[brainchutney]

Hello TeamBHP, this is my first post. I wasn't sure if I should (am allowed to) create a dedicated post for this. I could if its okay

Need help picking my first (used) petrol car. i10 vs Ritz . Budget 1-2 lacs. Mostly small town driving + hilly areas.

I'm a very new driver. Just learning to drive. My dad has a 2004 Zen Lxi that has done only about 50k km.

Based on extensive online research out here, youtube a few other portals I narrowed it down to these two cars : Hyundai i10 (2010-17) vs Maruti Ritz (2009-2017). The reason I narrowed it down to these two (based on reviews) is that I have back issues and good seating is important for me (heard swift doesn't have great back support ?). Total people in car usually would be 2. Rarely 4-5.

I don't earn a lot (20-30k p.m) and want to spend a max of 2 lacs on a petrol car. Usage would probably be minimal (max 5-6k km per year), hence petrol. I'm looking for a car I can learn / improve on and drive for at least 5 years. Don't care too much about very good pickup or ultra high speed driving.

Comfort, mileage and low service / maintenance costs are a priority.
Which of these cars is easier to drive ? (Steering, gear shifting, visibility, blind spots, rear visibility, suspensions etc)
Which clutch is easier on the left foot ? From what I read the i10 clutch (and other pedals too) is really light / smooth. If its rated an 8/10 would the ritz be a 5 ? a 6 ? I have a slight issue in my left knee and want the lightest clutch possible (can't afford an AMT and avoiding Alto etc.)
What about the mileage I should expect from these cars. (bumper - bumper traffic, easy city drives, highway driving). Is 15 kmpl unrealistic ?
Service / Maintenance charges + parts availability: Are they comparable for these cars ?
And finally, which year, variant should I be looking at in my budget ? And how many kms should it have run (assuming first owner only).

[smileline]

Hi,

I feel considering your requirements, Ritz will be a better choice, Ritz was one of the better built Maruti, the parts will be easier to procure as it shares many parts with other Marutis. You should be comfortable in Ritz in relation to its seating comfort due to its tall boy design. It would be better if you can test ride both the cars and then decide. I feel you can get a Ritz at a cheaper cost against an used i10 in the used car market.

[--gKrish--]

From my experience, Ritz would give better fuel efficiency among the two.

Interior plastics and fit and finish is slightly better in the i10. Both cars have good visibility all around but the thicker C pillars of the Ritz limits the view towards the sides at the back. It is not much of an issue as the big ORVMs would take care of the sides. I find the seating position (driver's) of the Ritz far better than the i10.

The steering is definitely lighter on the i10 but I personally do not think of it as an advantage. Ritz's steering is not hard by any way and it is more practically calibrated than the i10. Honestly, I found the i10's steering eerily similar to a Logitech G24 wheel. It lacks feedback and is way too light to be comfortable with.

The clutch pedal's softness depends on the condition of the car's clutch and both are similar in my opinion. It will get harder as the clutch wears. The Linea's clutch (after changing to the new type) was far lighter than both these cars despite being a diesel. (All three cars had 40k to 60k kms on the odo at that time).

At low speeds, the ride is marginally better in the i10 due to the softer suspension. The Ritz however, is more stable and a bit more confidence inspiring in the highway.

On the maintenance front, Ritz wins hands down. It is far easier to procure parts and maintain a Ritz than an i10 in the long term. Hyundai-MOBIS guys are not very enthusiastic about selling spares over the counter (atleast in Kerala). The spares are also cheaper in the case of Ritz.

Ritz and Figo 1.5 are the only cars that I believe, can replace our Zen.

[SideView]

Originally Posted by brainchutney

Hello TeamBHP, this is my first post. I wasn't sure if I should (am allowed to) create a dedicated post for this. I could if its okay

Need help picking my first (used) petrol car. i10 vs Ritz . Budget 1-2 lacs. Mostly small town driving + hilly areas.

I'm a very new driver. Just learning to drive. My dad has a 2004 Zen Lxi that has done only about 50k km.
.

