[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

...comparison embargo until 02 May...

Here's the comparison millions were waiting for! Okay, maybe not, but every last fence-sitter deserves to be talked off it. Viddy & I reviewed the Carens too, so here's what we made of it.

Exterior Design

XL6 has matured, primarily due to the wheel/tire upsize and smoked taillamp cluster. Minimal change, maximum effect. Looks like a proper modern MPV now.

Carens' squat front end divides opinion, but I like the estate-ish look it gives the car. The rest is unremarkable.

Neither is going to win a beauty contest, and nobody's going to write an MPV off their list because it isn't pretty. Take your pick.

Cabin Space & Ergonomics

Carens is better packaged overall, but the XL6 has a few things things going for it.

1st row: Both get tilt & telescopic steering, but XL6's driver seat has more travel range (Carens' is restricted to free up 2nd row space). Will matter to taller drivers, it bothered Viddy.

Carens has more lateral space. 5'7" me could get my elbows out in the cockpit without hitting the glass on my right and Viddy on my left. Terrific packaging. XL6 is adequate by comparison.

2nd row: Both good for average height folk, but taller occupants (like Viddy) would deem it adequate in Carens, not expansive. Hard seat-back on both front seats for Carens, cabin air filter mounted on driver seat-back eats into 2nd row knee-room. Push the front row passenger seat all the way forward for a full 'Seth-ji' experience in the 2nd row, on both cars.

3rd row: Carens, no contest. Usable by actual full-grown adults, and accessible via the neat electric tumble & fold on the LHS 2nd row seat (manual on the right). XL6's, by comparison, feels like those scooter riders who suck in their butts an inch to give space when blocking traffic. Serious consideration warranted before putting even your kids there for long drives, if you harbor hopes of being cared for in your old age.

In-cabin storage: Carens nicks this one, with nifty cubbies all over the cabin, including cooled drink holders for the 2nd row on the back of the driver armrest console. The XL6, for a family car, doesn't offer too many spaces to stow away bits & bobs a traveling brood is bound to carry.

Luggage space: Enough for a few small soft bags/backpacks on both cars with all seats up, much larger on Carens' with seats folded down. XL6 is further restricted by the 2nd row seats neither tumbling nor folding flat. Carens can move house with 2nd and 3rd rows down.

Features and Cabin Experience

Sunroof: Carens yes (not a panoramic unit though), XL6 no.

IRVM: Auto dimming unit on Carens, with SOS, RSA & Telematics (Kia Connect) buttons. Manual specimen on XL6. Really, Maruti?

360 view camera: XL6 yes, Carens no.

Ventilated seats: XL6 wins butts down. Back & butt go brrrr. Carens' is adequate.

Dashboard: Understated on XL6, too many shiny piano black plastic bits on Carens. Not a deal-breaker, but glare is a thing on sunny days. For the fitness-inclined, Carens' ICE touchscreen chimes in with shoulder-stretching exercises to reach the top left quadrant.

Ambient lighting: 64 color options on Carens, a proper festival of lights. XL6 gets one to tick the box. Not a fan of distracting lights myself (I even turn down the cluster to minimum brightness), cool party trick nonetheless.

Air conditioning: Roof-mounted rear vents on Carens are arguably ergonomically better, but the LARGE glass house means it's never chilled inside, even with a majorly light colored cabin. The XL6, on the other hand, manages to chill the all-black cabin, albeit a smaller glasshouse aided by the noticeably tinted UV cut glass windows. Impressive.

Power & accessory ports: Important in today's gadget-centric world. Carens gets a host of them sprinkled in all 3 rows, including a wireless Qi charging pad up front. XL6 has 12V and USB ports front row & another 12V port in the 3rd row (left side).

Materials & fit/finish: Carens has the upper hand here. Some premium touches, and the car feels well put together overall. XL6 goes for the utilitarian and does it well, but premium-ness is still at a real premium.

ICE: Both cars have an intuitive, high quality touchscreen. Both suffer from mediocre sound quality, esp. the Carens not living up to the Bose branding. Discerning buyers will probably go for upgraded sound hardware on both cars.

Powertrain

XL6 is petrol-only, 5 MT & 6-speed Torque Converter (TC) AT transmission options, with Smart Hybrid assist.

