[nim_peter]

My dad has an 8 year old Getz 1.3, the first model they introduced. From my personal experience, Hyundai products are very smooth and comfy. My dad's 8 year old Getz still is rattle free after close to 80K kms and still you won't know whether the engine is on or off unless you see the Tachometer. Even after so many years I double crank thinking the engine is off. Suspensions are pretty soft, so you can't throw the car around, but it is super comfortable than most cars I've sat in or driven. I10 should be a perfect city car, Swift is a better car on highways and for some spirited driving.

[INJAXN]

I too was in same dilemma 6 -7 months back, I was confused between swift, grand, and polo, ruled out polo in earlier stage of decision making process because of poor ASS.

• If you can go for swift - ZXI: go for it; else go for Grand.

I own a swift ( vxi ) , and I regret having it every time I go above 70+ because of poor braking, otherwise car is as smooth as butter.

I ruled out Grand because of battery issue, during Jan this year, this issue was in news and every car was facing this issue, but now these issue seems to resolved completely.

[s_pphilip]

Originally Posted by Sherlocked

No, this car will either be driven by my brother or me.
Hey thanks for the heads up and those insights. They are really helpful.
Since you have this car in your family, can you comment about the AC performance/effectiveness.

Sorry for the delay in responding, some things have got quite messed up at my end and I am fighting to sort them.

Since the car is primarily driven by you, I choose to take a complete U turn to my previous post, I am going by the strong assumption you love driving and this liking will get you to hit the road at a greater frequency (as is for most of us BHPians after we pick a ride), I suggest you pick a driver oriented car rather than the family car for that occasional 1% time.

Also if you are opting for finance do stretch for the ZXI and add that to the EMI, also bargain hard with Maruti as they are know to be aggressive to make that sale happen especially when you have multiple dealers in the same city.

No matter what the updates to the Vxi, you need those ZXI brakes, the Vxi slides on locking like the City ZX, as a final option if it is a Vxi, definitely go in for broader tires from day 1.

The Swift is driver oriented. Period. (a lot is already said about this).
The MID, instantaneous FE indicator, steering, suspension, front seats, instrument console, the k-series engine, all are there to be exploited and a long drive redeems you from any feelings of wrong choices you made.

I think it is wider than Grand to accommodate the occasional 5 people with enough comfort on short trips unless they are all 5.7+ footers (I won't advice 5 people on any car, for long drives), of course the middle person has to live with the central tunnel, remember of times when affluent families traveled is style in their Zen's and Esteem's, the new Swift should have more space.

If you and your brother (not ladies) are the only ones using it 99% times, think about driving and grinning 99% times, every turn, every overtaking, every 100 kms driven.

To answer your question on the Grand a/c, my sister is very happy with the car and when asked she said the a/c is good, though she does not need the cabin to cool down drastically to be comfortable, neither did I feel any issues on the short drives in the Grand, but as a general opinion I feel Maruti and Toyota have better a/c's, no stats, just personal belief.

The start switch and power mirrors are useful but are fancy features you can live without as you have an alternative or don't use it every minute, whatever is needed is there in the ZXI, don't use features to judge the car unless it really matters.

[Sherlocked]

Guys, first of all, thanks a lot everybody for replying and helping me make a better decision. My brother and I have been reading every post and they all indeed have been helpful.

Now a twist in the tail:
Today we went to a Maruti showroom to test drive the Swift but they didn't had the TD car, so we casually test drove the Ritz Zxi:

To sum up, Ritz has got the same K series motor as that of Swift and I must say what a brilliant engine it is. It was so fun to revv this K series engine and that amazing engine growl noise which filters inside the cabin was addictive.

On the negative, the ride was just okay and also body roll was greater than the Grand. Yet to TD Swift but I am sure it will be better of the two.

I know that in my opening post, I have rejected Ritz due to its rear looks, but I must say I will have to give a second thought to that.

Now the biggest plus point:
The fully loaded ZXi variant with all the features such as ABS+EBD, dual airbags, rear wiper/defogger, alloy wheels, music system, steering mounted audio controls comes to 6.0L OTR Jaipur.
Current discounts are to the tune of 35k, so it will cost me around 5.65L OTR.

This is without any bargaining. I am sure we will extract 10K more in cash or accessories if we try hard.

So guys, what are your opinions?
Should I go ahead with the Ritz? Is this car expected to phase out any time soon?
Awaiting your suggestions.
Thanks in Advance.

[s_pphilip]

Originally Posted by Sherlocked

Guys, first of all, thanks a lot everybody for replying and helping me make a better decision. My brother and I have been reading every post and they all indeed have been helpful.