Are you planning on retaining the 2004 Zen? ( or is zen also affecting your back?) Could you not learn on that and save yourself 2 lakhs.

And maybe get your Dad a new car? ( maybe both of you pitch in together)

[brainchutney]

Originally Posted by SideView

Are you planning on retaining the 2004 Zen? ( or is zen also affecting your back?) Could you not learn on that and save yourself 2 lakhs.

And maybe get your Dad a new car? ( maybe both of you pitch in together)

Ah sorry forgot to mention. Currently stuck in my hometown (working from home) with parents. Dad wants to continue using his beloved Zen (it’s only run 43k in 16 years and maintained really well ) for as long as physically possible. So taking his car isn’t really an option. I drive for 15-20 min once in two days so keep improving my driving bit by bit.

The car I’m looking to get is for myself, for when I shift back to where I work (small town up north in the hills).

Hope that clarified my position a bit better.

Originally Posted by smileline

Hi,

I feel considering your requirements, Ritz will be a better choice, Ritz was one of the better built Maruti, the parts will be easier to procure as it shares many parts with other Marutis. You should be comfortable in Ritz in relation to its seating comfort due to its tall boy design. It would be better if you can test ride both the cars and then decide. I feel you can get a Ritz at a cheaper cost against an used i10 in the used car market.

Thanks for your reply smileline. I was leaning towards the Ritz too for the same reasons you mentioned(easier parts procurement, comfortable seating) , until I read about the

• visibility issues due to the thick B and C pillars (since I'm quite new to driving, I'm a bit scared of the blind spot issues . How long do you think it'll take to get accustomed to this ?)
• and the relative clutch hardness (as compared to the i10). How big is the difference in the clutch hardness of the two cars in new stock condition ?

I absolutely intend to test drive both cars if possible. I just wanted to ensure I get a good idea of what to (and what not to) expect from both cars.

Thanks

Originally Posted by --gKrish--

From my experience, Ritz would give better fuel efficiency among the two.

Interior plastics and fit and finish is slightly better in the i10. Both cars have good visibility all around but the thicker C pillars of the Ritz limits the view towards the sides at the back. It is not much of an issue as the big ORVMs would take care of the sides. I find the seating position (driver's) of the Ritz far better than the i10.

The steering is definitely lighter on the i10 but I personally do not think of it as an advantage. Ritz's steering is not hard by any way and it is more practically calibrated than the i10. Honestly, I found the i10's steering eerily similar to a Logitech G24 wheel. It lacks feedback and is way too light to be comfortable with.

The clutch pedal's softness depends on the condition of the car's clutch and both are similar in my opinion. It will get harder as the clutch wears. The Linea's clutch (after changing to the new type) was far lighter than both these cars despite being a diesel. (All three cars had 40k to 60k kms on the odo at that time).

At low speeds, the ride is marginally better in the i10 due to the softer suspension. The Ritz however, is more stable and a bit more confidence inspiring in the highway.

On the maintenance front, Ritz wins hands down. It is far easier to procure parts and maintain a Ritz than an i10 in the long term. Hyundai-MOBIS guys are not very enthusiastic about selling spares over the counter (atleast in Kerala). The spares are also cheaper in the case of Ritz.

Ritz and Figo 1.5 are the only cars that I believe, can replace our Zen.

Thanks for your reply gKrish, could you please answer a few questions of mine ?

• Does the lack of visibility in a Ritz make it an absolute nightmare to reverse ?
• I didn't understand what you meant by "after changing to the new type" with respect to your linea clutch. Could you elaborate ? You tried out / owned a Linea, i10 and Ritz around the same time ?
• Since you mentioned the sheer lack of steering feedback on the i10, how would you rate the ritz, Figo, i10 and zen on a scale of 10, if the Punto / Linea is a 9/10. Also, could you comment on / rate similarly, the clutch hardness of the mentioned cars ?
• As for the Figo, is the Fuel Efficiency of the petrol variant comparable to the Ritz and i10 ?

Thanks


To the mods : Apologies about the back to back replies, figured out the multi quote functionality only by the time I replied the second time. Thanks.