Carens gets a 1.5 NA petrol (6MT) and 1.4 turbo petrol (6MT & 7DCT), plus a 1.5 diesel (6MT & 6-speed TC AT). Kia should offer an NA petrol + IVT option (available on sibling Seltos) to cover all bases.

The driving experience is a no-contest, with Carens having something for almost everyone, and the motors themselves thoroughly competent. The diesel is a good sedate cruiser but could use some more poke to round it off. The turbo DCT powertrain is surprisingly fun-to-drive too, not something one expects to say for an MPV often.

That said, DCTs have an iffy reputation reliability-wise, and the lack of an old school conventional AT on the Carens petrol variants might pull some customers to XL6. Maruti's unparalleled service coverage and long-standing fuss-free service experience will also attract loyalists, something Kia cannot match today. Add in the phenomenal fuel efficiency Maruti have managed to eke out of the K15C (albeit at the cost of performance) - hugely relevant with ever-increasing fuel prices - and the XL6 claws its way back a bit further.

Ride & Handling

XL6 will provide no cause for complaint, but Carens is car-like in a way no other MPV currently on sale is. Ride quality over rough patches had Viddy commenting 'I would never try that in my Kodiaq!', and it maintains composure remarkably well through quick lane changes and over undulating roads. For someone who's spent long hours commuting in Innovas and assorted MPVs of different generations, I'd rather ride in a Carens. Every single time.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Was curious about this, and found out the following facts:

1. The secondary battery looks visibly larger than before:

2. Specs have been improved:

36Wh in my car:

72Wh in 2022 Ertiga/XL6:

Attachment 2303256

3. Prices of both batteries remain same at Rs. 59,935

4.Power and Torque output of MGU in new Ertiga/XL6 has been increased, while the max current decreases(210A vs 180A):

I was waiting for this info from you and was going to post that only LeoShashi can tell us detailed differences between the 2 battery systems.

Maruti did confirm that the new battery was 2X capacity of the existing one but the amount of assist was similar. What is different is that the assist is there for a longer duration. SO now the battery doesn't drain out easily and then you don't get assist till it charges up again.

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Kia should offer an NA petrol + IVT option (available on sibling Seltos) to cover all bases.

When Carens was launched I was wondering why didn't they do it right at the launch. But now I feel MS' pricing of XL6 has made sure Kia need not worry about NA+CVT combination at least in near future.

Besides that Kia 1.5NA isn't phenomenally efficient the way MS 1.5 is. Nor does it have any significant advantages elsewhere. Putting auto box on it will lower the FE numbers even further and people are going to pitch it against XL6 which will trump Carens handily.

On the other hand, the 1.4 + DCT does not need to justify lower FE because of stonking performance.

With all that said, I will like to be proven wrong. Just give people all the choices and combinations of engine-gearboxes and let them choose whatever. Don't limit their choices from the factory itself.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by amol4184

...Just give people all the choices and combinations of engine-gearboxes and let them choose whatever. Don't limit their choices from the factory itself.

Exactly, never limit a customer's choices if you can avoid it, because they'll take their business elsewhere.

Not every 1.5 NA AT customer will decide primarily on fuel efficiency. There may be a chunk with low running willing to sacrifice FE for a better overall package.

Those customers are currently forced to consider the significantly more expensive petrol DCT or diesel AT, or look elsewhere entirely. Lead times are so long right now that holding dead inventory is a non-issue even for slow moving variants.

[ashwin1397]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Was curious about this, and found out the following facts:

It's surprising that they didn't mention any of this at the launch. This is good info! Thanks!

Mod Note : Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

Thanks!

[yoscenario2000]

Since there is no new thread for New gen facelift 2022 Ertiga official review as we have this dedicated one for XL6, I'm posting this query here. Apology for the same.

Snapshot credit to respective YouTube channel:
Snap shows No temperature gauge in new gen Ertiga 2022 CNG model.

There are seperate fuel gauge for Petrol & CNG (Left one for CNG & right side for petrol), but not for temperature? Any more info about this?

[amol4184]

^^ Baffling. I'm in fact counting three different fuel guages, two for CNG alone.

