[Dinup P Pillai]

I had made a booking before the launch (July), but I am yet to hear from my Nexa SA. I am planning to cancel the booking anyway.

[amar_ka03_mp04]

Hi Guys, I am on the verge of booking the Strong Hybrid Alpha + variant. I see a lot of people complaining about the launch price. However, if I do compare it to the City hybrid which actually offers lesser features, this seems okay.

Pros that I see are good GC, decent set of features, great mileage, service network and resale. I have a booking for XUV700 AX7L as well which is a different segment altogether but family happy with the savings on price and also on fuel. Also the fact that XUV700 will take another 6-7 months to be delivered along with 2 more price hikes.

[matchvan]

Greetings Team,
I own a 3 year old S-cross.
Visited the Nexa showroom to see the Grand Vitara in person.
Let the pictures do the talking.
The car looks proportionate, not big in comparison to S-Cross.
Overall a decent looking, well loaded, slightly over priced offering from Maruti.
Drive Safe.

[neel911]

The car does look nice from exterior.

For people thinking about cancelling or waiting for discounts, please be aware that all manufacturers have constantly been increasing prices on regular basis. So even when it comes to discount time, you might be still paying same amount what you would today. Cars have become expensive so carefully look at other options if you really need one now before cancelling. In general, cars have become expensive post covid due to constant rise in input costs.

One thing that might help Maruti and Toyota is to get better safety rating over Korean twins which barely managed to get 3 stars.

[vijay.s]

Can anyone confirm how bad is the thin shade for the sunroof? From the pics, videos, the sun shade looks very thin and I am concerned that on a sunny day, this might prove to be a deterrent to take the vehicle out.

Is it even an option to install a dark sunfilm over the sunroof. Will it help to bring down the heat or is it not going to be that effective an option?

I am leaning towards purchasing the Mild hybrid Alpha Automatic (although I booked the strong hybrid version). But looking at the price, I would rather save the money on a strong hybrid as my yearly run does not cross ~8000 km.

[Hickstead]

Originally Posted by vijay.s

Can anyone confirm how bad is the thin shade for the sunroof? From the pics, videos, it sun shade looks very thin and I am concerned that on a sunny day, this might prove to be a deterrent to take the vehicle out.

The sunroof shade is pathetically thin. Very thin sheet which hangs and looks very odd. However the amount of heat it can resist has to be checked practically. It can't stop any amount of sun light though, on a bright sunny day. This is a huge disappointment for me when compared to other cars in this segment and price point. They came up with so many unexpected compromises in the vehicle. I am looking for a good alternative for the Koreans and now in a serious dilemma due to this half baked attempt from Suzuki and Toyota.

Originally Posted by vijay.s

I am leaning towards purchasing the Mild hybrid Alpha Automatic (although I booked the strong hybrid version). But looking at the price, I would rather save the money on a strong hybrid as my yearly run does not cross ~8000 km.

I do not have the intention to discourage you. This is just my point of view. You take your call based on your opinion.

Strong hybrid is the only segment that has some USP in the form of Grand Vitara or Hyryder.
I find no point in considering the mild hybrid of this vehicle by paying extra compared to Brezza. Check Brezza and you will find the same interiors there as well. Even the rear seat width is not great in these cars compared to that of Brezza.

[Chetan_Rao]

Any sightings of the chestnut brown shade yet?

Saw one at the drive event, but it had all sort of optional chrome trimmings slapped on.

[vagman]

While everyone keeps suggesting the K15C Mild hybrid is underpowered when compared to Turbo rivals, do we have any insights on how it fares against similar specced 1.5 NA engines from Hyundai/Kia?

[headbanger]

Originally Posted by vijay.s

I am leaning towards purchasing the Mild hybrid Alpha Automatic (although I booked the strong hybrid version). But looking at the price, I would rather save the money on a strong hybrid as my yearly run does not cross ~8000 km.

Please share your thoughts about picking GV over Brezza for mild hybrid. It will help to understand a different perspective.
Functionally, the only positive that GV has over Brezza is extra 100L of boot space in my books.
I will wait for adding better crash rating as a point till GV or Brezza is tested. Nobody expected a 3 star rating from Seltos and hence all talks around GV/Brezza getting a supposedly better crash rating has a speculative element to it.

[d-g-p]

Originally Posted by headbanger

Functionally, the only positive that GV has over Brezza is extra 100L of boot space in my books.

Although official figures for GV are not out, Bootspace is about 375 litres according to V3cars. Compared to Brezza (328 litres) this figure is only an increase of less than 50 litres. Some others quoted this bootspace to be about 355 litres. Where as actual increase in vehicle length is about 37cm for GV over Brezza. This increase in length has not been translated into substantial increase in boot space. It's another story that practicality of usable space is different.

[amar_ka03_mp04]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Any sightings of the chestnut brown shade yet?

Saw one at the drive event, but it had all sort of optional chrome trimmings slapped on.

