[rajatsingh78]

Got the delivery of the SX4 VDi yesterday (29th May 2011) from Motorcraft Sahibabad, though the car was initially booked at Rohan Motors, Ghaziabad some bad experience forced me to cancel the booking from them.

Though I will be writing a detailed report on the decision making process, shortlisting the dealer, entire experience. Initially I would like to say that Motorcraft is just awesome, where the other dealers are being run by people having lots of money, with no or very little enthusiasm for motor vehicles, the owner of Motorcraft is an automobile enthusiast himself and takes part in rallies. He started off by automobile workshop in Noida.

Initial Instant Feedback - Car has a good road presence, very good driving position, A-pillar quarter glass DOES NOT hinder visibility much, engine is smooth and with very less in-cabin diesel clutter

10 kms - 19 kms : Being my second car the enthusiasm was
not as much as when I drove my first car (Swift VDi) from the showroom in April 2007. Car has good road presence and the road to my house from the showroom as some bad patches of road, the car managed the potholes with quite an ease. The suspension is not like the Linea, SX4 D has a stiff suspension, where you do not feel any of the road's bump, but I guess thats not right setup for the kind of roads out country has to offer. First thing I did was to drive to the nearest petrol station for some fuel, Rs.1000 gave the dead fuel meter needle some life and it then rested on the half tank mark.The car was then parked for almost 1 week since I was waiting for the registration number to arrive. During this waiting period I did a lot of research on upgrading the tyres/alloys but then finally settled for the stock fitment. Major reason being high cost of tyres (good tyres were all 7000+) and no tyre vendor was providing a proper warranty on the alloys. For now I will search for some OE alloys, buy them and keep them for my next tyre change.

20 kms - 90 kms : Drove the car to Lajpat nagar market for seat covers and sun-control film. Its like a "mandi" (hindi for local vegetable market) for car accessories. Everything is available on every shop, even if they dont have something that you have asked for, they will quickly fetch it from the "godown". Seat covers for 3000.00 and sun control film (Garware International Lite) for 950.00.

90 kms - 150 kms : Once I received the RC, the car movement was restricted to movement within the city. First Surprise came in the form of a rattle from the left side of the dash board. This would happen when the car rolled on a rough patch, on-road reflectors, etc. This would also come when I would accelerate in a lower gear. I was very annoyed and pissed off on this. A car which costed me 8.5 lakh has a rattle!! that too in the initial kms. Well I convinced myself that I will blast the service center when I go for servicing. Another "issue" that I was facing was that the steering was wobbling at a specific angle while turning at high (40-50 kmph) speeds. Something in my head told me to get the tyre pressure checked. It turned out that all the tyres were inflated at 40+ psi though
the company recommendation is 30 psi for all the tyres. Got the tyre pressure corrected and the wobble disappeared. I fail to understand how and why new tyres are over inflated.

150 kms - till date : Got the tank full done on 11th June and by the time I reached home (after running the car for 20 kms) the fuel gauge needle was one notch below the "F"!! And for every 20 kms run it needle would drop by 1 notch. Now the tank has the capacity of 50 liters and there are 10 notches on the fuel gauge. So simple math suggests that each notch corresponds to 5 litres of fuel and since its dropping at the rate of 1 notch/20 kms, the fuel efficiency I am getting is 4 kmpl!!!

I am now at 252 kms since the full tank, and the fuel gauge is one notch above half tank mark. Technically it looks like some calibration design issue with the gauge or the fuel station tendered incorrect quantity (it is the one opposite to CNG pump, when you are moving from Kale Khan ISBT towards Ashram ). This design flaw is with Swift's fuel gauge as well, but the other way round. In Swift the gauge needle will drop at a leisurely pace till it hits the half tank mark. And then it will drop like a dead fly. I am seriously hoping that this is a gauge callibration design, else MSIL would be facing a legal notice from me, which I will make sure is well publicized to ensure that no one else falls into the trap of 21 kmpl ARAI tested fuel economy for SX4 VDi. Plus the rattle that I mentioned above, today disappeared mysteriously, now the cabin is as silent as it was the very first day.

