[randomgyan]

Background:
Most of the driving has been within Mumbai City with the air conditioning on. This also includes recent road trips to Nasik, Pune, Aurangabad, Goa

I also got a NHC GXI 2 days before this one so the list below could read like a comparative

The Good:
1. Awesome power. U come to appreciate this when you are overtaking slow trucks on our ridiculously narrow state highways. Its god sent.

2. Nice and spacious. You can go on road trips with loads of stuff on the back seat (you know, coke/beer, chips, blankets and a few people )

3. Fuel efficiency is pretty good I get 10.5 regularly in the city and on the highway I got over 13 ( I like to really race it so this is pretty good IMHO)

4. The ground clearance comes in super handy. Especially when it gets flooded in Mumbai!

5. The ABS is brilliant. Due to my frequent street racing, it has definitely saved my life and more importantly, many scratches to my car without the drama of screeching and wheel locks.

6. The ride quality is good. Definitely better than the NHC.

7. No major issues except a funny noise from the fan belt on rare occassions. This is something that the service guy hasnt been able to fix yet.

8. Steering stereo controls are addictive.

9. Surprisingly, the car has very very few noises. I was very scared of this when buying it but the build quality seems to be fine although the honda DEFINITELY is and feels better built.

The Bad:
1. Terribe fabric seat covers. They get dirty 10 minutes after u take the plastic off. Maybe lesser.

2. I wish the SX4 had more high quality plastic used. The arm rest especially feels built from "pencil box" plastic.

3. Turning radius is too wide.

4. reversing is difficult because of low/non existent rear visibility. It definitely has a fat behind and u cannot even see it.

5. The cabin sound insulation is not very good. It almost feels like a Maruti 800 compared to the NHC

6. Car feels less planted than the NHC when doing high speed turns. Also feels less agile and more difficult to turn. Although at speeds in excess of 140 (ive taken it all the way to 170), SX4 kicks NHC out of the park in its sure footedness.

7. The stereo screen is one line display. Thats terrible if you want to see the artist name AND the song. I don't know why they cant get it to scroll. Should be a simple software fix really.

8. The windscreen and window glass feel of a much lesser quality than the NHC and for some reason the dust just sticks to it like there is no tomorrow.

9. Steering is hard for City driving.

10. Factory fitted speakers are below average. Although, for some reason they sound much better when i plug my iPod into it than when I listen to the song of an MP3 CD (they are both the same song files)

11. After my trip to pune, I lost one of the horns in the car so now it sounds too soft. Will be getting it fixed tomorrow when i give it for servicing.

This is just a top of my head list. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll reply back

Overall conclusion for me is: im mostly satisfied with this car although i do wish I could fix some of the cheap plastic they ship with!

[straight6]

Which engine oil are you running now? Do you plan to change to fully synthetic oil after 10k?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Nice honest review.

Originally Posted by randomgyan

3. Turning radius is too wide.

Never came across that. Any other SX4 owners having this problem?

Originally Posted by randomgyan

This is just a top of my head list. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll reply back

If SX4 v/s NHC question pops up, which would you recommend (since you have owned both)?

[omishra]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Nice honest review.

Never came across that. Any other SX4 owners having this problem?

If SX4 v/s NHC question pops up, which would you recommend (since you have owned both)?

It is true that it has 5.4 meter turning radius. I try to squize-in in small place by reverse-turing which is smaller. This makes SX4 normal like other cars. Again I dare to do that because I have resverse parking sensors installed in my SX4.

BTW Nice review. I also noticed little glass thudder while glass half rolled down. Which is not present while glasses are rolled up. And this is while low gear stop to start case only. at ~7000 KM

[randomgyan]

Originally Posted by omishra

BTW Nice review. I also noticed little glass thudder while glass half rolled down. Which is not present while glasses are rolled up. And this is while low gear stop to start case only. at ~7000 KM

Unfortunately, I have mega confusion over the parking sensors bit. I've looked around but the rates are hugely different and Vitesse quoted me 6-7k for MGA parking sensors!

