[Stribog]

Just saw a Red one on the road and it must have been a lower trim because the tyres looked like they didn't exist. Quite frankly the car which looked extremely weird in my rearview mirror (based on my tastes, no offense to anyone meant) was made worse when I let the driver overtake me to check out the side / rear. It looked like those weird gym bros who are on steroids, obsessively work out their upper body while skipping leg day.

A request to anyone purchasing the car, skip all accessories, drive it to the nearest tyre store and upsize the tyres. It would improve both the aesthetics as well as the performance. Given how thin the rubber is, I wonder how prone to punctures it will be.

All this makes me wonder, what the design brief to the designers was? It already is one of the cheapest cars in the market, cladding it with half decent tyres, providing cladding in the rear wheel arch would add what Rs 10,000? Overall the value proposition would have remained the same, but with much better ride comfort and aesthetic appeal.

But then again, it is a Maruti, you could put that S logo on a bullock cart, add a 10 BHP motor and it will still sell.

[Torino]

Nice review blackwasp. Saw few S-Pressos on the road in differnet colors and they all looked wierd cause of those tiny wheels, wider tyres with slightly offset wheels will improve looks several folds.

What you'll find extremely annoying is that whenever you drive in a pedal-to-the-metal style (i.e. flooring the accelerator), the ECU switches the air-con compressor off for that extra pep. Even if you’re climbing a flyover in a taller gear and floor the accelerator, the air-con cooling switches off. This compressor switching off action is far too aggressive and thus, affects the air-con's cooling. The S-Presso has a very healthy power to weight ratio & Maruti didn't need to do this. I had to find a workaround = while redlining on a fast highway, I found myself backing off the accelerator for a moment, waiting for the a/c cooling to start (within 4 to 5 seconds), and then pushing the accelerator all the way in again.

My Alto K10 doesn't have this air-con compressor off feature and frankly the air-con doesn't have any noticable effect on K10's performance at any speed, same should be the case with the S-Presso. Probably Maruti included this feature to aid fuel efficiency cause I've noticed the fuel level drop quickly after flooring and redlining.

[aniketi]

I think it's a brilliant car by Maruti. Not to forget it's mainly a city car and not a highway cruiser. I can spot many on Pune roads now and it really looks cute & funky. I like it's dimensions, it's very compact & yet enough space for 4+1. Also one more advantage is it's height, easy to in & out of car with great view while driving. Great car for city use and on small roads. I think it will be more popular in elderly people and woman drivers as its very compact, so easy to find parking spots & maneuver in small city lanes.

I think Maruti should provide bigger tires on top variant with nice Alloy wheels, looks much better. I am sure lots of people will be ready to pay extra 20-30 K if they get company fitted Alloy's which will enhance it's looks multi fold.

[Sutripta]

Anyone know the suspension travel? Esp. rear.

Strange to see a newer Maruti without a tacho. Apparently based on research, it was put in even their basic models, and salesmen were told to point it out.

Anyone know if any other seats can be easily fitted? Absolutely hate the integrated headrests. And drivers height adjustment would be nice.

What was the turning circle of the van/ Omni? And Versa/ Eeco?

Regards
Sutripta

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Strange to see a newer Maruti without a tacho. Apparently based on research, it was put in even their basic models, and salesmen were told to point it out.

Surprising indeed, specially when even the Alto K10 had it. Can be installed easily if its a must, by using A Star Tacho.

What was the turning circle of the van/ Omni? And Versa/ Eeco?

Turning radius:

Omni: 4.1 meter
Versa/Eeco: 4.5 meter

Regards,
Shashi

[NiInJa]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Strange to see a newer Maruti without a tacho. Apparently based on research, it was put in even their basic models, and salesmen were told to point it out.

My guess is that they have kept it either for later iterations or keeping it reserved for Zxi model just like the WagonR. If one looks closely at the speedometer console, there are blank spots which can accommodate led bars for tachometer.

Maruti's official service centers have this accessories team who is too adamant on making major changes to car parts like seats etc. They refused to cut the rear door panel and stick a speaker grille on our car but had fitted the speakers behind it anyway !

