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Old 11th June 2013, 20:24   #16
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

Good to know that you have completed the run-in. I know how it feels. Its true that the engine feels out of breath after the 120-130 kmph mark. But given the Indian road conditions, those kind of speeds cannot be maintained for a long time. So its adequate for our Indian highways.
On the other hand, the Punto's gearbox needs to be worked withing city. That's because of the kind of tubo lag it has, as Punto is a bit heavy for its 1.3litre MJD. Otherwise its a wonderful car to drive!
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Old 14th June 2013, 18:42   #17
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

An interesting observation.
The other day, the entire family of 5 was in the car. It was a longish drive. My sister was in the unenviable middle of rear seat. I was thinking it must be hard for her with the transmission tunnel getting in the way. Imagine my surprise when I found her most comfortable, with her legs stretched between the two front seats ! An unforseen advantage of a console-mounted gearshift! The space between the front seats has just the handbrake lever - something you have no use for when you're moving. With a wee bit of adjustment, a person of moderate height can easily park their legs stretched all the way between the seats.

Here's a suggestion to Maruti. Please move that handbrake elsewhere and introduce a box of sorts with a flat lid in the place. Voila! You have an additional storage compartment as well as a brilliant place to stretch your legs.


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Good to know that you have completed the run-in. I know how it feels. Its true that the engine feels out of breath after the 120-130 kmph mark. But given the Indian road conditions, those kind of speeds cannot be maintained for a long time. So its adequate for our Indian highways.
On the other hand, the Punto's gearbox needs to be worked withing city. That's because of the kind of tubo lag it has, as Punto is a bit heavy for its 1.3litre MJD. Otherwise its a wonderful car to drive!
Exactly my point, GreyAsta. The Ritz is powerful enough to get you anywhere in India with gusto. I have a lot of respect for Punto. It's quite a handful to park and reverse, but out on the highway, it's in sublime form. You have to keep checking to speedo to find out how fast you're going. And immensely confidence inspiring brakes!
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Old 14th June 2013, 18:57   #18
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

Congratulations slow rider!! when are we going to see some pictures of your car?
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Old 17th June 2013, 14:10   #19
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

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Congratulations slow rider!! when are we going to see some pictures of your car?
My apologies! Been having too much fun behind the wheel to remember to take the pictures. Coming up in a week.
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Old 17th June 2013, 14:20   #20
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

Hi SlowRider,

Could you please check the fuel efficiency using the tankful method and post the results along with the MID figures. My friend has the same model which shows 17 in MID, but he only gets 15.
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Old 17th June 2013, 19:57   #21
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

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Originally Posted by SlowRider View Post
Imagine my surprise when I found her most comfortable, with her legs stretched between the two front seats ! An unforseen advantage of a console-mounted gear shift! The space between the front seats has just the handbrake lever - something you have no use for when you're moving. With a wee bit of adjustment, a person of moderate height can easily park their legs stretched all the way between the seats.

Here's a suggestion to Maruti. Please move that handbrake elsewhere and introduce a box of sorts with a flat lid in the place. Voila! You have an additional storage compartment as well as a brilliant place to stretch your legs.
SlowRider.

The handbrake can be moved on to the dashboard like the one on the Honda CRV to free up space between the seats.

How do you find the ride quality and the rear seat (if you have sat while the car is on move)?

Anurag.
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Old 18th June 2013, 09:53   #22
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

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Originally Posted by SlowRider View Post
An interesting observation.
The other day, the entire family of 5 was in the car. It was a longish drive. My sister was in the unenviable middle of rear seat. I was thinking it must be hard for her with the transmission tunnel getting in the way. Imagine my surprise when I found her most comfortable, with her legs stretched between the two front seats ! An unforseen advantage of a console-mounted gearshift! The space between the front seats has just the handbrake lever - something you have no use for when you're moving. With a wee bit of adjustment, a person of moderate height can easily park their legs stretched all the way between the seats.
Thats correct . My cousin bro used to park his little feet in between the front seats even for shorter journey's too.
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Old 18th June 2013, 19:35   #23
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

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Originally Posted by baludharmarajan View Post
Hi SlowRider,

Could you please check the fuel efficiency using the tankful method and post the results along with the MID figures. My friend has the same model which shows 17 in MID, but he only gets 15.
That's worrisome indeed. I'll give it a shot but I'm afraid it'll be a while before I can give you results. The car is driven primarily by dad and he seldom fills it all the way (usually fills just Rs.500/1000 worth). I'll post it when I get a chance to check it.
Btw, is your friend's car spanking new? I remember reading in the manual that the MID figures tend to be off the mark till the car has put some kilometres behind it.

