[GTO]

^^ FTD : Fun-To-Drive. Added to the list of commonly used abbreviations on Team-BHP

[jinojohnt]

Some colors have been discountinued, for e.g., 'desert brown' and 'healing green', if my memory is correct.

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

BTW, the 50:50 split seats is a good thing to have. I wonder why can't this option be provided on all cars by default - either 50:50 or 60:40 depending on the car.

Is it possible to 'convert' my existing A-star to 'split rear seat'?

[supremeBaleno]

^^^So our healing-green A-Star becomes one of the limited pieces in circulation. Never liked that color & had to opt for it only to avoid the delivery period increasing by another month - wish it were black or white.

Regarding converting to split seat, wondering aloud whether it would be that tough to get it done by a local car-seat shop ???

[misquitas]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

BTW, the 50:50 split seats is a good thing to have. I wonder why can't this option be provided on all cars by default - either 50:50 or 60:40 depending on the car.

If I am not mistaken, Maruti burnt its fingers with the old WagonR, when it introduced those wonderful 50:50 split seats, which could be reclined back (one of the first in a hatchback at the time). Problem is, Hyundai went tom-toming that the WagonR is a 4-seat car, while its Santro was a true 5-seater car. Maruti then, unfortunately, withdrew those wonderful 50:50 split seats on the WagonR.

[Crazy4.Cars]

I think by FTD he means to say fun to drive.

Again, the A star is fun to drive provided it is wearing a good set of tyres. The one which MSIL supply are good for nothing, but that is the case with all most all MSIL cars.

@ daewood, trust me mate, the people who comment on the A star being a dud in the driving department for 2 people, have either not driven the car properly, or they have an expectation of a ford Fiesta Classic handling in an A star.

Under 4lakhs rupees OTR, A star is a good drivers car if it has tyres like Michelin or Yoko's etc. I dont think you get the figo or beat within 4lakhs after all discounts, plus the F.E is brillant. Not a single person i've heard who gets below 16km/litre, some guys do get 21km/litre too.

Just go out in the market and try to find a 2nd hand A star, check in true value or other dealers, you'll know the answer guys, no one is selling this car, extermely few cars available, why?? on the other hand i do not want to talk about other cars which are so easily available in the 2d hand market, like BEAT, FIGO petrol, i10 or alto k10 or wagon R.

P.S -- I do not own a A star, nor do i plan to buy one ever.

[supremeBaleno]

^^^ While I do agree with most of what you said, regarding not enough A-Stars being available in the 2nd hand market, one of the reasons could be that this car never sold much for enough pieces to be available for sale. Plus the fact that when sales are low, the car is marked a dud and resale is low too. To give an example, the Baleno was a dud (though it did sell around 1500p.m. after the price reduction, which is not bad given the sales figures we see in that segment today) - so pieces on sale in 2nd hand market are limited and also the resale is low.

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

I bought AT A-Star last year and am very happy with the car. This car really deserves to do better but our obsession with back seat space has done it in. The funny thing is, even persons who drive around single in their cars 90 % of time, worry about back-seat space. But speaking of back seat space, it is not as bad as has been widely believed.

Yes the A-Star is a great car.
And I too feel the back seat is not as bad as perceived by public.
It is fun to drive.
It looks cute.
It is definitely one of the better built Marutis.

Originally Posted by pgsagar

MUL would have done better to provide electric ORVMs, a tacho and rear wipe/wash/defogger and airbags, albeit at marginal plus cost.

I think the have Tacho in all the variants.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by oxyzen

I think the have Tacho in all the variants.

VXi AT does not come with tacho, sadly.

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

VXi AT does not come with tacho, sadly.

Strange.
Cause I have driven the export version AT. It does have a Pot type Tacho.

[jinojohnt]

Originally Posted by Crazy4.Cars

Again, the A star is fun to drive provided it is wearing a good set of tyres. The one which MSIL supply are good for nothing, but that is the case with all most all MSIL cars.

When I pushed for exchanging the 'tyre+rim' with another A-star in the yard, I was told that Vxi and Zxi has different spec tyres. Is this true?

But I was allowed to exchange 'MRF+rim' with 'Appollo+rim' of another car in the yard, when I bought my Alto earlier from the same dealer.

[convivial]

Jino - just check with Koyas in Coimbatore. They might be able to do something for you. They have a website too, though not updated. Nothing in Trivandrum as far as I know.

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

Some colors have been discountinued, for e.g., 'desert brown' and 'healing green', if my memory is correct.


Is it possible to 'convert' my existing A-star to 'split rear seat'?

