[motorworks]

An absolute NO!

My first car was a Maruti Suzuki Dzire diesel way back in 2008, it was not bad at all for the price I paid. Can you imagine that the Dzire diesel VDI costed only 6.7 lakhs way back in 2008? And it had this massive boot which could swallow up anything!

However, the current batches of Marutis are not exactly value for money! Post my first car which was a maruti, I moved on to a Rapid diesel and later switched to a Creta 1.6 diesel in 2018. So Maruti never came in to play during this purchase simply because they don’t have any cars in that segment.

But when we were looking for a car for my wife, mainly for city runabouts, we never ever considered the swift or the Baleno, in fact my wife had used an Alto before, so she was open to the swift or the Baleno, but they just weren’t value for money anymore! I recall just calling the Maruti showroom and enquiring about the prices and availability. We ended up getting an Elite i20 for 6.7 lakhs and forget the Baleno which was well over 7.3 or 7.4 lakhs, even the swift wasn’t available at this price!

It’s a different story that the new i20 costs a lot more, but I just feel that Maruti doesn’t have the strong value for money proposition at the moment. Plus all their new cars feel somewhat inferior compared to their old ones. I recall the first Gen swift, Dzire to be quite solid in most aspects, while the new ones seem to to just pick up dents like dust!

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Interesting results.

So even in the enthusiast’s backyard MUL has managed to hold on to a ~35% market share?

True!
What's even more interesting is, out of 70 odd thousand BHPians/enthusiasts (correct me if I am wrong), only about 800+ have voted so far. The sample size just too small to draw an inference.

[Kottayamkaran]

Votes Yes. My family had been Maruti customers for the past 21 years and we are currently on our 3rd Maruti car. My extended family also have Maruti Cars. Despite the allegations of light build quality, i believe Maruti offers VFM cars in various price ranges. Also, Maruti car ownerships offer peace of mind due to wide service center networks. Though my personal ride is not from Maruti, i did consider Maruti cars during my purchase time. The next time i am in market for a new car, i will definitely consider the Maruti vehicles.

[shashi792]

Voted NO.

I have/will not suggest(ed) anyone to buy Maruti also. My main concern is their safety aspect. I understand seat-belt, impact, etc matters also. But for now, I find another safer car on all segments in which Maruti competes. Brezza and XL6 are good, but I find them a bit boring.

[supremeBaleno]

We bought our 1st Maruti (M800 v1) in 1985 - there was only 1 dealer in Assam then at Gauhati and it was an overnight bus journey from where we stayed to reach there, get delivery and drive back home. This was followed by the M800 DX in '99, my Baleno1.6 in 2005 and Dad's Swift-ZXi in 2007. Apart from this were the purchases in extended family (sisters & my in-laws) - 2003 AltoLX, 2010 AStar-AT, 2013 AStar-ZXi, 2015 Ciaz & 2017 DZire -all of which had my inputs in the purchase decision. Except the '85 & '99 M800s, we still have the other cars running fine. I doubt it can get any more Maruti than this.

The topmost criteria for me in a car is reliability. And from the over 36 years experience with multiple Marutis, I have no doubt that they fulfill this best. Just do the routine annual services and you are good to keep going. Next in line are good FE and minimal maintenance and these are also met ably.

Interiors or features never interested me & still don't. While buying the Baleno in 2005, I thought power windows was a big deal, but as someone who always drives with windows up and a/c on (not just for comfort, but to keep dust/noise out), I never used them except at toll gates (redundant now with Fastag). I like music in the car, but am not an audiophile - so a basic OE system is good for me (Baleno, Swift & AStar all have CD/MP3 players which work fine for me). Don't care much for beige interiors, sunroof etc.

Cars above 20L don't interest me for various reasons. And within that price range, I still have a Maruti that works for me. Recently, wifey toyed with getting a car for her office runs, with her conditions being it should be small (easy to negotiate/park in Kochi traffic) and AT. The options we listed were Celerio, Baleno, Brezza & SCross. Given her pre-requisites, Celero was ideal, but I hate AMT. We finally shortlisted Baleno & SCross, but then the plan was dropped as the commute would be 2-3 hours daily and she didn't feel she was up for it & preferred to stick to PTS.

