Maruti Suzuki Ritz now available with Automatic Transmission on the Vxi variant

GTO · 8th January 2010, 17:39

Maruti takes their own sweet time in responding to market trends. Remember their stand on diesels? They lobbied against diesel passenger cars so hard at one time.....only to adopt the "if you can't beat them, join them" line of thought eventually. With Fiat diesels. Another example : Tata, Hyundai and Chevy have already displayed their electric hatchbacks. Anything from India's largest player yet? Nope.

They still believe automatics have no future in India and that, whoever wants an automatic is happy with the WagonR. What a lousy 3 speed auto that car has! They'll come around. Hopefully not too late.

rganeshiyer · 8th January 2010, 18:18

To their credit , they have already brought out the SX4 AT, haven't they ? It's supposed to be a 4 speed . Is it any good ?

GTO · 9th January 2010, 10:42

Do search for reviews on the SX4 AT.

Yes, they did launch a 4 speed C segment automatic (i.e. SX4 AT)....but that's after years of the Honda City being available. Even Hyundai beat Maruti with the Verna AT.

FlyingSpur · 9th January 2010, 11:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Yes, they did launch a 4 speed C segment automatic (i.e. SX4 AT)....but that's after years of the Honda City being available.

That too, ten whole years, no less !!

Although I do expect them to plonk in the same gearbox mated to the K-series engine and hopefully we should have the Ritz AT and / or Swift AT. Don't see why not, considering the i10 AT's running away with the market. I see so many i10 AT's running around these days, I'm not even kidding.

longhorn · 9th January 2010, 11:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Another example : Tata, Hyundai and Chevy have already displayed their electric hatchbacks. Anything from India's largest player yet? Nope.

I think they have the Eeco Charge on display at the Expo. Not sure whether it is a hybrid or electric though. I agree with you on the other points. Being the market leader, they should have been proactive rather than reactive which is not the case at present.

mahipalc · 9th January 2010, 20:36

We will be in India after 18th, and will take the test drives of both i10 and Ritz. I will leave the ultimate decision to the wifey..

But does anyone know if i10 AT has a waiting period (in Hyderabad)?

FlyingSpur · 9th January 2010, 23:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by mahipalc

But does anyone know if i10 AT has a waiting period (in Hyderabad)?

I doubt. It sells well, but not so well that dealers don't have some stock on hand. Of course, if you're picky about a certain colour and they don't have stock then you may have to wait a couple of weeks.

Anand123 · 9th January 2010, 23:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by mahipalc

But does anyone know if i10 AT has a waiting period (in Hyderabad)?

Dont think so. Dealers must be having enough stock with them.

rutvij · 11th January 2010, 16:57

I own i10 Magna Auto and I 100% recommend you this car. It is a small car from outside but in inside it is very roomy car. The interiors are also very pleasant and it has good equipment level as well. The auto transmission is also superb. It is the same transmission that is used in i20 and Verna as well. Go for it without any apprehensions.

rutvij · 11th January 2010, 17:02

Quote:
Originally Posted by mahipalc

But does anyone know if i10 AT has a waiting period (in Hyderabad)?

Quote:

Dont think so. Dealers must be having enough stock with them.

Auto is not a running model so dealers normally do not have them in stock. But it doesnt take much time to transport them in case of Hyundai. I got mine from Chennai in 4 days. So if dispatches are made to your dealer twice a week then from Chennai to Hyderabad it shouldnt take more than 4 days.

allenzaracer · 11th January 2010, 19:13

I would like to answer the question about waiting period of i10 AT in hyderabad, it has taken 10days for my purchase for an unusual and uncommon variant.
I am sure it will be not more than 2weeks if you know people and can talk your way through.
PM me if you need any assistance in this regard @hyderabad.

mahipalc · 12th January 2010, 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by allenzaracer

I would like to answer the question about waiting period of i10 AT in hyderabad, it has taken 10days for my purchase for an unusual and uncommon variant.
I am sure it will be not more than 2weeks if you know people and can talk your way through.
PM me if you need any assistance in this regard @hyderabad.

Thank you so much. I will be Hyd on 18th and will take the TDs of both i10 and Ritz the same day. I need to make a decision and complete the purchase quickly as I am there for only 10 days.

On a different note, would it be better to go for the dealer accessories or get it from outside in Hyderabad? I am talking about things like Art leather seat covers etc. Maruti seems to have great accessories at a decent price (somebody posted the price list on the forum recently). If other shops are better, which ones would you recommend in Hyderabad?

tacho · 13th January 2010, 04:03

If you (or your wife) are someone who needs to get used to driving a stick in India, and assuming you don’t think real drivers only drive stick, don’t even think about a manual. MT is 20th century technology and AT is an absolute boon in Hyderabad traffic. Even if you are chauffeur driven, I believe ATs are slightly more comfortable than MTs because you are not jerked around during gearshifts. Go for a loaded i10 AT, or if budget permits, an i20.

Unless your heart is totally set on a Ritz. Heart trumps head.

prasadee · 13th January 2010, 06:06

mahipalc,
Good call on AT. My dad has gotten so sick of changing gears in his WagonR (in B'lore traffic) that he has stopped using the car. I am seriously considering trading in the WagonR and replacing it with another small car that has AT. Please update the thread with what you decide.
-Prasadee

mahipalc · 19th January 2010, 06:18

We have visited both Maruti and Hyundai showrooms yesterday to check out the Ritz and i10 respectively. While automatic is something that we so wanted to have, the cost difference is making us lean towards a Ritz now. An Asta automatic is priced at 618,000 OTR here in Hyderabad (no discounts and only complimentary accessories), and that is not something that we planned to spend. Sportz is at around 540k, but we would have to give up a lot of features, including Airbags and ABS. A Ritz with a very comparable feature set is being offered at 544,000 (558k - 14k discount) OTR. The price of Ritz seems to have gone up from 548k to 558k due to recent tax increases, and the 25k offer is with an exchange. Since we dont have an exchange, the dealer offered a 14k discount which I am sure I can drag close to 25k with a little bit of haggling. So the total OTR cost of Zxi would be around 535k.

