[abhibh]

Originally Posted by pogusingh

In numerous accidents that I have heard that CITY has turned upside down on the highways.

Well any car can be upside down in accident. I have seen Skoda's upside down in more than 10 accidents. 2 i have seen here on team BHP only and out of those 2 skodas 1 was RS. So if a indias so called 1st sports car can turn upside down other can too. And Skoda aint as light as CITY..

But i agree that CITY is light and there is a news that HONDA is working on a ABS / AirBags Model for CITY..

[navdeep]

.. and Honda is also gearing up for new honda city ( launch expected early next year )

[007 Bond]

.... seems so NMB & NHC would launch nearly at the same time as NMB is getting launched after launch of Grand Vitara which is slated in early june.

Mr. Shuji Oishi quoted:


Maruti Udyog Ltd will be launching its new sports utility vehicle (SUV) with a 2L-engine capacity in early June, and follow it with a sedan in the A3 segment, according to Mr Shuji Oishi, Director, Marketing and Sales.

Meanwhile, the company has announced a hike in the price of the recently launched Diesel Swift on Monday. The price of LDi variant has been increased by Rs 4,000, while that of the VDi variant has been upped by Rs 7,000.

With 2,500 units of its first diesel offering sold so far, the company is looking at ramping up the production capacity at its Manesar unit and begin export of diesel engines to Hungary by July, said Mr Oishi, who was in Pune to inaugurate My Car, the sixth Maruti showroom in the city.

Stating that MUL had set a target of one million cars per year for itself, Mr Oishi said that the sales for the period ending February 7 stood at 5,70,000 vehicles. With the hectic buying last month, the company expects to touch 6,40,000 vehicles for the current financial year, including export of 40,000 units.

Pune has been identified as the fastest growing area for auto sales in the country, followed closely by Bangalore. While the growth rate for the country stood at 21 per cent for the auto sector as a whole, Pune has been showing a year-on-year growth rate of 35 per cent. Maruti sales, which stand at over 1,600 units per month, are growing at nearly 40 per cent.

Maruti has a network of 390 showrooms in 220 cities, and has workshops and authorised service centres in 1,100 cities. Located at Wakad on the Mumbai-Pune expressway, My Car that already has a presence in Bhopal and Kanpur is Pune's largest dealership.

[scorp 1]

Originally Posted by navdeep

.. and Honda is also gearing up for new honda city ( launch expected early next year )

Upgraded Honda City with ABS + Air Bags > Mid of 2007.
Upgraded Honda Civic > End of 2007 / Beginning of 2008.

Source - Car/Bike Program on News Channel (trust factor unknown)

[sgmuser]

Originally Posted by CBlazer

...sgmuser has an SX4 hatchback. Could you share your experience with us?

CBlazer:
One thing I feel, when I see the sedan specs is, its tad lower comparing wagon type. Mine is having 16in wheels and helps wagon type to look a bit taller. I can assume, the turning radius is a bit more because of the bigger nose front. SX4 sedan/wagon just same till the b piller. Thats why the turning radius is a bit on the higher side. I never felt it a showstopper though.

Juz a quick comparison of NHC and SX4-W (as i have driven both):

• Ride quality is surely better than my friends 90K mileage done New Honda City idsi.
• I feel Honda shocks are a bit noisy (heavy thuds than thumps) when going over bumps. My friend complained he had headache for few days whenever he drive his NHC (he bought it around 90k in the odo). But he is used to it now.
• Seating is not so comfortable for me (iam 5.11) in NHC, feeling a bit awkward. Not sure how to explain, felt a bit unsettled/uncomfortable. could have been better...Iam used to Toyotas/Nissans. Believe, sitting position is a basic thing and is imp esp when you go for long drives.
• SX4 seating is too good and first test drive for me and my wife, got us impressed. as I said Iam 5.11 and she is 5.3 and both of us felt comfortable.
• in SX4 you are surely riding taller than the usual sedans, which is good for view. But still you have few blind spots with the thick A piller, which is just as NHC's A pillar.
• The NHC front windshield scaringly comes too close to my head (because of that too much aerodynamic styling) in driving position which I never felt in any of my previous cars like toyota vios/prado/corolla/nissan sunny/hyundai santro/maruti 800.
• Engine too quiet even with window screens down and once while the engine was idling, I tried to start the engine. .
• SX4 has everything you can ask for from Alloys, mp3/wma cd player, abs/ebd, two front airbags. Air con is manual though.
• Performance: Yes, its not so enthralling! but it does its job well. Overtaking is breeze with 110bhp. very quiet/vibrationless at even 150kmph. NHC IDSI is a bit less responsive in my very first test drive. My collegue just said that to me when he tried as well on our way to lunch, while coming back I tried. We both felt it a bit sluggish to move from stand still. But smoother when picking up later.
• Handling is exceptionally good with SX4 being it as a bit taller and stable at 150kmph. Braking is solid and does as expected. NHC needs no mention.
• FE : SX4 is a bit of disappointment for me. The FE meter in SX4 shows the mileage I get when I drive. I used to see 18+ when I drive very cool and less pedelling. Then recently I checked the average by pressing a button in the FE meter it showed juz 10.9kmpl! Thats a bit disappointing. But I drive a bit aggressive and race a bit too! NHC surely will return atleast 14 or so in the mixed driving, I hope.
• Legroom in the front in SX4 is good and more than enough. I believe, its a bit cramped in the rear. Still by doing a little bit of adjusting of front seats, its just perfect for asians. NHC is average in space and back is surely cramped for me like guys.
• ICE : SX4 has a nice 8 speaker setup (4tweeters/4spkrs in all doors)with mp3/wma cd hu. sounds really good and more than enough for a audiophile like me. i checked when i can fit a bass tube in the rear, they said you may loose the warranty. so just wait leh...
• boot : just ok and tad smaller than NHC. NHC you can sleep and here you can not even sit! . But with 60:40 foldable seats, still SX4 scores.

