Maruti Halts SX4 production for Engine change !!

[advaitlele]

I TDed it last week and just fell in love with her but it was out of my list just because of reviews here about mileage and other small issues - noise, rattles etc. It seems I can wait for another 3-4 months till the VVTi is rolled out and initial issues are over.

Should I wait for diesel? My main criteria is running cost. I am in no hurry to put my money; can wait for another 5-6 months if I am getting Sx4 with Diesel. I just love its looks and ride.

[himanshugoswami]

It will deliver 165-175 newton metres of power, much higher then the outgoing model and will meet the latest emission norms.

somehow, that is a bit hard to believe.....lets see what they come out with. Even if it produces this much torque, it will be at a highish RPM, given the inherent nature of a petrol.

[sgiitk]

I hope the AT is better than the pathetic unit in the old Esteem/Zen/WagonR.

[TarCruiser]

Originally Posted by advaitlele

I TDed it last week and just fell in love with her but it was out of my list just because of reviews here about mileage and other small issues - noise, rattles etc. It seems I can wait for another 3-4 months till the VVTi is rolled out and initial issues are over.

Should I wait for diesel? My main criteria is running cost. I am in no hurry to put my money; can wait for another 5-6 months if I am getting Sx4 with Diesel. I just love its looks and ride.

You can wait for newer version, hope it has VVT technology. But the existing version had no issues with rattle or noise etc (yes JK Vectra stock tyre do make noise but you have the option of exchange). Mileage quoted by some people is unacceptable to me, My car is almost 2 years old with 27K odo reading, worst mileage I have observed till date is 10 and best on highway around 13 (sprinted 100+ drive).

Work on airthematic of diesel versus petrol (Monthly saving vs High initial investment) before you take final call. Petrol engines are always sweet to drive.

[aslambhai]

Originally Posted by amit27

....
Passenger car leader Maruti Suzuki India has stopped manufacturing its most expensive car SX4, the mid-sized sedan, reinforcing the widely-held belief that the small car leader does not have the expertise to make and market big cars.
Maruti will relaunch SX4 within a fortnight with a new 1.6-litre engine which will have a much higher pick-up. .....

Can you believe these guys!!!!
Maruti is halting production to relaunch it, which these people seem to understand fully. But still, they make such a statement!!!
They are not withdrawing the model or something.

What did Maruti do wrong to warrant such a statement or is the reporter a complete idiot?

[srikanths1]

Originally Posted by aslambhai

Can you believe these guys!!!!
Maruti is halting production to relaunch it, which these people seem to understand fully. But still, they make such a statement!!!
They are not withdrawing the model or something.

What did Maruti do wrong to warrant such a statement or is the reporter a complete idiot?

Here is a thought (Purely personal) - With maruthi longing for a diesel SX4 & considering suzukis latest round of talks with VW that touches on diesel technology for suzuki (fiat has kept maruthi waiting for too long) - i think they might be reworking the engine bay a bit so that they can easily plonk the diesel in future. Am not sure it this is really needed but i cant of any other plausible explanation for a company to halt its production for more than a fortnight just because they are going to have a better tuned petrol engine + some exterior reworks and adding an automatic variant. Imagine the amount of lost productivity !!!

[Ramsagar]

Yesterday I've called Maruti head office in B'lore & en quired about the launch of the SX4-diesel,they refused & said there are no plan as such & not in near feature.

Are they hiding the facts or its just a surprise...

[Dippy]

The upcoming SX4 should go into the Honda City pricing territory IMO. So expect the ZXi to be in the 9 lakh region with the AT version hovering around 10L. I hope Maruti equips the SX4 AT with a good and reliable autobox (a 5 speed atleast). Marutis track record hasnt been that great with automatics. The earlier 3 speed boxes offered on the Zen, Wagon R were horrible to say the least.

[scarlet.fever]

The SX4 autobox I am afraid would not be able to beat the 5 speed paddle shift offered on the ANHC which is awesome !

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by Dippy

The upcoming SX4 should go into the Honda City pricing territory IMO. So expect the ZXi to be in the 9 lakh region with the AT version hovering around 10L. I hope Maruti equips the SX4 AT with a good and reliable autobox (a 5 speed atleast). Marutis track record hasnt been that great with automatics. The earlier 3 speed boxes offered on the Zen, Wagon R were horrible to say the least.

Chances for the above are there. There are three reasons.

