[mm_shen]

Originally Posted by chetan

does the top end come with body coloured bumpers

No it does not. My uncle recently purchased a VXI + AGS. It has black plastic bumpers.

[mm_shen]

My uncle is ageing and touching 70 now. He owned an Ecosport which I adored. But he couldn't manage driving it and decided to sell it.

Against my protest he bought an S-presso VXI+ AGS. Even though skeptical about it, after about two months, I am glad he did.

It is the perfect car for your ageing parents/elders who are hell bent on driving themselves till they can. Let me elaborate:

1. The car is small and nimble. The footprint is small, they will not have to worry much about parking. The turning radius is tight and can take U turns within tight spaces very comfortably. Elder drivers will be more at ease with a smaller car which can take tight turns easily. They need not worry of the weakened eyesight.
2. The seating position is high compared to Ignis which I own. You can clearly see the end of the bonnet. This is a boon for bumper to bumper traffic. High seating allows you to gauge the traffic ahead easily. In ignis, if a huge SUV is in front, I find it hard to see the vehicles in front. Height is truly a bonus when you see so many SUVs on Indian roads. Anyone, including the elders can navigate through traffic easily.
3. Nifty little thing for quick errands. He had brought it to factory. I had to visit a few vendors. Instead of going on a two wheeler, thought of using his car. I could finish the my visits more or less in the same time it would take me by a two wheeler. The added comfort of a car with AC was a bonus. Instead of riding a two wheelers, our elders can use a car. It might not be the safest amongst cars, but certainly for city traffic it is better than a scooter.
4. Milage. Middle class people like me do have a sense of amount spent on fuel. The car gives an milage of about 16-18 in city and about 22-25 on highways. This surely is huge money saver.
5. Many people have said that the car suspension was bouncy. But I felt the car handles bad patches of roads better than other small cars like swift, ignis and likes. The additional ground clearance does not make you worry about a huge speed bump ahead.
6. Decent highway manners when driven at a speed not exceeding 80 kmph. It drives relatively well when you drive it at 70-80. You can squeeze out the maximum mileage too. The car can also touch 100-110 easily. But does not inspire confidence to continue at those speeds. But for elderly drivers, I feed 80 kmph is a decent speed.
7. No nonsense Point A to B car. There is no high five electronics to make you confused. Start the ignition. Put it in Drive and press the accelerator. Off you go. Stop where you want. Pull the hand break, turn off the engine. You are done. The ease of maintaining such cars is a real blessing. You can get these car repaired at any local garage. Most Marutis are similar in this sense.
8. Hill hold has become a standard feature on all AGS models in Maruti. Kudos to Maruti to make this standard. My 2018 Ignis AMT rolls back on an incline when I let go of the brakes. This does not. It hold upto 3 seconds which gives ample time to put your foot on the accelerator and move. I was worried about how my uncle who only drove manuals his whole life will adapt to this flaw. Thankfully hill hold is standard in all AGS models and he did not find this problem at all.
8. There are two airbags which come as standard. Yes it does not make much of a difference in highway accidents. But for city use, which most elders use this for, it gives a small safety.

Seeing all these positives and see my uncle adapt to the car rather quickly, I have changed my opinion about the S-presso. It is not as bas as people make you to believe. You get your money's worth.

It does have a few features which irritates me. But nothing major which will make you regret. Some are
1. Centre console. You have to glance to the center to see the speed. It takes a little getting used to. Since this is an AGS, I really did not find the use of a tachometer which is missing on this car.
2. Rear passengers do not get power windows. They are manual windows. Only the front windows are powered and the switches are positioned in the center. If someone outside tries to talk when the windows are up, I fumble like a buffoon searching for the buttons on the door only to realize it is on the center console.
3. All the switches are different than their regular cars. OVRM setting switches, not on the door, it is on the right side of the steering column. The headlight leveler is above the bonnet opening handle and looks like a fuel cap. They used to give rotary switches.

Inspite of all these things, I believe it is a perfect car for elders in the family. Heck, I can even say for a daily driver to go to work and back, small errands, this car is pretty good.

[raptor_diwan]

Originally Posted by mm_shen

My uncle is ageing and touching 70 now he bought an S-presso VXI+ AGS. Even though skeptical about it, after about two months, I am glad he did.
Inspite of all these things, I believe it is a perfect car for elders in the family. Heck, I can even say for a daily driver to go to work and back, small errands, this car is pretty good.

Many of the points you've highlighted are indeed valid. The S-Presso is truly a gem to drive within the city, and its mileage is a definite plus point.

How does he feel about the steering feedback? Does he experience any trouble with the auto-centering issue, or has this problem been addressed in the latest version of the S-Presso? My steering feels quite hard how does he feel about it that too coming from Ecosport.

[mm_shen]

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

How does he feel about the steering feedback? My steering feels quite hard how does he feel about it that too coming from Ecosport.

Excellent Question! This is the first thing he pointed out when he started to drive this car. He said and I quote "The steering feels odd, its is not like the Ecosport". He could not put in the correct technical terms. But I could see him struggling a little to switch over. The steering did not center. After taking the turn he would leave the steering, but it would remain in the turn and he would hurry to correct course. But one long drive (about a 100km) later he got used to the steering and did not mention it again. He is a more confident driver now than he was with the Ecosport.

The steering is light like all other Maruthis. Nothing different. But compared to western manufacturers, the difference is night and day.

Feel sorry for our elders seeing the weakened senses and eyesight. The world is very different for them. He would have enjoyed driving S-presso a year earlier, had I not protested against selling the Ecosport. Pleasure of driving only comes through confidence of handling the car. However great the car might be, if the driver driving it does not enjoy it what is the point? I realized it late when he woke me up during our return from Kanchipuram to Bangalore late night. It was pouring and he was struggling to gauge the vehicle and the distances. He asked me to remain awake and guide him to the road side. I then took over. I did not find the drive difficult, but he did. When he brought up the topic of selling again and getting a smaller car, I did not protest and accepted that he should enjoy his drive. The car does not matter.