[OpenRoads]

Congratulations on your new car and thank you for sharing your experience. How is the 6 speed transmission experience? Can anyone tell me who is the manufacturer of this transmission.

[umohan98]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Aisin-sourced 6-speed AT replaces the 4-speed AT:

Originally Posted by OpenRoads

Can anyone tell me who is the manufacturer of this transmission.

The new 6 speed is of Aisin Make, as shown in the official review.

[Venkatesh]

Maruti scaling up the dispatches of facelift Ertiga and XL6 models.

Combinedly, 19,255 units of Ertiga + XL6 shipments happened in April 2022.

The recent launch of Kia's Carens was imminently challenging their share in the MPV space.

Source

[achintatri]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Please don't think the M mode stands for magic or works like BMW M dynamic mode.

The M mode simply works the same as D but allows the gear to be manually held vs early upshifts. It's mostly useful on single lane highways where you don't want to upshift when overtaking and on multi lane highways with lots of truck traffic.

But the only advantage is you can prevent the gearbox going to 6th or 5th which are completely useless in acceleration/overtakes. The XL6 is very scary in single carriage highway overtakes and more than once I realised my judgement was way off in pulling off a safe overtake. This has nothing to do with the gearbox but with the very conservatively tuned engine which refuses to give any mid range shove. Test drive within the city and you will be more than satisfied with the performance and low end grunt. Take the car out on open highways and it's a different car especially if you want to cross 80km/hr. The one good thing with XL6 was no speeding tickets in our drive cause it was so difficult to cross the speed limit

The gearbox is not bad but it can't overcome the engine's tuning. The engine is capable of a lot more if it wasn't dialed down for 20kmpl ARAI.

The other thing is that the engine is so lacklustre that using M mode at high revs is pointless. I am also very sure that using M mode for 0-100 will be slower than D mode. Reason: in D mode you get motor assist from the SHVS but in M mode nothing. So M mode feels slower than D mode! D mode with gentle throttle and the electric motor assist was better in acceleration than the M mode.

Disclaimer: I am not a Youtuber but I did spend the full day driving the car along with Chetan so maybe I can be called a friend.

You are right , you can't compare xl6 gearbox engine combo with that of a BMW car. I don't think anyone has ever done that.

Regarding the 'M' mode, I have driven my XL6 Alpha AT for about 500 kms till now and did not find the need to drive in 'M' mode ever. Even in the 'D' mode, I used the minus paddle shifter lever to drop the gear for getting the traction and speed required to overtake especially on Khandala Lonavala ghats and it worked well even with full load.

BTW, the engine is not lackluster, it gave an average of 20.5 kmpl on the expressway with cruise on and I think it's pretty impressive.

For those who are looking for a BMW like performance, XL6 is not for them. They can at best try Carens DCT but it is lower down in the hierarchy as compared to XL6 (no offense to Carens owners) when it comes to overall fuel economy and reliability especially that of the automatic gearbox involved.

Overall, I am happy with my purchase as fuel economy and reliability of mechanicals in the car are on top of my priority list including the safety.

4 airbags are less than 6 but better than 2.

[romeomidhun]

Source: https://www.carblogindia.com/maruti-...order-backlog/

Maruti has an order backlog of 3.2Lakh cars!

This explains why they price their new launches and automatics higher than the expected price. Even if some orders get cancelled, they make up in the additional profit. Bad for customers, bad for longterm, though.

[shankhajit.das]

Took delivery of my XL6 Zeta MT yesterday!

Upgraded from Alto K10 2015. That was one rev-happy monster, I had many fun rides with it. Overtakes at 80 on a 2 lane highway in heavy downpour, didn't feel insecure one bit. Amazing FE, it costed us less than one flight ticket for a Hyderabad - Bangalore trip each way. However, the 8-9 hour trips were taking a toll on my lower back and knee, so decided to get a more powerful and comfortable car with higher seating

Initial impressions - Steep learning curve, having to drive a BIG car after weaving through city traffic with my Alto almost like an Activa. Apart from that, not as on the feet. Takes a bit of planning for overtakes or inclines, but that is likely part of the initial learning curve as well.

