[blue_pulsar]

Originally Posted by Alive2Drive

Hi blue_pulsar,

Congratulations on your new ride. I hope you clock millions of kilomitres. I have heard the AC for ritz is super chilly. Is that the case ? Any upgrades planned ?

Thanks!
Yes, A/C is really good. Till date, I rarely needed to go above 'point 2'.
Regarding uprades, reverse parking sensors are high on priority followed by tire upgrades.

Originally Posted by SLK

Firstly! Congratulations on the car and that is a good detailed review.

About the speed in excess of 130, I guess either its the tyres or it just takes getting used to. Mine has Turanza 185/70, and I feel comfortable doing 155km/h after that its an engine limitation more than handling. The highest I managed was 172 on the speedo and that didn't feel too great in terms of control but again 130 on straights? should not unsettle the car.

Thanks!
At higher speeds, after 130, the car does not give confidence. Like you said, it may not be very unstable, but it definitely reminds you that it is a tallboy and not meant for 'high' speeds. Probably tire upgrades will help.

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

Nice review.
......
The Bridgestones are much-much better than JK Tyres.Ours is shod with Bridgestones and my uncle's Ritz has JKs.JKs suffer from poor ride quality,more cabin noise and poor braking.
The side strips do help,especially when parked in a tight space,it prevents car doors of other cars to dent/scratch yours.
Happy and safe driving to you!

Thanks for your comments!
The Bridgestones are definitely better than JKs, although, noise is present.
I wanted to have the side mouldings, but, I feel that the OEM ones are very thick on the Ritz. Looking for thinner aftermarket ones, which can look good as well.

Originally Posted by puchoo

Congrats on the purchase , this is a neat reliable car. We have had one for 3 years now , top end petrol , and till date there have been no problems with it. 3 years on there is the odd rattle here and there but in terms of reliability absolutely no problem. great to drive in the city and a good drive on the highway as well - it serves as our second car and not the choice while going out on long highway drives but we have taken her once in a while and done Delhi - Chandigarh and its been absolutely fine.

Thanks for your comments! Till now my car been rattle free. Hopefully it will continue.

Originally Posted by anandjha

Great review and stunning photos to complement it. At par with TBHP's officia review. Just two quick questions. Any idea when is the facelifted Ritz launch expected and how is the car's stability on highways at 130+ (though I agree this not the speed one would often touch but still)?

Thanks for the review.

Thanks for your comments.
Not sure when the facelift is launched. But I definitely do not like the new front. The split above the grill looks odd to me.
At high speeds, for a tallboy, it is the most well behaved car. But it does not instill confidence above speeds of 130. Probably, 100-110 would be a comfortable cruising speed for this car, with an occasional 120. Again, it is not unstable but it doesn't feel confident either.

[blue_pulsar]

My Ritz was out last weekend (15-Jul) on its first long trip. Had taken the car to Belur & Halebid. The car behaved really well on the highways. On particularly one steep curve, I could tell that I'm driving a tallboy. But apart from that, handling was very predictable.

I'm normally a handling fan. But for the first time, I have to say, the ride quality of the Ritz saved us from a lot of punishment on the real bad patches of roads.

On our way back, it was raining heavily. I'm surprised at how nicely the stock Bridgestone S248 165/80-14 coped up. I'm pretty happy with the tires as of now.

Special mention about the headlamps. The stock headlamps are plain AWFUL. On a dark rainy night, it doesn't inspire any confidence. Need to upgrade pretty soon enough.

Meanwhile, the car crossed 2,000kms.


Mileage update: The car returned an excellent mileage of 18.25 for the whole trip. I had 4 people on board and AC was on 100% of the time. The trip consisted of 600 km door to door. Although distance to Belur is only ~230km from my place, had to pick up 3 other friends who coincidentally stay in 3 other corners of Bangalore.

Here's my car for now. Still stock.


Next update will mostly be in September first week when there is a much longer trip planned.

[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

On our way back, it was raining heavily. I'm surprised at how nicely the stock Bridgestone S248 165/80-14 coped up. I'm pretty happy with the tires as of now.

