[SBR]

It was exactly about a year ago sometime in April 2012 when I started seriously thinking of replacing my 2006 M - 800. My M - 800 has served me well and never let me down at any point in the last 6.5 years. However the need for a bigger car was increasing with every passing day. Lack of power on highways, poor AC on long drives started taking a toll on me. After any long drive, I used to feel completely exhausted with body aches.

So the decision was made that we will upgrade to a bigger car and it has to be a hatch which will be our daily commute to office and occasional highway drives. Then came the most common confusion of buying a diesel or a petrol hatch. Finally, it was decided that it will be Diesel Hatch considering our usage pattern.

Our usage pattern was as follows;

Daily commute to work, client visits and drop kid to school - 50 Kms Average
One Highway trip in a month to my in laws place or to visit my parents - 500 KMS.

It came upto around 1500+ Kms every month.

As I was used to owning a Maruti, there was always a soft corner in me towards a Maruti and Ritz was always on top of the mind. Another strong reason in favour of Ritz was that I am 5.10' tall and heavy built and easy ingress was one of the most important point.

What I like in the Ritz;

Tall Boy Design, it feels like driving a mini SUV after driving the M800 for close to seven long years.
The fantastic FIAT Engine
Maruti Sales & Service
Easy drive-ability in city
Powerful AC
Easy Ingress
Fantastic FE as reported by other BHpians
Fun to Drive on highways & hill stations
Boot Space - Quite sufficient for our luggage (Me, Wifey and my 4 year old daughter). It is very rare that we will have 5 passengers in my car.

What I disliked;

Poor Interior Quality when compared to other cars in its class
Prone to rattles - a common Maruti problem
Needs to be handled carefully when driving around corners at high speeds

Overall a fantastic package.

I started looking out for offers from Maruti on the Ritz in March 2013 and approached Mandovi Motors. Decided to go with Mandovi Motors as I had purchased my M-800 from them and have had a good relationship with the dealer. The dealer (Mandovi Motors) informed me that I will be offered INR 25,000/- as Exchange Bonus and another INR 25,000/- as Consumer offer if I booked my car in March 2013. However, I could not arrange the $$$ for down payment in March.

Beginning April 2013, when I was ready with the $$$ for downpayment, I called up the dealer and asked if the offer still existed & I was informed that the offer was no longer valid in April 2013. Quite disappointing, I was thinking of options. The very next day on 5th April, I got a call from the dealer that they can extend the same offer in April as well.

Fixed up a time with Mr. Ramesh at Mandovi Motors on 9th April.

Made the booking on the same day.

The quote was as follows;

Ex-Showroom price - 5,77,841
Insurance - 21,527, Zero Depreciation (Maruti Insurance from National Insurance)
Road Tax - 89,798
Extended Warranty - Did not opt for now
Handling Charges - 6,500
Registration Charges - 700
Accessories Kit - 2672

TOTAL - INR 6,99,038/-

Less;
Exchange Bonus - 25,000/-
Consumer Offer - 25,000/-

Final amount to be paid - INR 6,49,038/-

Paid 5,000/- on 9th April 2013 as booking amount. I wanted to book a White Ritz but wifey always wanted a Breeze Blue. To give her a surprise, booked the Breeze Blue Ritz VDI as she was traveling on 9th April 2013.

When she returned on 13th April, 2013, I broke the news to her and it was a big surprise to her.

Ramesh from Mandovi Motors promised me a delivery within 2 - 3 weeks time.

Then began the paper work & loan processing.

Loan amount was decided at INR 3.00 Lacs for 7 years. Since I have had a long relationship with ICICI bank for over 10+ years, it was decided to take the loan from the same bank. My experience with them has been good till date.

The loan papers were processed in less than a weeks time & loan was approved. EMI - Rs. 5,136/- per Month for 3 Lacs for 7 years.

My M-800 was evaluated by True Value and they initially offered me INR 1.10 Lacs but after a few rounds of negotiations, the deal was closed at INR 1,18,000/- which I thought was a fair offer for 7 year old car with close 69K Kms on the ODO. Ramesh from Mandovi helped me out in the entire process.

So, the final payment details were as follows;


Loan - 3,00,000/-
M-800 - 1,18,000/-
Down Payment - 2,31,038/-

Total - Rs. 6,49,038/-

Around 19th April, Ramesh informed me that the car was ready for a PDI. He said that the car was in their stock yard close to Cox Town and that he will bring the car to their Wheeler Road showroom to inspect the car.

