Hello Guys,
I recently became a proud owner of a Silky Silver Ritz VDI. I have been a silent BHP'ian for some years now but i finally decided to pen an ownership review, that too my 1st one, to share my Car Buying Experience and Joy with my fellow BHP'ians.
History:
We are a family of 4; me, my better half, my 1 yr. old daughter and my Mom. Life was going smooth and chugging along with my now parted Alto Lxi [4 Years and 40,000 Kms]. As the Petrol Prices started to soar and also as my Daughter started growing taller [Difficult to accommodate her in the front seat due to the crampy space], it became difficult to manage both of them effectively. :D So, come November 2012, decided to finally go for a bigger Diesel Hatchback with a budget of around 6L. Being Year-end, was hoping to get a good deal with discounts.
My Requirements:
- Spacious Front Seating Area, since it will be occupied most of the time. Rear Seats will be used rarely.
- Good Mileage.
- Decent Looks and Interiors.
- Good After Sales Service.
- Tried and Tested Product.
So, after reviewing many of the Team BHP Hatchback Reviews and keeping in mind my requirements, i finally shorlisted the following:
1) Ford Figo
2) Maruti Suzuki Ritz
3) Toyota Liva
The first to get eliminated was the Ford Figo, due to:
- Low GC Issue : The place where i live has some tall speed breakers and i feared scraping and damaging the bottom no matter how carefully i drive.
- Not so good Mileage, compared to Ritz and Liva.
- Not sure about Ford After Sales Service.
- One of my friend had his complete suspension setup changed in warranty during 2nd Service due to some Issue. This did not give me the confidence to go for a Ford Figo, even though it is a brilliant car.
The next in line to get eliminated was the Toyota Liva, due to:
- Not so inspiring Interiors.
- Well known Suspension Noise Issue.
- Not so strong build quality.
So, the only contender left is Maruti Suzuki Ritz and that's what i ended up with. Having owned a Maruti earlier [Alto Lxi], i was pretty comfortable and confident in the Maruti Suzuki Brand as well as their After Sales Service Department and Network.
Buying and Delivery Process:
Visited Chowgule Industries Showroom and took a Test Drive of the new facelifted Ritz. Immediately felt it leagues ahead of the Alto. Good Seating Position and Road View, Ample amount of Space up front, fuel efficient proven and not to forget the awesome DDIS Engine.
I wanted a VDI with ABS Variant but unfortunately it was not readily available in stock and i would have had to wait for around 2 months. So, decided on the VDI Variant.
Next, which Color ? Wifey wanted the Baker's Chocolate Color, which i also like, specifically on the Ritz. But, the Sales Manager being a friend of ours, managed to convince us to go for either White or Silver as they are easier to maintain and have a higher resale value. I am not too much fond of White Cars, so settled for Silky Silver.
Next Shock was that Silky Silver VDI is only available in Red Interiors. Black / Grey Interior Combo not available in stock. Decided to check the new Red /Black dual tone combination. Felt a bit weird at first but decided to overlook it as being a minor thing and enjoy the other bigger positive aspects of the Car. In fact now, i feel that this Color Combinations looks pretty cool along with the funky Tachometer.
So, i finally booked a Maruti Suzuki Ritz, Silky Silver with Red / Black Interiors.
Total On-Road Cost : 6,67,978 /-
Discounts : 15,000 Cash Discount + 7,000 Free Accessories, which i converted to Cash Discount + 3,000 Corporate Discount + 15,000 Exchange Bonus on my Alto = 40,000.
Freebies : Somehow managed to get only the Floor Mats as Freebie.
Opted for the 0 Depreciation Plan from National Insurance, whom they have a Cashless Tie-up with and also availed the 45% NCB of my Alto Insurance.
Opted for a Car Loan from SBI at 10.50 ROI. The Loan Formalities went pretty smooth and the complete procedure from filling up the form to signing the loan agreement took only 4 days.
Did a PDI Check once the Car was brought to the Dealer Showroom and confirmed that all is good. Checked the VIN and it is a September Manufactured Car.
