Grand Vitara Owners

[RADHIKADAS]

Hi,
I'm looking for Grand Vitara owners besides our very respected Mr. Samurai & Mr. Sudev to get a feedback on the SUV and their experiences so far. Any areas of concerns. Any improvements recommended. Any suggestions etc.
Thank You

[Jaggu]

Yes yes

Plonk a diesel engine (make it multijet with variable geometry turbo) at the same price and spruce up the interiors with leather. hmmm also add, off road foot wear, hub locks, winch and suspension sold as optional.

Sorry i dont own a Vitara and dont think we have too many people out here in Tbhp who owns the car.

[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.

[Samurai]

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

My gripe list
------------
1) Give option to pick either HT/AT tyre, since it comes with 225/70R16 tyres, it is almost impossible to swap them during delivery. No takers for OEM tyres.
2) The head lights have no spread, none at all. Taking 90 degree or U-turn at night has to be done blindly depending on ambient light.
3) There is no LSD or diff locks on front and rear differential. Just locking center diffs doesn't add much over LSD.
4) There is no space to install a winch. Without front/rear diff locks, it badly needs winch as last resort.
5) The plastic skid plates are joke, they good enough for on-road though. Provide aluminum skid plates as accessories like Suzuki does in Europe.
6) The petrol engine is on the weaker side. Bring the diesel engine like in Europe.
7) How about leather seats, it should be standard considering most of us pay 15L+ for this vehicle.
8) Expand the SGA list, currently the list is very small and mostly superficial. I laughed at the dealer when he showed me the accessory list. It is really pathetic and way too expensive.

PS: Hub locks Juggu? It is a full-time 4x4.

[rippergeo]

Diesel! Diesel! Diesel! Diesel!

how long can maruti keep ignoring consumer demands? why are they letting mahindra run away with the utility vehicle market?

and why is maruti letting every other company make inroads into the SUV market? even honda saw the light with the CRV.

a company with decades of experience in india, still messing around with petrol in an SUV- its a shame!

[anandpadhye]

The list sounds great. exactly what I had in my mind after the TD.

BUT for 1 thing - why leather seats? It gets so hot...my back sweats even with full A/C on a moderate evening if I am in a leather seat in a car!!! If leather is offered, it should be optional.

[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.

[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

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.

[GTO - Touring]

How about increasing the overall interior quality too? For starters, get rid of parts shared with the Swift / SX4.

[maxbhp]

Originally Posted by rippergeo

Diesel! Diesel! Diesel! Diesel!

how long can maruti keep ignoring consumer demands? why are they letting mahindra run away with the utility vehicle market?

and why is maruti letting every other company make inroads into the SUV market? even honda saw the light with the CRV.

a company with decades of experience in india, still messing around with petrol in an SUV- its a shame!

I feel maruti is one company that knows indian consumers well. Their sales chart is a reflection of that understanding.
Its true that they have not tried their hand in the higher segments . May be they feel its not worth making such an effort for such a low number
Eg : Captiva.
I had heard many ask the question " Why not a diesel SUV " and when Chevrolet did bring out one the question became "Why not a diesel Honda " and when honda did (atleast in the process of brining out one) the question became "Why not a diesel Suzuki " .

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by GTO - Touring

How about increasing the overall interior quality too? For starters, get rid of parts shared with the Swift / SX4.

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

[rippergeo]

Originally Posted by maxbhp

I feel maruti is one company that knows indian consumers well. Their sales chart is a reflection of that understanding.
Its true that they have not tried their hand in the higher segments . May be they feel its not worth making such an effort for such a low number
Eg : Captiva.
I had heard many ask the question " Why not a diesel SUV " and when Chevrolet did bring out one the question became "Why not a diesel Honda " and when honda did (atleast in the process of brining out one) the question became "Why not a diesel Suzuki " .

actually, I've been dreaming about a diesel gypsy ever since it was launched. and that was long before honda had even planned to come to india in any 4 wheeled form. so its not a new demand. its a demand that has always existed. and I'm probably not alone.

[nilanjanray]

Wishlist after a test drive:

1. More powerful engine - preferably Diesel
2. More accessories - e.g. bumpers, carriers, lamps etc.
3. Leather seats and sound system (relatively low priority)
4. More airbags - why did they remove the side airbags that are standard in the US model?

Since you are involved in Vitara advertising (working for Hakuhodo Percept?), I wanted to share that I found the website quite crappy - you might want to pass on the message to the Maruti (GV) brand manager - or whoever is responsible for online branding and lead generation. And the positioning (at least on the website) is all confused. Sample copy from website: "Your style is legendary. You set trends in the Page 3 circuit. Cameras just won't stop clicking as you arrive at the star studded premiers..." I mean did someone mix grass with local booze? As a marketing professional from IIM, I can only wonder why GV - whose core concept is "off road athlete" - would be positioned like this - even for the Indian audience. Didn't someone do a proper brand persona exercise?

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Since you are involved in Vitara advertising (working for Hakuhodo Percept?)

Interestingggg :-)

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

Noble message, but above message seems to put it into question. Getting a focus group discussion going on a product aint bad (we all clamor to have our voices heard with mfrs), but if it is so, a bit of upfront honesty never hurt anyone. That is the feel I got from your other threads too.

[rippergeo]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Getting a focus group discussion going on a product aint bad (we all clamor to have our voices heard with mfrs), but if it is so, a bit of upfront honesty never hurt anyone. That is the feel I got from your other threads too.

jaane do yaar! like you said, we all want our voices to be heard. if the thread starter benefits from us voicing our opinions(which we do anyway, whether she's here or not)so be it. we benefit too when someone in MSIl takes notice.

IMO its a win win situation.
about the upfront honesty- we all can see what is happening. no one is trying to deceive us. its cool.

EDIT- Diesel! Diesel! Diesel! Diesel!!!!!