Special mention about the headlamps. The stock headlamps are plain AWFUL. On a dark rainy night, it doesn't inspire any confidence. Need to upgrade pretty soon enough.

The stock Bridgestones are anyday better than JKs like i told you earlier.
Headlamps are not confidence inspiring in Ritz.I got a Hella relay kit with 100/90W bulbs on our Ritz.There has been no problem at all after that.Its a normal bulb,not the blue type or white type.

[dZired]

Thats a superbly written review covering all minor aspects in detail. The pics really do justice to the curve lines of the car. Looks great in glistening grey (which has now become the favorite colour of majority of folks on most cars).
Congratulation for your ritzy.
Take Care and Drive Safe.

OT: The pics are really outstanding. Why dont you post them in the auto image thread (if not yet posted )

[govigov]

Beautiful picture there bp.

Same here, headlights are woefully awful. Wanted to upgrade them long time back, but never did. I am scared of throwing in relay's and 100/90 W bulbs on stock wiring.

@bonecollector, was there any change in wiring or holders, or was the entire thing plug and play?

[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by govigov

@bonecollector, was there any change in wiring or holders, or was the entire thing plug and play?

No change in wiring at all.The relay kit has a socket at one end which receives any one of the headlights connector,and at other end are 2 headlight connectors.No cutting of wires involved.The bulbs are original Hellas 100/90W.There has been no change in reflectors or other headlamp related problems.Go for it,it'll change your nights! :-)

[blue_pulsar]

Originally Posted by dZired

Thats a superbly written review covering all minor aspects in detail. The pics really do justice to the curve lines of the car. Looks great in glistening grey (which has now become the favorite colour of majority of folks on most cars).
Congratulation for your ritzy.
Take Care and Drive Safe.

OT: The pics are really outstanding. Why dont you post them in the auto image thread (if not yet posted )

Thanks dZired, for your comments! Yes, grey and white have gained lot of popularity in recent years, at least in Indian car industry. They provide us some relief from the silver monotony, along with benefits of lower maintenance.

Originally Posted by govigov

Beautiful picture there bp.

Same here, headlights are woefully awful. Wanted to upgrade them long time back, but never did. I am scared of throwing in relay's and 100/90 W bulbs on stock wiring.

@bonecollector, was there any change in wiring or holders, or was the entire thing plug and play?

Thanks govigov for your comments! Yes, I too was afraid of losing warranty on headlamp upgrade.

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

No change in wiring at all.The relay kit has a socket at one end which receives any one of the headlights connector,and at other end are 2 headlight connectors.No cutting of wires involved.The bulbs are original Hellas 100/90W.There has been no change in reflectors or other headlamp related problems.Go for it,it'll change your nights! :-)

Thanks BoneCollector for your comments. I too had the same question as govigov. Thanks for answering that. I'll look for a place that does the upgrade in the same way that you have mentioned. (Not sure if there's another way).
Any idea if the showroom/A.S.S folks do this job?

[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

Thanks govigov for your comments! Yes, I too was afraid of losing warranty on headlamp upgrade.

Thanks BoneCollector for your comments. I too had the same question as govigov. Thanks for answering that. I'll look for a place that does the upgrade in the same way that you have mentioned. (Not sure if there's another way).
Any idea if the showroom/A.S.S folks do this job?

You will not lose your warranty as its a plug and play system.The showroom/A.S.S. guys did not agree to do it here or at Patna as they were unaware of it.Get it done at any local place.Check Hella India website for dealers and call and talk to them.It takes about 15 mins for everything.

[W.A.G.7]

Congrats, the Ritz is a very nice car. When I was looking at the Ritz, I was bowled over by the space inside the car. There aren't too many colour choices in the Ritz, all are dull and lifeless colours , they could have offered more shades there. But everything else about the car is extremely practical and nice. If it wasn't for the Micra, I would have gone in for the Ritz 110%.

For some reason, I hated the i10. From the beginning. It's a very good car, but; I just hated it the moment I sat in it.

