SX4 - 10,000 Km Report

spetnaz · 13th August 2008, 19:20

I’m 20 kms short of running 10,000 Kms in my VXi, and thought I had to put in my experience here.

It’s almost a year since I bought the car, and the car was with my parents for the first 6 months – when it had clocked 3K Kms. I’ve clocked about 7K in 6 months. I was one of the first buyers in Coimbatore – in the first week of launch.

Reasons I went for the car: The specs (GC, boot size, L, W, tire size, height etc) were good in comparison. I was never able to convince my parents for a ZXi … although money was not an issue since I had taken a loan for only 1.5L. I had the following options: NHC, Verna, Logan, Aveo & Accent.

I discounted Accent coz it was pretty old, Aveo coz it’s a Chevy end-of-the-day, and Logan and Verna based on the looks. I had to discount NHC too since going for a car with smaller engine, smaller stance, and a possibly higher cost of spares etc - for some 80K more - didn’t make sense. I wasn’t too brand-savvy, and I did not want to drive a car that’s so too common. I see too many NHCs on the IT highway in Chennai. In addition, NHC felt too light beyond 100 Kmph – a figure I tend to cross too often.

Pros for SX4:
1. The car is amazing on the highways. It gobbles up road & potholes with total ease, and you feel at home up to 120Kmph. Vibrations start after 140 and you feel a little uncomfortable beyond that, but the car is a breeze at 100-110. I do roughly 300 Kms on highways every week, and the car suits the best (but for mileage).
2. GC, tall stance etc helps in easy getting-in and getting-out - particularly for oldies. And those road-bumps are a cinch! Bring them on!
3. Service: I think MSM in Chennai does a fabulous job. They charged 1600 for the 3rd service – which included the size ‘beading’ (how do I spell that?) I added for 900 bucks. They did an absolutely fabulous job of removing strongly imprinted tyre marks, a dent etc in the back bumper – without even having to ask for them. They didn’t even charge for it separately.

Mileage: I get 11 kmpl in the peak-hour traffic in Chennai (about 75% AC) and 14 on the highways. My parents used to report 12-12.5 in the city (with very less AC – in Coimbatore). I’m ok with this mileage for a car this size. Like our salaries, would’ve been happier if it had been more!

Cons:
1. Visibility and Big stance: I have to navigate small lanes once in a while, and the car feels too big. Back visibility is something I got used to, but could have definitely been better. My parents are more comfortable driving a M800 than this due to city driveability.
2. Rear seats: I’ve never had to take 5 healthy people in the car for long distance, but I guess the rear space/rear seats could’ve been better for a car that looks so huge from outside. Leg room in Indigo is certainly big in the back (although the car per se is bad).
3. A-Pillar/Quarter-glass: I’ve gotten used to A-pillar for normal driving, but it was a pain when it was raining in the night the other day.
4. Interiors: Wood paneling etc definitely couldn’t have hurt!

Overall: I’m very satisfied with the car, more so since I feel comfortable when I cross 100+ - that’s the speed I generally drive at on the highways. I think the car could be best described as ‘aggressive’, bold, brash etc. It’s best for people who love to race once in a while, for once-in-a-while highway driving, for a great network and cheap service.

I think the attributes above are important since people who associate themselves with these attributes, or those who ‘want to’ associate with these attributes will tend to buy the car. Those who don’t won’t buy the car. Case in point is a couple of colleagues of mine who went in for NHC even after liking SX4 – because SX4 sounded not-so-subtle to them.

Questions I have for other owners:
1. Have you checked mileage for different speeds? I tend to drive fast – and I want to know what difference it makes to drive say at avg. 80 kmph, 100 kmph, 120 kmph? Is the difference too much? I tend do shift to 5ht gear at 60+ - Is it too early?
2. The small rattles I have – one from somewhere in dashboard, and one from somewhere near the seat belt area – is it common? It sounds very minor, but is it something to get worried about?
3. Has anybody crossed say 15K, 20K on the odo with the SX4 overall? How does it feel then? Any major expenses I should plan for?

rajneeesh · 15th August 2008, 10:16

A well written report Spertnaz. The SX4 is indeed a very good package. I have had mine foe 4 months now and just completed 4 K on the Odometer. I have now got used to the poor rear visibility and have dropped he idea of going in for reversing sensors. The engine is smoother, although the mileage has not really gone up.( it may be on account of the poor road/driving conditions in the the monsoons.) Thew car does not like stop and go traffic and is best suited to highway cruising.