I remember the dilemma I had 6 months back when I badly wanted a second (small) car. Test drove the A-Star since the price was very attractive and I was fine with the looks of the White A-Star, not any other color. First came the Manual and lo! I was more than impressed. I drive a 2L CRDi and many cars even in the top segments have been a let down. But this car was zippy and real fun to drive. The back seat let me down and so did the rear storage. Though a second car, I still wished A-Star had more space at the rear. I wanted an Auto, so next the Auto version. Auto wasn't any jaw dropper; but it practically solved all puzzles I threw at it. Gradients in very bad condition were handled pretty decent and stop and go wasn't too bad or great. I still wanted that car - paid the advance. Next came the biggest problem, the waiting period. My other car was in the workshop and 4 months was long. The only next choice was i10. I went for the Asta and for that extra 1.8L I paid, I am very comfortable with the way i10 takes me along. All gizmos, stability, nice engine and transmission and better build - a better package overall.

I still love the A-Star, but I think its the primarily the looks that went against it. I personally know (and surprised too) so many people who just hate the looks of that car. Not that bad, I would say. Next, the rear space - could have been a little more. Even after not being able to match the economy figures of A-Star, these could be some of the reasons that help i10 sell volumes.

I completely agree, Crazy4.Cars - people test drive cars and come out screaming. Sometimes all I ask the person (who uses a car that is several segments above) is what he compared it with!

Originally Posted by Crazy4.Cars

Again, the A star is fun to drive provided it is wearing a good set of tyres. The one which MSIL supply are good for nothing, but that is the case with all most all MSIL cars.

@ daewood, trust me mate, the people who comment on the A star being a dud in the driving department for 2 people, have either not driven the car properly, or they have an expectation of a ford Fiesta Classic handling in an A star.

Under 4lakhs rupees OTR, A star is a good drivers car if it has tyres like Michelin or Yoko's etc. I dont think you get the figo or beat within 4lakhs after all discounts, plus the F.E is brillant. Not a single person i've heard who gets below 16km/litre, some guys do get 21km/litre too.

Just go out in the market and try to find a 2nd hand A star, check in true value or other dealers, you'll know the answer guys, no one is selling this car, extermely few cars available, why?? on the other hand i do not want to talk about other cars which are so easily available in the 2d hand market, like BEAT, FIGO petrol, i10 or alto k10 or wagon R.

P.S -- I do not own a A star, nor do i plan to buy one ever.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by misquitas

If I am not mistaken, Maruti burnt its fingers with the old WagonR, when it introduced those wonderful 50:50 split seats, which could be reclined back (one of the first in a hatchback at the time). Problem is, Hyundai went tom-toming that the WagonR is a 4-seat car, while its Santro was a true 5-seater car. Maruti then, unfortunately, withdrew those wonderful 50:50 split seats on the WagonR.

In WagonR, it was a 2 seat configuration at the rear including the base (Not 50-50 backrest split, but 2 individual seats), and only 2 seat belts. Infact, RTO papers had it as a 4 seater car, not a 5 seater. This hurt them, when Hyundai took big advantage of that.

In case of A-star, only the rear seat backrest is 50-50 split (To allow for luggage). But the seats are 3 seat configuration and even has 3 seat belts. It is a 5 seater and not a 4 seater as the previous wagonR.

[dheepak10]

Good to see an update from Maruti for the A-star.
1. Beige interiors - Good move. Though A-star and i10 share the same measurements, people perceive i10 to be more spacious due to the bright interiors. (Stats borrowed from another thread; due credit to the owner)

2. New neck restraints - Good one as well; the current neck restriants are too straight and useful only for the passenger to relax.
3. Arched seatbacks - Even the existing seatbacks are arched; the only difference here is that the fabric is stitched to show the arch.
4. That cute tachometer - I'm one of those unfortunate ppl to own a Vxi without the tachometer. It was removed from the VXi model in the month when I purchased my car.

Now the real difference between the i10 and the A-star in interior space - The i10 is a tallboy while A-star is a more aerodynamic short guy. Due to this, the space for the rear passenger to slide the legs under the front seat is limited in the A-star, which makes the i10 feel more spacious. To add on to this woe, Maruti has different seat heights for both the front seats - the driver seat is a place tad higher than the passenger seat, which makes the amount of 'slide-in' even lesser behind the front passenger seat. I seriously hope that this problem is settled.

BTW does anyone know if it is possible for me to increase the seat placement an inch higher to increase the under-seat 'slide-in' space?

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by oxyzen

I think the have Tacho in all the variants.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

VXi AT does not come with tacho, sadly.

Only ZXi gets the Tacho in India. It sits on top of the dash like an aftermarket fitting. But i found it more exiting to see the needle swing in that setting, than in the traditional speedo console, as you don't have to take your eyes off the road and the tacho is always in your field of view.

[invidious]

Is there any particular reason why they don't ship the Zxi with the autobox?