[RavSam]

I would also like to suggest the A-Star. It was well built export quality model and should be great buy in the ZXi trim.

[Leoshashi]

Between the two, Ritz anyday. Try to get ZXi. Whatever your needs are, Ritz will be better in every aspect. Fuel efficiency, spares availability- Ritz will be easier.

A nice comparo from those days(one of my favorites):

Link

Regards,
Shashi

[SideView]

Originally Posted by brainchutney

Ah sorry forgot to mention. Currently stuck in my hometown (working from home) with parents. Dad wants to continue using his beloved Zen (it’s only run 43k in 16 years and maintained really well ) for as long as physically possible. So taking his car isn’t really an option. I drive for 15-20 min once in two days so keep improving my driving bit by bit.

The car I’m looking to get is for myself, for when I shift back to where I work (small town up north in the hills).

Hope that clarified my position a bit better.

I know the emotional connect, but no matter how little the distance the car has covered 16 years it could be harder to source parts if any repairs come along. I am sure if you take your Dad for a couple of test drives in newer vehicles he would come around. I personally feel that getting new vehicle is better choice, since you plan to use long term.

The low budget second hand ones would come with their own gremlins and would be headache to maintain.

With the above approach, you still maintain the zen ( since you say it has no major issues) and newer vehicle for long term. You could swap to newer vehicle once you are done with learning and give back the zen to dad.


How rude of me. Warm welcome to team bhp. Ritz would be cheaper compared to i10 since it wasnt as big a sucess and felt like a bigger vehicle to me.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[brainchutney]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Between the two, Ritz anyday. Try to get ZXi. Whatever your needs are, Ritz will be better in every aspect. Fuel efficiency, spares availability- Ritz will be easier.

A nice comparo from those days(one of my favorites):

Link

Regards,
Shashi

Thanks for the reply Leoshashi. I have watched the same video thrice already haha. Will keep an eye out specifically for a Ritz ZXi. Any idea how much I should be expecting to pay for one? (assuming 2010-2013 Zxi with under 50k on the odometer and in great condition)

Ah sorry forgot to mention. Currently stuck in my hometown (working from home) with parents. Dad wants to continue using his beloved Zen (it’s only run 43k in 16 years and maintained really well ) for as long as physically possible. So taking his car isn’t really an option. I drive for 15-20 min once in two days so keep improving my driving bit by bit.

The car I’m looking to get is for myself, for when I shift back to where I work (small town up north in the hills).

Hope that clarified my position a bit better.

I know the emotional connect, but no matter how little the distance the car has covered 16 years it could be harder to source parts if any repairs come along.

I am sure if you take your Dad for a couple of test drives in newer vehicles he would come around.

I personally feel that getting new vehicle is better choice, since you plan to use long term.

The low budget second hand ones would come with their own gremlins and would be headache to maintain.

With the above approach, you still maintain the zen ( since you say it has no major issues) and newer vehicle for long term. You could swap to newer vehicle once you are done with learning and give back the zen to Dad.


How rude of me. Warm welcome to team bhp.


Ritz would be cheaper compared to i10 since it wasnt as big a sucess and felt like a bigger vehicle to me.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Thanks a lot for your input SideView, but I don't think my dad will budge on the Zen, as he's quite spartan on his approach to expenses (especially with respect to something like a car) and since I can't afford to get a new car myself, getting a really well maintained second hand car is my only solid option (other than taking a loan etc. which I'm trying to avoid).

Absoutely overjoyed finally joining Team BHP. I've been casual lurker on this sub for around a decade now, glad to finally be on the inside.

How much do you think I should expect to pay for either of the cars mentioned ? (Assuming 7-10 years old, mid / top models in excellent condition with 50k kms done.) I'm okay to be patient and wait until the "right car" comes along.

Originally Posted by RavSam

I would also like to suggest the A-Star. It was well built export quality model and should be great buy in the ZXi trim.

Thanks for your reply RavSam. Are A-Star parts easily available as the Ritz / i10. Is it as good a car as the two being discussed ? Based on what, I've read so far, it's from a lower segment. Will research more about it anyway. Cheers.