You will get the best mileage between 1500- 2500 RPM . You can very well shift to the 5th gear above 45 Kph in case good mileage is your primary concern.

rranjith_kum · 17th August 2008, 00:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

You will get the best mileage between 1500- 2500 RPM . You can very well shift to the 5th gear above 45 Kph in case good mileage is your primary concern.

hi just a small confirmation needed in this. Are you sure I felt probably 2500-3000 rpm and 5th in >50kph would be better!! but my SX4 exp is very little

rajneeesh · 17th August 2008, 08:42

Ranjith, I have tried driving the car at various RPM levels . It does give the best mileage in the 1500- 2500 range. Well, there is not too much of a difference between 45 kph and 50 Kph, unless you are driving in conditions where you need to change gears frequently. In that case it is better to be in a lower gear so that you don't lug the engine.

snaronikar · 17th August 2008, 09:50

Nice report. That's the good FE for a SX4. Shifting to 5th on 60+ is common in most of the cars provided the road is empty. Regardng rattles, it is common in new gen cars of MSIL. You need to leave with it.

rranjith_kum · 17th August 2008, 11:49

yeah indeed there isn't much difference between 45 and 50 !!
thanks Rajneesh

spetnaz · 20th August 2008, 23:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

Ranjith, I have tried driving the car at various RPM levels . It does give the best mileage in the 1500- 2500 range.

Can you let me know the different mileage you have observed at different RPMs? I want to know the difference, and whether the additional mileage really justifies driving at moderate, as opposed to high speeds.

rajneeesh · 23rd August 2008, 20:13

Spetnaz,
When driven between 1500 to 2500 RPM, the sx 4 returns 12 KPL plus in city traffic. In case you rev it more ( in city it will be gear 2 or 3 ) the mileage returned is between 9-10 KMPL. On highways it has returned 13.5- 14.5 KMPL at 3000- 3500 RPM ( steady driving).

neoranjit · 25th August 2008, 08:46

spetnaz, with around 13K on the odo, i get around 10-11 in the city. Probably around 15 in the highway.

Once in a while, do get to hear the rattles. though its not alarming, it would be nice not having to hear it.

DineshKanna · 25th August 2008, 09:40

That was a good review Spertnaz. I have clocked 14,700Km on my odo and i will be going for 4th service in next couple of days.

I fully agree with you that MSM chennai is doing a very fantastic job and i am fully satisfied with their work.

I get 11Kmpl in the city and 14.5Kmpl in the Highway. I very rearely use the highway. Major spare change during the past 1 year was the drive shaft which was covered under warranty. Even i can hear minor rattle sound somewhere in the dashboard and i am not able to figure out the exact place.

In this service i am planning to go for synthetic engine oil. I have not done any modifications to the car yet and everything is stock.

gopinathann · 26th August 2008, 00:16

spetnaz, I used to get 13 km in chennai with Shell, but now only 11.5-12 in chennai city conditions with AC. Going above 100+ in highway gives a mileage of 11-12 only.

I have clocked 10+K Km and still doing good.
I gave all the 3 services in MSM only though I bought from Khivraj. MSM does a good job.

balaji_n29 · 26th August 2008, 20:42

Nice report that Stepnaz.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spetnaz

Questions I have for other owners:
1. Have you checked mileage for different speeds? I tend to drive fast – and I want to know what difference it makes to drive say at avg. 80 kmph, 100 kmph, 120 kmph? Is the difference too much? I tend do shift to 5ht gear at 60+ - Is it too early?

60+ is too late if you ask me... You can shift gears at 1500 RPM in the SX4 which will be around 50 in the 4th gear. This will have marginal improvement in your mileage but marginal drop in pick up. You might get half a kmpl+ mileage by doing so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spetnaz

2. The small rattles I have – one from somewhere in dashboard, and one from somewhere near the seat belt area – is it common? It sounds very minor, but is it something to get worried about?

Did you ask your service center to fix it? I had a rattle in the glove compartment and it was fixed. The rattle was because of a loose screw. Now I do not have any rattles. The seat belt sound may be the belt metal end clapping to the interior. See if your seat belt if properly placed back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spetnaz

3. Has anybody crossed say 15K, 20K on the odo with the SX4 overall? How does it feel then? Any major expenses I should plan for?

Not yet. Since you are in a VXi you need not worry about tyres. The bridgestones can go longer than the useless JK typres present in the ZXi.

rajneeesh · 27th August 2008, 19:50

DineshKanna,
Is the 4th service due at 15000 Km. I believe the car has 10 k service intervals after the first 3 free services.

balaji_n29 · 27th August 2008, 20:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

DineshKanna,
Is the 4th service due at 15000 Km.