Front seats lack upper back support especially if one likes to drive in a relaxed manner like me. Seats can be changed in aftermarket, but they have some weight sensors under the seat base so worth noting that. I have plans for adding extra padding to the back rest and switching to after market alloys after a few years.

[NiInJa]

Originally Posted by Stribog

All this makes me wonder, what the design brief to the designers was? It already is one of the cheapest cars in the market, cladding it with half decent tyres, providing cladding in the rear wheel arch would add what Rs 10,000? Overall the value proposition would have remained the same, but with much better ride comfort and aesthetic appeal.

But then again, it is a Maruti, you could put that S logo on a bullock cart, add a 10 BHP motor and it will still sell.

In my opinion, what Maruti has done is keep the selling price of the car as reasonable as they can on their side and probably expects the customer take it forward by making it looking better by switching to fatter tyres, cladding etc. We bought the top end Vxi+ as the versions below it were not offering airbags on passenger side and already felt the car was a bit too expensive even by second city car standards. The money spent on upgrading tyres and looks brings it very close to a stock WagonR which has more space but ordinary seats. That might explain why S-Presso is not selling in numbers matching the Alto in the last couple of months.

[Leoshashi]

LHD S Presso, Exported from India

[BoneCollector]

Thank you for a wonderful review blackwasp. I really love when such in depth analysis is done on any car.

We will be looking at replacing our Wagon R that has just crossed 8 years / 50000kms last week some time late this year or early next year. Since it's the 2nd car with 90% city usage and 10% or less of highway usage, it needs to be replaced by something similar. My Dad is sold on the S-Presso. I was also keen on it but then after reading the highway manners of S-Presso, I guess I'll be considering the new Wagon-R as well as the Ignis too. I know Ignis is the best of the lot when it comes to stability so let me figure out. Why only Maruti? Well, I cannot waste my time haggling at service center of Hyundai and Tata every time or keep on running to Patna for even a small issue.

[Leoshashi]

LHD brochure:









Interesting to note that Base trim weighs 750kgs, unlike 726kgs in India. However even their base trim is decently loaded.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

My Dad is sold on the S-Presso. I was also keen on it but then after reading the highway manners of S-Presso, I guess I'll be considering the new Wagon-R as well as the Ignis too.

Very similar situation with my Dad who was keen on the S Presso when replacing his Renault Kwid a month back. I was dead against the S Presso (owing to the looks as well as the driving manners) and managed to convince him to pick up the new Wagon R. A superior vehicle in every way with a relatively small price difference from the S Presso.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Came across this video of an S-presso that crashed into a Tata Sumo. Seems to have taken the impact pretty well, the passenger cabin is impact and even the door seem to be operable. Looking at the Sumo, seems to have taken place at a decent speed.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PpR8mMMaqUI

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

Came across this video of an S-presso that crashed into a Tata Sumo. Seems to have taken the impact pretty well, the passenger cabin is impact and even the door seem to be operable. Looking at the Sumo, seems to have taken place at a decent speed.

Glad to see a maruti car holding up in a frontal crash. Thankfully the occupants seem to have escaped without any major injury.

I can see learner's board (L) on the s-presso's windshield.

[McLaren Roxx]

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

Thankfully the occupants seem to have escaped without any major injury.
I can see learner's board (L) on the s-presso's windshield.

Lucky, definitely. Especially when the passenger wasn't wearing the seat belt - as seen from the ball sized smash near the L sticker.

[shibujp]

The S-Presso seems to be catching on. I see a lot more on the roads in Kerala than say couple of months before.

As time goes by it seems to be finding a lot more acceptance. Dropping by an Arena showroom to check out the Brezza, I checked out a few variants on display there, the value proposition was well on display.

Interiors were quite spacious for a car of that size and shape. The driving position too was quite high up and the square bonnet did give an SUV feel from the seat. The interiors while not as top notch as say Hyundai were acceptable in quality.

Would I buy it now? Perhaps not. But would I have bought it in the situation I was 16 years back when driving a free flow 5 speed 800 that promised a good experience backed by Maruti's promise of a low cost, hassle free experience. It would have been a strong contender...it is evident that Maruti's market research has been as usual spot on.

Drive on,
Shibu.