Immensely smooth and refined engine. It almost feels like you're floating on Aladdin's flying carpet. Compared to the older MT that I took a TD on, this one has way lesser traffic noise creeping in. The "pickup" seems to be lesser, however. Suspension is improved, I believe.

About the delivery, the PDI and payment was done the previous day. Took cash discount for the accessories, said I'll choose the accessories. The accessories guy came to me all high and mighty, I opened up Maruti genuine accessories website and trashed his price sheet, where all the items were at least 20% more expensive.
"Sir you will get the accessories only Sir for that price, for showroom price we will fit the accessories also."
"OK I will raise an enquiry online and get it fitted for free from your service center, OK?"
He was much nicer after that. Took me down to the accessories rack and showed me the different qualities of mats and all. He said that the seat covers for the new XL6 has not come yet, and he'll call me once he receives them (the front seats are slightly wider). Will wait for the Maruti seat covers to come, will keep the plastic on till then.

Opted for Maruti insurance to make it a hassle free experience, however because of some technical trouble (payment confirmation pending from bank), it wasn't. Maruti has tied up with SBI for Maruti insurance with a high premium, so I would advise getting insurance yourself OR agree with the showroom to get Bajaj or some other insurance. This delayed the TR and consequently the delivery by almost 4 hours.

Finally, the NEXA stuff. Cake cutting, pictures, etc. The Quality Manager came up to me with a request to not inform Nexa about the hassle with the insurance. I have planned to write a long scathing email to Nexa though, the "Quality Manager" was least bothered when I was running around on the floor trying the sort out the Insurance and TR, and conveniently popped up to save herself at the end. Not gonna happen.

On stock tires for now, will likely get Michelin tires around 20k kms or so. Will get the reverse parking camera later, as the accessories guy said that the old XL6 camera is apparently not compatible with the new one, need your opinion on this. Interior styling kit also, sometime later.

Now, I am on the lookout for a good dashcam. Any recommendations?

[fj_victor]

Spoiler Alert: There are absolutely no perks of owning the car first in a city as per my experience, only other than the fact that you will some enthusiasts be gazing at the 'slightly' updated people-mover on the roads.

Let me start this post by explaining why a new car and how I came about narrowing it down to the XL6 in the first place.

It all started as a need in the family to own a bigger car with some good to have features as the current car I owned (Swift Dzire VXI) was more than 9 years old. It had already crossed the 1lac KM mark on the odometer, and I didn’t really have any complaints with it as such, just that the IRVM was getting a little unstable because of the aftermarket IRVM that goes on top of the existing mirror. Time + Weight had taken a toll on that, and it kept moving away from its set position whenever there were any jerks during the drive. Since I had kept the Dzire majorly serviced by Maruti dealerships in regular intervals, everything was top-notch functional and smooth until the very last day.

It was about time for us to look for a new car for the sole purpose that our driving requirements were changed extensively over the past year. Highways, long drives, and interstate travels were becoming more regular. The idea was to look for a very comfortable SUVish car that has ample space for the passengers and at least 500+ litres of boot space. Since I have a toddler who loves to look at the sky, a sunroof was preferred. The initial idea was ‘if you’re going to buy a new car, you might as well get a sunroof, but if you stick through this thread, you will understand why it didn’t make sense for me.

In the month of January 2022, I exclusively dedicated my time to understanding the Indian Car scene and checking out as many cars in my budget as possible. I did rounds of about 8 showrooms in the city of Mysore, (Hyundai, Kia, Renault, Nissan, Volkswagen, MG Motors, Skoda, Tata), and I did find some interesting options. I had narrowed it down to the Kia Seltos HTK+ iMT, it had everything I needed including a sunroof, and was perfectly fitting in my budget of 15Lacs on road. (Just FYI, Karnataka Road Tax is on the higher side, so the same car and model might cost about 2Lacs lesser in other states).

My idea was to move away from the Dzire’s manual transmission because being a family man also means that your family will want to drive to the most congested shopping areas, and it can be hours sitting idle in the traffic. An iMT was about the best of both worlds I felt, no leg-breaking clutch function and still get the complete manual control.