Yes. The 4th service is at 15K kms or 6 months from the date of 3rd service. There will be oil change + general service. If you had gone in for synthetic oil you can change oil later. Don't get mistaken by the entries in your owner's manual. They are just for the record and doesn't mean that the service interval is 10K kms.

DieselFan · 28th August 2008, 11:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by balaji_n29

Yes. The 4th service is at 15K kms or 6 months from the date of 3rd service. There will be oil change + general service. If you had gone in for synthetic oil you can change oil later. Don't get mistaken by the entries in your owner's manual. They are just for the record and doesn't mean that the service interval is 10K kms.

Onwer's manual data is very authentic and need to be refered to always when in doubt. All new cars from Maruti have a 10K km service intervals including SX4. Please follow the instructions in owner's manual to the core. Seems like our friend,balaji, knows more about SX4 than Maruti themselves

.

13th August 2008, 19:20	#1
spetnaz BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 86 Thanked: 3 Times	SX4 - 10,000 Km Report I’m 20 kms short of running 10,000 Kms in my VXi, and thought I had to put in my experience here. It’s almost a year since I bought the car, and the car was with my parents for the first 6 months – when it had clocked 3K Kms. I’ve clocked about 7K in 6 months. I was one of the first buyers in Coimbatore – in the first week of launch. Reasons I went for the car: The specs (GC, boot size, L, W, tire size, height etc) were good in comparison. I was never able to convince my parents for a ZXi … although money was not an issue since I had taken a loan for only 1.5L. I had the following options: NHC, Verna, Logan, Aveo & Accent. I discounted Accent coz it was pretty old, Aveo coz it’s a Chevy end-of-the-day, and Logan and Verna based on the looks. I had to discount NHC too since going for a car with smaller engine, smaller stance, and a possibly higher cost of spares etc - for some 80K more - didn’t make sense. I wasn’t too brand-savvy, and I did not want to drive a car that’s so too common. I see too many NHCs on the IT highway in Chennai. In addition, NHC felt too light beyond 100 Kmph – a figure I tend to cross too often. Pros for SX4: 1. The car is amazing on the highways. It gobbles up road & potholes with total ease, and you feel at home up to 120Kmph. Vibrations start after 140 and you feel a little uncomfortable beyond that, but the car is a breeze at 100-110. I do roughly 300 Kms on highways every week, and the car suits the best (but for mileage). 2. GC, tall stance etc helps in easy getting-in and getting-out - particularly for oldies. And those road-bumps are a cinch! Bring them on! 3. Service: I think MSM in Chennai does a fabulous job. They charged 1600 for the 3rd service – which included the size ‘beading’ (how do I spell that?) I added for 900 bucks. They did an absolutely fabulous job of removing strongly imprinted tyre marks, a dent etc in the back bumper – without even having to ask for them. They didn’t even charge for it separately. Mileage: I get 11 kmpl in the peak-hour traffic in Chennai (about 75% AC) and 14 on the highways. My parents used to report 12-12.5 in the city (with very less AC – in Coimbatore). I’m ok with this mileage for a car this size. Like our salaries, would’ve been happier if it had been more! Cons: 1. Visibility and Big stance: I have to navigate small lanes once in a while, and the car feels too big. Back visibility is something I got used to, but could have definitely been better. My parents are more comfortable driving a M800 than this due to city driveability. 2. Rear seats: I’ve never had to take 5 healthy people in the car for long distance, but I guess the rear space/rear seats could’ve been better for a car that looks so huge from outside. Leg room in Indigo is certainly big in the back (although the car per se is bad). 3. A-Pillar/Quarter-glass: I’ve gotten used to A-pillar for normal driving, but it was a pain when it was raining in the night the other day. 4. Interiors: Wood paneling etc definitely couldn’t have hurt! Overall: I’m very satisfied with the car, more so since I feel comfortable when I cross 100+ - that’s the speed I generally drive at on the highways. I think the car could be best described as ‘aggressive’, bold, brash etc. It’s best for people who love to race once in a while, for once-in-a-while highway driving, for a great network and cheap service. I think the attributes above are important since people who associate themselves with these attributes, or those who ‘want to’ associate with these attributes will tend to buy the car. Those who don’t won’t buy the car. Case in point is a couple of colleagues of mine who went in for NHC even after liking SX4 – because SX4 sounded not-so-subtle to them. Questions I have for other owners: 1. Have you checked mileage for different speeds? I tend to drive fast – and I want to know what difference it makes to drive say at avg. 80 kmph, 100 kmph, 120 kmph? Is the difference too much? I tend do shift to 5ht gear at 60+ - Is it too early? 2. The small rattles I have – one from somewhere in dashboard, and one from somewhere near the seat belt area – is it common? It sounds very minor, but is it something to get worried about? 3. Has anybody crossed say 15K, 20K on the odo with the SX4 overall? How does it feel then? Any major expenses I should plan for? Last edited by aah78 : 13th August 2008 at 20:26. Reason: Post moved to new thread. FONT tags removed. Please don't copy-paste from a word processor. Use Notepad instead.
	() Thanks

