Team-BHP > The Indian Car Scene


Reply
  Search this Thread
70,465 views
Old 4th October 2016, 11:47   #31
BANNED
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Chennai
Posts: 3,282
Thanked: 4,876 Times
Re: R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

IMO, it is better to replace both DZire Tour and Ritz "Tour" with a sub-4m wagon like this for the commercial market. This will be compact enough like Ritz for city driving, and enough boot space like DZire for those extra luggage. A parcel tray can be fitted for hiding those luggages, and 1 or 2 jump seats also can be fitted for kids, if needed, by removing the tray. And being a sub-4m car, it can be priced below the current DZire Tour, at almost the Ritz Ldi range. And we don't need to see both the eye sores (old DZire and Ritz), but only one.
Attached Thumbnails
R.I.P. Maruti Ritz-marutiswiftdziretourldidiesel20150528041702_2.jpg  


Last edited by romeomidhun : 4th October 2016 at 12:10.
romeomidhun is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 4th October 2016, 15:23   #32
Newbie
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Chennai
Posts: 15
Thanked: 11 Times
Re: R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

The Maruti Ritz was always a good car. We were planning to buy Ritz(Diesel) / Swift(Diesel) / Santro(Petrol). Out of that, my mom chose Ritz (most comfortable). Finally we ended up going for the Pulse. The only reason why we preferred Pulse over Ritz was - the customer service given by Renault. No regrets after buying. The Ritz was a great car, but the salespeople could have given it some justice, instead of promoting only the Swift.
jacob.d.mathew is offline  
Old 4th October 2016, 15:38   #33
BHPian
 
saion666's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: WB-06/TS-07
Posts: 381
Thanked: 438 Times
Re: R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

Quote:
Originally Posted by romeomidhun View Post
We don't need to see both the eye sores (old DZire and Ritz), but only one.
Though a good idea but God forbid Maruti looks at this. One Ritz and one Dzire is a lot more pleasant sight than this van.

As for the Ritz, I really liked the car. It was not that bad looking either. I drove the Diesel one extensively and it was such a planted car in spite of being a tallboy. Another good car from Maruti which was always overshadowed by the Swift.
saion666 is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 4th October 2016, 16:01   #34
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 1,034
Thanked: 1,499 Times
Re: R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

Quote:
Originally Posted by romeomidhun View Post
IMO, it is better to replace both DZire Tour and Ritz "Tour" with a sub-4m wagon like this for the commercial market.
The ertiga is the MUV(7-seater) equivalent of the Ritz in many aspects. Around 2011, there were talks of Ritz based 7-seater, which turned out to be ertiga.
jetsetgo08 is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 4th October 2016, 16:06   #35
BANNED
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Chennai
Posts: 3,282
Thanked: 4,876 Times
Re: R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

Quote:
Originally Posted by jetsetgo08 View Post
The ertiga is the MUV(7-seater) equivalent of the Ritz in many aspects. Around 2011, there were talks of Ritz based 7-seater, which turned out to be ertiga.
Agree. But Ertiga sits very high when price is considered. Ertiga Ldi starts around 7.1L in delhi, while ritz ldi at 5.5L. A sub-4m wagon at 6L may be more viable for cabbies. And maruti can cash-in on the swift and dzire brand names.


Quote:
Originally Posted by saion666 View Post
Though a good idea but God forbid Maruti looks at this. One Ritz and one Dzire is a lot more pleasant sight than this van.


But is it that bad-looking than an old DZire or Ritz? I thought otherwise!

A side-by-side view may change your view.
Attached Thumbnails
R.I.P. Maruti Ritz-maruti_suzuki_ritz_side_2.jpg  

R.I.P. Maruti Ritz-marutiswiftdziretourldidiesel20150528041702_0.jpg  

R.I.P. Maruti Ritz-marutiswiftdziretourldidiesel20150528041702_2.jpg  


Last edited by romeomidhun : 4th October 2016 at 16:31.
romeomidhun is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 4th October 2016, 16:20   #36
BHPian
 
drive2eternity's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 415
Thanked: 1,831 Times
Re: R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

I would like to add a story, a kind of an epitaph for the Ritz.

My uncle who stays in Delhi bought a Ritz ZXi in 2010. A couple of months later, his daughter's wedding was fixed and the family had to travel to Gwalior for one of the functions. It was decided that everyone would go by a train together, while my uncle and me would go by the Ritz taking along loads of marriage stuff. I was elated to say the least.
My uncle informed me that I would be the solo driver as he was not sure of his reflexes on the highway anymore. The car had just completed the run-in and he told me sternly to not cross 3000 rpm. I distinctly remember the Ritz doing ~105 kph @3000 rpm. The urge to go faster was kept in check by the vigilant eye of my uncle.

Needless to say, the drive was pure bliss and we reached Gwalior in about 5 hours (there was no Yamuna Expressway back then). The return journey too was memorable and this road trip became my longest solo drive. I used to talk about it to all my college buddies.

Fast forward to Aug 2015
My uncle and aunt were headed to Mathura in the same Ritz. It was being driven by their driver, while both of them sat at the back seat. Somewhere on the Yamuna Expressway, the rear right tire burst. The driver lost control and the car hit the central median and turned turtle. It came to a stop in the center lane. Thanks to seat belts, not only did everyone survive, they all walked out with minor cuts only. The driver was reportedly doing a steady 100 kph when the accident happened.

My uncle was so happy with the car, he bought another Ritz ZXi (of the same colour) within a month. This one though, comes with tubeless tires.