Accessories fitted at the dealer :
- Mud Flaps
- Bumper Corner Protector
- Nippon Keyless Entry Security System.
- Nippon Reverse Parking Sensors.
Finally, took Delivery of my new Ritz on 30th December.
Filled up the complimentary 5 Ltr. Diesel and as recommended by many T-Bhp'ians, directly took my Ritz to a Tyre Shop after Delivery and upgraded the Tires to Yoko A-Drives 185/70 R14. Initial Impressions are positive.
Went in with a frame of mind to get the Michelin XM2's but after looking at both of them, found the Yoko's Tread Pattern better and more VFM as i would have had to shell out 2000/- more for the XM2's.
Planning to invest the saved 2000/- in getting good front component speakers.
Paid a Total of 8500 /- for 5 Yoko A-Drive Tyres after buy back of the stock Bridgestones. Wheel Balancing, 4 Wonder Valves and Nitrogen filling complimentary. The Tyre Dealer did not do Wheel Alignment as it is a new car.
Here are some of my initial observations after driving 750 odd Kilometers in my Ritzy:
The Good Parts:
- Build Quality feels nice and solid. Miles ahead of the Alto. Doors close with a fairly nice thud. Interior Plastic Quality is also good. Steering is nice and chunky to hold. The Power Window Switches are a bit flimsy.
- I personally like the front view of the new face lifted Ritz more than the old model. It looks pretty intimidating. I also do not find the Rear Looks that bad. It's nice and curvy. :)
- Ride quality is planted and not bumpy. Maybe because of the better upgraded Tyres. The Car also handles pretty well.
- Great Seating Position and Road View. Plenty of Space in the front seating area.
- Loaded with nice Features like Tachometer, Front and Rear Fog Lamps and Power Windows, 2 Tripmeters, MID with Instantaneous and Average Fuel Consumption, Tilt Steering, Seats offering better Thigh Support, Seat Belt Indicator, etc.
- Great Responsive DDIS Engine. Am totally loving driving every minute of my Ritzy. It's nice and peppy to drive. The Car just zooms and surges ahead once it crosses 1900 RPM. Feels like i have pressed some Turbo Boost Button. rl:
Am dying to push the engine more to see it's full potential. But, since it's still in the Run-in Period, am holding myself and mostly drive in the 1500 - 2000 RPM Range. Have driven till a speed of 80 and not exceeded that.
- Great Fuel Efficiency. When i took Delivery of my Ritzy, the MID was showing a Fuel Consumption of 15.5 Kmpl. Now, after 750 Kms, it is at 17.5 Kmpl. Maruti claims a Mileage of 23.2 Kmpl in the new facelifted Ritz.
Recently, i did a 100 Km Highway Run and got an astounding Fuel Efficiency. More on that later.
- Brakes are nice and responsive for daily city runabouts. Have not tested them on high speeds on the Highway yet.
- Adequate Boot Space with the option to extend it using 60:40 Split Seats.
- Cubby Holes and Storage Space aplenty with a Tray provided as well under the Passenger Seat.
- I absolutely love the Tachometer Design and it's Placement. Looks very cool and funky and compliments the red dashboard colour. I absolutely rely on the Tachometer for my Gear Shifts. I never thought Tacho would be this handy and useful.
The Average and Not so Good Parts:
- Poor Rear View - The Rear View is extremely narrow and poor, when i compare it to my Alto. I feel Reverse Parking Sensors are an absolute must for the Ritz.
- Gear Shifts - The Gear Shifts are not as smooth and slick as i had expected. They are a bit difficult to slot in and feel a bit rubbery, similar to my Alto. Hopefully, it should get better as the running increases and after 1st Service.
- Clutch and Brake Pedal Placement - As reported by some Members earlier, i find the Clutch and the Brake Pedal to be a bit too high for my comfort. The Clutch Pedal is more higher than the Brake Pedal. On a recent long drive, the area around my ankle started paining. Am planning to put an extra aftermarket Floor Mat to get around this Issue. Hopefully it will help.