15th August 2008, 10:16	#2
rajneeesh Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: noida Posts: 1,114 Thanked: 540 Times	A well written report Spertnaz. The SX4 is indeed a very good package. I have had mine foe 4 months now and just completed 4 K on the Odometer. I have now got used to the poor rear visibility and have dropped he idea of going in for reversing sensors. The engine is smoother, although the mileage has not really gone up.( it may be on account of the poor road/driving conditions in the the monsoons.) Thew car does not like stop and go traffic and is best suited to highway cruising. You will get the best mileage between 1500- 2500 RPM . You can very well shift to the 5th gear above 45 Kph in case good mileage is your primary concern.
	() Thanks

17th August 2008, 08:42	#4
rajneeesh Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: noida Posts: 1,114 Thanked: 540 Times	Ranjith, I have tried driving the car at various RPM levels . It does give the best mileage in the 1500- 2500 range. Well, there is not too much of a difference between 45 kph and 50 Kph, unless you are driving in conditions where you need to change gears frequently. In that case it is better to be in a lower gear so that you don't lug the engine.
	() Thanks

17th August 2008, 09:50	#5
snaronikar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 2,845 Thanked: 29 Times View My Garage	Nice report. That's the good FE for a SX4. Shifting to 5th on 60+ is common in most of the cars provided the road is empty. Regardng rattles, it is common in new gen cars of MSIL. You need to leave with it.
	() Thanks

17th August 2008, 11:49	#6
rranjith_kum BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Coimbatore/ Aachen Posts: 693 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	yeah indeed there isn't much difference between 45 and 50 !! thanks Rajneesh
	() Thanks

23rd August 2008, 20:13	#8
rajneeesh Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: noida Posts: 1,114 Thanked: 540 Times	Spetnaz, When driven between 1500 to 2500 RPM, the sx 4 returns 12 KPL plus in city traffic. In case you rev it more ( in city it will be gear 2 or 3 ) the mileage returned is between 9-10 KMPL. On highways it has returned 13.5- 14.5 KMPL at 3000- 3500 RPM ( steady driving).
	() Thanks

25th August 2008, 08:46	#9
neoranjit BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 588 Thanked: 195 Times View My Garage	spetnaz, with around 13K on the odo, i get around 10-11 in the city. Probably around 15 in the highway. Once in a while, do get to hear the rattles. though its not alarming, it would be nice not having to hear it.
	() Thanks

25th August 2008, 09:40	#10
DineshKanna BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 82 Thanked: 6 Times	That was a good review Spertnaz. I have clocked 14,700Km on my odo and i will be going for 4th service in next couple of days. I fully agree with you that MSM chennai is doing a very fantastic job and i am fully satisfied with their work. I get 11Kmpl in the city and 14.5Kmpl in the Highway. I very rearely use the highway. Major spare change during the past 1 year was the drive shaft which was covered under warranty. Even i can hear minor rattle sound somewhere in the dashboard and i am not able to figure out the exact place. In this service i am planning to go for synthetic engine oil. I have not done any modifications to the car yet and everything is stock.
	() Thanks

26th August 2008, 00:16	#11
gopinathann BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 765 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	spetnaz, I used to get 13 km in chennai with Shell, but now only 11.5-12 in chennai city conditions with AC. Going above 100+ in highway gives a mileage of 11-12 only. I have clocked 10+K Km and still doing good. I gave all the 3 services in MSM only though I bought from Khivraj. MSM does a good job.
	() Thanks

27th August 2008, 19:50	#13
rajneeesh Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: noida Posts: 1,114 Thanked: 540 Times	DineshKanna, Is the 4th service due at 15000 Km. I believe the car has 10 k service intervals after the first 3 free services.
	() Thanks