The news was out,
speculations ran high,
rumors were galore,
but the car withstood it all - to be a part of "Men are Back" team.
After about 3-4 months of research and a lot of reading on the forum (thanks T-Bhp!), we've finally booked the SX4 Zdi.
The dealership was dodging the idea of generating a receipt for our booking and we were holding on to our cheque over the last 2-3 weeks.
We (my brother & I) were pretty sure that the SX4 Diesel would run into a 3-5 months waiting period, similar to that of the Dezire Diesel, after the initial launch. Hence we wanted to bet on our Horse even before it entered the stables.
We were told that the car is going to be officially launched on the 18th, and the pre-bookings would begin. But as luck would have it, that launch (media release) never happened. And my brother and myself were looking at each other holding our cheque for Rs. 25,000; stuck in a moment, at the dealership.
We've been patrons of Maruti Suzuki even since Dad had purchased the very first of its kind "High Roof Maruti Van" in 1985, when we used to stay in New Delhi. Dad had a special bond with that car at that time, for one: since he was the Project manager involved in the Total electrification of the Maruti Factory at Gurgaon. Secondly: he had arranged for a special delivery of the High Roof Van for himself, even before the car was out in the market.
I remember the look on the faces of other car owners (Fiats and Ambys) when they would see such a concoction on the road. Those were the days, when Maruti's enjoyed the road presence similar to the Beemers of today.
The car was such a family pride that my dad drove it all the way from New Delhi, when we shifted base to Pune in 1986. We had that car till 2003.
Ok, enough nostalgia, shifting to today.
The dealership knew that it would be our 8th Maruti with them (9 for us, including the first love bought in Delhi), and we enjoyed the benefits of their loyalty program.
After appealing to the GM, they agreed to take our booking - the first official SX4 ZDi in the dealership! The excitement was high, everybody there anticipates that the car will be launched on 22nd Feb. Now comes the wait

.
Frankly speaking, it has been the first car, that we have ever booked, without even a test drive, not even a model to ogle at!
The dealership in Pune is hesitant to offer a temp reg. plated car for a TD, since it was against the law. We were told that the car looks exactly like the VVT SX4, hence we sort of visualized the showroom displayed SX4 Zxi with a diesel heart.
But we had reasons enough.
Already own the Swift VDi and the Ritz VDi (sadly they dont come in Zdi's), both sporting the same engine from the Fiat mill. We knew the capabilities of that engine, and the wonders it has created for the Dezire segment.
We read about the VGT and were impressed by the 90 horses and 200+ torque it offered in the SX4. Our Octavia does carry similar statistics and we knew where we were coming from.
Plus the news of
short test drives were trickling in from across country, specially on T-Bhp - almost 95% of the members had a word of praise for this newborn.
This was it. Another performer from the Maruti stable. We need this.
I wont go over the stats, since these have already discussed in detail at the other thread (
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2249749 )
But yes, the pricing aspect needs to shared in the forum.
The Zdi is priced approximately dearer than the current Zxi variant by almost more than a Lakh rupees.
The delivery has been promised for the 2nd week of March. And the dealership makes us feel an inch taller by saying that our's will be the first SX4 Zdi sold by them.
Anyway, the intention is to get hold of the car and share the experience.
Lets Drive. Live to Drive!
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