[NaXal]

I have a 2011 Ritz ZXi ABS within family. I have driven this car extensively. Total oddo is around 1.2L kms.

Extremely reliable car. It needed only PMS along with 2 clutch, 1 pressure plate, 2 sets of brake pads, 1 set of tyre change (second change is pending). Everything else is stock.

Ritz is built by Maruti but surprisingly doesn't feel Maruti. Starting from its sheet metal quality or built quality. Matter of fact, it weighs same as my Aspire TDCi. Being on swift platform, it handles well too. Infact in the age of 165mm tyres, this car came with 185mm as standard.

The only down side it's city mileage figures. This first generation K12 isn't as fuel efficient as present K12. Factor that with its weight and you are looking at around 10 kmpl in Kolkata city traffic.

Although I feel this is a better car over i10 but I would pick i10 over Ritz. i10 Kappa will offer better fuel economy, Hyundai cars are typically well built and it's much lighter over Ritz.

A good, low mileage i10 should be much lighter on pocket to run.

However, as with pre-owned car selection, don't eye for a specific model, rather eye for a good deal & good condition car. Both of these two will serve you well.

Thanks

[brainchutney]

Originally Posted by NaXal

I have a 2011 Ritz ZXi ABS within family. I have driven this car extensively. Total oddo is around 1.2L kms.

Extremely reliable car. It needed only PMS along with 2 clutch, 1 pressure plate, 2 sets of brake pads, 1 set of tyre change (second change is pending). Everything else is stock.

Ritz is built by Maruti but surprisingly doesn't feel Maruti. Starting from its sheet metal quality or built quality. Matter of fact, it weighs same as my Aspire TDCi. Being on swift platform, it handles well too. Infact in the age of 165mm tyres, this car came with 185mm as standard.

The only down side it's city mileage figures. This first generation K12 isn't as fuel efficient as present K12. Factor that with its weight and you are looking at around 10 kmpl in Kolkata city traffic.

Although I feel this is a better car over i10 but I would pick i10 over Ritz. i10 Kappa will offer better fuel economy, Hyundai cars are typically well built and it's much lighter over Ritz.

A good, low mileage i10 should be much lighter on pocket to run.

However, as with pre-owned car selection, don't eye for a specific model, rather eye for a good deal & good condition car. Both of these two will serve you well.

Thanks

Thanks a lot for your detailed reply, NaXal.

10 kmpl in city traffic sounds a bit low for my liking. I was expecting at least 12-13 in those conditions. In fact, based on what I've read / watched I was expecting the Ritz to be at least 2-3 kmpl more efficient than the i10 kappa ! This seems like a bit of a revelation to me.

I'm leaning towards the i10 very slightly myself, as I gather it's easier to drive and has a better engine, smoother gearbox and lighter clutch. The only downsides I've concluded are the softer suspensions (that make it bouncier for rear passengers on highways) and thin tyres.

I've gotten precisely the same advice about the pre-owned car market i.e "look at what's available, not at specific models", and I completely agree with it, I just wanted to narrow down my options to 2-3 models so I could start looking more seriously, and knowing what to expect.

What do you reckon these cars would cost (assuming similar age, kms run and condition) ?

[BANDHAV]

I used to own a 2010 Ritz Lxi, drove it for 65k, subsquently handed it over to my wife when I graduated to a Terrano in 2015. She learnt to drive on it, she used it for her office commute. Last year we exchanged it for XUV5oo. It served us pretty well, it was my first daily commute car, it was my wife's first daily commute car. We absolutely loved it.

No other car in the segment offers/offered the kind of space Ritz does. Spares are cheap and easily available. Most of the FNGs are well versed with its mechanicals so no issues in maintaining it.

What a fantastic looking thing it was. Sigh!

[govigov]

Hello brainchutney,

I am a previous Ritz owner, (vdi) and I will be biased to it. But my sister does own an i10 and I still drive it a lot.