Now a twist in the tail:
Today we went to a Maruti showroom to test drive the Swift but they didn't had the TD car, so we casually test drove the Ritz Zxi:

To sum up, Ritz has got the same K series motor as that of Swift and I must say what a brilliant engine it is. It was so fun to revv this K series engine and that amazing engine growl noise which filters inside the cabin was addictive.

So guys, what are your opinions?
Should I go ahead with the Ritz? Is this car expected to phase out any time soon?
Awaiting your suggestions.
Thanks in Advance.

Well if you ask me a competent car is a competent car (same for Figo D, but mass market sentiment differs), irrespective of whether it is due for some feature upgrade or cosmetic upgrade, unless changes are mechanical and significant, in my previous post I mentioned that since 5 people will rarely be on board, it is better to pick a car that keeps you happy on every long drive.

Ritz is not hugely uncomfortable, 5 of us, of course all light bodied frames, did a non stop journey to Shirdi (about 700 kms) and back from Mapusa, Goa, 3 passengers were above 60 yrs, including my friends parents, so one night onward journey, reach morning, freshened up, darshan, evening leave for Goa, but except for the exhaustion of not having slept well 2 nights, we were able to resume our regular duties the next day.
Yes but the rear keeps uncomfortably bouncing on bad roads, when I spend some time in the rear seat, my neck started aching (my neck is over sensitive), maybe they sorted this out in later cars as my friends Ritz is from the initial batch. Current owners can contribute.

I like the RPM meter on the dash - sportiness and though a lot has been said on the Ritz looks, in time it grows on you such that you start liking its stand apart stature, the design liberates space and the cabin feels sufficiently roomy.
The Ritz is well built and feels quite heavy among Maruti's. The car ages well with hard but durable plastics all around. My friends Ritz (full credit to him) looks as good as new after 5 years.

Yes, as you, me and everyone say, the gem is the motor which is addictive and in my opinion, the car can be driven harder than the Grand and despite the initial feeling of roll, the car does not roll as much as other tall boys, (I am not promoting speeding, but I could consistently maintain speeds of 140 kmph on the NH4, I recollect an Octy tried hard to overtake multiple times then gave up), I think you can carry greater speed into a corner in Ritz than Grand, also the steering is better.

The beauty of this deal compared to Swift VXI is you get Airbags, ABS, better low end response (the new Swift VTVT got tweaked further for FE) and space while retaining the sporty character newer Maruti cars seem to endorse.
Club in the Maruti resale and ownership experience and FE figures and you won't be disappointed at all after those 100 kms driving trips seated in the front or driving fast.

Maruti should have multiple dealers in the same city, bargain hard.
I for one, provided the current parameters don't change, would raise my hand for Ritz.

[bread]

Originally Posted by Sherlocked

So guys, what are your opinions?
Should I go ahead with the Ritz? Is this car expected to phase out any time soon?
Awaiting your suggestions.
Thanks in Advance.

Now that i think you are open to other suggestions including the ritz, may i suggest you TD the brio too? It has a better engine,driving dynamics and looks that will eventually grow on you. I ditched the i10G since it had just been launched then and the top model had a waiting of 2 months(we wanted delivery during navratri).moreover i didn't like its soft ride. Its interiors i loved, but between the fun to drive brio and quality interiors(better than some cars which are 2L more expensive than it) of the i10G i choose fun to drive brio.
Pricing for the top model with abs and ebd and dual airbags will come to around 6L. My brio vx mt cost me something close to 6.2L OTR. but that was in october last year when the taxes were high and moreover in new bombay where i live, we have to pay extra tax called the LBT.

Summing it all up here is what i think about the reasons you should or should not buy the following cars.This was the list/chart I had made when i was looking out for a hatch back 9 months ago.

Ritz :
Pro:Good engine. build quality. fun to drive. excellent highway behaviour.
Cons: May get phased out soon.old design.(these factors may give you points to bargain a bit more)

Swift :
Pro: Accepted by the whole country as the all round hatch. fun to drive. proven quality. good highway behaviour(if its a zxi).
Con: Common. all black interiors. good brakes only in ZXi.

i10G :
Pro: Newest car in this class. Feature packed. top notch interiors in its class. good city behaviour. families love the sedated fluidic lines.
Cons: average highway behaviour. thats it. (waiting period for the model with airbags and abs was long when i was in the market for a new car. i believe its not that long now.)

Brio :
Pro: Most fun to drive car around.excellent highway behaviour. i vtec engine. 96bhp per tonne. its a honda. interiors better than ritz and swift (this is my opinion,other may disagree. you can compare it when you do a TD ) . spacious cabin.