Positives – Very responsive engine, unlike Punto 90, which though lighter in weight, with the same engine, accelerates like a brick. Excellent sound proofing – to clearly listen to someone speaking outside, you will need to roll down your windows. Excellent driving position – almost like an SUV. Very good front seat headroom, not so good at the back due to sloping roof profile. AC is definitely better than my last ride (Swift VDi)
Negatives – Rattle/vibration from the dashboard though it has disappeared, it should have not come at the first place, fuel gauge calibration (this is still under review and will change after I go for the tank’s top up)

You will miss – 6th gear, because it would have made the car run much more smoother and refined at higher speeds

I will be adding more as and when I add on to the kms, will post all the issues that I face, solutions, service costs, etc. in this thread

Fuel Efficiency Update - Got the tank topped up today, it gulped 20.29 litres and ran for 332.5 kms, so the effeciency came out to be 16.38 kmpl which is very good considering that the car has just completed about 600 kms, ran mostly in city (Indirapuram - Gurgaon - Indirapuram) with 100% AC, and its more than 1200 kgs in weight

[rajatsingh78]

sir ji... completed just 19 kms (came with 10 km reading from the factory), currently will be off road till I receive the registration number (will take 10-12 days).

Once I start driving it regularly, will post the figures here for everyone's benefit

[powertrain]

Congrats, Rajat. Wish you many happy miles of driving !!!!!
sorry for being , but the lady in pic 1 seems to be more happy about the SX4 than you buddy !!!!!!!!!

[rajatsingh78]

Thanks there,
The "lady" is my better half

Originally Posted by powertrain

Congrats, Rajat. Wish you many happy miles of driving !!!!!
sorry for being , but the lady in pic 1 seems to be more happy about the SX4 than you buddy !!!!!!!!!

[libranof1987]

Ah, congratulations!

So, after the elaborate discussions on your "what car" thread, SX4 VDi finally made it thru' the BHPians!

You're getting the permanent no. in JUST 10 days?! Surprising. Our ANHC in Gurgaon took about a month last year.

[CRtorquefan]

Congratulations alot Rajat for buying the New SX4 VDi.
It looks really awesome with its Taller stance.
Do post some of its Interiors pics as IMO there'll be few of the guys who've seen interiors of VDi/VXi variants.

Haven't you opted for the front fog lamps ??

[swiftnfurious]

Congrats Rajat !!

Originally Posted by powertrain

but the lady in pic 1 seems to be more happy about the SX4 than you buddy !!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by rajatsingh78

Thanks there,
The "lady" is my better half

+1. We can see her excitement in the pic. Wish you & your family miles of happy & safe motoring !!

PS: My bad, I just bumped up the SX4 D TD thread by sidindica saying that there is not a single SX4 D thread 5 mins back and here I am typing a congrats note on the first SX4 D thread. Rajat, one suggestion though - Please add "SX4 Diesel" to the thread title [mods can help you there] so that search helps to pull your thread when "SX4 Diesel" keyword is used.

[powertrain]

Originally Posted by rajatsingh78

currently will be off road till I receive the registration number (will take 10-12 days).

Why should you wait 10-12 days for the reg. number to come? Reg. no. should be there at the time of delivery
Some will power it's gonna take to keep a new car off the road !!!!!! Best of luck mate

[.anshuman]

Congrats on the car!

I've temporarily moved your thread to the Assembly Line Section (More Information about this sub-forum).

Please note that Team-BHP does not permit booking / buying experience threads in the Test-Drives section anymore. For the benefit of members & guests alike, it is now imperative to include a complete report on the car (the driving experience / comfort / features, what you like, what you don't like etc.). To know more about this rule, and for review guidelines, view this announcement.

Please edit the opening post of this thread and update with a complete driving & ownership report. Pics would be great too! You have the ability to EDIT your post over an indefinite period of time; add more attachments / content / posts to your work-in-progress review thread at your own pace.

Once your thread is complete, you may report the post, and a Team-BHP Moderator will move your thread out to the public forum.

NOTE : After your thread has been taken public, you are permitted to bump it up once to bring it amongst the new post listings.

Thanks for the support!

[rajatsingh78]

Thanks. As per the dealer the SX4 DDiS is slowing picking up in numbers and currently has a waiting for over 1.5 months, how I got it in 12-15 days is a totally different story

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Ah, congratulations!

So, after the elaborate discussions on your "what car" thread, SX4 VDi finally made it thru' the BHPians!

You're getting the permanent no. in JUST 10 days?! Surprising. Our ANHC in Gurgaon took about a month last year.