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SlowRider.

The handbrake can be moved on to the dashboard like the one on the Honda CRV to free up space between the seats.

How do you find the ride quality and the rear seat (if you have sat while the car is on move)?

Anurag.
Exactly the example I had in my mind.
I've spent only about 35 minutes in the rear seat so far. Please note that my reference would be a 2002 model Santro with not much of its suspension refurbished. The ride is certainly better than my Santro. The vertical movement is markedly less (Santro had this habit of bobbing at speed) and it's pretty flat at speed. Like I mentioned earlier in the review, the minor ripples on the road surface are felt crisply but anything bigger than that is soaked up. On bad roads, it's not a sofa but it was still way better than Santro. You're thrown about less. But I think I would be annoyed if I had to negotiate a kilometer long broken stretch of road every day. Point to note here is that 'potholes' are handled fine. 'Broken roads' can be a pain.
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Old 18th June 2013, 22:43   #24
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

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Originally Posted by SlowRider View Post
I remember reading in the manual that the MID figures tend to be off the mark till the car has put some kilometres behind it.
If the car is new and has not clocked in mileage then the fuel efficiency figures will vary and may be alarming at times. On an average it is said that the car's engine and mileage stabilizes after 10000 kms. I got stable readings from my third service i.e. 10000 kms. I get around 26 kmpl on the highway and 17 kmpl in city limits. The car has done 92000 kms in 2.5 years.

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Originally Posted by SlowRider View Post
Please note that my reference would be a 2002 model Santro with not much of its suspension refurbished. The ride is certainly better than my Santro. The vertical movement is markedly less (Santro had this habit of bobbing at speed) and it's pretty flat at speed.
I have migrated from the WagonR and there is a hell a lot of difference in ride quality and overall feel of the car. It is class apart and feels like a car of a higher segment after the migration. I find the rear end a little bumpy on undulated roads thought it doesn't make you feel like 'a cloth in the washing machine'.

The next time you get the car on highway, take it to 80 kmph at 5th gear. hold it on that speed and press the throttle. Look at the needle climb skywards and you'll get a push into the seat from the Turbo. I find the in gear roll-on to be great specially 80 to 110 kmph in 5th gear. Post 120 kmph the engine feels like its getting strangled (lack of air types)

Cheers,
Anurag.
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Old 19th June 2013, 20:09   #25
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

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Originally Posted by a4anurag View Post
I find the rear end a little bumpy on undulated roads thought it doesn't make you feel like 'a cloth in the washing machine'.
I agree. It is better than a Santro on undulating roads in that you don't get tossed about, but the ride remains uncomfortable; nowhere in the league of Punto.
Btw, those are crazy FE figures man. You've really figured out your car.

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Originally Posted by a4anurag View Post
The next time you get the car on highway, take it to 80 kmph at 5th gear. hold it on that speed and press the throttle. Look at the needle climb skywards and you'll get a push into the seat from the Turbo. I find the in gear roll-on to be great specially 80 to 110 kmph in 5th gear. Post 120 kmph the engine feels like its getting strangled (lack of air types)
Done that already. I know exactly what you're talking about. 110 is a pretty good speed to run out of breath. It used to be 90 in my Santro. I'm glad the Ritz can breach the psychological benchmark of 100 with gusto. I have no idea what sort of performance follows past the turbo surge- whether it takes ages to pull the speedo up by another twenty or whether it continues to be an assured acceleration without the diesel thrust.


Btw, anybody fitted a driver's side armrest to this car?

