[R4m4kr15hn4n]

Almost 2 years and 30k KM later!!!

At the outset, I would like to apologize for not maintaining/updating this thread properly/regularly like others in the forum and for reopening an almost dormant thread.

A lot has happened over the past 20 odd months. The return to office full time (5 days a week) from the year beginning has made my highway travels reduce to a trickle. And to add to my woes, my office is in the dreaded outer ring road, near Sarjapur, which makes 1 way travel distance of 32KM from my house.

I guess, not just the Bangalore folks, but the whole community would know that travelling daily on that route is a nightmare come true. Hence, have been taking the office cab which has further reduced the time I get to spend with my car.

Well, with that pretext/context out of the way, let me update a few pertinent things about the car below:
1. 50k service cost - INR 11k
2. Overall city mileage: 13-14.5 kmpl
3. Overall highway mileage : ~21 kmpl (if stuck to 100 kmph)

Please note that I always keep the AC on and that the mileage drops by 1.5 kmpl for every increase in 5 kmph above 100.

Additional details about the car:
1. The gear shift is still notchy, especially more so when changing from 1st to 2nd.
2. The ground clearance is a major issue with 4 or more people onboard. The car bottoms out on sharper speed bumps. The sound of the back axle hitting those bumps makes my heart skip a beat or 2 every single time.
3. The car is still running on stock tyres. They have held up well despite being run for 50k KM and they have have life for another 15k KM at least.
4. Maruti cars are notorious for their build quality, but thankfully the rattles have been kept to a bare minimum. I have been able to maintain the car with few minor bumps and scratches, which have been routinely dispatched, and the car still looks spic and shiny
5. The headlights are average. My car has the basic set-up, non-projector version. Usable in city, but the headlight throw is pathetic for late evening/night driving on the highways. Since I don't do much night driving, I have been sticking with the stock lights.
6. Suspension on my car is like Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. Up-front, it works like a charm. Absorbs the bumps like a pro. But at the back, it feels bouncy. Lots of lateral movement.
7. The back seat is strictly for people with average height. I am 6.1', and for my driving position, there is barely any knee room for a 5.8' tall person. Also, the back seat headroom is at a premium for taller passengers.
8. Braking. Good for city speeds, a little more bite is required for highway speeds. On certain occasions when I had to panic break, the ABS worked as expected. No surprises there.

Now for the elephant in the room:
The engine. That bloody dualjet engine

I had previously mentioned that the engine is lethargic. During the city rides, you can overcome that lethargy by keeping the 1800-2000 rpm range while shifting gears. But out on highway, the dual nature of the engine becomes very evident.

As many have mentioned for the K15 dualjet engine on XL6, the same characteristics apply here as well. The in gear acceleration at highways speeds is practically non-existent with people and luggage on-board. One needs to be extremely careful while trying to overtake. Your judgement has to be very precise and on point, otherwise, things can go awry very soon.

With all being said and written, the car is still a hoot to drive in the city and on open stretches. The handling, the nimble steering which weighs up nicely on higher speeds gives enough confidence to drive a little spiritedly at times.

Well, that was about that. Hopefully, I will be able to update this thread more frequently. Thanks for patiently reading up till here.

Cheers

[R4m4kr15hn4n]

Another day, another highway travel!!!

Had to undertake an emergency trip to Tenkasi, during the mid-December week. The dates unfortunately coincided with the heavy deluge which left the southern 4 districts of TamilNadu reeling. Fortunately for me, Tenkasi was spared from the devastation which marooned Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts. I have driven the car in moderate to heavy rains within Bangalore, but this was a whole other experience, driving on the highway with the rains pounding, the winds lashing and swaying and a visibility of hardly 50m. Well, I suppose, it was another lesson for my driving abilities to have learnt.

Having travelled on that stretch of the highway very frequently, I knew that the whole highway is in immaculate condition, which helped me navigate the trip without worrying about when the next bad patch or the pothole would occur. Credit to NHAI for the proper and regular upkeep and maintenance of the highway. Had it been a normal rainfall, I suppose, there would not have been water logging on the roads, but due to the continuous deluge, there was water logging towards the middle (near the road divider), but in most places, the water kept flowing to the side of the road.

Summarizing my experience and thoughts in the below points:
1. I suppose, with the kerb weight of under 900kg, the car was kept relatively stable during the drive because we were 4 adults and a kid travelling. But then again, there were times when it left me wondering if I could complete the trip.

2. As much as I wanted to hold the car steady, because of the intensity of the rains, the water flow/drain kept swerving the car. It became difficult to maintain a straight line and at times, the car struggled to keep up.

3. The low ground clearance proved to be the most contentious. The unladen ground clearance is 160mm. Under normal circumstances itself, with the full load, the car scrapes most speed breakers on city roads. With water logging at many places, I had to either maneuver the car extremely carefully with the added tension of not stalling the car or to take a detour because I was very sure that the car would not make it.

Considering all that happened in that 2 days round trip of 1300km, it made me realize that I definitely need a bigger (or rather a more heavier) car with a higher ground clearance. My personal preference is for the sedan body style over the others, this recent trip is making me consider the SUV and MUV/MPV segment as well. Who knows, a new year might just make me bring a new car home.

Until then, cheers and Happy New Year in advance.

Thanks.

[R4m4kr15hn4n]

As I had indicated in my last post that I was contemplating upgrading the car, I finally took the plunge. After 3 years and almost 52k kms later, I’ve now traded my Dzire to bring home the Carens. I will definitely miss this car. Will forever hold a special place in my heart. Thanks to Covid, I was able to do a whole lot of highway trips that I very much doubt I’ll be able to replicate with the Carens.

Mods Request: please note that since I have now sold out the car, not sure if it would be of any help to keep this thread open. Hence, if needed, would request to close out this thread.