[creative420]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

It is one month here. And Maruti guys show no interest in following up prospective customers of Spresso. I guess they have a strong demand for the car and hence choose to ignore customers who actually demand a test drive. For me, that's a deal breaker. You don't respect my requests, I don't respect your product.

Forget following up, I was completely neglected when I entered a Maruti Showroom yesterday. The salesman walked up all chirpy at the beginning when I walked in, but once I told him I'm interested in checking out Spresso, he smiled and retreated and never came back. There was only a VXi model on display and I wanted to check out the AMT model, and the 'other' sales rep told me he has no idea about it, so why don't I check it on YouTube, "Maruti only sir. Best car. Close eyes and buy. All details on YouTube."

[Palio_2005]

I am sure the showroom guys have no interest in selling the Spresso since the dealer margins must be wafer thin. This is to pull the customer into the showroom and try to sell an upgrade. A person wanting to buy an Spresso will anyways buy it without any sales effort. Say Wagon R and up and their ears will pick up

[rrnsss]

Originally Posted by Vians

What more advertisement does Maruti need than from a customer praising like this. Incredible space inside ABT to do a test drive. However testing it on real roads could have been useful to see real world performance and issues. The raised bonnet could cause issues looking at pot holes that are very close to the car? I hope test drive cars are available soon enough!

I Praise only those cars that are praise worthy. There are many useless cars in Maruti stable too. But When it comes to small cars, Maruti knows exactly what to do.

[Porschefire]

Originally Posted by Vians

The raised bonnet could cause issues looking at pot holes that are very close to the car?

I'm not sure if you are joking or serious with this statement but it sure made me .
Can you tell me which car provides you the "feature" of looking at potholes (raised bonnet or not) very close to the car unless you've spotted the pothole from a certain distance?

[Vians]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Can you tell me which car provides you the "feature" of looking at potholes (raised bonnet or not) very close to the car unless you've spotted the pothole from a certain distance?

The raised bonnet could cause issues when we park close to an undulation (including large potholes). We may not remember that we parked next to a large cavity or hump. The bonnet may indeed be an obstacle during those times. Very rare but quite possible.

Originally Posted by Porschefire

I'm not sure if you are joking or serious with this statement but it sure made me laugh.

I am happy that you had an opportunity to laugh today.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Palio_2005

I am sure the showroom guys have no interest in selling the Spresso since the dealer margins must be wafer thin. This is to pull the customer into the showroom and try to sell an upgrade. A person wanting to buy an Spresso will anyways buy it without any sales effort. Say Wagon R and up and their ears will pick up

An upsell is always on the cards. Even when a person walks in to buy a Creta for instance, the sales rep will probe once if there is a potential Tucson customer in there!

I'm actually a bit surprised by the lack of TD cars and delivered cars on street. When I bought the Alto - probably the lowest margin car for MSIL, the sales rep had come 15 kms from his showroom to my office to give a TD, did all paperwork at my office & home / email. The only time I visited the showroom was to take car delivery! I'm yet to see a single new SPresso on the streets here in Pune in customer hands. Not even TD cars standing outside the 3 dealerships I pass everyday to and from office.

So by my experience, Maruti generally doesn't skimp on demo/TD to make people buy a higher product. For that purpose, they already had a Celerio/AltoK10. SPresso is a new product, they'd have to try and sell it properly

[nikipedia87]

Originally Posted by Vians

The raised bonnet could cause issues when we park close to an undulation (including large potholes). The bonnet may indeed be an obstacle during those times.

This is the case with any car I guess. If you have parked very close to a large pothole, you will not notice it even if the bonnet is not raised.

If anything, a raised bonnet might help a newbie driver judge the clearance he/she has to maintain in order to avoid touching any obstacle or vehicle ahead (and I assume a lot of S-Presso buyers will belong to this category).

Sorry for the .

[Vians]

Originally Posted by nikipedia87

This is the case with any car I guess.
.

Not really! The field of view is reduced, albeit very little due to the raised bonnet. It is very helpful for new drivers judge the edge of the car and they don't need to install a steel bar pointing upwards.

When you see the bonnet, you are indeed not seeing the object in that field of view. I don't know how raised the bonnet is but if it is very trivial, it must be okay.