[blue_pulsar]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Congrats, the Ritz is a very nice car. When I was looking at the Ritz, I was bowled over by the space inside the car. There aren't too many colour choices in the Ritz, all are dull and lifeless colours , they could have offered more shades there. But everything else about the car is extremely practical and nice. If it wasn't for the Micra, I would have gone in for the Ritz 110%.

For some reason, I hated the i10. From the beginning. It's a very good car, but; I just hated it the moment I sat in it.

Thanks, W.A.G.7!
You are absolutely right about the colors in the Ritz. The Ritz is actually a funky design. Here in India, it is made to look too old, thanks to the colors on offer. Here are some images of funky colored Splash from the internet:

See how nice Ritz (Splash) looks with brighter colors.

Regarding the i10, it is definitely a nice car. At that price, it has got the best quality interiors. The gearbox belongs to few segments above. But, handing is really bad and ride is very bumpy. Though not to my taste, it is an exceptional car for its intended audience.

[krdeshmukh]

Hi all.
Just received the brochure for new Ritz. Guess what. Someone is listening.
Ritz zdi is on the roll.
All feature mentioned by blue pulsar are incorporated.
1) irvm is day night
2) rear wiper and dfogger
3) abs & ebd
4) new and nmuch more informative Display on dash.
5) integrated alpine
6) new colors
7) fresh looks. The bonnet and head lights tweaked
8) side body cladding included
9) electronic adjustable outside mirror.

I will try and attach the slides...
Regards
KD

[krdeshmukh]

Yes I could finally upload a consolidated sheet of features.

[blue_pulsar]

Have some updates on my Ritz. As of now, the ODO reads 4,600 kms.

MODs:
1. Tire Upgrade: Upgraded to Bridgestone Turanza ER60 185/70 R14. Ride quality has gone down, unfortunately. Handling has improved sightly. So, folks looking to make this change on their Ritz, be careful. You will definitely lose the cushiony ride of the Ritz. Yesterday I rode in my colleagues VXi and I felt the difference. The tires are gripping really well on wet roads. In my recent trip to Goa, on rainy roads, I felt pretty confident.

2. Headlamp change: Changed bulbs to Philips Nightvision 55/60. The headlamps are slightly better now. Now as much as Philips claims though. Wanted to upgrade to 100/90 but am afraid of losing warranty on electrical and engine components.


Planned MODs:
1. Seat Covers: Looking out for custom made fabric seat covers but not been able to find such a place. Any ideas?
2. Spoiler: I found a decent clip-on type spoiler in JC Road. Made of fiber. Costs Rs. 2,500. Paint matches well too.
3. Side moudings: Waiting for the new Ritz spares. I like the side mouldings of the new Ritz.

FE Update:
Took the car on a trip to Goa and Amboli Ghat. Total FE was 19.1 km/l. This includes the whole trip, starting from my door and ending at my door.

City FE has settled between 13-14 km/l. SA during first service said FE will improve after 3rd service. I hope so.

Some pics taken at Amboli Ghat:

[SLK]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

MODs:
1. Tire Upgrade: Upgraded to Bridgestone Turanza ER60 185/70 R14. Ride quality has gone down, unfortunately.

You are probably running on too much air. Bigger tyres anyways need to be less inflated as the contact patch increases and the car's weight obviously stays same so you can run less Pounds per square inch (PSI) to get the same/ better cushion. Otherwise, with the Turanza I can not believe that the ride is gone down! that's impossible.

I suggest you keep 34-35psi (instead of the recommended 36psi) at front and probably 33psi at the rear. Best is to always re-check the pressure with your own digital gauge when cold and parked on a level surface.

[blue_pulsar]

Originally Posted by SLK

You are probably running on too much air. Bigger tyres anyways need to be less inflated as the contact patch increases and the car's weight obviously stays same so you can run less Pounds per square inch (PSI) to get the same/ better cushion. Otherwise, with the Turanza I can not believe that the ride is gone down! that's impossible.

I suggest you keep 34-35psi (instead of the recommended 36psi) at front and probably 33psi at the rear. Best is to always re-check the pressure with your own digital gauge when cold and parked on a level surface.

Thanks for your response.

Let me check the tire pressure once more. When I got my new tires, I remember it was set to 30psi!