While Automatic would have been a great option and something that was very high on our list, we are not sure if we are ready to spend 80k extra for that (our initial budget was only 5L). Wife is not willing to drive in Hyderabad traffic for at least another 6 months anyway, and by then I am hoping she will get comfortable with the manual transmission. If not, then at least the Ritz will have a better resale value (I am guessing). Otherwise we"ll just have to find a good driver.

We are still debating this, and will take a couple of days to make a decision. Regardless of which one we go for I think both these are great cars.

Please post your thoughts. Also, please advice if the price sounds right on these two cars and if there is anything that I can do to get them come down further.

8th January 2010, 17:39	#16
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,534 Thanked: 300,732 Times View My Garage	Maruti takes their own sweet time in responding to market trends. Remember their stand on diesels? They lobbied against diesel passenger cars so hard at one time.....only to adopt the "if you can't beat them, join them" line of thought eventually. With Fiat diesels. Another example : Tata, Hyundai and Chevy have already displayed their electric hatchbacks. Anything from India's largest player yet? Nope. They still believe automatics have no future in India and that, whoever wants an automatic is happy with the WagonR. What a lousy 3 speed auto that car has! They'll come around. Hopefully not too late. Last edited by GTO : 8th January 2010 at 18:17.
	() Thanks

8th January 2010, 18:18	#17
rganeshiyer BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 66 Thanked: 15 Times	To their credit , they have already brought out the SX4 AT, haven't they ? It's supposed to be a 4 speed . Is it any good ?
	() Thanks

9th January 2010, 10:42	#18
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,534 Thanked: 300,732 Times View My Garage	Do search for reviews on the SX4 AT. Yes, they did launch a 4 speed C segment automatic (i.e. SX4 AT)....but that's after years of the Honda City being available. Even Hyundai beat Maruti with the Verna AT.
	() Thanks

9th January 2010, 20:36	#21
mahipalc Newbie Join Date: May 2008 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 24 Thanked: 0 Times	We will be in India after 18th, and will take the test drives of both i10 and Ritz. I will leave the ultimate decision to the wifey.. But does anyone know if i10 AT has a waiting period (in Hyderabad)?
	() Thanks

11th January 2010, 16:57	#24
rutvij BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Ahmedabad Posts: 423 Thanked: 220 Times	I own i10 Magna Auto and I 100% recommend you this car. It is a small car from outside but in inside it is very roomy car. The interiors are also very pleasant and it has good equipment level as well. The auto transmission is also superb. It is the same transmission that is used in i20 and Verna as well. Go for it without any apprehensions.
	() Thanks

11th January 2010, 19:13	#26
allenzaracer Newbie Join Date: May 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 23 Thanked: Once	I would like to answer the question about waiting period of i10 AT in hyderabad, it has taken 10days for my purchase for an unusual and uncommon variant. I am sure it will be not more than 2weeks if you know people and can talk your way through. PM me if you need any assistance in this regard @hyderabad.
	() Thanks

13th January 2010, 04:03	#28
tacho BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 135 Thanked: 31 Times View My Garage	If you (or your wife) are someone who needs to get used to driving a stick in India, and assuming you don’t think real drivers only drive stick, don’t even think about a manual. MT is 20th century technology and AT is an absolute boon in Hyderabad traffic. Even if you are chauffeur driven, I believe ATs are slightly more comfortable than MTs because you are not jerked around during gearshifts. Go for a loaded i10 AT, or if budget permits, an i20. Unless your heart is totally set on a Ritz. Heart trumps head.
	() Thanks

13th January 2010, 06:06	#29
prasadee BANNED Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 569 Thanked: 265 Times View My Garage	mahipalc, Good call on AT. My dad has gotten so sick of changing gears in his WagonR (in B'lore traffic) that he has stopped using the car. I am seriously considering trading in the WagonR and replacing it with another small car that has AT. Please update the thread with what you decide. -Prasadee
	() Thanks

19th January 2010, 06:18	#30
mahipalc Newbie Join Date: May 2008 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 24 Thanked: 0 Times	We have visited both Maruti and Hyundai showrooms yesterday to check out the Ritz and i10 respectively. While automatic is something that we so wanted to have, the cost difference is making us lean towards a Ritz now. An Asta automatic is priced at 618,000 OTR here in Hyderabad (no discounts and only complimentary accessories), and that is not something that we planned to spend. Sportz is at around 540k, but we would have to give up a lot of features, including Airbags and ABS. A Ritz with a very comparable feature set is being offered at 544,000 (558k - 14k discount) OTR. The price of Ritz seems to have gone up from 548k to 558k due to recent tax increases, and the 25k offer is with an exchange. Since we dont have an exchange, the dealer offered a 14k discount which I am sure I can drag close to 25k with a little bit of haggling. So the total OTR cost of Zxi would be around 535k. While Automatic would have been a great option and something that was very high on our list, we are not sure if we are ready to spend 80k extra for that (our initial budget was only 5L). Wife is not willing to drive in Hyderabad traffic for at least another 6 months anyway, and by then I am hoping she will get comfortable with the manual transmission. If not, then at least the Ritz will have a better resale value (I am guessing). Otherwise we"ll just have to find a good driver. We are still debating this, and will take a couple of days to make a decision. Regardless of which one we go for I think both these are great cars. Please post your thoughts. Also, please advice if the price sounds right on these two cars and if there is anything that I can do to get them come down further.
	() Thanks