Sorry for

[NiInJa]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

An upsell is always on the cards.

I think this might also be one of their tactics. These guys might want to clear Celerio's stock first so I won't be surprised if tomorrow I walk in and ask him about the Spresso again, he will say 'Sir, we have Celerio available which I can deliver in three working days' !

I am going to do a surprise visit to the showroom on Dhanteras tomorrow and if I see an Spresso getting delivered there, the Sales advisor is in trouble

[manij]

I took a test drive yesterday of the S-Presso AGS in traffic (20 mins to cover 1.5 km). Also took test drive of an Ignis AGS today (15 mins to cover 2 km).

Some quick feedback on the S-Presso:

The car:

1) Good space inside for everyone, especially the driver. Excellent view from the driver’s seat. My right knee also had lot of space to move about due to the absence of window controls on the door.

2) Internally adjustable ORVMs is a delight - instant changes through a lever, rather than pushing multiple buttons.

3) Car is small, everything is easily within reach inside the car

4) Very easily manoeuvrable in traffic

5) In terms of overall drive comfort, felt a little more comfortable driving the Ignis than the S-Presso. Maybe it was the preset posture.

6) Could easily see the bonnet ends from the driver’s seat - though not sure it was in itself a big help. However it should be of big help for beginners.

7) Engine was very slightly noisier/rougher than Ignis.

8) Handbrake fully down position was a little confusing for me since there is still lot of space below the bottom position. Ignis is also similar. Should easily get used to this.

9) The controls in the middle is fine, seems like an advantage considering the view right in front is better and also the meter readings from the central console are visible in peripheral vision since it is almost 'right there'. While the speedometer reading is very easily visible, the others readings are smaller and I felt needs time to get used to. For example, while the touch screen system showed a low fuel indicator, could not properly make out the low fuel indication on the digital fuel guage. Again should easily get used to this.

10) Plastic quality is decent. However, wish the plastic on the door panel that has significant flex was of a slightly better quality.

11) Elbow hand rest on the door was at a comfortable place. May need to figure out how to clad that area with some softer material to make it even more comfortable. Being able to get an accessory hand-rest fitted for the left hand would make the daily urban crawls even more comfortable.

12) Brake bite was very strong with car stopping abruptly - maybe setting specific to the car (Felt the Ignis to be more 'normal' in its braking behaviour)

13) Need to get used to the rear parking assist sensors. Could not see readings on the display but could hear the beep when close to an obstruction. Maybe it was disconnected from the front display.

14) The touch screen infotainment system does not provide option to display rear parking camera even if fitted as optional extra, the screen will take some getting used to for me. While having no physical buttons is a disadvantage, the buttons on the steering wheel which can be used to change FM channels is a relief.

15) Sound quality is good - I do not have a good enough ear for music quality, and strangely felt that the S-Presso with 2 speakers was slightly better than the Ignis with its 4 (or is it 6, with 2 tweeters) speakers. Did not play around with the controls as I was not really checking this out, and could be mistaken.

16) Dashboard area is very small, may struggle to find a flat place for a mobile phone holder/stand and may have to find a place for it on the windscreen (if needed).

17) Fabric quality of seats was decent, in both vehicles. In my opinion - can easily leave it as is, and not fit seat covers.

18) Ignis with adjustable head rests is a little bit more comfortable, especially at the rear.

19) Panel gap at rear was slightly larger on the S-Presso than the Ignis.

20) Attracts significant attention from other road users.

21) Only one cabin light, seems adequate.



AGS
22) My first time driving a AGS, took a little time to adjust, but found it very good in traffic. Towards the end of the 20 mins, I thought my right leg was paining a little, but maybe that was due to my posture. Also did not feel that pain while driving the Ignis - will need some expert advice.

23) The fully drive was at slow speeds, maybe since I am new to automatics, did not perceive any 'head nod' effect and felt comfortable.

24) Creep function is quite strong (stronger than Ignis)

25) Car rolls back when on slopes and removing leg from brake, need to use hand-brake and accelerator. This technique should be easily learned though.

26) Insisting that an accessory kit with DRL + front fender insert + back roof garnish at about 12.5K should be mandatory bought is a pain. (Was told that there are specific instructions from MSIL that these accessories have to be mandatorily provided at extra cost, across all variants!)