[sriku]

Fully agree with everything stated above by @mm_shen and others.
I have had the Spresso top-end AGS for about 2 years come May, and it is a boon for my daily commute (thane to andheri through saki-naka).
The steering lacks feedback and misses return to center for sure, but one gets used to it very quickly. For this price point, the car ticks all the right boxes for me
1. Height
2. shoulder room
3. Good suspension
4. Good AGS
5. Non-standard looks
6. Peppy motor gives great acceleration from standstill
7. creep mode for city traffic (saki-naka)

The things it misses which are irritants are:
1. Auto dimming rear view mirror (center)- fixed this with a 500 rupee aftermarket option from boodmo
2. auto return to center steering wheel
3. power windows for the rear doors
4. better horn (stock sounds like a scooter)

Regardless, this is a fun, easy-to-drive city runabout car with lots of charm and supreme practicality.

Sriku

[FiatDiesel]

Originally Posted by mm_shen

1. The car is small and nimble. The footprint is small, they will not have to worry much about parking. The turning radius is tight and can take U turns within tight spaces very comfortably. Elder drivers will be more at ease with a smaller car which can take tight turns easily. They need not worry of the weakened eyesight.
2……..

Agree with all points. I bought it for my wife, with 10K on odo, can’t complain for anything. Extremely practical, frugal and reliable car for city to the extent that I have stopped using my Hector and bike (depending on weather) for city commutes.

It’s way better and safe then riding two wheelers in city.

[kvsneela]

Originally Posted by mm_shen

My uncle is ageing and touching 70 now. He owned an Ecosport which I adored. But he couldn't manage driving it and decided to sell it.

Against my protest he bought an S-presso VXI+ AGS. Even though skeptical about it, after about two months, I am glad he did.

Dear mm_ Shen,

Whatever you have mentioned is absolutely correct about Spresso. I have 2022 ( K10B) model which have used for about 13k kms now , taken upto Srisailam in Andhra and Wayanad in Kerala. It is always fun to drive this car. My family is one car family ( mostly driver +1)and I wanted to have family , lifestyle, utility all in one car.Cars like Thar and Jimny attract me but due to impractical nature of these cars ( finance is not a constraint but my offroading chances are almost nil) either with poor riding or turning radius or luggage space or engine / transmission combinations, parking constraints etc ,. I come back to Spresso after watching review videos of these cars.
I purposely went for K10B as new engine was 3 months away at the time of my purchase. We are hearing stories about niggles in higher end cars with more gadgets and tech but so far in last 2 years Spresso has not given a single problem.
Smallfootprint, nimble, free revolving engine with enough low end, bonnet visibility, mini SUV design , luggage space more than Thar and Jimny ( 3 people could take all our luggage for 10 days trip). I still wonder why people go for Alto K10 as they can get better car for little more money. Somebody has to remind me about the steering issue otherwise I never faced it.
Recently I had to squeeze through a tight gap without single scratch and here is the dashcam recording:

https://youtu.be/nFxlHi_8ncs?si=F-hF8TmqSgUqsY4c

Happy miles..

[kvsneela]

Originally Posted by chetan

does the top end come with body coloured bumpers

As per design Spresso bumpers have 2 parts. The bottom one is always in black color in all versions. The top bumper is body colored in all versions except Std model.

[Sedate driver]

Originally Posted by FiatDiesel

Extremely practical, frugal and reliable car for city to the extent that I have stopped using my Hector and bike (depending on weather) for city commutes.

It’s way better and safe then riding two wheelers in city.

Yes, I echo your views on the S-presso. Like you, I too have stopped using the Hector for city drives and strictly use it on the highway only. Every time I take the S-presso inside the city or for short drives, I feel very comfortable. It is tiny but spacious inside, the AGS is a boon to drive in congested traffic, higher seating position, ingress and egress is good, powerful engine and good mileage, etc. The pros outweigh the cons indeed.

[mohan41]

Originally Posted by mm_shen

5. Many people have said that the car suspension was bouncy. But I felt the car handles bad patches of roads better than other small cars like swift, ignis and likes. The additional ground clearance does not make you worry about a huge speed bump ahead.

Agree about almost everything mentioned here, having driven the new S-presso AGS VXi+ for 3 months. It is an excellent city car. However, I find the ride too stiff and bouncy. It may not be good for someone having back pain especially when riding in the back seat. I am hoping it is possible to change some components of the suspension to make it less bouncy.

I have reduced the tyre pressure a little but the effect is only marginal.

Originally Posted by kvsneela

Dear mm_ Shen,

Recently I had to squeeze through a tight gap without single scratch and here is the dashcam recording:
https://Youtu.be/nFxlHi_8ncs?si=F-hF8TmqSgUqsY4c

Unbelievable!

[Wheel Spin]

In 2022 the cabin air filter of my S-presso AGS VXi+ was replaced at Maruti Suzuki Authorised Service Centre: Excell Autovista Pvt Ltd, Kalina, Santacruz(E), Mumbai. I was astonished to find the condition of the cabin filter when I checked it few days back. It was in a completely deformed condition(photo attached) due to wrong filter element installed by the service centre which completely made the purpose of it useless. The cabin air filter installed was not for S-presso but of some other model of larger size due to which the filter element got squeezed at the center resulting in dusty air flow through the blower to the cabin. It is so disgusting that they installed a wrong filter which made the whole blower and the ducts dusty instead of keeping it clean. Now I have installed a new cabin air filter element which is meant for S-presso.