I took one test drive and felt everything was comfortable. I wanted to do another test drive with my family inside, for which I asked the SA if there were any issues with it, he said no problem and he will wait for my call to get the test drive scheduled from home. I had almost made my mind with Seltos, and that’s when someone in the neighbourhood brought home a blue XL6. Everyone at home was like, ‘please check it out before you proceed with Seltos booking’. I was like okay, and the very next day I visited the NEXA showroom, and the SA was much more accommodating than the previous SAs I met in the city. When I enquired about the XL6, he didn’t tell me much about the features. His attitude was more relaxed and said if it fits in your budget, why don’t you take it for a sprint, and we’ll talk more. So that’s what I did, the car I drove was the XL6 Zeta Manual, I felt more confident behind the wheel, and the 2nd-row captain seats really meant that the family of 4 will sit like royals. Now when talking about the pricing I felt Alpha AT made a bit more sense to me because of added niche features like reverse camera, auto headlamps, auto-folding ORVMs, etc (Yes, I am a sucker for features).

I still hadn’t made up my mind with the XL6 and was inclined to own a Seltos more. But anyway (family pressure), I called up NEXA and scheduled a test drive from home for the family, and by the end of that drive I was 90% convinced the XL6 was a more practical choice. Especially, when you see your toddler really having a time of their life in the last row. I went over some rough roads, took it to the highway and did some overtaking as well, and felt driving butter. My entire driving history has always been about being the aggressive dominator on the road, but when I took the wheel of XL6, I, kid you not, felt a calm take over me on the 80kmph cruising and it made me relax to the 7 skies. The first thought that comes over is ‘I could do this all day!!’.

The next thing I did was to make the 90% to 100% by speaking to my closest long-time friend. Now, this guy has owned Innova(s) for more than 15 years. Plural, because he upgraded to a Crysta recently. He informed me that he ‘slightly’ regrets overpaying for the Crysta since very recently his relative who got an XL6, let him drive it. He had only very good and encouraging words about the XL6 and how it is way more Value for money than Seltos. Especially considering the resale value and service costs. Now the argument shifted to whether we need a sunroof. There is no Suzuki car with a sunroof, yet!! Now my friend asked me one thing which as a parent I should have known beforehand; “Are you sure your (hyperactive) toddler is going to let you drive peacefully until they are allowed to stand and dangerously stick their head out for the entire drive???? I was quiet for a minute thinking about how once we had opened the window and my kid just went berserk and wanted to jump out. I was like XL6 it is!!

Just one thing was left, a test drive of the 4-speed auto gearbox. It was difficult, but somehow one of the ‘friends’ of the dealerships had recently purchased the Alpha AT and was ready to share the car for a test drive with me. I was a bit nervous since this was someone else’s car, nonetheless, I took it for a spin and I felt Okayish, nothing great but an AT is definitely something I need.
In the 1st week of February 2022, we paid the booking amount of Rs 11,000 for the XL6 Alpha AT. It was scheduled to arrive by March 30th, 2022.

Yes, immediately after the booking the Kia Carens started getting ready for launch, and I did have my doubts as to whether I will need to wait for this one. There are multiple reasons that by the 20th of the month, I had understood that Kia Carens is not competing with XL6, rather it is competing with Ertiga, with more features and similar exterior design language of “boring people-mover”. In terms of XL6 vs Carens, people often forget that the Kia Carens 6-seater variant is freakishly expensive. Anyway, I didn’t dwell on this thought much since I have already rejected the brand Kia for Maruti-Suzuki since I am considering a long terms dependability and the service costs.

Now as per the reports Carens had gained over 60,000 bookings over the past one month or so, for which the media reported that a new XL6 with an updated gearbox will be launched. And my boy I was excited. I called up my SA and started asking him about the same, but he said, ‘no idea sir, generally MS only does a facelift after 4 years, they are not known for mid-cycle updates. I was dejected but then responded to him in a very confident voice, ‘I don’t know how but when you hear even the slightest of the rumour from the factory about a new gearbox, you will do whatever it takes to get me that facelifted car. I do not mind having an extended wait time for it by 2 more months or so.’