U might want to get that glass thud checked because I'm not getting that in my car. On a side note, when the swift was launched, this was a big problem in the initial batch. My friend owned one and Apra Auto in delhi admitted that this was a manufacturing issue. They (maruti) had to import special brackets from Czechoslovakia to fix the thuds. No such issue in the SX4. Not so far any way

Between the NHC and the SX4, I would recommend depending on what you want. If you dont care for the power and will be driving mostly at or below 80kph, I would DEFINITELY recommend NHC. It feels way classier than the SX4 and easily better built. Plus in city driving, I have noticed that the motor cycle guys are MUCH more careful when navigating around the City than the SX4. It could just be my perception though

If you want pure driving fun, SX4 is inifinitely better. NHC is just boring to drive around really.

As for the engine oil, they will be changing it at the service centre today.
What are the advantages of putting synthetic over regular stuff that Maruti recommends?

[straight6]

Originally Posted by randomgyan

As for the engine oil, they will be changing it at the service centre today.
What are the advantages of putting synthetic over regular stuff that Maruti recommends?

Much smoother running engine, better protection when driving hard and you dont have to change it for atleast 10-15K kms. It will also increase the mileage as a result of the engine running smoother and more effortlessly.

[randomgyan]

Originally Posted by straight6

Much smoother running engine, better protection when driving hard and you dont have to change it for atleast 10-15K kms. It will also increase the mileage as a result of the engine running smoother and more effortlessly.

Could you recommend any? I will get them to put that. This is my first car so learning things everyday

if this engine oil is changed every 10-15k kms, when is the normal engine oil changed?

Thanks!

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by randomgyan

Could you recommend any? I will get them to put that. This is my first car so learning things everyday

if this engine oil is changed every 10-15k kms, when is the normal engine oil changed?

Thanks!

its very doubtful they will have it. get mobil1 5w50. you can get it from city motors in opera house for rs 625 per litre.

[GeekSrik]

nice review. crisp and point by point. on my test drive of this car i did finally feel maruti has given a good car to its buyer! and its been that way so far. yes the noise levels are something that maruti needs to work on seriously. at trips doing 120kph for 3-4 hours the DDiS atleast generates so many noises and rattles that you are left completely irritated at the end of the journey.

[randomgyan]

Originally Posted by GeekSrik

nice review. crisp and point by point. on my test drive of this car i did finally feel maruti has given a good car to its buyer! and its been that way so far. yes the noise levels are something that maruti needs to work on seriously. at trips doing 120kph for 3-4 hours the DDiS atleast generates so many noises and rattles that you are left completely irritated at the end of the journey.

DDiS? isnt that diesel? This car is petrol sir 1.6 litre M series engine. They have introduced for the first time.

Or am i missing something here....

[straight6]

Originally Posted by randomgyan

Could you recommend any? I will get them to put that. This is my first car so learning things everyday

if this engine oil is changed every 10-15k kms, when is the normal engine oil changed?

Thanks!

Actually I said 10-15K to be on the safer side since you drive hard and we have dusty conditions. The synthetic oils are supposed to work well for more than 20K+ kms. I would recommend Castrol Edge, Mobil 1, Motul and Shell. Stick to the 5W-40 or 5W-50 rating.

[randomgyan]

Cool thanks!
I will get that put at next service.

I was out of town for 2 days and my car cleaning fellow left the reading light on inside the car. drained the whole battery and I found this out just when I was about to leave for work!

Thankfully, I have vitesse at walking distance from my house and they got it fixed in 10 minutes

Going away tomorrow again, hopefully, the battery will be up and running once I'm back

[straight6]

You will see an obvious difference in the way the car runs when you use synthetic oil.

[sreenidhibr]

Nice review, especially the comparison.

Originally Posted by omishra

BTW Nice review. I also noticed little glass thudder while glass half rolled down. Which is not present while glasses are rolled up.

Hey, i notice this too. I plan to bring it up and the next service. Please update if you are able to identify the cause and solution.

[snaronikar]

Good review and nice positives and negatives points. This is the good vehicle. But how do you feel sitting 5 people in the back seat. Do you feel it is cramped?