[shortbread]

Looking at the pics I think Maruti is aiming to keep this under 4 meters. I find this positive, its quite rare that UV owners seat more than 5 folk in day to day use so why not make it more compact and save costs, weight....

If seating additional is required there is always the option though they might be a bit cramped. Lets not forget the EEco is less than 4 meters, so Maruti will know how to package this.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by shortbread

Lets not forget the EEco is less than 4 meters, so Maruti will know how to package this.

Yes, now I can understand. Eeco is not just 'less than 4m length', it is only 3675mm in length. So, Maruti has an extra 1 feet to package this vehicle and still be under 4m length.

Maruti has kept away from all the fancy designs for its tail light and rear end - and that will makes this car more appealing to normal customers and common family-men.

[nkrishnap]

The panel gaps should be ignored for the time being. Even the new verna in the test drives had a bit of uneven panel gaps.

The regular production vehicles is what we need to scrutinize. Lets wait and see how this turns out.

By the isn;t Ritz built on the swift platform, if yes then this MPV is based on the Swift platform. Am I missing something?

[noopster]

Wow- this is great news! It looks good and a diesel MPV is just what the doctor ordered to replace my ageing Swift in these days of insane petrol prices!

Will be watching this space closely. Lovely scoop chevelle and friends!

[muni]

Originally Posted by shortbread

Looking at the pics I think Maruti is aiming to keep this under 4 meters. I find this positive, its quite rare that UV owners seat more than 5 folk in day to day use so why not make it more compact and save costs, weight....

If seating additional is required there is always the option though they might be a bit cramped. Lets not forget the EEco is less than 4 meters, so Maruti will know how to package this.

Please note that Eeco's front overhang is way too small comparitively and that liberates a lot of space unlike this one which clearly looks more like a Ritz.It would be quite challenging to restrict it under 4 Metres to add a last row unless there is some big compromises made for leg room and luggage space both.From the autocar link pics, the last row does look like its placed absolutely back with no space left for any luggage.

[shortbread]

The Eeco is 3675mm long that means even if Maruti uses a similar seating configuration it still leaves them 325mm to play with. Also the Fiat multijet is a very compact diesel engine and I dont see why it cant be used in the Eeco even which already uses the same petrol engine that the Swift initially used. Lets not forget their engineers actually fit a TUD5 into the Zen. If Maruti has to make a car that will not struggle lugging 7 people and their luggage they have keep the cars weight down to a minimal.

[indivic]

Originally Posted by muni

It would be quite challenging to restrict it under 4 Metres to add a last row unless there is some big compromises made for leg room and luggage space both.From the autocar link pics, the last row does look like its placed absolutely back with no space left for any luggage.

From the Autocar pics the rear most seats seem to be separate, so they should fold up is what my guess is and should therefore take care of luggage space.Plus if you look at the first pic from this very thread, you can see what appears to be a parcel shelf behind the third row.

Considering that petrol engine in SX4 is not known for its F.E, I would like to think that MSIL would keep it under 4m and put in the excellent K12 from the Swift.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by shortbread

Lets not forget the EEco is less than 4 meters, so Maruti will know how to package this.

The likes of the Eeco and Omni have engines beneath the seats which makes them very spacious (also very tall). I think the car being discussed here has traditional configuration and may not be able to provide such efficient package in terms of space utilization.

[Furebo]

@Kartik, chevelle: Excellent Scoop; Thanks for sharing!

It does look very promising; I hope Maruti gets the price right. Citing that it is Made for India I doubt if they will do anything wrong.

Originally Posted by indivic

Considering that petrol engine in SX4 is not known for its F.E, I would like to think that MSIL would keep it under 4m and put in the excellent K12 from the Swift.

You may not be wrong in thinking so; The under 4M and the 1.2 seems to be the mantra for keeping the prices low. But such a vehicle NEEDS a powerful engine also this segment demands a diesel. I even doubt the existence of a petrol. As the SX4 D is known for good FE. I just hope that Maruti sources a bigger displacement engine this time.

[vibbs]

This is interesting. All though all this is pure speculation, still..
Now if this is based on the ritz platform and assuming we have same interior space as the ritz in front two rows, then the have an additional 10 to 11 inches in addition to the existing boot space to package the third row.

The ritz is 3715 mm u see. So an additional 250 mm would still have them within 4 meters. So if they manage to save some more space by having a shorter bonet (i m not sure if that s possible) or even saving a couple of inches by having a dash not as deep as the ritz, we may end up with a strictly functional third row in terms of space with very little luggage space in the 7 seater avatar.

A toss up between having either 7 occupants or luggage. I think that should do the trick specially with a diesel mill under the hood. I think there will be quite a few takers for this if it provides ritz level interiors and space for the first two rows with an added option of having either a big boot or 7 passengers.

When the ritz came out it was tipped as the practical alternative to the swift. Guess this would then be the more practical alternative to the ritz.

[diwa]

Correct me if I am wrong here. Didn't Maruti and Volkswagen tie-up for joint projects recently. If so why not a diesel engine from VW?

[Furebo]

Originally Posted by diwa

Correct me if I am wrong here. Didn't Maruti and Volkswagen tie-up for joint projects recently. If so why not a diesel engine from VW?

You are right; Volkswagen (VW) picked up a 19.6% stake in Suzuki Motor Corp (SMC) last year for $2.5 billion, and since then there has been speculation that they may look for synergies in India.

Linky: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...synergies.html

Well the JV should materialize but the big question like you asked still remains;

When?

Well as of now; only they know!

[vinukm]

Looks like bad news for me ... Just got delivery of my EECO last Friday - should have followed TBHP Closely I would have deferred the EECO purchase for some time and gone for this one :(

[harishnair]

Originally Posted by vinukm

Looks like bad news for me ... Just got delivery of my EECO last Friday - should have followed TBHP Closely I would have deferred the EECO purchase for some time and gone for this one :(

From the price point, I don't think you made a mistake coz the new RIII MPV is definitely going to cost more than 5 Lacs (ex-Showroom).

[aravind.anand]

Nice car, but take a look at the picture below, Will there be boot space for at least 2 shopping bags in there? Forget a highway companion for weekend family trips!