[ChrisFrancis]

Our SX4 just completed 60000 kms in the 4+ years that we've had the car, so I thought I’d write an ownership review!

What I like.

• The VFM pricing.

• Reliability.

• Low maintenance costs and Maruti's brilliant service network.

• Brakes.

• Responsive engine.

• Ground clearance.

• Ingress/Egress.

What I don't.

• A slightly hard clutch.

• Useless headlights and fog lamps.

• Fuel efficiency.

History

Please keep in mind that we bought this car, before I was aware of Team-BHP. So please don’t curse me for my lack of research during the buying process!

So yeah.
Sometime during the beginning of 2007, my dad got a job very close to our apartment, and hence our Qualis was not being put to much use. And our second car - a WagonR was hardly being used either. I think between the two cars, our monthly usage was about 750-1000 Kms. Or even lesser.

Anyway, The Qualis had been discontinued, and the Innova had been launched (Which my parents fell in love with!). My dad did not want to lose money on the Qualis, so the decision was made to sell it immediately. And around the same time, the WagonR had been given a facelift too. So we decided to sell both the vehicles, and replace it with one nice comfortable car.

We contacted Nandi Toyota, and the Qualis was sold within the same week.

A few weeks passed and we were back at the showroom to book the Innova. While over there, I sat in the Corolla.
And then suddenly, the thought of owning a sedan seemed so perfect!

I mean, we are a family of three. What was the need of buying a huge eight seater vehicle!

Also, I was just about to turn 16. Two more years and I would start driving.
And I sure as hell knew that my parents wouldn’t buy me a new car then. So if we bought the Innova, THAT would be my first car.

So I did what any other sensible teenager would have done. I rebelled!

[ChrisFrancis]

My parents, being the awesome parents that they are, decided to give in to my sudden random rebellion, and look at a sedan. The plan for purchasing an Innova was put on hold.
And the hunt for a sedan began with no real budget, manufacturer or fuel preference.

The Contenders!

The Japanese.
The first choice was pretty obvious. The Totota Corolla.
I mean we had an excellent, trouble free experience with our Qualis, and sticking with Toyota seemed to be the most logical thing.

But somehow. I don’t know. It felt dull. It didn’t make us feel special. Dad drove it, and he was not impressed too.
So the Corolla was out.

The second choice was the Honda’s!
There was a new Honda showroom pretty close to the Toyota showroom we kept visiting, so we decided to drop by.

The City ZX.
I have always been a fan of the second generation City. It looked so slick!
The next generation was a big step back in the looks department, and the ZX (which was available then) hardly looked any different.
A close friend owned the third generation City, and he was not too happy. Stories of the cars poor brakes scared me!
We did check out the car at the showroom, but it didn't feel right. So no City.

The Civic.
This car was brilliant! A friend of mine had just picked one up, and I had checked the car out thoroughly. I mean it looked so beautiful! Interiors were brilliant! The engine was powerful and the ride - butter smooth. Add to that it had all the necessary safety features. What more could I have asked for!
So we decided to go for a test drive.

But bad things happened.

Since we had never owned a sedan, my parents were not used to the low seating position of the car.
They were used to the tall stance of the Qualis and WagonR.
They found the ingress and egress terrible. Once on the road, they just did not feel comfortable.
And add to that the roads we drove on were not good. So the underbody kept hitting the ground.
So obviously, it was a no go for the Civic. :(

The Mitsubishi Cedia Sport!
Being in the whole Need For Speed phaze, a car with a a spoiler and a ‘Sport’ badge got me interested.
And I really liked the way the car looked. I could totally picture myself driving that car!
We called for a test drive, but my parents had the same problem they had with the Civic. Too low.
Interiors were pretty boring too.
So no Cedia.


A Korean.
My mum had driven the Accent Viva before, and really liked the car. And considering our apartment complex was full of Vernas, we went to look at the car with high expectations.
Car seemed alright. But a little too common. Lack of safety features put us off. Dad being the sedate driver he is, did not push the car much, and we did not find anything out of the ordinary.
And the rear seemed a little wobbly.
So the Verna was out too.
(PS. Had I known about the monster that came to life after 2000 rpm, I would’ve definitely pushed for that car!)


The Americans.
Running out of options, we decided to go check out the remaining sedans.
I suggested we go have a look at the Chevrolets available, but my dad was against the idea. I think around that time the recession had hit hard, and many of the American car makers were suffering.
Daewoo had shut down a while back, and according to my dad, since Chevrolet and Daewoo were somehow connected, we should stay away from them.
I didn’t really find the Optra or SRV too exciting either.
So they were out.

