[Need for Speed]

The hope for 2.4L GV in 2008 has got me hung up on my purchase. The dealer says nothing new is gonna come (i am sure he gets a good bonus to exhaust his stock !)
I just love this car. Is there a way to find out about the launch date in 2008.

I surely agree that a Maruti A.S.S is much better and widespread than a GM / Ford / HM and for that matter even Honda..

I have always been treated well by the service team in multiple service centers and they don't act snobbish like a Honda.

In sub 20L SUV there is no comparison to GV.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by Ym-enjn

Its gonna be priced around 15.5 Lakhs. I read in past. If it would have been a CBU then too the price would have remained below CRV, like other markets. That is around 18 - 20, but its not CBU.

Well, if that is going to be the case, then great for us. It seems that Outlander will be a high priority car for Mitsubishi - unlike the GV for Maruti (who are making their money from the smaller vehicles). The GV salesguy tells me that Maruti is not making any money on the GV. Wish Maruti would put their muscle behind the GV...

[nilanjanray]

Details about 2009 Vitara
http://www.caradvice.com.au/15899/20...-grand-vitara/

Nice specs!

A question: is it possible to import the 2009 Vitara from another country? Even after paying 110% duty, the price won't be that bad....

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

A question: is it possible to import the 2009 Vitara from another country? Even after paying 110% duty, the price won't be that bad....

According to my sources in Maruti, it is possible, in fact it will be cheaper than the officially offered one from Maruti. Do check it out.

[iraghava]

It might not be that easy as only one model (in the link posted above) costs over $40,000 & has an engine bigger than 3000cc which are the two basic conditions to be met for a vehicle to be imported without homologation.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by iraghava

It might not be that easy as only one model (in the link posted above) costs over $40,000 & has an engine bigger than 3000cc which are the two basic conditions to be met for a vehicle to be imported without homologation.

Well, those figures are in AUD (1 AUD: ~ 35 INR), so perhaps none of the versions fit the criteria.

@ Samurai: with that kind of pricing, the GV becomes rather expensive - I was wrong in my assumption that the imported version would not be significantly more costly than the one available here.

Too bad. Will wait till Oct 15 - if there is any news of the 2009 version getting launched, will wait for that. Else will take the plunge and go for the current version.

Showed Outlander pictures to my wife - she didn't like it. Said that from the side and back it looks like an Innova (I partially agree). Doesn't have the muscular looks of the Vitara.

Btw, the GV site has been revamped - better navigation and pictures.

[sudev]

My friend, who is one running one MUL sales outlet, attended a sales meeting where they discussed new version. No date give but indication is last quarter. IAC next lot of imports are going to be 2.4L new model.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by sudev

My friend, who is one running one MUL sales outlet, attended a sales meeting where they discussed new version. No date give but indication is last quarter. IAC next lot of imports are going to be 2.4L new model.

The Australian specs for the 2.4 L version are:122 KW/ 225 NM. If I convert KW to PS, and use the existing 15% power loss and 7% torque loss factors for the Indian model, then we can expect the 2.4L to have 140 HP/ 209 NM.

Do you personally feel that these improvements would be noticeable from a driving point of view?

Btw, the 2009 model front grill doesn't look as good as the current model IMO.

[nilanjanray]

Went for a test drive today. Great acceleration for its size. Seems pretty solid too - took it to a potholed field off Sarjapur Main Road. Surprised some grazing cows who were amused to see a huge white beast bouncing up and down the field.

Had enjoyed driving the Vitara more. Can't imagine driving such a big car (well, truck) everywhere. And I don't think I would be willing to pay 21L+ OTR for this car. Btw, the dashboard seemed pretty basic - the Vitara's looks nicer.

So I am scratching Endy from my list. Only incremental benefit of the Endy is the huge space in the back - especially if I take out the 3rd row. Will be good for my dog. When I had a second look at the Vitara, the back seemed a bit cramped for a big dog. Maybe I can convince a Maruti dealer to give my dog a TD too! It sure sucks that Maruti doesn't have either of the colours I was considering - Black and Azure Grey.

Interesting - the Ford guys seem to track competition closely. They were claiming that the Outlander will be 18.5L ex showroom! I argued that probably they are talking about OTR, but they said that they used to be a dealer of HM/ Mitsubishi earlier, and that they have inside info (bull probably, given that Southern Motors didn't have the pricing details.)

Well, if the Outlander is 18.5 - 20 L ex showroom, don't think there will be many takers.

[Ym-enjn]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Surprised some grazing cows who were amused to see a huge white beast bouncing up and down the field.

Couldn't stop laughing for 5 min. Endy is famous for doing stuff like that, no car is awarded the best off roader for nothing. Another reason to rejoice for Endy owners is that its the largest selling premium SUV of India, second is Captiva and third is CRV. Just read that at another post.

[nilanjanray]

Seems to be a much improved version. The new 2.4L is getting great reviews - from Canada as well as from Australia. From being underpowered w.r.t. competitors, it has surpassed them.

Canadian review:
CanadianDriver: First Drive - 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara

Yet another Australian review:
2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara specifications and pictures
This has pictures of interiors.

Hope Maruti doesn't raise the price, or detune the engine too much.

Maybe I should move to Delhi - prices are so much less there. The Himalayas are an added attraction :-)

[Ricky_63]

With the Outlander having announced a price of 20.20L - ex showroom, let's see what the new 2.4L Vitara throws at us.

That will be a compareable comparison. Seems like the Vitara will remain the VFM option vs the Outlander.



Cheers

[rangaraj]

Looking at the photograph of the shape of the surroundings of the meters, it looks remarkably similar to the shape of the outlander!

[torque@7200rpm]

Dear Friends,
Kindly guide and help me in choosing from Captiva and GV-09.I am a lot confused.The looks of captiva are captivating then the maintenance of GV is low.I am lot confused kindly help me out.

The prices are also a matter of concern regarding resale of a SUV is a project in itself.So help me about the +ves and -ves of both the cars.

[sudev]

AFAIK at this point there are no GV's in stock with Maruti and they are waiting for the next lot of imports which was supposed to be in December but now January/February.