Armed with the Team BHP check list, visited the showroom to inspect the car.

Verified the VIN and it was a Jan 2013 manufactured vehicle. Thanks to Bhpian "Wildon" for his comprehensive thread on identifying VIN. The car had done 25 Kms on that day.

Satisfied with the inspection, came back home and called up the bank to release the loan amount to the dealer.

The overall build quality feels quite solid especially after owning a M-800 for a long time.

The front seats are one of most comfortable in its class and the car has quite spacious interiors.

On the AC performance, I never had to go beyond the second level and is quite effective. However, in AC, gear shifts are higher in low speeds in tight traffic and without AC, gear shifts are very minimal even in tight traffic thanks to the excellent torque the engine offers.

Gear shifts are a sea change for me when compared to M-800. So soft and easy. I love changing the gears often .

On the Highway, I did not notice when I touched 100 KM Per Hour as I am used to drive at 80 KM Per Hour in M-800. It was effortless to drive on the highway. The clutch pedal is so soft that I am in love with it.

On FE, I had done a Tank Full on 27th & till now I have done about 385 KMS including the Mysore Trip + City Driving all with 100% AC. The Avg till now shows about 18.5 KMS Per Litre for a combination of City + Highway driving (this is as per number of liters consumed till date). Will drive till I empty the tank to check the FE. Pretty satisfied with the FE for now.

Planning for another Highway trip in a week or two before the 1st Service.

The car handles pretty well at speeds around 90 - 100 KM/HR and the brakes are sufficient. However, on the corners at high speeds, I felt the need to be more careful and alert.

Overall, a great and a very practical diesel hatch for family and I am loving each and every moment of owning it.

Here are few pics taken on that day. Thats my little one in the back ground in the last pic ;

[SBR]

Here are few pics of my beloved M-800 which I am gonna miss. Gave it away to True Value with the Team Bhp Stickers intact as removing it might have spoiled the look.

[revintup]

Congratulations

A shift from M800 to the Ritz will be the most dramatic shift indeed. You will be so pampered by the power steering that you will wonder how you ever managed without one.

Ritz is a fine car and am sure it will serve you just as well as the M800. And I think you got a sweet deal on the loan front too.

Wishing you many years of happy motoring. Now take her for an outing. Go to some hill station and engine a day or two

[SBR]

The Delivery date was decided as 26th April 2013 (Friday) morning being a auspicious day & time.

Called up Ramesh two days before to check if everything was fine and asked them to install the following accessories;

MGA Remote Security System - INR 4340/-
Fabric MGA Seat Covers - INR 2175/-
Reverse Sensor (MGA Nippon) - INR 2524/- (There was no plan for this. However Aditya (n_aditya) advised to get it installed.
Philips 100/90 W Bulbs - INR 350 for two of them.
Accessories Installation Charges - INR 1061/-
Total - INR 10,450/-

On 26th April, we were at the showroom by 9:45 AM, Ramesh was ready with all the documents. Inspected the car as per PDI check list and delivery was taken.

Few more pictures taken on that day.

Ramesh handing over the Keys to me. Its me in the White Shirt

[SBR]

The car had done 35 KMS at the time of delivery. Brought the car home from the showroom, few rituals were performed on the car and it was parked in its parking space vacated by M-800.

Now, the car had to be pampered. So, first tyre upgrade was planned.

The car had Stock Bridgestone tyres 165/80 R 14.

Left a message for Nikhil at Madhus that I will be visiting his store on 27th morning. (Sat)

Visited Madhus on 27th morning by 10:00 AM, replaced all 5 tyres with Michelin 185 / 70 R 14.

Could not meet Nikhil as I was informed that he was out for a conference.

Cost;

Michelins - 3,995 * 5 = 19,978
(-) Bridgestone - 1,965*5 = 9,825

Total to be paid - 10,153 + VAT = Rs. 11,625/- + Rs. 400/- for balancing.

Here is the Pic;

[SBR]

After the tyres, the car had to be taken to 3M which was planned.

Aditya (n_aditya) helped me with the co-ordinates of Sidhu, the owner of 3M car care at HSR Layout.

Called Mr. Sidhu and fixed an appointment for Saturday (27th) in the afternoon.