- Headlights are outright pathetic. They are OK for city runabouts but found them awful when i recently went on a Highway Run early morning.
- Air-Con is average. Does not chill quickly nor does it take a long time. Maybe because there are no Sun-Films yet. Planning for them soon.
Accessories and Upgrades Planned in this Month:
1) ICE.
I am on the lookout for a Nice Audio Setup with a Good 1-Din Head Unit with nice SQ and Front Component Speakers. I have GTO 938 Rear Speakers available with me that i removed from my Alto. Not decided yet whether to go for Head Unit with or without Bluetooth. Depends on my Budget.
Budget is around 15,000 /- I am not planning to go for Amplifier or SubWoofer at this moment but who knows what the future holds. Hence, i want a Head Unit that is compatible and provide great SQ, if i plan to go for an Amp. or Sub. later.
Initially, i was planning to go for Pioneer or JVC but after doing some research, found that Kenwood Head Units offer good SQ. Which are the good Kenwood Head Units as per my requirements ? One Shop had Clarion 202A and 302A in stock. Not sure how they are compared to the Kenwood. Kindly suggest or recommend good Head-Units.
I had a Query regarding the Front Components Speakers. Does it make sense to go for Component Speakers only if coupled with an Amplifier or SubWoofer OR Will it provide better Sound Quality without it as well?
After doing some research, i found that the basic Component Speakers are JBL 609c and there are others like Focal, Infinity, Hertz, etc. I have a fairly less idea about Component Speakers. Kindly suggest which are the good Component Speakers available within my Budget ?
Regarding Rear Speakers, is it better to go for Co-Axial Speakers on the Rear Doors OR go for 6X9 GTO 938, which i already have and fit it on a Rear Wooden Plank on the Boot? Am a bit sceptical if the Wooden Plank starts vibrating as time goes by.
2) Sun-Films.
It is becoming really a pain to drive the Car without Sun-Films in this sweltering Heat. But after this new Sun-Film Ban ruling, am not very clear on which Sun-Films are allowed and which are banned. I read that people are going ahead with RE50, CR70, etc which look completely transperant from the outside. Kindly suggest which one to go for within a Budget of 5k. I heard Garware is the cheapest but are they really effective ?
3) Headlight Upgrade.
Am confused whether to stick with 60W in Philips Extreme Vision or upgrade to 100/90W with a Relay.
4) Steel Door Sill Guards.
Planning to fit the Steel Door Sill Guards soon. Probably during 1st Service.
I recently had a look at the Ritz Door Sill Guard with the Blue LED Light on the following E-Bay Link:
http://www.ebay.in/itm/Car-Door-Sill...#ht_5030wt_906. Looks pretty cool. Will it cause any Warranty Void Issues? Thinking which one to go for. The Maruti one is the plain one without any LED Display.
5) Last but not the least, Team-BHP Stickers.
Now, these are an absolute must to flaunt on any Car. I have used up my previous set on my Alto. So, will be ordering a new set very soon.
Thanks Guys for reading my 1st Review patiently. I will keep this Thread updated with regular updates from my side.
Looking forward to your valuable comments and suggestions.
Pictures to follow soon...
Congrats Abhi.
Welcome to the group .
Ritz is a very nice car, no doubts about it.
Its good that you changed the tyre right from the time you bought the car.
Regarding the headlamps, if you do highway drive go for 90/100 with relay otherwise you can try out the better lights in 60/55 only.
If you fit the speakers in the wooden plank it will be good, rather then putting in door. Also don't worry about any vibration from plank, im using them from the time i bought my car and its perfectly fine .
You can get kenwood HU for around 7k, and with the rest you can go for good set of speakers.
Regarding sunfilm you can for CR70 .
Anyways drive safe and keep the thread updated .
Cheers
That’s a very sensible buy and a nicely written thread there. The Ritzy is a truly practical and spacious work horse and gives the best VFM among the hatches.
The best part going for it is the tall boy which makes ingress and egress a comfortable affair compared to most of the sedans or hatches in the market.
