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Won't that increase the spares/consumable cost? Right now they are using all SX4 lubes on GV, that keeps my cost low.

A better quality part will logically entail a higher price. But for someone who is spending 15 lakh rupees, I am sure this is a welcome step up. Also, better interior quality will do nothing to your upkeep costs at all.

One sure way to boost Vitara sales is to dress up the interiors.

[ramkya1]

One main reason I did not consider (I'm sure there'd be many more) GV was the petrol engine, if it's a reasonably priced diesel, around 15 L, i'd anyday change over.

If they improve the 4WD, taking cues from user experience here and add a choice of a diesel with a price around 15L, the SUV market's on a platter for the taking. Maruti are you listening seriously?

==Ramky

========

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Radhika,

Are you using this thread (like others you've posted) for your office work? Or as a survey tool? Atleast I get that impression.

Phamilyman, we already have the information. from 'Newbie' forum ( http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/introd...-team-bhp.html (newbie team BHP) )

Originally Posted by RADHIKADAS

..., working with an advertising agency. Handling the advertising duties for wagonR and grand vitara...

So she has told us what she does.

Originally Posted by RADHIKADAS

As a way to get insightful views on a machine that is turning to be my passion with more and more reading i am doing on it.
Spreading knowledge only increases it.
So seeking some as of now. Will spread some soon!
Thank You
Regards

Now this one beats it! "Spreading knowledge" -

Originally Posted by phamilyman

...That is the feel I got from your other threads too.

Kind of agree with you, Phamilyman. But it never hurts if ones voice is heard. But then if we know of how it will be used and who is the intended recipient, it will be great. If a feedback of mine, given in good faith, is used for commercial benefit by someone else, it is not fair! (I guess the real issue would be - Where is my cut! )

[HSV]

Originally Posted by Samurai

As Jaggu said, other than me and sudev, there is no known GV owner here.

Awww come on Samurai... you forgotten me? Remember you thought I had nearly beaten you to being the first owner of a GV on Tbhp?

Yes, but you are correct - I dont own one personally ; but I have one in the family. My brother drives a GV A/T. I was instrumental in choosing this vehicle for him - got it on 30th Oct 2007.

We find it a great buy in the price it comes for. Havent tried the manual but the power/pick-up for on-road driving is pretty requisite and the vehicle is not found wanting at all. Havent taken it off-road so cant comment.

It is very compact (good for 5 people) and very very drivable in the city as compared to other SUVs. Parking is no trouble at all. Frankly I personally found the handling pretty good and very confident during sharp turns.

No rattles, NVH Ok, interiors pretty standard (could have been better considering one is spending around 16L on it), sound system is pretty good for amateurs like us - it even has a sub-woofer under the front seat.

Not only that I think there is a 50K - 75K cash discount on offer as well. Service is not too expensive. FE comes out to 7.5 kmpl approx on the A/T.

All in all I'd gove it a thumbs up; moreso because there isnt any competition for the variant we have. The only other SUV with A/T is around 4 Lacs more expensive so it makes pretty good VFM.

regards

[sudev]

@Samurai
1, There are couple of more GV guys on the list.
2, Have you explore off chasis winch with ground anchored loop back for serious off roading?

@All:
I have driven as on date 43892Kms on my GV and it is still couple of days short of nine months since I brought it. My take:
1. Power: there is always clamor for more. In GV I find it reasonable and very clearly you are not using it to drag racing. It has enough to push it faster that I would care to drive in India. (See my picture post some where under the 4x4 forum) With 4x4-L the power almost doubles.
2. Medium to light off roading is very decent. I did the PAT journey, the Desert Storm and the Raid-de-Himalaya circuits with reasonably heavy off roading, especially in the second.
3. Personal choice but I hate leather seats apart from the oooouuuuccchhhh factor when you have to slide after parking in open during Delhi summers.
4. Build quality is good (CBU impact?). There are no rattles and everything feels solid and that is when I have driven roughly 50% of total distance in off road or bad road surface.
5. Cumulative average for all these kilometers is 9.8kpl. Innova / Tavera / Qualis whith their diesels also give ~10kpl. So at current prices I really do not find economy enough to justify 1~2 lacs extra price tag for a diesel (usual differential)
6. Price: There is always clamour for this to be inverse of power. You have choice of Safari/Innova range on one side and CRV/Captiva on the other. But the all time 4x4 is definite plus for GV

That said I would have loved:
1. Better under body protection.
2. More "bucket" in the front seats.
3. Extended warranty option.

It is not a true off roader like a M&M ones. But for all the SUV's the only one that can come near mimic M&M's may be the Pajero.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by sudev

@Samurai
1, There are couple of more GV guys on the list.

There was somebody from bangalore with a GV. I remember reading about it in a T-BHP drive to Nandi Hills.

[Samurai]

HSV/Sudev,

I did say known GV owners. There are a few other members who own GVs, but none of them except for GRV (7 posts) have a single post. They might be just lurkers, so we don't know them.

While GV is a competent off-roader, there are a few finishing touches that are missing. Skimpy skid plates are well known. I have found that it is quite easy to bend the rear license plates during steep exits. Finally the price range makes it quite heart breaking for the owner to take it off-road. The panel damage is very expensive to fix due to the CBU nature. People keep asking me when I am going to take it to Kelambakkam. The answer is probably never. I believe GV can handle the Kelambakkam off-roading track, but it will suffer quite a few body panel damage. Taking a 15-20 years old MM540 or similarly old Land Cruiser is one thing, but a brand new imported SUV is something else. I am not rich enough to bash a new SUV in hard-core OR trails. It is not a hard-core offroader anyway.

I bought GV as my primary transport to handle the local bad roads with impunity. And that's how I will use it mostly, and may be some light off-roading here and there. To do anything more, Maruti has to provide cheap and easy access to good off-roading accessories. That is really not the case in India.

[dadu]

I was okay with the petrol engine also but only if it was <10L, I would have bought it.

But I guess they import a FBU, Vitara, so the cost is high.

Originally Posted by ramkya1

One main reason I did not consider (I'm sure there'd be many more) GV was the petrol engine, if it's a reasonably priced diesel, around 15 L, i'd anyday change over.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Why is nobody talking about wheelbase?

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

There was somebody from bangalore with a GV. I remember reading about it in a T-BHP drive to Nandi Hills.

I think that was the old GV and it got crashed also, IIRC.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

I think that was the old GV and it got crashed also, IIRC.

It was crashed before the drive.. the drive was after the crash

[agbenny]

Originally Posted by shuvd

Reduce the price by a couple of lacs in present guise.
A more powerful petrol engine at same price point.
A Fiat sourced VGT diesel at the A/Ts price point.
Add rear discs, climate control and slightly spruced up interiors.
Sorry, don't own the vehicle. But, these are the things I found wanting after a TD.

I would like to see it priced less than 13L. I would seriously consider then. I hope pricing is now important for GV to be pushed.