The car was pampered with the following;

Wash & Clean
3M Nomad Mats (Black) - 3890
Sunfilm for side & rear glass (Transparent) - 4690
PPF for 4 Door Edges - 590
PPF for Bumper Corners - 2648
CF Wrap - 875

Total Damages - 14,242/- (Including Taxes)

Sidhu at 3M was quite helpful and spent almost half of his time with me for the later half of the day. Happened to meet Autocrat, nkrishnap at the same place.

Spent quite sometime talking to both of them. Good knowing you guys.

Here are the Pics;

[SBR]

Some more pics taken on 1st May on a drive to Mysore;

[SBR]

Originally Posted by revintup

Congratulations

A shift from M800 to the Ritz will be the most dramatic shift indeed. You will be so pampered by the power steering that you will wonder how you ever managed without one.

Ritz is a fine car and am sure it will serve you just as well as the M800. And I think you got a sweet deal on the loan front too.

Wishing you many years of happy motoring. Now take her for an outing. Go to some hill station and engine a day or two

Thanks for the wishes. So true, its a sea change after owning the M-800. Planning for few long drives soon and a drive to cochin is on the cards as well as my brother lives there. Trip to cochin with Munnar is definitely on soon.

[beast_within]

Congratulations for the new car. Nice choice of the color too. The Tyre upgrade is one of the most important upgrades and its good that you have done it on priority. Keep in mind the Run-in period and this Car shall keep you happy for years to come. Drive safe.

[SBR]

Originally Posted by beast_within

Congratulations for the new car. Nice choice of the color too. The Tyre upgrade is one of the most important upgrades and its good that you have done it on priority. Keep in mind the Run-in period and this Car shall keep you happy for years to come. Drive safe.

Thanks for the wishes. Tyre upgrade was on top of mind and it was decided before booking the car. Just started to experience Michelins. On run-in period, I ensure that I am not crossing the 2K RPM mark and currently changing gears around 1.5 K - 2 K RPM.

[SBR]

632 views and just 2 replies .

FE Update:

Till now I have done about 530 KMS and still looks like 10 litres of fuel is still there in the tank. That's an average of about 16.06 KMS/Ltr.

530 kms were a combination of 300 KM trip to Mysore with 100% AC amidst tight traffic during election days & rallies and rest in the city.

Not very happy with the FE but hopeful of improvement as the car runs more.

[sammyboy]

Hey SBR, nice review man and belated congratulations on pocket rocket. It is really a brilliant car. Regarding the average, dont worry it should improve with time
I also migrated from a petrol to diesel and am having to unlearn how to drive Too used to revving petrols while diesels are driven with a very light foot.

How are the 3M nomad mats faring? I plan to add those too so feedback would be appreciated.

Drive safe.

[SBR]

Originally Posted by sammyboy

Hey SBR, nice review man and belated congratulations on pocket rocket. It is really a brilliant car. Regarding the average, dont worry it should improve with time
I also migrated from a petrol to diesel and am having to unlearn how to drive Too used to revving petrols while diesels are driven with a very light foot.

How are the 3M nomad mats faring? I plan to add those too so feedback would be appreciated.

Drive safe.

Thanks for the wishes & point noted on the FE. Regarding the 3M nomad mats, they are excellent to say in terms of dust/sand absorption. What I don't like about them is that they are a bit rough on the surface for a soft foot. So I have added regular Maruti MGA mats on top of them & it gives a very soft feeling now. It might be a bight of incovenince to clean two sets of mats but that is fine.

[n_aditya]

Congrats on the new car SBR and wishing you many years of happy and safe miles.

Did you get the CF stickering on the black panel of the doors? If not, do get it done at 3M. It looks fab.

Don't worry about FE. It will improve as the odo climbs and after I service.

I generally get between 16 and 18 kmpl in the city depending on the traffic and around 20-22 kmpl on the highway (a/c is ON 99% of the time).

If you're planning on driving after sun down, do upgrade the bulbs. I installed the Osram Nightbreaker Plus in my car (headlight and fog's) and the visibility is significantly better than with the stock bulbs.

My first drive to chennai was with the stock bulbs and i was driving almost blind and struggling to cross 80 kays due to low visibility but after changing the bulbs, i am able to cruise comfortably at triple digits with visibility for a couple of kms ahead of me. Avoid high watt bulbs even with a relay.

All the best.

[CPJ]

Congrats SBR.
The Ritz surely looks stunning in the Breeze Blue Colour.
Coming from M800, the Ritz is a delight in every aspect.
Drive safe and do go in for the extended warranty for peace of mind.
TC.