The Maruti Omni thread (Maruti Van)

[siddartha]

Originally Posted by imperial.s.a

the roof is not after market the condition is because the coast this particular van is painted six or seven times totally about 48 sliding roof vans were delivered by maruti udyog guys prove this is after market will be rewarded

i think you should prove that its o.e since you are making the claim.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by SAHIR.KITTUR

I once even planned to do Leh in this, but couldn't convince my family, as they found it too underpowered and dangerous on this.

If you are really serious, I would love to take my omni to that heights.

Wanna join sometime,[/quote]

Inspite of all its shortcomings and flaws, the Maruti Omni was among the most used cars (and still is in many towns) for long distance drives due to its space, economy and reliability. I have probably driven the Omni more than any other car in the country and can strongly vouch for its bullet proof reliability.

Anyone from South India to Leh and back in an Omni, PLEASE COUNT ME IN....And it is doable, reasonably comfortable and easily viable....

[kannan666]

Originally Posted by kannan666

Spotted a chocolate coloured high roof van parked and sadly forgotten, quite close to my place, will try and upload some pics shortly, it has had some modifications done to the front end to accomodate the newer vans' rectangular headlights.

Here are the pics...

[agbenny]

I believe this the most unsafe car India have. I own one for 1.4 years around 10 years ago, and among all the cars I drove this one little box never gave me enough confident to drive. I sold it out for the same reason.

[McLaren Rulez]

Yes, its unsafe but its one of those cars that define our Indian automotive history if you ask me. Its a vehicle I'll look back at fifty years from now and think how it used to feel to sit in it.

[gpa]

I owned a white carburetted flat roof Omni in 1995 for 5 years before I sold it for another car. A fairly trouble free car to maintain, but once the problems start, they don't seem to stop I used it only in the city as it is unsafe for anything else. I vividly remember that crossing 50 kmph would lead to the whole vehicle becoming unstable and the ride would be unnerving for passengers.

[karlosdeville]

The other day moralfibre and me spotted this original high roof van dating to about 1985, on the Bombay Poona expressway.






It appeared to have a sliding roof mechanism as has been discussed earlier. Very interesting to see, I'm seeing it for the first time.

[kannan666]

Nice find Karlosdeville ! After all these years, it still seems to be doing the Mumbai Pune run quite capably ! However, it is crying out for a new paint job !

[gpa]

karlosdeville,

A good series of pics. As kannan666 pointed out, the van sorely needs a paint job.

There seems to be some sort of attachment on the roof. It looks like a sliding sunroof. Can you confirm this? Also, what was the performance like of the vehicle on the expressway?

Cheers,
gpa

[TheARUN]

The new one with the moustache grill looks so fake.

I remember driving my Aunty's new OMNI, it was a hoot to drive, made me feel like a bus driver (which is a good thing) and was so easy to chuck around.

It all roads in India were dual carriageway with a median in the middle, then this van would have been perfect, and yes, if nobody stopped a truck in the middle of the road without indication.

Getting to the engine of the van was a chore. Remember how TATA justified having the engine of the NANO tucked away in a corner using the OMNI for reference

[petroguzzler]

Yes you read it right.

An outdated car which sells 8564 units in October 2010 is quite intriguing.

The question is weather the OMNI is overpriced?

The OMNI retails for approximately 2Lakh INR. For a car totally localized and being produced for 20+years, IMO it is overpriced.

And one can't ignore the fact that it has only tin metal all around and Crumple zones are the passengers traveling inside it.

The NANO with a better chasis and crumple zones is sold for INR 1,30,000(the base model).

What profit margins are maruti making with the OMNI?

[kiku007]

Please don't compare the OMNI to the Nano. Both are so different and cater to different segment of buyers. Try explaining a 'Crumple Zone' to a Omni Buyer

Answer to your questions on Maruti selling outdated products at a good profit - Hell, yes! I'd love to answer to that question. This doesn't even require a new thread

BTW how much do the TATA Ace, Magic, Venture cost? Would be interesting to know how they score in comparison to the Omni.

[xingamazon]

Well overpriced is a relative term, the buyers of Omni would at any given moment feel that the price of Omni is very affordable. So in thier view point its surely not overpriced.
As far as Maruti goes, they know that the product is priced according to market's demand or rather cheaper than what the market can afford, so in thier viewpoint also its not overpriced.

Lastly, Maruti is not non profit organization, dont think its wrong to charge 2L for a product when your closest cometitor is nearly a lakh expensive.

[JustCause]

The Omni is nothing but a tall 800 with the driver sitting on the bonnet to make up some space for the occupants inside. Absence of a bonnet makes it even more vulnerable than the car form factor.To top it all, there is no A/C, which should be one of the prime considerations while making a car for a tropical country.

The Omni has seen a change of image & is now seen chiefly as a goods/commercial people carrier type vehicle. I have seen very less individual - private use owners in north India, while it is still quite popular among individuals in my hometown in South India.

IMO, the fact of being overpriced at 2 lakh can be attributed to the fact that it has a terrific resale value and is always in demand. A friend of mine sold his 2000 model omni 8 seater for 1,30000, recently, to Maruti true value.

I know that it doesn't make sense in 2 lakh and that we are being ripped off for the price we pay but, as Kiku remarked

"It is difficult explaining that to a prospective Omni buyer"

[Mpower]

Despite the lack of crumple zones etc, the Omni has been a smashing success. Its been in the top 5 sales non stop for 20 years and thats quite an achievement.

The original 85 launch van had a pretty stiff rear leaf spring suspension which was bone jarring unless loaded fully. After a few years, they redesigned it by removing a few leaves to make it ride better. It may have happened at the same time the high roof went away.

I remember the High roof was quite a style statement back in the 80s due to lack of choice.

Originally Posted by imperial.s.a

the photograph posted is taken delivery from mandovi motors bangalore with the sliding roof OE from maruti udyog . to my knowledge there are quiet a few similar vans in bangalore.its not after market or an accessory.

The picture you have posted is not even a sliding roof, but a large juggad sunroof with no seals and an external guide.

Originally Posted by JustCause

The Omni is nothing but a tall 800 with the driver sitting on the bonnet to make up some space for the occupants inside.

Omni is a rear wheel drive and completely different from the 800. It does share the base engine with different intake and cam tuned for bottom end torque.