Experience with Ignis
Ignis felt a little more comfortable from the drivers seat while stationary and in steadily moving traffic. It has the comparative disadvantage of being significantly wider and hence less manoeuvrable in Bangalore traffic. The comparative width is easily perceived while driving - though definitely much better than my Camry (manual transmission) which is even wider. Ignis also does not get the touch-screen music system. Placement of the left foot is better than for S-Presso, felt naturally comfortable in the Ignis while I was searching for better places in the S-Presso. Due to discounts running on the Ignis, price after old car exchange is only about 40K more for Ignis Delta AGS as compared to the S-Presso VXI+ AGS, and brings along many more creature comforts and a better engine.


Getting back in the Camry after driving S-Presso yesterday and the Ignis today, both smaller cars felt as significant downgrades. Till the time I started moving and found myself back in heavy traffic - when all the advantages of the smaller cars came gushing back to mind, and the Camry reverted back to being an elephant in my mind.

Currently the lure of decent space with minimal width seems irresistible!

[Vians]

Originally Posted by manij

26) Insisting that an accessory kit with DRL + front fender insert + back roof garnish at about 12.5K should be mandatory bought is a pain. (Was told that there are specific instructions from MSIL that these accessories have to be mandatorily provided at extra cost, across all variants!)

My dealer is not forcing me to buy accessories. However he is forcing me to use their insurance. So MSIL asking your dealership to force accessories may be a way to earn extra bucks for him.

[sumeethaldankar]

Saw the car on the road today. It definitely has a tall seating position and looked like a micro SUV. If i was to be a buyer I would get rid of the factory wheel caps and install some fancy alloys. I hope Maruti has alloy as part of the MGA list. In person the car looks much better and on second thought it's not at all that bad.

[NiInJa]

Ok we got the car delivered 'temporarily' for about two hours yesterday just to get the car on the auspicious day of 'Padwa' and get the pooja done. The car is back with the dealer and the registration process is yet to start. Some points that I noted based on a small three kilometer drive from the dealership to my home.

- Brakes were a BIG surprise. The bite was unlike any Maruti I've experienced so far. Pleasantly surprised.
- Engine noise and vibrations were low for a car built to cost. Its probably the sweet engine that is doing all the good work.
- The car needs a little bit of throttle input to move from standstill, I stalled it since I am so used to Ertiga's clutch. Immediately reminded me of our old Zen
- Ride was bouncy and a bit harsh, most probably the tyres were over-inflated just like the Eritga's on delivery. Will reduce it once we get it back.
- Inconsistent and wide panel gaps here and there. The glove box too had uneven panel gaps.
- The car was not washed and polished as there was a shortage of manpower at the dealership, but I could see the color was inconsistent between bumper and the body. Will have a good look once its washed.
- Power was adequate, couldn't drive much to make any opinion, but its going to be good for my dad with the light clutch and soft steering.
- Horn pad was a bit hard to press.
- Gearshifts were a bit rubbery, almost like the Fiat Linea. Won't be fun like the Brio.
- Rear visibility is limited because of the height and thick C pillars, can easily miss a scooter parked, but is saved by the rear parking sensors !

It was fun to drive such a small car again, you can just pull it over without worrying about how much space it needs to park or anything. People were checking it out with curious eyes. The car starts growing on you or maybe you don't have any option after paying 5 big ones

The bonnet is higher than the Ertiga as can be seen below. As a result, you can see the bonnet of the car while driving.

[Dr.Naren]

I checked out the S-Presso today. I own 0.8L Kwid and have driven 1.0L Kwid for good number of kilometers.



I will list down the positive points of both cars.

S-Presso

1. Much better engine
2. Better seating
3. Smoother gearshifts
4. Better view from driver seat

Kwid

1. Better Exterior
2. Ride and Handling
3. More boot space
4. More features

Personally, I would choose S-Presso over Kwid mainly for the engine. Both 0.8L and 1.0L engines of Kwid are too loud, throttle response is also dull. As per the dealer, most of the Alto customers are switching to S-Presso

P.S: I really miss my first gen Alto K10!

[Sutripta]

^^^
From your PoV what was the difference between the first and second generation Alto K10?

Regards
Sutripta