Last edited by drive2eternity : 4th October 2016 at 16:23.
drive2eternity is offline   (8) Thanks
Old 4th October 2016, 16:38   #37
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: --
Posts: 3,549
Thanked: 7,233 Times
Re: R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyline_GT View Post
They should have rather discontinued the Celerio which is anyways a market dud and probably the only hatchback from the Maruti stable to see such failures.
PS: Celerio is selling 6k+ units monthly. Even touched 8k in August. It can't be called a dud.
Dry Ice is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 4th October 2016, 19:27   #38
Senior - BHPian
 
carwatcher's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Bardez, Goa
Posts: 1,184
Thanked: 1,031 Times
R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

The rumours of Ritz being discontinued were floating since long time, now it's finally done by Maruti. Coincidentally another car by name Brio was also going to be discontinued according to some rumours, but it has been refreshed.

IMHO Ritz would have still attracted buyers who found Swift claustrophobic and Baleno as lightweight. But Maruti knows best.

Resale value will take some hit like Estilo.
carwatcher is offline  
Old 4th October 2016, 20:09   #39
BANNED
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Chennai
Posts: 3,282
Thanked: 4,876 Times
Re: R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

Quote:
Originally Posted by carwatcher View Post
Resale value will take some hit like Estilo.
Not to that extend, IMO. Ritz has a fan-base - whatever small it is - unlike Estilo. So, resale value may not take that much of a hit because of this.
romeomidhun is offline  
Old 4th October 2016, 23:38   #40
BHPian
 
Shashankjk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Pune
Posts: 94
Thanked: 98 Times

Sad to read this.
Ritz is my first car and I absolutely loved the car. I primarily purchased it due to long waiting time for Swift way back in March 2011. The car is still a gem to drive. I think I had clocked 50k on it and haven't faced any issues. Had recently changed tires to Yoko earth1. I never found the styling a problem. Infact loved the boomerang shape. My family still prefers Ritz over the City due to ingress and outgress comfort and I find the drive in Ritz with Yoko's more softer and comfortable than the city with the stock MRFs. Might be due to tyres. The sound proofing in cabin is good too and like many people have said here, absolutely no rattles after 5 years.( Have used very less after my city arrived the last year end). Infact I found it more roomy and comfortable than swift especially in the back seat. Sad to hear the news:( but I am a fan, attach a sentimental value to the car and I plan to keep the car, maintain it and use it for some more years.:rolleyes:
Shashankjk is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 5th October 2016, 01:16   #41
BHPian
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Gandhinagar
Posts: 326
Thanked: 597 Times
Re: R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

On expected lines, there is no reason left for Maruti or Suzuki to continue with Ritz due to many developments like,

a.) Already discontinued / replaced in other markets (source: Wikipedia )
b.) Swift has moved to a new platform.
c.) Maruti Suzuki now has a batter alternative (Baleno) to offer buyers who are not very keen on Swift/Dzire.

I also had a soft corner for the car since It was always more value for money compared to Swift.

Last edited by Vishal.R : 5th October 2016 at 01:18.
Vishal.R is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 5th October 2016, 02:56   #42
BHPian
 
Nissan1180's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: .........
Posts: 672
Thanked: 2,160 Times
Re: R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

The Ritz was the most spacious hatchback Maruti had to offer.
But then again, practical cars don't really do well for Maruti. Versa, with it's double AC and 85BHP engine didn't do well. Neither did the older Baleno (agreed that it looked boring but it was practical).
Hopefully, the Ignis would take the legacy of practicality forward.
Nissan1180 is offline  
Old 5th October 2016, 21:38   #43
BHPian
 
PraNeel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Jaipur
Posts: 669
Thanked: 1,993 Times
Re: R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

Indianautosblog.com claims Ritz is still in production. Link

"Several reports have stated that Maruti-Suzuki has stopped production of the Maruti Ritz. However, speaking to Indian Autos Blog over the telephone today, a Maruti spokeswoman denied such reports, and stated that production of the Ritz continues as per demand."
PraNeel is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 6th October 2016, 00:20   #44
BHPian
 
Su-47's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 691
Thanked: 323 Times
Re: R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

Quote:
Originally Posted by drive2eternity View Post
My uncle who stays in Delhi bought a Ritz ZXi in 2010.
Interestingly, mine is late 2009 model and it came with Tubeless tires right out of the factory. Are you sure your uncle's car came with tube type tires?
Quote:
Originally Posted by drive2eternity View Post
....I distinctly remember the Ritz doing ~105 kph @3000 rpm. The urge to go faster was kept in check by the vigilant eye of my uncle.
Hahaha, can empathize with you mate. 3k is where the fun lies..
Quote:
Originally Posted by drive2eternity View Post
Somewhere on the Yamuna Expressway, the rear right tire burst. The driver lost control and the car hit the central median and turned turtle....Thanks to seat belts, not only did everyone survive, they all walked out with minor cuts only.
Most people (including me sometimes) just assume that Marutis are all dabbas. Ritz feels reasonably well built, and glad that it did it's job and kept everyone safe.

When I was looking for a car 7 years back, I had a liking for the swift. But, I had extensively driven the esteem, so I knew what a pain the 1.3L was in the city. Drove the Swift-P and Ritz back to back and was blown away by the driveablity of the then new K-series. I'm glad that they didn't have 1.2 K in swift, as I appreciated the practicality and headroom of Ritz.

I can say Ritz has been my best car so far. Well the bar was really low - Matiz, Tata-Safari and i10-1.2
Su-47 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 6th October 2016, 13:48   #45
BANNED
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Cochin
Posts: 2,195
Thanked: 268 Times
Re: R.I.P. Maruti Ritz

Ritz was a great all rounder and a practical hatchback, well built when compared to the brother, Swift at that time.

One reason for the demise of Ritz was Maruti's step-motherly treatment towards Ritz(maybe some internal politics!).

It was one of the few cars, which I assume had one of the lowest marketing spent from the Maruti stable.
mithun is offline   (1) Thanks
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks