[RR96]

Have heard from a source that Maruti would bring back the iconic Omni in new form. Don't know whether it's true. How would they differentiate it from the Eeco.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by RR96

Have heard from a source that Maruti would bring back the iconic Omni in new form. Don't know whether it's true. How would they differentiate it from the Eeco.

The OMNI has a strong brand name that people will look up and notice if Maruti relaunches a new model, but the people who have a strong goodwill for it will have expectations for it. So they can't be launching a bigger MPV and just calling it an OMNI, though looking at the Safari brand it may work. They need a van for it and like you said, the Eeco is doing it perfectly. Unless, ofcourse they are going to launch a more upmarket van.

[Carma2017]

Originally Posted by Ajay_the_Don

This type of vehicle construction is not fit for personal use from a safety perspective. You won't see this being used on public roads in any first-world countries. In third-world countries where unfortunately life is still valued less, MS is gonna milk this model until regulations are revised.

The vans with under seat engine layout and a nose is staple of Japan since last 20 years and is a specialisation of Japanese makers. The nose was in fact added to an OMNI type van shape to meet the Offset crash requirements. The current EECO also meets the same.

[SillyMaxwell]

Originally Posted by KPR

This Eeco still is selling like hot cakes in tier II & III towns. Why there is no 7 seater with AC?

Local talk (not verified): 7+ people and AC for the entire van is not its engine for.

[CzechItaliaMoto]

Originally Posted by SillyMaxwell

Local talk (not verified): 7+ people and AC for the entire van is not its engine for.

Yes, even the more powerful elder brother of the Eeco, the Versa also struggled when the AC was turned on. Although the drivability and strong low end was a boon in the city, things quickly started changing after reaching speeds of 70-80, even without AC. The engine placed right under the driver's seat did not help in NVH either.

[silverado]

Eeco is as safe as Alto IMO, have no data to prove this but just a wild assumption. I know it doesn't have PS, but if someone is ok with that, it offers a better VFM than Alto K10 today.

Eeco Petrol 5 seater AC at 5.49 ex showroom is a better buy than Alto. One needs to work on its looks to make it look better as a personal vehicle. Spending another lac for CNG is only beneficial if your running is very high, else its better to stick to petrol in spite of lower FE.

Sliding doors are a boon for our cramped cities, wish some accessory guy would come up with electric sliding doors.
I also love that its easy to get in and out. It is narrow and tall, i haven't driven one yet but is a candidate in my eyes as a basic city commuter.

For all those who are commenting on lack of PS, i think we need to test drive and see how it feels. It all depends on where you come from, 2 cars that i owned didn't have PS so its not a deal breaker for me.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by silverado

I know it doesn't have PS, but if someone is ok with that, it offers a better VFM than Alto K10 today....Eeco Petrol 5 seater AC at 5.49 ex showroom is a better buy than Alto. One needs to work on its looks to make it look better as a personal vehicle....Sliding doors are a boon for our cramped cities, wish some accessory guy would come up with electric sliding doors....I also love that its easy to get in and out. It is narrow and tall, i haven't driven one yet but is a candidate in my eyes as a basic city commuter....For all those who are commenting on lack of PS, i think we need to test drive and see how it feels. It all depends on where you come from, 2 cars that i owned didn't have PS so its not a deal breaker for me.

No power steering is a real deal breaker in this age. I don't even care about lack of power windows, but power steering especially for a van is a must. And with the airbags, one can't put the knob turny thing unless one wants to get impaled. And for some reason, modern cars without power steering has heavy steering unlike older 800s and Omnis. (smaller steering wheel size or kerb weight?). Another thing is the stiff ride of the Eeco. If these two are taken care of, sure it is a great city commuter.

Pity that we only have the Eeco on one end and the Vellfire on the other end. (Carnival is American sized in my eyes, not Asian size).

[SillyMaxwell]

I did had a situation where I have to exchange my Honda city with eeco for few days for my friend. No PS is not something worried me, sure you cannot one hand turn in parking situation but not a show stopper. Or this might be because I knew what I am getting into, overall this would be least of your bother after you get used to it(test driving few minutes might not help - maybe). Off topic, my major concern back then was safety on highways.

[CzechItaliaMoto]

Originally Posted by SillyMaxwell

I did had a situation where I have to exchange my Honda city with eeco for few days for my friend. No PS is not something worried me, sure you cannot one hand turn in parking situation but not a show stopper. Or this might be because I knew what I am getting into, overall this would be least of your bother after you get used to it(test driving few minutes might not help - maybe). Off topic, my major concern back then was safety on highways.

The only reason no power steering is not a big issue for the Eeco is because of its skinny tires. But i do agree that no PS is better than an economical EPS unit because in the Versa, there is absolutely no feedback from the steering whatsoever. One wrong jerk could lead to a really bad accident when it comes to the steering. If the Eeco did end up with bigger tires, it would be hard to drive in cities esp where there is a lot of traffic, just makes maneuvering the car extremely hard.