need a drink now...bye...

[askicode]

Todays article in economictimes clearly puts to rest as to where the SX4 would be positioned (Source: Maruti gears up for competition with new models- The Economic Times)

I remember reading in this forum about positioning it as premium segment car etc etc.

MUL sales & marketing director Shuji Oashi repeated MUL’s stated position that a large car in the A4 category of the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Accord will take another couple of years to make its entry in India. Suzuki’s portfolio does not cover this segment, which has to be developed, and hence the two year wait.

While it intends to bring in a product to replace the Baleno (in the A 3 segment) in 3-4 months, MUL is also set to strengthen its position in the Esteem segment. The Esteem has monthly sales volumes of over 2,000 units and MUL is expected to introduce another platform in the category
The A3 category has players like Honda City.

As per its announcement, MUL will also bring in the upgraded Grand Vitara, its sports utility vehicle (SUV), in the next fiscal.

[sids911]

Originally Posted by sgmuser

CBlazer:
need a drink now...bye...

A drink in Seria Brunei?? Have they allowed it everywhere and not just the Empire??

Seriously, your friend's NHC had already done 90k, that must be the older model with known suspension issues.

The new NHC there comes with airbags and ABS?

[sgmuser]

Originally Posted by sids911

A drink in Seria Brunei?? Have they allowed it everywhere and not just the Empire??

Seriously, your friend's NHC had already done 90k, that must be the older model with known suspension issues.

The new NHC there comes with airbags and ABS?

Seria town is where most of the expats (oil & gas and Garrison staff) live. You get everything but surely not like singapore where u get drinks in roadside coffee shops! btw i was mentioning a cold drink!

Reg the 90k, its just can not be compared with the 90k NHC in India. Here the roads are surely better. then, the NHC idsi i drove comes with twin airbags and abs, not ebd. forgot to mention this. Incidentally i checked a 2006 Accord, relatively new, I felt same thuds like NHC! Wondering what Honda doing with their suspension.

[Elan]

Looks like the SX4 sedan launch will not be in mid-April-May..it will be after the launch of their 2L SUV(Grand Vitara ?) in June

The Hindu Business Line : June launch for Maruti's SUV

[CBlazer]

Thanks for sharing your experience. That was a detailed review. You definitely deserved a drink after that ..

Comparison with NHC was very apt. It is "the car" to beat in this segment.

I hope the high turning radius doesn't become an issue in Indian cities. Auto magazines claimed that NHC rear seat comfort was the best in class - you say SX4 is better than NHC! But I don't know how the FE, performance of the Indian version will compare with the your version of the SX4 - there is speculation that the OMB (retuned) engine will be used.

I have a feeling that MUL will load SX4 with goodies. These along with good ride quality, comfort and aggressive pricing can make it a great car to buy.

Wonder why MUL is delaying it's launch though!

[hmishra83]

Originally Posted by CBlazer

Wonder why MUL is delaying it's launch though!

Because the OMB is still selling. My friend is looking for one these days and there are a few dealers who say 'We don't have it as production has stopped since a while.'
I wonder, if the availability really is so low!

But yes, I would love to see the NMB/SX4 out soon.

[devarshi84]

NO more new Baleno's available in Ahmedabad now. checked this out today noon.

[navdeep]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

NO more new Baleno's available in Ahmedabad now. checked this out today noon.

New Baleno ??

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by navdeep

New Baleno ??

New OMB, not New NMB - TBHP convention helps

[scorp 1]

Originally Posted by hmishra83

Because the OMB is still selling. My friend is looking for one these days and there are a few dealers who say 'We don't have it as production has stopped since a while.'

There are VXi's still available, but just very few. Marketing Times had one Baleno VXi, and the dealer was offering 75K dealer discount + added with finance discount, it would be a steal. This information might be dated now. I enquired about a week back.