Cons: smallest boot of the lot(can fit one full size suitcase and a small cabin bag.) high loading bay makes it difficult to load/unload huge suitcases. no rear wiper. not very popular among families due to its all glass hatch(it is toughened glass so technically it is as safe as any other car around. its upto you to decide).older models did not have a parcel tray and rear defogger, models made post jan 2013 have them(s,v,vx). no cd player(you get usb,aux and fm/am ) .


My main concern was the quality of ASS. only honda,hyundai and suzuki have top notch ASS. hence i didn't even consider the polo,punto and the fabia. Do take into account the reputation of the service centers in your area and their popularity.

[Octane_Power]

Originally Posted by Sherlocked

So guys, what are your opinions?
Should I go ahead with the Ritz? Is this car expected to phase out any time soon?
Awaiting your suggestions.
Thanks in Advance.

Sir, how much does the Swift ZXi cost on-road Jaipur?
I know, it is in more demand than the Ritz so discount will be a bit hard to get, but can you get some discount on it?

What do you think? After discounts and everything how much will you have to shell out for the Swift ZXi? And how much will you be paying on-road for the Grand i10 Sportz after the discounts which they (might be) offering?

-Bhargav

[promit]

Originally Posted by g_saunak

I have clocked only 450 Km so far on the ODO. AC is on 100% of the time so far. I am getting an FE of 9.8 KM/L. After first service it is supposed to go up to 12-13 KM/L within city. Highway driving will give you better results.

How have you measured this? Is this by tank full method? It seems quite less man. Do you drive in a lot of bumper to bumper traffic?
Also, the first service is just a wash for the Gi10.
You can expect a slight improvement after you complete your run in; 1000-1500 kms.

[drmohitg]

Honestly speaking the Ritz is a much more practical car than the Swift with a larger boot, more head room due to the tall stature and comes with a lower price tag too. But isn't it already too old? I am not sure if MSIL has any plans in the near future to replace it ( they generally keep on dragging there products for a long time).

For me the biggest thing is interior quality and feel and Maruti is far behind in that respect when compared to the Hyundai. So my vote is still for the Hyundai.

[g_saunak]

Originally Posted by promit

How have you measured this? Is this by tank full method? It seems quite less man. Do you drive in a lot of bumper to bumper traffic?
Also, the first service is just a wash for the Gi10.
You can expect a slight improvement after you complete your run in; 1000-1500 kms.

Yes promit. It is by the tank full method. In Kolkata it is always a bumper to bumper traffic. My travel is strictly within city and there's no open stretch invloved. Max speed I could clock was 50km/h . I am planning to take the car for a longer run to the highways soon. As you have mentioned correctly that the car will start breathing after 1000 km.

BTW, this was the first tank full. I believe the figures will improve after I go for the second one.

How much are you getting of your black beauty? and is it within city or you got highway driving too?

[motionfreak]

AC was good enough, not a Fiat though.

FE, didn't care cause it was a trip with friends. So no idea.

with 185 section tyres, highway manners improve a lot (Swift ZXi too has 185 tyres)

[promit]

Originally Posted by g_saunak

How much are you getting of your black beauty? and is it within city or you got highway driving too?

Oh man, Kolkata has changed so much.
I was baby-ing it for the first thousand kms. I got 12.5 with 100% AC in the first 1000 kms. Out of which maybe 50 kms was highway, rest city driving. But no bumper to bumper as such.
Right now, my odo stands at 1600 kms. On my 4th tank of gas at the moment. My usage pattern has changed. All its running is within a 5km radius in some traffic, engine probably doesn't even warm up enough. Expecting abysmal figures this time round.
I didn't buy it for mileage, but I would imagine it is capable of giving 13-14 with some open roads and a light foot.

[NiInJa]

Think about the most important safety feature that you are getting in the Ritz ( and in your budget): Airbags and ABS. I think other features like Music Player, electrically adjusting mirrors etc can be added later or completely ignored. Agree, that the car will be driven 90% in cities but for the rest 10% there will be 5 on-board, hence I strongly suggest keeping safety features in mind.

Buying a Ritz is more of an 'arranged' marriage, you will start appreciating her more and more as days pass. And I must say that having rear wipers, alloys with wide tyres does make Ritz ZXI look good.

Regards,
NJ

[igybeck]

why so much debate. Swift wins hands down any day. Though grand i10 has god features than swift, in the long run swift will be light on your pocket.
Period.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by igybeck

why so much debate. Swift wins hands down any day. Though grand i10 has god features than swift, in the long run swift will be light on your pocket.
Period.

Come on! Grand is a good competitor to the Swift, save for the driving fun parameter.

Agree with a post earlier in this thread. It is worth every penny to spend on the top model of the Swift (either Petrol or Diesel) just because of the brakes. Both cars have their own strong & weak points and really worth the debate. In fact, so much, that I have not been able to vote for any one so far!