Last edited by SlowRider : 19th June 2013 at 20:13. Reason: Added response to a previous post.
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Old 24th June 2013, 15:20   #26
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

The car's MID is giving me major smiles. Drove 150kms yesterday; traffic was light on a rainy sunday just after noon. Thanks to the rains, roads were in bad shape at least 60% of the way, but that said, you could still do 50km/h speeds dodging them. I got a surprising 25km/l indicated on the MID. In fact, it was 26.x km/l after around 60 kilometers before I ran into some really bad roads with slow traffic.

I drove at speed limit. Government of Kerala seems to have mobilised major funds for road safety; there appear to be speed traps every 10-20 minutes on the NH47 between Kochi and Kollam. I ought to thank them for my FE figures. Took an extra thirty minutes to get there, though.

What I discovered was that patience helps a lot if you're trying to extract the best FE figures. Accelerate slowly and you'll be fine. But bizarrely, the FE looked marginally better after a couple of turbo-driven charges to overtake. Hmmm... it's a complex engine, this one. Accelerate before the turbo spools up and the FE takes a major hit. On the other hand, accelerate with the turbo and I got the impression that the FE improved a notch!

Edit:
This was with A/C running in a really mild setting 90% of the way (it was a cool day with intermittent rains). 3 passengers and about 8 kilos of luggage.

Last edited by SlowRider : 24th June 2013 at 15:27. Reason: Grammatical error.
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Old 10th July 2013, 12:47   #27
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

Congratulations first of all!

I was looking for a thread whereby someone upgraded from a Santro to another hatchback and wanted to see their honest feedback. Don't know how I missed out on your thread.

I've been looking to upgrade from my faithful Santro (family workhorse and living up to the name) to something that can provide an equally pleasant experience. From your review it seems the Ritz has blended in quite well.

I hadn't really considered the Ritz, but now I think I should give it a serious thought. Now, only if I could get over that weird rear design! Would you recommend the Ritz diesel to another avid Santro fan?
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Old 11th July 2013, 12:39   #28
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

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Congratulations first of all!

I was looking for a thread whereby someone upgraded from a Santro to another hatchback and wanted to see their honest feedback. Don't know how I missed out on your thread.

I've been looking to upgrade from my faithful Santro (family workhorse and living up to the name) to something that can provide an equally pleasant experience. From your review it seems the Ritz has blended in quite well.

I hadn't really considered the Ritz, but now I think I should give it a serious thought. Now, only if I could get over that weird rear design! Would you recommend the Ritz diesel to another avid Santro fan?
I'm glad to have been of help. I'm just passing on the good will. I used tbhp to arrive at my decision as well.

I wholeheartedly recommed Ritz as an option to consider when upgrading from Santro.
As for the rear design, come on, you drive a Santro! That wasn't a total looker from the rear either. It cannot bother you too much. Honestly, it doesn't bother me at all. One good thing with that design is that you can stack luggage vertically. My old Santro couldn't transport an LPG cylinder vertically in the boot (would foul with the bootlid), but this one can. Neither cars had a parcel tray, I must add.

Coming from another tall boy to Ritz, you would find it roomier. In fact, the car is percieved to be roomier than it actually is (going by the dimensions). Lots of head room, high-set rear seats that provide good under-thigh support and nice lateral bolstering in the front seats.

You may find the steering a bit more weighted at highway speeds, but slightly easier at parking speeds (this is with the heavier diesel, I couldn't give you a thorough impression of the petrol car with just test drive experience). All things considered, it's better, but I find it hard to twirl it with one hand, but this is due to absence of any grip on the wheel.

Parking and tight spaces will need some attention. You see, in the Santro, you could just tilt your head to one side and you have a view of the front-right side of the car / wheel. Ritz is much wider and you have to really lean to one side and stick your head out of the window to see the front right corner. And the rear wheel arch is wider than the rest of the body, so it's a bit tricky as well. What you see through the rear windscreen is pretty much at par with Santro.

Out on the highway, you are never underpowered. You can keep pace with the faster traffic, do some brisk overtaking and maintain triple digit speeds with absolute confidence. I have the ABS version and brakes are good.

I must add, the car is not a sprinter in the city, unlike the Santro. You won't labor to keep up, but you won't sprint ahead of the others like you do in a Santro. I've made my peace with the delayed power delivery; as long as you don't expect the car to dart forward, you won't be disappointed.