Attachment 2363376

Yes Chetan, the Bhopal Nexa Showroom has the Chestnut Brown on display and I preferred it more than the White (they had that for delivery).

Also just FYI, white has been my favorite colour on cars, all of my previous cars have been white, but I have booked the Chestnut Brown in this case, just loved the shade. Sorry did not click pictures though.

[vijay.s]

Originally Posted by headbanger

Please share your thoughts about picking GV over Brezza for mild hybrid. It will help to understand a different perspective.

Well, first and foremost I wanted a car that was slightly more spacious than the brezza. I drive a dzire (compact sedan) and brezza is a compact suv. Since, I wanted something a little more spacious, the brezza was out. Moreover, I could not get myself to pay over 17L when the korean twins were available for much less.

Now, coming to the grand vitara, I have actually booked the grand vitara hybrid. But due to the atrocious pricing, I am now forced to consider the regular automatic. I was hoping the hybrid to be priced around 20-21L. But 24L on road is simply out of my budget. Even if it promises a good fuel economy, it will take me a good 7-8 years before I can really breakeven (at current fuel prices).

Another reason is that I am extremely pissed with the current waiting periods. I cannot think of going through the entire process of booking and waiting for some other car once again.

[vijay.s]

I created an excel to compare what would be the right automatic variant to buy and had chalked out the following details.

Zeta Automatic (Mild Hybrid)

Cost - 1913890/- On Road price Hyd.

Gets all the features EXCEPT
1> Panaromic sunroof
2> Roof Rails (can be installed after-market)
3> No Digital display
4> Leatherette Seats
5> Leatherette Steering Wheel
6> Puddle Lamp
7> Ventilated Seats (Driver + Co-driver)
8> Head Up Display
9> Wireless Charger
10> 360 View Camera
11> Tyre Pressure Monitoring System


Alpha Automatic (Mild Hybrid)

Cost - 2103950/- On Road price Hyd.
Upgrade from Zeta Automatic to Alpha Automatic cost - 190060

Gets the following additional features

1> Panaromic sunroof
2> Roof Rails
3> Leatherette Seats
4> Leatherette Steering Wheel
5> 360 View Camera

Misses out on the following

1> No Digital display
2> Puddle Lamp
3> Ventilated Seats (Driver + Co-driver)
4> Head Up Display
5> Wireless Charger
6> Tyre Pressure Monitoring System


Zeta Plus (Strong Hybrid)
Cost - 2245754/- On Road price Hyd.

Upgrade from Alpha Automatic to Zeta Plus costs - 141804

Gets the following additional features
1> Digital Instrument cluster
2> Head Up Display
3> Wireless Charger

Misses out on the following
1> Leatherette Seats
2> Leatherette Steering Wheel
3> 360 View Camera

Alpha Plus (Strong Hybrid)
Cost - 2440503/- On Road price Hyd.

Upgrade from Zeta plus to Alpha Plus costs - 2440503

Gets the following additional features

1> Ventilated Seats (Driver + Co-driver)
2> Puddle Lamp
3> Leatherette Seats
4> Leatherette Steering Wheel
5> Premium Sound System
6> 360 View Camera
7> Tyre Pressure Monitoring System

Can anyone help break down which among the above 4 variants is good value for money proposition?

[headbanger]

Originally Posted by d-g-p

Although official figures for GV are not out, Bootspace is about 375 litres according to V3cars. Compared to Brezza (328 litres) this figure is only an increase of less than 50 litres. Some others quoted this bootspace to be about 355 litres

Thank you for correcting me. If that's the case, I am confused about USP of GV over Brezza for the mild hybrid.

Originally Posted by vijay.s

Well, first and foremost I wanted a car that was slightly more spacious than the brezza. I drive a dzire (compact sedan) and brezza is a compact suv. Since, I wanted something a little more spacious, the brezza was out.

Another reason is that I am extremely pissed with the current waiting periods. I cannot think of going through the entire process of booking and waiting for some other car once again.

I can understand the pain due to the current norm of waiting periods. But my experience with Brezza versus GV is slightly different. Brezza feels roomier on the inside while being under 4m overall. Infact, Brezza feels much more spacious inside across CSUV segment, except for Nexon which is closest to Brezza on cabin space. GV on the other hand felt smaller inside inspite of it being longer than Brezza. Though it is slightly subjective, the feeling of space is definitely not chalk and cheese between Brezza and GV.

Did you consider Seltos or Creta IVT in your shortlist?

[vijay.s]

Originally Posted by headbanger

Did you consider Seltos or Creta IVT in your shortlist?

If its not Vitara, then yes I will back to booking one of the korean twins. Most likely the Creta.

I liked the looks of Seltos but given that the IVT automatic does not come in the topmost variant, I am planning to go with Creta. Not only does the top variant of Creta is available in the IVT transmission, but also it gets many of the features that are missing in the Alpha Automatic variant. They both cost the same but the Vitara misses out on the ventilated seats, air purifier, premium speaker system etc.