[Caramelo]

let me say this and i might sound cheesy but, pictures say a lot more than words. and GTO you have given us a marvelous review.

also thanks for the listed features. i love the tacho meter so much. i absolutely want to rev that engine whenever i get the chance. awesome !!

and for those who dont like the back or feel it was hit by a truck from behind. well. i have this to say.

* this car is practical by nature. the shape is the way it is because it liberates more headroom and as a result more legroom also.

* the name of this car is splash globally and the rear lamps signify the theme as these lamps look like splashed water drops. looks hot!!!

* the lamps are positioned well above and almost as high as possible to make it for others to clearly see the cars lamps. very thoughtful. safe!!

* and your tailights wont get broken when someone hits them from behind as they are high mounted.

*wheels are set far out as much as possible for stability and better handling.

* this design i think is euro chic(french i think). and also used in opel agila.

[Mr_Bean]

This car would see like hot cakes, i am very much sure people will get use to the ritz design, example being the santro and the wagon-r.

i really hope it does not rattle, maruti has to seriously work on that part to make it tailormade for indian condition.

[raveen_2023]

I would prefer single tone interior. That blue looks cheap. I like the rear end even though it is different.

[ameenmaj]

That is a nice review. A head to head with Swift and i10 for petrol and Swift and Vista for the diesel would be highly appreciated.
Kudos to TBHP. Its another feather in our cap.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by KRf1

It has a bottle holder in side door ? That seems to be new .

Bottle holder integrated into the door map pockets.

Originally Posted by Su-47

I have a question with respect to spaciousness: Is it more spacious than an i10? (I hope it is).

Didn't check them back-to-back so cannot comment on the same. I think they'd be evenly matched, in terms of the rear seat bumpy ride too. If you want sheer space, I guess a bigger hatch like the Vista, Getz & Palio from the same price range are better suited.

Originally Posted by ram_hyundai

VDi ABS which i saw earlier dint have rear PW now the VDi which came has all 4 PW.no front fog lamps for the earlier one ,now it has front fog lamps.lolz,So much add ons in just a matter of a week.but that was expected.

The trim levels are final as per the second post of this thread.

Originally Posted by raveen_2023

I would prefer single tone interior. That blue looks cheap. I like the rear end even though it is different.

Doesn't look cheap in person. IIRC, there are options other than blue too.

[Guna]

Maruti has a very confusing (with many overlapping products) product portfolio and this one will add to the list.

If this is a direct competitor to i10, that means it is much like WagonR or Estlio and would be cannibalising it's own siblings.
I am not sure if WagonR owrners would be upgrading to Ritz if it is not substantially bigger. I was expecting it to be a large hatch which would compete with i20 or upcoming Jazz.

They have so many products but all crowded around one segment.

[ac 427]

the a-star wins it for me. this car is neither a v good looker like the swift or is not just a practical car like the wagon R, it trying to be both.

and its losing badly. the back ends ugly, the front ends vague, interiors look no diff than the A-star (minus the rev meter on the right).

I would rather buy the astar for its boy racer look.

cheers,
ac

[aka_iitd]

Originally Posted by KRf1

Thanks for the new pics GTO !

It has a bottle holder in side door ? That seems to be new .

These are there in SX4. Not new in Maruti cars. Good concept to hold the bottles. Very useful in long drives

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by GTO

I think they chose Vizag for the empty roads and to avoid attention. The test was over a 130 - 140 km stretch which covered it all; long straights, sweeping corners, light ghat section, semi-urban roads and a stint within the city as well. It was a very scenic enjoyable drive (right by the ocean). Though, I found it a bit strange to see the sun rising from the ocean (right where I live, the sun sets into the ocean)

Oh, then it looks like the route was via the Bhimili road and continued further on NH5 towards Srikakulam. But since you've mentioned ghat roads, I am a bit confused. Did you go to the Salur ghat via Vizianagaram? Or were you referring to the miniature ghats on the marine drive to Bhimili?