Now cut to March 20th, and the rumours of the new XL6 car are flying everywhere. There was a Team-bhp topic that I was subscribed to and kept reading the posts almost every day. I called up my SA and enquired about the timeline, and all he said was, that the booking period for XL6 is now 10-12 weeks from the earlier 6-8 weeks, and as per the records my car is expected to arrive by April 30th. But there was no official update on the new version of the car.

By April 13th or so, the Ertiga was launched with a new gearbox and paddle shifters and new infotainment system, I was like ‘yay’ finally!

By April 15th, my SA called up and said that my booking has been confirmed for the New XL6 and the colour option is changed from Premium Silver to Splendid Silver. When I enquired about the features, he said he has no idea, but the gearbox will be identical to the new Ertiga, the 6-speed torque converter with paddle shifters. He also said that he will have his sales training on 24th April and until then it's just rumoured about the 6 airbags, HUD, Auto-IRVM, 360 Camera, etc.

Cut to April 24th, which was also the launch day of the XL6, I, for instance, sat in my room the live streaming of it. Everything about the car was pleasing except the price hike.

I recalculated my budget, and since a month more had passed over the original delivery date of March 30th, I felt the new prices were still under my budget. By this time, Kia Carens had increased their prices twice already for which I felt some relief, thinking I am still paying less for my XL6 Alpha AT.

On April 28th the SA called up and asked for our presence for the ‘Unveiling event of the new XL6’. Our allotted car hadn’t arrived from the factory yet. I was like, ‘An unveiling, sounds great.' So, we get there and see some important people related to the dealership present. It was a small event with my SA showing us around and introducing us as the ‘potential’ owners of the new XL6.

On May 3rd, 2022, the car arrived at the dealership, and I paid the balance amount and the additional accessories cost for Spoilers, Chrome beadings, interior styling, floor laminations, etc. The reason for floor laminations is that I know my family and I know the places we visit, it is always raining and covered in mud. I need to protect the car flooring as much as possible and floor laminations are something I am used to in my previous cars as well.

Later that day, I saw the car for the first time and it was just perfect. The new alloys and the new colour were so tempting and then the new leatherette seats and whatnot. My inner child was so excited to see paddle shifters, the 360 View, and the new infotainment system.


It was at this moment, that my SA informed me that I am the first person in Mysore to own the new XL6. There were about 3 or 4 customers before me who have already taken deliveries before me simply because the car takes longer to arrive in Mysore than other cities, like Chandigarh, Delhi, Bangalore, etc.

I spent a good two hours checking every bit of the car for my satisfaction, in case of any defects or problems. So far none.

Anyway, May 6th is the scheduled delivery date, and we arrive with a typical ‘welcome to NEXA’ with the car nicely gift wrapped, and my name displayed on the screen. A quick 30-minute presentation of the documents, warranty, insurance, and a walkthrough of the car features, and by about 5:30 pm we left the showroom with my family and drove straight to the fuelling station.

Since this was my first time with the new 6-speed AT, I didn’t find any complaints at all. The gearshifts were prominent for the driver but almost impossible for the passengers to feel. Upon hard acceleration at the speed of 40kmph, the car downshifts and is ready for overtakes. Not sure about the highway driving but will keep you posted.


With the first 24 hours with the car, the average efficiency of the fuel is about 5.6 Km per litre as per the MID. This also included the countless hours of stationary idling of the car. This will definitely improve over time.

I am still unable to connect the Suzuki Smartplay Pro sync for the infotainment software upgrade. I will wait for the service centre to get it checked. Meanwhile, the android auto works as expected.

The Suzuki Connect is a very good tool. Since it comes with a 3-year subscription at the time of delivery, I will be analysing my usage of this tool over the period of 3 years to see if I really need it and will pay as required.

Thank you for staying until the very end of this thread, as this is my first thread in Team-Bhp, I sincerely apologize if I have gone off-topic or made this post unnecessarily longer.

[ron82x3]

Originally Posted by fj_victor

In the 1st week of February 2022, we paid the booking amount of Rs 11,000 for the XL6 Alpha AT.

Wow. Congratulations on your purchase. The XL6 is a looker and a sensible choice.
And a big NA engine+ a slush box is a better option than a Turbo+AT and more sensible than Turbo+DCT.

Do let us know how it compares with the performance vs your Swift Dzire VXI.