1. DZire is doing well in the lower C-segment and Maruti wants a powerful car to compete with ANHC.

2. When introduced, SX4 Diesel's price will be much higher than current prices of its Petrol model, and Maruti may not like to have such a huge gap (of about 2 lakhs?) between SX4's petrol and Diesel models.

3. DZire also needs an engine upgradation / replacement for BSIV norms. Is Maruti planning to use a modified version of the current M series engine from SX4 in DZire? If so, DZire Petrol's price may go up, to a level that may touch current SX4 prices. So Maruti may like to push SX4 upwards, giving place for new DZire Petrol. Since DZire's diesel model is doing most of the business, Maruti will not hesitate to push the petrol model up a bit.

[VSG12777]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I hope the AT is better than the pathetic unit in the old Esteem/Zen/WagonR.

Originally Posted by Dippy

The upcoming SX4 should go into the Honda City pricing territory IMO. So expect the ZXi to be in the 9 lakh region with the AT version hovering around 10L. I hope Maruti equips the SX4 AT with a good and reliable autobox (a 5 speed atleast). Marutis track record hasnt been that great with automatics. The earlier 3 speed boxes offered on the Zen, Wagon R were horrible to say the least.

Originally Posted by scarlet.fever

The SX4 autobox I am afraid would not be able to beat the 5 speed paddle shift offered on the ANHC which is awesome !

Yes sir, for sure the new Suzuki AT unit will be a better smoother one. It would probably be the same as the one offered on the overseas versions of the SX4 (though the American SX4s have a 2L engine).

However, the AT unit in the SX4 would probably be a 4-speed unit as offered in the overseas versions. Check out Suzuki's UK or USA websites to verify the same.

And yes; it would of course not beat the Honda City's 5-speed AT unit.

Originally Posted by aslambhai

Can you believe these guys!!!!
Maruti is halting production to relaunch it, which these people seem to understand fully. But still, they make such a statement!!!
They are not withdrawing the model or something.

What did Maruti do wrong to warrant such a statement or is the reporter a complete idiot?

As we all have observed, Economic Times makes these kinds of statements most of the time. And very often, not the entire story depicted in the article turns out to be true. Always take these ET articles with 2 pinches of salt!!

Warm regards,
Venkat

[appuchan]

I thought the issues with SX4 were more to do with build quality and brand image, rather than its engine. Not sure how a new "X-series" engine will solve these. And in any case 90% of the public will not really care about the engine unless it offers tremendous improvement in FE or its a diesel.

The best option for them is to withdraw petrol models and launch a new diesel version with competitive pricing. They can even consider the "national engine" to start with.

[tsk13]

Originally Posted by amit27

Maruti Suzuki to relaunch power-packed SX4

25 Sep 2009, 0340 hrs IST, Chanchal Pal Chauhan, ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: Passenger car leader Maruti Suzuki India has stopped manufacturing its most expensive car SX4, the mid-sized sedan, reinforcing the widely-held belief that the small car leader does not have the expertise to make and market big cars. Maruti will relaunch SX4 within a fortnight with a new 1.6-litre engine which will have a much higher pick-up. It will be more expensive than the current top-end Zxi variant, which comes at Rs 7.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Oops, Mr. Chanchal Pal from ET didn't do his homework. Grand Vitara is the most expensive car from Maruti stable.

[TarCruiser]

In my view Sx4 is a mix breed of SUV and Sedan and thats how it derives its name Sports Cross Over (Sx4).

My Wishlist for New Sx4:

1. Super silent engine at 4000 plus rpm band.
2. Improve overall plastic quality.
3. Sporty front bumper and new net front grill. (akin to international model).
4. Replace JK Vectra tyre in Zxi.
5. Arm Support for driver (atleast) and co passenger.
6. Lumbar support for front seat.
7. Dual headlamp, shift the blinkers to extreme ends.
8. Improve the internal display system, add some other feature.
9. Change the five spoke alloy or atleast give optional upmarket alloys.
10. Provide some wood veneering in central console and side handle.
11. Provide parking sensor.
12. Provide some more exciting colors, present options are literally aged.
13. Launch all white limited sports edition (one displayed in Auto Expo Delhi 2008)
14. An all wheel drive hatchback can work in India, many diehard gypsy fans don't have compact alternative at present
15. ...

lots more, but at the moment I can recall only above, Hope somebody from MSIL read my wish list.

[sidindica]

If ever there is an AT, it will be a 4 speed.

power and torque at VVT specs are also the same.

specs here: SX4 Sedan:Specifications | Global Suzuki