Didn't like the Ford Fiesta as we found it too cramped.


A European.
I brought up the Octavia, but my dad had heard bad things about it.
So it was not considered.

[ChrisFrancis]

By this time, we were quite confused.
I was still keen on the Civic, while my parents were slowly convincing each other that the Innova was the best option available.
Time was running out!

A few more weeks passed, and one day while passing Brigade Road, we saw a huge hoarding with a picture of a nice looking car with the tag line - ‘Men Are Back’.
Stupid tag line, but the car in the picture did look quite impressive!
The best part was, it was a Maruti!

Our family has always had a Maruti in our garage, and we have never had any problems with the vehicles.

So as soon as we got back home, I went on the Maruti Suzuki website, and had a look at the newly launched SX4.
And that was it.

I loved the way the car looked!
It looked mean from the front. And the back reminded me faintly of the Hyundai Tiburon (Which was my car on NFS! ).
And it had quite an impressive list of features! ABS, Air-Bags, Steering Controls and what not. Engine seemed powerful on paper too.

Showed it to my dad, and he too liked what he saw. We decided to go have a look.

[ChrisFrancis]

The Showroom Experience!

The following weekend, we dropped by at Mandovi Motors, off MG Road.
This was a change from our normal dealer - Solar/Pratham motors, as last time they covered up a dent on our WagonR and then sold it to us (This we realized much later). This was unexpected from them, considering the fact that we had bought and serviced three cars from them in the past, and knew most of the managers there personally.

But anyway.
We walked into the showroom, and the first thing we saw was this HUGE silver coloured SX4.
And when I say huge, I kid you not. The presence of this car could not be ignored. An Alto which was next to the SX4 looked so tiny in comparison. And it was tall!

After a good look at the car, all of us were mighty impressed! The look of the car was refreshing! I loved the curvy design! The interiors too were very nice. The dash was nice and curved. Also, it didn’t have any tacky fake wood or anything. It looked very neat and clean.
Seats were comfortable. Features were great, some a segment first!

Went for a nice long test drive, and we were sold.
The car had ample power, it was quite comfortable, it had the necessary safety features, and it went over bad roads with ease. Everything seemed to be in place. My folks didn't have any problem while getting in or coming out either. All the other cars looked puney next to the test drive vehicle, and gave way to overtake. Something that my dad missed from our Qualis!

Went back to the Dealership and we booked the ZXi variant, with White or Black being our colours of preference.

Forward a month and a half to the beginning of August 07’ and my dad received a call from the Manager at Mandovi. They had a Black SX4 ZXi available. Dad went down to the showroom, checked the car out, and gave the go ahead.
The car was registered and ready for delivery on the 13th of August 07’! I got over to the showroom directly after school, and we took delivery. The Sales Representative did the usual explanation of features, took a picture of us with the car and what not. Our experience with Mandovi was very good!
Gave them a box of sweets and we were off!

(PS. The stick on the right was me four years ago. And no. I do not look that comical anymore.)

[ChrisFrancis]

My bad. Just realized I hadn't started with the actual review of the car yet.
Anyway, hear it goes.

The Experience so far.

Excellent.
I don't think I can rate it any less. Started driving the car mainly after we shifted to Hyderabad about a year and a half back, and below are my impressions so far.

Looks
I think the car looks fresh even today. I mean it's no Linea, but it does look good. Maybe it's the whole my car syndrome, but whatever. It's not dull. And at the same time it's not too flashy. They've got the mix just right in my opinion.
Headlights give a good shape to the front (But lousy functionality, which I will get to later.), and the curves and lines around the car give it quite a muscular look. The stock 16" alloys look great too, and add to the whole muscular character.

Front -


Side -


Rear -



Cabin Comfort and Convenience
Positives
- I'm six foot tall, and I'm quite happy with the leg room. The headroom is great too.
- Seats are comfortable. The fabric is a little hard to maintain though.
- The Air Conditioner is quite chilling. Does it's job during the hot Hyderabadi summer.
- The bottle holders in the doors are quite handy, especially while travelling.
- Boot can fit quite an amount of luggage. During a recent trip we had about five suitcases, two laptop bags and a few small packets in the boot. And the 12" Sub did not have to be removed either.