Thanks. I will shortly be doing some photos over the weekend, I thought earlier to do it when I take the car to some nice location,
I will be getting the fog lamps shortly, they will cost be Rs.3700, currently any more expenses would have meant execution by the better half

Originally Posted by CRtorquefan

Congratulations alot Rajat for buying the New SX4 VDi.
It looks really awesome with its Taller stance.
Do post some of its Interiors pics as IMO there'll be few of the guys who've seen interiors of VDi/VXi variants.

Haven't you opted for the front fog lamps ??

Thanks

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Congrats Rajat !!

+1. We can see her excitement in the pic. Wish you & your family miles of happy & safe motoring !!

PS: My bad, I just bumped up the SX4 D TD thread by sidindica saying that there is not a single SX4 D thread 5 mins back and here I am typing a congrats note on the first SX4 D thread. Rajat, one suggestion though - Please add "SX4 Diesel" to the thread title [mods can help you there] so that search helps to pull your thread when "SX4 Diesel" keyword is used.

This is Uttar Pradesh buddy, the car was released on the dealer's temporary number (which is same for all the cars he sells), then they will pay the tax and apply for a registration number. Yes I am pretending that I am car-less at the moment, but make sure to visit the parking and sit inside for a couple of minutes. Though the second car didn't ignite the excitement that I experienced after my first car purchase, still whatever excitement is there is getting ignored for sometime now

Originally Posted by powertrain

Why should you wait 10-12 days for the reg. number to come? Reg. no. should be there at the time of delivery
Some will power it's gonna take to keep a new car off the road !!!!!! Best of luck mate

Thanks Anshuman, I will keep this rule in mind and will come up with a detailed report soon, considering mine is the first SX4 Diesel on Tbhp

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Congrats on the car!

I've temporarily moved your thread to the Assembly Line Section (More Information about this sub-forum).

Please note that Team-BHP does not permit booking / buying experience threads in the Test-Drives section anymore. For the benefit of members & guests alike, it is now imperative to include a complete report on the car (the driving experience / comfort / features, what you like, what you don't like etc.). To know more about this rule, and for review guidelines, view this announcement.

Please edit the opening post of this thread and update with a complete driving & ownership report. Pics would be great too! You have the ability to EDIT your post over an indefinite period of time; add more attachments / content / posts to your work-in-progress review thread at your own pace.

Once your thread is complete, you may report the post, and a Team-BHP Moderator will move your thread out to the public forum.

NOTE : After your thread has been taken public, you are permitted to bump it up once to bring it amongst the new post listings.

Thanks for the support!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Testdrives section. Thanks for sharing & drive safe!

[Torquedo]

Originally Posted by rajatsingh78

This design flaw is with Swift's fuel gauge as well, but the other way round. In Swift the gauge needle will drop at a leisurely pace till it hits the half tank mark. And then it will drop like a dead fly.

First Up, Congratulations Rajat.

Next, +1 to your comment above, I have been using Swift Petrol since Sep 09 and have noticed the same thing, after the half mark, needle hardly takes any time to go down till the empty mark.

Fellow Swift owners have you felt the same way ?

Anways, it's time to rejoice, enjoy many a happy miles with your new machine.

Happy Motoring !!

[bluevolt]

Congratulations Rajat on your Maruti SX4. This is probably the first SX4 diesel ownership thread. Please update it with more photos and share us the performance of the car. How is the ride quality? How is the NVH inside and out?

Wishing you many years of happy and safe driving.

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

First Up, Congratulations Rajat.

Next, +1 to your comment above, I have been using Swift Petrol since Sep 09 and have noticed the same thing, after the half mark, needle hardly takes any time to go down till the empty mark.

Fellow Swift owners have you felt the same way ?

Anways, it's time to rejoice, enjoy many a happy miles with your new machine.

Happy Motoring !!

Yeah, I'm facing the same problem in my Swift Vdi. It seems to take forever to go from full to half tank, and then from half tank to zero takes hardly any time. Its a defective fuel gauge for sure.

Rajat - Congrats on your new car. While Maruti cars are prone to rattling, they are extremely VFM, and I'm sure that you will have many miles of driving pleasure with her. Have a safe ride.

[mac187]

Congrats on the Car.

So how does it feel to upgrade from Swift VDI to SX VDI? Power/ drive/ handling etc.