This write up is even more interesting since one of the shortlist for our next ride is the Ritzy. Talking about the VDi with ABS option, recently heard that with the ZDi in offing, this option has been removed from the VDi.
However I would be only interested in the VDi with the optional ABS and your statement still validates that fact about its availability. Any idea how much is the bump in costing that was quoted for the ABS option add on?
Congrats on your new ride and yes pictures please as it the ownership write up is not complete with them!
Congratulations on your new acquisition! Wishing you safe and happy times with this car.
I have TD'd a Ritz and like its tall posturing. Getting in and out is easy. I'd tested the K series petrol Ritz and back then I was impressed by what an improvement it was over the G series engine of the Swift I owned then.
Completed 30 Days of Ownership yesterday and the Joy just keeps growing.
My Ritzy has completed 1600 Kms in a Month.
Ride Quality is pretty good after upgrading to Yoko's.
Am getting an Average Mileage of 19.5 Kmpl in City Rides with 50% AC.
Got my 1st Service done a week ago.
Nothing much to complain about. No Oil Change done. Total Cost : 0.
Gearshifts slot a bit better after 1st Service.
Am thinking whether to get the Oil changed at around 2000 Kms.
Got my Ritzy ICE'd with Kenwood U-549BT and JBL GTO 609-C Front Comps.
I already had JBL GTO 938 Rear Speakers available with me which i had removed from my previous car Alto.
Am pretty happy with this setup. Nice SQ. However, i am looking for more Bass. Currently, i have set it to the Preset Mode "GAME".
Any good Kenwood Tuners here ?
Also, got Garware NL Lite SunFilms done for the Sides and Rear.
It has got 70% Visibility and 45% Heat Rejection.
It is neither very good nor bad. Decent enough.
Total Costing:
Kenwood U-549BT - 7800/-
JBL GTO 609-C - 5500/-
Garware NL Lite - 3500/-
Accessories Pending and to be done soon:
- Art Leather Seat Covers and Steering Cover.
- Steel Door Sill Plates [Plain or Blue LED Illuminated]. Not sure if the Illuminated Ones void the Warranty.
Thanks Guys...
Congrats Abhi, ritz is a practical family hatch, wishing you safe driving miles ahead.
[Difficult to accommodate her in the front seat due to the crampy space], it became difficult to manage both of them effectively.
i will suggest you to seat the kid in the back seat only, in some countries it is an offence to seat the children in the front, I always make my 5 year old son sit in the back seat, it is safer for the children there.
Congrats abhi. That is an excellent car. Can you post some pics of the stell sill guard once you have them installed? How are the yoko A drives coming up?
Hey Guys....posting after a long time.
Recently my Ritzy completed 5000 Kms and also got my 2nd Free Service Done.
Got a Bill of around 70/- for some consumables.
I checked with the Service Advisor regarding the Engine Oil recommended by Maruti Suzuki and he confirmed that recently, they have recieved a notice from Maruti Suzuki to use only Synthetic Engine Oil in all the DDIS Diesel Engined Cars. When asked that there is no such thing mentioned in the Service Booklet, he did not have an Answer and just told that they have recieved instructions just recently. Not sure if he is telling the truth or just bluffing. When asked for the Cost of Synthetic Oil, he mentioned it would be in the range of 3000 - 3500 /- This makes maintaining a Maruti Suzuki Vehicle more expensive now.
Other than that, no complaints whatsoever. Ritzy has been returning a decent FE of around 18 KMPL in City Driving. As of now, ODO stands at 5800 Kms. in 4.5 Months of Ownership. And, the running is only going to increase during Monsoon and Winter Season.
My only grouse is with the Air-Conditioner. I dont know if it is only with me but i do not find the Air-Con of the Ritz efficient enough. Driving when the Sun is blazing down, i do not feel the effect of Cool Air even if kept at a Blower Speed of 3. And i keep the button pressed so the Orange Light glows, whatever mode that is as the Air coming out of the vent is more when pressed.
Finally, here is a snapshot of the Fuel Expense Sheet that i have been maintaining.
Will try to post timely updates.
Cheers.