Negatives.
-No drivers armrest. Will try and get an aftermarket one fitted soon.
-No 'Distance till Empty' option in the information display. Hope the newer generations have them.
-No dead pedal.
-Poor side (due to the A-Pillar) and rear view.

The Cabin -


The steering mounted audio controls are very useful while driving!


Instrument Cluster -


Passenger side gets a vanity mirror -


The front seat belts are height adjustable -


Space at the rear when the front seats are pushed fully back -



Engine and Drivability


As long as you work the gears, the car is very responsive and extremely fun to drive.
The 1.6 Petrol which we have, has good acceleration and a strong mid-range, but starts losing breath at about the 5.5k mark.
On the highway, the car can cruze at speeds of about 130-140kmph with ease.
The brakes are excellent, and the steering gives a good feel of the road. The gear shift is good, but no where as smooth as say, a Honda. Clutch could have been a little softer too. Considering ours was one of the first batches made, I hope these two issues have been improved upon now.
Ground clearance is great, which means I don't have to be too worried while driving on bad roads.
Also, the addition of Mobil1 synthetic engine oil greatly improves the refinement and smoothness of the car, and I highly recommend it.

Reliablity
The car has never let us down. No major failures as such. The front suspension started making noise a while back during the cold mornings, but this was replaced under warranty. Done multiple Bangalore - Mysore, Bangalore - Ooty, Bangalore - Hyderabad trips without any problems whatsoever.

Fuel Efficiency
With the AC always on, the car has given about 10.5 in the city, and about 13 on the highway.

[ChrisFrancis]

Service center experience

I think this is the highlight of owning a Maruti. An extensive service network, and cheap spare parts.
In Bangalore we used to either give the car to Mandovi, or U.M. Cars, and our experience was good.
Gave the car once to Bimal, and the idiots broke a switch. And when they came to our home to replace it, not only did they forget to fit some screws back into the dashboard, but they used one of the customers car for transport!
Obviously, we did not avail of their services again.

In Hyderabad, we have been availing the services of GEM Motors. The workshop is big and well equipped, and the overall experience has been good. Only negative is that they have more cars coming in than they can handle. So sometimes minor things seem to go unnoticed.

For denting and installation of after market equipment, we give our car to New Mars.
I have been in touch with the owner - Mr. Prabhu for the denting work and a few after market fitments over the last year. A very nice man! Was really happy that he makes a personal effort to see what problems are to be solved or what modifications are to be made.
The denting work has been excellent and very fast. When GEM said the bumper had to be replaced, New Mars repaired it and made it look as good as new, which saved me from claiming insurance!

[ChrisFrancis]

Other
-Getting the car re-registered is a pain. Took us about a year to get the whole thing done along with the refund from the Karnataka RTO, when we shifted to Hyderabad. So if anyone out there is about to get it done - Best of luck.
-We've had our insurance taken care by Tata AIG, and we're extremely satisfied. Prompt responses on all occasions.

Add-on's
Tint
The first thing we did after we got our car was, put in tints.
Went in for black V-Kool tints for the doors and rear, and some other lighter V-Kool tint for the front windshield.
Costed about 10k, but the sunfilm is great! Good visibility from the inside, keeps the car cool, and it seems quite dark from the outside.

ICE
Next was ICE. This we did last year, after I got bitten by the ICE bug while going through the different threads over here. After a bit of browsing, I decided to go in for Infinity Speakers, a JBL Subwoofer and a Hertz 4 Channel Amplifier.
Talked to Mr. Prabhu of New Mars about it, and he gave me a contact in Bangalore. Went there and I got what I wanted for a good price! Also managed to get Wurth damping directly from the wholesaler.
The whole thing came to about 30k, and is worth every single paisa!
Dad was pleased too, as he had spent almost double that amount on ICE for our Qualis, but was not satisfied with the output.

Tweeters go in the stock location -


Subwoofer!


Tyres
The stock JK Vectras were used by us for four years and were getting old and noisy. So we decided to upgrade them to Yokohoma, which were slightly wider too. Brilliant tyres! Excellent road grip, and no road noise whatsoever! Price - around 8k a piece.



Headlights
The stock bulbs on the SX4 are pathetic. The fog lamps are even worse, with zero functionality.
So we decided to upgrade the headlight bulbs to some special Phillips bulb which had a 30% more light output.
Difference was there. But not enough. Didn't want to go for the 130/100 bulbs as I was scared that the reflector might melt. And upgrading the fog lamps didn't seem to be possible as no one had anything brighter than the normal 35W bulbs.
Decided to go for the Phillips HID kit for the headlamps, since there seemed to be no other option. Still no improvement!
Try spotting the difference between the high and low beam pictures

The 6000k bulbs have a slight tinge of blue.


