This is the ownership review of a car bought in August 2010. For the past 9 months, I had been trying to get a membership on this forum. Now that I have got it I feel I should write the review of my 9 months old car. So all the things written below date back to July 2010 which was the month we started looking out for cars. This might not be a comprehensive review but I have tried to include everything I could.
NEED FOR A NEW CAR:
We owned a TATA Indigo GLX previously. This was our first sedan. We had it for 7 years and it was trouble free ownership. Apart from regular maintenance services there was never the need to take it to a garage. However few days back while my dad was coming back from the office the car stalled on the highway. We took it to a garage and got it fixed. The next day it again stalled. We then took it to an authorised TATA service and got a whopping bill of 17k for getting the car fixed. The mechanic there told us that it would be better to buy a new car as this car would keep giving us problems. Though the car was 7 years old the odometer reading was just 34k. This car was used by my father for his office travels and weekend social meetings; by me for just hanging out with my friends. But my Dad decided it was time for a new Car as there was no point in taking to car to garages time and again. Plus once you car has had a major problem you always have the fear that the car might stall in the middle of somewhere (In Bombay it’s a scary thought).
WHICH CAR TO BUY:
My dad wanted a sedan for sure. Now my dad is a typical Indian customer. One who will not do any research for buying things but would rather just ask his friends or relatives and make a decision. But I was not going to let him buy a car without research. So after a lot of persuasion I convinced him to at least test drive cars of different companies. I shall list the test driving experience in chronological order. All the cars test driven were petrol versions as our running per month was not much. In 7 years we had just done 34k on our Indigo, so you can guess how less we drive our car.
1. HONDA CITY:
First stop was the Honda showroom at Santacruz, Mumbai. A salesperson came to us within 2 minutes. He told us about all the features of the car. Since my dad would be driving the car most of the time, he decided to have a look at the car in the showroom before taking the test drive. We both liked the looks of the car. The salesperson offered us to sit inside the car and see the interiors. He opened the gate and offered my dad first. The first thing I noticed was that he was not able to get in the car easily. He had to crouch down and get in. Even my dad felt the same. Ingress/egress was difficult both for me and my dad. Apart from that both of us were impressed with all the features especially the interiors. Then we saw the OTR price sheet. The price of the base model was 10,10,000. Although we could afford it, this was stretching our budget. Then the salesperson said that the test drive car was not available and that he would send one to our residence the next day. We gave him our address and phone no and left the showroom. The next day we waited for his call which never came. My dad's reaction was - " If he is not interested in selling a car why the hell should we call him".
2. TATA MANZA :
Next we went to a TATA showroom. Since our previous car was a TATA car itself I was not much interested in TATA again but I decided to at least take a TD. First we saw the Manza. The looks were not that inspiring but when we saw the interiors we were highly impressed. It had a MID indicator as well as Bluetooth. When we asked the price we were in for a surprise. He said the cost was 7.1 lakh. This was below our expectation which was good. The only thing that was bothering us was the underpowered engine. My dad's main requirement was a powerful engine as he used to make about 2 highway trips every month ( To Daman). Still we decided to test drive it. The salesperson arranged for it within 10 minutes. The test drive was not that great. I felt like I was driving an Indigo with better interiors. The engine power felt the same as our Old Indigo. This was the deal breaker. But for a person who was buying his first sedan and wanted all the features with a limited budget Manza would be a great choice.( My personal opinion)
3. FIAT LINEA:
The moment we saw the car we were amazed by her looks. She is absolutely stunning in maroon. But here too the engine specifications were disappointing ( 90 BHP power). The engine supposed to power this heavy car was underpowered (Remember there was no Linea-Tjet at that time). Plus my dad was always against FIAT because of its A.S.S and high cost of spares. The interiors seemed fine but not good like Honda City. Since my dad had already decided not to buy a FIAT I thought there was no point in taking a test-drive.
4. HYUNDAI VERNA :
Next we went to the Hyundai showroom. My dad did not want Verna because it just looked bad. Even I did not like it but I thought a good ride may change my mind. So I took him to the Hyundai showroom. We waited there for 15 mins and there was no sign of a salesperson. We took the brochure of Verna Transform ourselves and started reading it. In the meantime a salesperson came to us and asked us about our requirements. In the brochure I did not see ABS/Airbags anywhere. I asked him about it(the petrol version). He said that Verna Transform does not come with Airbags. We did not even ask for a TD because my dad wanted a car with all the safety features. I still do not understand what is the logic of not giving airbags in the topmost model.
5. Maruti Sx4 :
My dad had previously driven his friend's Sx4. He was already impressed by this car. But I wanted to TD it. Some people do not like its looks but I was bowled over by its looks. The engine specifications were also impressive. It had all the safety features. But MID indicator was missed. Maruti should have put such features in its flagship sedan. Though it was not a deal breaker but it was sorely missed. The interiors though not great were just enough for us. Then the TD. Because of its high ground clearance getting in and out of the car was not a problem at all. I wanted an upgrade from Indigo and sx4 it was. The steering wheel was very easy to use but not absolutely light. Gear box was butter-smooth. I was amazed by its acceleration. It was also comfortably in our budget. Fiesta was not considered as it was on old model and nobody from my family liked its looks.
We came back and analyzed all our experiences. Maruti Sx4 was satisfying all our requirements. So we booked an Azure Grey Sx4 Zxi at AUTOVISTA, Bandra on 26th July 2010. Its OTR price was 8.5 lakhs after 30k discount. Freebies offered were Mud flaps and floor mats (the transparent ones), Anti-rust treatment.
We sold our old Indigo to them only. The delivery process was absolutely smooth and we got our car on 4th August at 5pm. Got a box of chocolates, a cake and a petrol coupon of 5 litres of a nearby petrol pump. Straight away went to Siddhivinayak Temple for the usual car pooja and came back. At night went for a small drive with my family to my cousin’s place to show them our new ride!
Positives :
1. Great handling. Steering is smooth and so is the gear box.
2. Great turning radius. I though being a big car, taking turns would be diffcult but I was proved wrong.
3. Powerful engine. Stop-start acceleration is just fantastic.
4. High seating position. High ground clearance means no worrying about speed-breakers.
5. Maruti's A.S.S - the best in the market today.
6. Noise levels are incredibly low. This might probably be because I was comparing it to my Old Indigo but a good point nonetheless.
Negatives:
1. Poor fuel efficiency compared to City and Linea.
2. A-pillar does hinder your visibility. You will have to be little careful while taking right/left turns but will get used to it.
3. The ride quality is a little harsh. I have sat inside my uncle's Linea and I think Linea swallows bumps and potholes better than Sx4.
4. You need to install parking sensors as rear visibility is not great.
5. Headlights are not strong enough. They could have been better. If we replace the stock lights do we void the warranty? Has any Sx4 user changed the headlights?
A lot has been said about the JK Vectras on Sx4 but I do think I will be changing them as I am fine with it. Probably few years down line I might change them. The sound system is just fine for me. We also got parking sensors and Bluetooth kit installed from the dealer itself. The bluetooth + parking sensors costed us 7k. Is 7k too much for bluetooth+parking sensors? Some pictures of the new beast:
The "maala" is still there
The Side Profile
Meaty tyres and nice alloys
Simple and neat front door.
The fake wooden finish
Simple layout of buttons
More pictures to follow.