Pro Ritz -
1. The Front seat of the Ritz is world class, I currently own an S-cross and I still wish I was in the Ritz in terms of front seat comfort. You can drive really long distances with minimal distress to you.
2. If you are going for the Ritz, try and get the Zxi (ABS & Airbag) variant. V variants added the tacho. The petrol V variant did not get factory fitted fogs, it was only in the diesel variants. (If I remember correctly).
3. It is available in BS3 and BS4 variants. The BS3 petrol has a better lower end grunt and is easily a better to drive around in the city that the BS4 variant. With the BS3 variant, it is easier to do a an EGR delete via blanking plate. BS3 k12 engine wins hands down, especially in hill areas.
4. Better mileage, you can expect a real-world efficiency of at least 17.

Cons Ritz -
Back seat is not great
Front left visiblity needs getting used to, but that is the same in i10.

Pro i10-
1. Popular
2. Back seat better than Ritz

Cons i10-
1. The side doors do not have side impact beam (again, if I remember correctly) which the Ritz had. I am talking about 2010 vintage, may have changed since then.
2. Real world mileage low


Considering the math alone, mileage and cost of service, as well, Ritz wins.

Welcome to teambhp

[BoneCollector]

Welcome to TeamBHP.

We have used a Ritz VXi from 2010 to 2018 for nearly 70K + kms. It was one of the best cars we have had. I found it to the best build Maruti till date. It was taut. We did some longish trips in it. The worst mileage was around 15kmpl and the best around 22.5kmpl, both with AC during ownership. Once you get a hang of it, reversing will not be an issue. Our car had 2 sensor reverse parking sensor and no camera. But we never faced an issue. The A pillars are not that thick. Like I told earlier, once you get hang of this car, it'll not create any issue for you. The ground clearance is good enough to not scrape it at most of the places. Boot space is practical. We upgraded to S-Cross in 2018. Had our Ritz been a ZXi, I guess we would have waited for some more time. They don't make cars like that now, a well built and tough car. Do take a test drive of both before putting in your money.

[--gKrish--]

Originally Posted by brainchutney

Does the lack of visibility in a Ritz make it an absolute nightmare to reverse ?

Not really. You just have to properly adjust and use the outside the rearview mirrors. I've never faced any issue while reversing. Some people turn their heads and look back while reversing, they will find the pillars obstructing the view. I believe it is better to use the mirrors and have a wider view than unnecessarily strain the neck to get a limited view.

I didn't understand what you meant by "after changing to the new type" with respect to your linea clutch. Could you elaborate ? You tried out / owned a Linea, i10 and Ritz around the same time ?

I've driven all the three cars when they had almost the same mileage on the odo. They all had similar hardness at that time (40-50k on odo). We had to get the clutch kit in the Linea replaced (worn out prematurely at 55k) with an updated part. The new clutch on the Linea was lighter than all these cars when they were brand new.

What I was trying to say was that, with a few ten thousand kms on the odo, there wont be much difference between the clutch pedal hardness among these cars. (Assuming all cars were not abused and driven in similar conditions)

Since you mentioned the sheer lack of steering feedback on the i10, how would you rate the ritz, Figo, i10 and zen on a scale of 10, if the Punto / Linea is a 9/10. Also, could you comment on / rate similarly, the clutch hardness of the mentioned cars ?

It is subjective It is better if you take test drives in these cars and find which one suits you better. The old Figo's HPS is almost as good as the Linea.
i10 and Zen have the lightest steering wheels among them. Ritz and Linea has almost the same hardness but the Ritz has a bit of vagueness in the steering, if you know what I mean.

When new, clutch hardness of Linea<i10<Ritz. Ritz has the shortest pedal travel and linea has the longest pedal travel.

As for the Figo, is the Fuel Efficiency of the petrol variant comparable to the Ritz and i10 ?

I've only driven the figo 1.5, never filled up, so didn't really check the FE. It was far more peppier than these two cars. But I think it would give around 12-13kmpl in b2b traffic. My uncle's i10 used for short city runs gives 12kmpl with AC. I found the Ritz returning better FE overall (~14 within the city but not b2b traffic).