Low beam -



High beam -



So if anyone is planning on installing a HID kit into your stock reflector setup - Don't do it.
Not only does it blind the oncoming traffic, but it also has lousy functionality. The high beam only increases the intensity of the light, but not the throw of the beam. Only way I can increase the throw of the beam is by adjusting the reflector angle. Waste of Rs. 10000.

Saw this thread -and decided to do the same.
Got the Hella E-55 projectors, will use the existing Philips ballasts, and since I can't use the existing H4 bulbs, the new whiter Morimoto 5000k D2S bulbs are on the way. Will keep you guys updated on the install!

Meanwhile, here are pics of the projector -




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[ChrisFrancis]

Future plans?
CAI, Turbo, etc?

No!

With the cost of Petrol spiraling upwards, I don't think it would be very economical. But who knows. Once I start working and bringing in the moolah, and if we still have the car, and if the price of petrol is at a sane level, I *might* just think of getting some modifications done.
Till then, I'm more than happy with the way it is.

Final Verdict
Am I happy with with car?
YES!
At that particular point in time, this felt like the best option. And it's still doing a fine job. 60000 km's on and I don't think we will be parting ways anytime before I'm done with my engineering. The car is comfortable, engine - responsive, and the ICE - great! What more could I want?

Would I recommend this car today?
If a high ground clearance, easy ingress/egress, excellent reliability, and peace of mind is what you want, then yes.
The experience we've had with car has been brilliant!
And since we're on the lookout for another car now, I have been test driving a lot of the newer entries recently. Most of them just remind me of how good and VFM the SX4 is.
I hope we get one that can match, or even better the experience we've had with this one!

[GTO]

Thread moved to the Long-Term ownership review forum. Thanks for sharing!

[M124]

which size yoko's have you upgraded to ?

[ChrisFrancis]

Originally Posted by M124

which size yoko's have you upgraded to ?

215/60R16!
The stock ones were 205/55R16, if I'm not mistaken.

[WhiteKnight]

A very well rounded review belying your age. I like your comment about the 'stick', then everyone goes through that phase.

I'd like to hear your view about SX4 VVT, if you had drive the same. That would be a valiable insight into the improvements made.

[M124]

Originally Posted by ChrisFrancis

215/60R16!
The stock ones were 205/55R16, if I'm not mistaken.

Stock size is 205/60 R16. C-Drive or A-Drive?

[Meer]

Very good write up Chris! You have maintained the SX4 really really well. At 60k, it just doesn't show the 4 years age, I wish you have a long and hassle free ownership in future too.

Some of your experiences while looking out for a new car reminded me of mine.

Your projector plan is interesting, I also made the mistake of HID, 10k down the drain :( [PS: If I am offline for more than a month, assume that my wife has read the above sentence!!]

All the best and keep writing!

[ChrisFrancis]

Originally Posted by WhiteKnight

A very well rounded review belying your age. I like your comment about the 'stick', then everyone goes through that phase.

I'd like to hear your view about SX4 VVT, if you had drive the same. That would be a valiable insight into the improvements made.

Thank you!

I did have a short drive in the newer SX4 VVT, but that was more than a year back. Didn't find much of a difference in terms of driveability.
The engine seemed to be tuned for only for the sake of the Bharat Stage IV norms that were to be implemented. But I've heard that the fuel efficiency is better.

Other than that, there have been a few small changes like the front grill, colour of the dashboard (From black to a beige-brown), iPod connectivity, etc.

Originally Posted by M124

Stock size is 205/60 R16. C-Drive or A-Drive?

C-Drive.

Originally Posted by Meer

Very good write up Chris! You have maintained the SX4 really really well. At 60k, it just doesn't show the 4 years age, I wish you have a long and hassle free ownership in future too.

Some of your experiences while looking out for a new car reminded me of mine.

Your projector plan is interesting, I also made the mistake of HID, 10k down the drain :( [PS: If I am offline for more than a month, assume that my wife has read the above sentence!!]

All the best and keep writing!

Thanks!

I've spent a good amount of time (and my allowance) on maintaining the car! Seems to be worth it!
And I sincerely hope the projectors improve the light output. Otherwise it's 15k down the drain, and a father who's not going to be very pleased!
Anyway, all the best with your SX4 too!