I am sure you must have been thrilled by the beauty of Vizag and its surroundings---a lot similar to California if you've been there (hills, forest and beaches everywhere)

Anyways, nice review GTO!

[tanwaramit]

Very good review GTO, you have covered it extensively with good images.

I saw some other photos of the car and noticed it has JVC 2 din system, (seems like touchscreen) , is this offered in ZXi ?

Rest the car looks good (the looks will grow on us), may be Maruti should take off WagonR and push this car. The rear bumper looks somewhat like SX4 bumper. Tacho as a separate unit doesnt do justice as looks like after market accessory and spoils the factory stock finish of the dashboard.

[HKS]

Awesome Photography and a great review.

10/10. Great job done GTO.

Did you test 0-100 of the petrol Ritz? I'm eager to know more about the new engine.

[harry10]

Very Good review!
Rest has been discussed already.
Personally front looks Swiftish and back as ugly as it can be.
Being a maruti it will sell no doubts.

Anyone has the link to the scoop from sid regarding SX4? Cant find it.

Edit - found it- http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-lineup-3.html

[prashanthyr]

Out of curiosity, just looked up the Suzuki UK site for prices:

Swift
5dr 1.3 GLX - £10250
5dr 1.3 DDiS - £10950


Splash
1.2 GLS £9750
1.3 DDiS £10600

So the Splash is priced at the same level as the Swift. Goes without saying that both the Swift and Splash come with far more safety equipment here (6 Airbags std, ABS, ESP) than they would ever get in India.

If they price it over the Swift, it is bound to fail as then it would be competing with the i20 and not the i10. And the i20 is superior in practically every respect to the Splash.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I am sure you must have been thrilled by the beauty of Vizag and its surroundings---a lot similar to California if you've been there (hills, forest and beaches everywhere)

Anyways, nice review GTO!

Don't recollect the names, but yes, the drive was fantastic.

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

I saw some other photos of the car and noticed it has JVC 2 din system, (seems like touchscreen) , is this offered in ZXi ?

Nope.

Originally Posted by HKS

Did you test 0-100 of the petrol Ritz? I'm eager to know more about the new engine.

No 0 - 100 tests (unfortunately!). Will be just a notch below the swifts I'd presume.

[desertfox]

This car is very similar in fact in the same class as the Toyota Yaris I had bought for my Wife in 2007.

The layout, design and features are similar except the the yaris is not so tall and looks better overall.

The console, cubby holes, ergonomics is derived from there.

Wonder what Toyota are waiting for. Once they come in with their small cars, the yaris hatchback, Saloon and the even smaller Starlet it is going to give all these marutis Hyundais and Honda Cities a run for their money.

I had bought a 1300 cc Petrol Engine Yaris for Dhs. 42,000 INR 5.65. It came with Airbags, Central locking , remote key, immobiliser, MP3, anti theft warning system en all.

By the current indian excise and duties standard it should cost about Rs. 7 Lakhs in India, the hatchback more like 6 lakhs.

Yaris has had phenomenal success in Europe, tradionally a hatchback market. It has eaten into the share of Volkswagon Golf / Polo and Seat. Also it has affected the sales of smaller Skodas ( hatchbacks ) and what remains of the Yugo. In France too it has grabbed market share from french made Renault and Pegueot hatchbacks. Germany sees the greatest inroads, replacing Wolkswagon and Opel sales.

A similar car by Suzuki called the Liana is sold in many international markets. There is a hatchback version too in DUbai called something else but it is the Ritz. But it is priced higher than Yaris, Nissan Tida or Honda Jazz hence doesnt sell. The top selling product from Suzuki there is the Indian made Alto with a 1100 cc Petrol engine, same as Zen Estilo. There this Alto is priced at Rs. 3,55,000.

With the introduction of the A Star and Ritz, is the Swift and the Zen going to be phased out ? Or the Ritz is a replacement for Wagon R ?

The maruti Hatchbacks would start from Alto, which will see a massive price reduction soon to compete with the Tata Nano.

With Honda Jazz also slated to be launched within this quarter, the competition in the midsize hatchback segment in hotting up !