I do love quick cars, which is why the Baleno is still with me 16years later. And it can still give latest cars costing many times it, a run for their money. I don't need another car today, but if I were to sell my Baleno off, I would straightaway buy an SCross MT, possibly top trim. It is also spacious and has higher seating that helps.

Yeah, Maruti hasn't had a launch after the Spresso and isn't big on features or interiors, but not everyone cares about these extras - for most folks, what they are looking for is a reliable car, with minimal maintenance and a widespread service network. And their sales figures are a testimony to this.

They do need to pull up their socks and address the gaps in their line-up - bring in the Jimny, a better sub-4m SUV, a better version of the S-Cross, a nice GV type SUV and ofcourse the 1.5litre diesel and some TC options in the 1 to 1.5litre petrol range. Hopefully they will.

[TorqueSteer]

Voted Yes.

I owned 5 cars till date. Tata Nano, Maruti Alto, Ford Figo, Fiat Linea and now Ignis. Nothing gave me peace of mind and service satisfaction as Maruti.

[Livnletcarsliv]

I voted "NO" since the question is about the preference of the brand Maruti "TODAY".
NO - TODAY

However, I will definitely buy (consider at least) a Maruti given these 3 cars were still available from Maruti's stable.
1. S-Cross 1.6 DDiS
2. Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 (CBU - Made in Japan)
3. Suzuki Grand Vitara (CBU - Made in Japan)

These 3 cars mentioned above are unlike the typical Maruti's that are sold in India. Especially on the build quality, driving dynamics, performance, etc. these 3 are miles ahead.

[mAndArk]

We are a small minority of the overall population and not really the TG of Maruti for that matter.

The company continues to top the sales charts month after month contrary to the poll results here, and this video is a small testament to that fact!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=RofybdodMn0?feature=share

[Old_Salt]

Well, a little late to add my comment but it was anyway going to be NO!


https://www.rushlane.com/amp/suzuki-...-12416238.html

The latest Latin NCAP can be construed as confirmation bias or just hard fact, the Baleno and Swift sales numbers will still tell a different story next month and the months after.

[5kmiles]

A very definitive no. Picked up Tata Altroz recently and not even considered Maruti products in this segment + 1 below it. No Swift, Ignis, Dzire even considered.

[Guna]

Voted 'No' for the cars they have today, but things may change depending on the cars they bring (ex: next gen Grand Vitara!).

[ashokabs]

Just read today that the Baleno scored 0 on the Latin NCAP collision test. Why on earth would one buy a Maruti Suzuki if one is concerned about one's own safety.

[Dieseldunk]

Voted- No

Reasons as evident - build not even in their secondary priority list.
I owned a Wagon R in 2007 and swift VDI in 2010- 17.The old swift was much better in terms of ride and quality compared to the new gens that came. Today it is only price and the A$$ that makes you go for it, else nothing much there.
Service cost shoots up after 20k kms.

Cheers

[Jude300]

Voted No.

It is hard to believe but it's also true that Maruti as a brand is slowly fading away. The generation that patronised Maruti as their first car is gone. The millennial kids grew up riding around in their parents Maruti and the generation after that have been spoilt with more choices.

These 'other' choices offer more features, safety and better social status. Maruti had lost its way. It did bring in Nexa and it seemed it will bring in new products of better quality and venture into more premium segments but it has failed to keep up the promise.

[suzuki san]

Although a die hard Maruti fan, I have now changed my views mainly due to
1. The poor construction of the new Maruti's and their poor safety rating. This shows they don't care for their customers safety.

2. The constant price increases which no longer make a Maruti a VFM purchase.

Just today read about the Baleno getting a Zero star rating in the Latin NCAP.

Service costs have also shot up thus no longer making it a viable proposition.
Apart from this, there are no new products in the pipeline and what is likely to come will probably come on the same Heartect platform which most people would avoid due to the above reasons.

Regards,
SS