Anything else you wanna know, I'll be very happy to help. Shoot specific questions.

Are you considering a diesel or petrol Ritz?

Cheers,
SlowRider.
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Old 11th July 2013, 13:02   #29
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

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Originally Posted by SlowRider View Post
I'm glad to have been of help. I'm just passing on the good will. I used tbhp to arrive at my decision as well.

I wholeheartedly recommed Ritz as an option to consider when upgrading from Santro.
As for the rear design, come on, you drive a Santro! That wasn't a total looker from the rear either. It cannot bother you too much. Honestly, it doesn't bother me at all. One good thing with that design is that you can stack luggage vertically. My old Santro couldn't transport an LPG cylinder vertically in the boot (would foul with the bootlid), but this one can. Neither cars had a parcel tray, I must add.

Coming from another tall boy to Ritz, you would find it roomier. In fact, the car is percieved to be roomier than it actually is (going by the dimensions). Lots of head room, high-set rear seats that provide good under-thigh support and nice lateral bolstering in the front seats.

You may find the steering a bit more weighted at highway speeds, but slightly easier at parking speeds (this is with the heavier diesel, I couldn't give you a thorough impression of the petrol car with just test drive experience). All things considered, it's better, but I find it hard to twirl it with one hand, but this is due to absence of any grip on the wheel.

Parking and tight spaces will need some attention. You see, in the Santro, you could just tilt your head to one side and you have a view of the front-right side of the car / wheel. Ritz is much wider and you have to really lean to one side and stick your head out of the window to see the front right corner. And the rear wheel arch is wider than the rest of the body, so it's a bit tricky as well. What you see through the rear windscreen is pretty much at par with Santro.

Out on the highway, you are never underpowered. You can keep pace with the faster traffic, do some brisk overtaking and maintain triple digit speeds with absolute confidence. I have the ABS version and brakes are good.

I must add, the car is not a sprinter in the city, unlike the Santro. You won't labor to keep up, but you won't sprint ahead of the others like you do in a Santro. I've made my peace with the delayed power delivery; as long as you don't expect the car to dart forward, you won't be disappointed.

Anything else you wanna know, I'll be very happy to help. Shoot specific questions.

Are you considering a diesel or petrol Ritz?

Cheers,
SlowRider.
Thanks. That pretty much sums up everything I needed to know. I have good low-end torque as a priority. Diesel or Petrol, it really doesn't matter. I've got good reviews on both. My daily driving involves a lot of medium to heavy traffic conditions and I need something that is peppy and can be easily maneuvered within the city. I will have almost zero highway driving. The gear shift quality should be at par with the Santro if not better. Basically, the next car has to be a perfect Santro replacement. The Ritz fits the bill, atleast as a correct Santro replacement, in terms of looks, power and practicality. And so does the Brio to some extent for almost the same OTR price.
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Old 11th July 2013, 14:17   #30
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Re: Tallboy Tales: From a Hyundai Santro to a Maruti Ritz VDi ABS

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Thanks. That pretty much sums up everything I needed to know. I have good low-end torque as a priority. Diesel or Petrol, it really doesn't matter. I've got good reviews on both. My daily driving involves a lot of medium to heavy traffic conditions and I need something that is peppy and can be easily maneuvered within the city. I will have almost zero highway driving. The gear shift quality should be at par with the Santro if not better. Basically, the next car has to be a perfect Santro replacement. The Ritz fits the bill, atleast as a correct Santro replacement, in terms of looks, power and practicality. And so does the Brio to some extent for almost the same OTR price.
Low-end in both petrol and diesel versions of Ritz won't be as punchy as the Santro, I must say. Diesel has a turbo lag; the torque delivery below 1800 RPM is rather subdued. As for the petrol, I believe K-series comes to life in the higher revs. In other words, DDIS has a very strong mid-range, K-series has a strong top-end.
To be honest, I don't think you will fully appreciate the diesel motor in Ritz in city conditions, except, perhaps, for the fuel efficiency. On FE front, I'd put my money on either of the Ritz engines over a Hyundai on any day.
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