[Takumi-san]

Superb review. Personally I dont mind the dented rear end , me thinks it looks zippy. It should sell well, no doubt about it ; but Maruti really needs to position its cars clearly in different segments. Too much internal cannibalisation otherwise.

[mnhegde]

Thanks for the nice review GTO. Nice pictures. Very well written. Car looks good overall (love the looks). Personally I would prefer this car any day on i10 .

@ Gagan: Has the waiting period of swift(D) taken away the new car buyers to Hyundai ??

[satish_appasani]

Nice (p)review GTO. I think by looks it self the car looks like fun to drive.

I read you test drove it in Vizag? Is there any specific reason why Maruti choose this hot sunny coastal city against all other bigger metros?Probaby this is your first to Vizag. Did you like it?

[Ram_NP]

Very good review and nice pictures.

As Maruti themselve have admitted Ritz may eat to Swift's sales, the pricing remains to be seen.
But Maruti must be admired to bring the new products in the same segment, givng the customers more choice.

[tazmaan]

Great review . Ritz looks like a nice car but they need to add Airbags for DDIS as well. The engine encourages you to push the car and have fun but lack of safety features like airbags spoils the mood.

I personally like the rear, its one of those designs which will have mixed reactions. They need to change the steering wheel now.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by rapidsnail

Its just a new age Wagon-R with better petrol and diesel cores.

You bring up a valid point. This car has replaced the WagonR in many markets. However, going by the several Alto generations on our roads and the stupendously successful WagonR, I doubt the latter will be discontinued anytime soon.

Originally Posted by pranava999

So how do you suppose Maruti is going to position and differentiate its hatchback stable?

Challenge. Maruti seems to be happy as long as the customer stays within their family. Related post from another thread:

Originally Posted by GTO

Lets consider each models USP:

800 : 2nd cheapest car in the world (thanks to a certain Mr. Tata). Will only be seen in rural showrooms soon (emission norms).

Alto : Heck of a hatch for the price. Great road manners, solid build, true successor to the 800's mantle. Outsells the 800 and to many families, their first ever car.

WagonR : Mr. Practicality. Sells well and the dual-fuel variants gave it a further shot in the arm.

Estilo : Time for Maruti to draw the curtains on this one. Not to mention, the Estilo single-handedly killed all the brand equity that the "Zen" name had built over 15 years.

Versa : Ditto. Pull the plug. ASAP.

A-Star : Cramped and no useable boot. But great to drive, fuel efficient and looks...umm....different.

Swift : Best selling *premium* hatch. Great to drive, excellent diesel. Maruti's cash cow.

Ritz : ????????? Probably more space than the Swift & A-Star? DIESEL?

If I were a prospective hatchback customer, I'd sure as hell end up dumb-founded in a Maruti showroom!!

Originally Posted by d3mon

Where was the TD done, by the way?

Vizag

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

@GTO: Does the Ritz feel as tinny/rattly as the Swift when closing doors or driving, or did you feel the bodyshell is more solidly built?

Build and overall quality definitely a step ahead.

Originally Posted by Caramelo

GTO,can you through some light on the specs plz. no climate control on the ZXI.

Added the following details to post no.2

Features exclusive to the VXi / VDi:

- 165/80/14 tyres (as with the LXi)
- Central locking
- Fog lights
- ABS / EBD / Brake assist (available options)
- Body coloured mirrors + door handles (only VDi)
- Wheel caps
- Fabric on door trim
- Power windows
- Tachometer
- Alerts for seat belts, door closure, light off etc.
- Front seat undertray
- Rear head restraints

Features exclusive to the ZXi (no ZDi variant):

All features of VXi plus the following
- 185/70/14 tyres
- Driver + Passenger airbag
- Height adjustable belts + pretensioner
- ABS / EBD / Brake assist
- Alloy wheels
- Rear defogger
- Rear wiper + washer
- Tiltable steering wheel
- Steering wheel audio controls
- Keyless entry
- Integrated audio system
- Parcel tray
- Drivers seat height adjustment
- Cigar lighter

Originally Posted by nurni76

Did you drive the petrol version as well? If so was it the Zxi?

Sure did, heck of an engine. Details in the first post.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Stratos

I respect the fact that Maruti is now launching new generation cars in India

Originally Posted by sanjayatarizona

Just the diesel, additional space and Maruti Packaging alone is gonna make this one a hit.

Truly. The Ritz is modern and well-packaged.

Originally Posted by entropy

From the pics the interiors somehow don't look great quality as compared to say i10.

The i10 interiors exude better quality. No doubts there.

Originally Posted by SLK

Whats the typre profile? 80 for the 165s? same as swift? - then its pretty big!

Tyre sizes updated in the 2nd post.

Originally Posted by ram_hyundai

GTO ,how was the petrol engine in the car tested.I am really hopefull about the petrol variant than the diesel.

From the opening post:

Getting to the meat of the matter : The brand new 1.2 L DOHC 84 BHP (85 PS @ 6,000 rpms) engine is simply fantastic! This motor is way more refined than the 1.3L in the Swift, has good in-town driveability (113 NM of torque) and, one can tell, a couple of generations newer. It was even fun taking her to 6,000 rpms, the motor is fairly revv happy (though progress is slow and noise levels higher after 5000 odd rpms). The engine is very tractable and boasts a flexible nature; it is at home pottering around in the city or stretching her legs on the open road. This engine is so good that I see it makings it way into the Swift as well (soon?). The gearshift quality is smooth & sure-slotting in the petrol.

Originally Posted by Ash_vtec

and the omission of airbags is a glaring one, considering the top end A star comes with it.

Airbag available in the petrol Ritz, not with the diesel.

Originally Posted by Technocrat

The omission of Remote boot release & Climate control ac makes me feel that it will priced lower than Swift.

Agreed. Don't miss the excise benefits that the 1.2L is eligible for (unlike the 1.3L Swift).

Originally Posted by satish_appasani

I read you test drove it in Vizag? Is there any specific reason why Maruti choose this hot sunny coastal city against all other bigger metros?Probaby this is your first to Vizag. Did you like it?

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)

[ms001]

2 questions
1)how is the SQ on the stock ICE setup?
2)internal boot release is available as an option at least?

[luky_13]

With the Ritz and the Grande punto the count on the number of cars with the FIAT Multijet mill is now 7 (Swift, Dzire, Ritz, GP, Linea, Palio, Indica Vista). That is some reliability of the 1.3 motor, just what is going to happen when FIAT eventually phases out this little genius.

[Perakath]

Originally Posted by GTO

What are the twin lights on the low bumper? Not indicators, surely?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Perakath

What are the twin lights on the low bumper? Not indicators, surely?

They are reflectors.

[anekho]

what is the red bottommost light for?

cheers

[GTO]

Originally Posted by ms001

2 questions
1)how is the SQ on the stock ICE setup?
2)internal boot release is available as an option at least?

1. Didn't even try it. Was focussing on the car.

2. I don't think so.

Originally Posted by luky_13

the count on the number of cars with the FIAT Multijet mill is now 7 (Swift, Dzire, Ritz, GP, Linea, Palio, Indica Vista). That is some reliability of the 1.3 motor

No wonder people on the forum have started calling it our national engine!

Originally Posted by anekho

what is the red bottommost light for?

cheers

A (very bright) rear foglamp.

[frankmehta]

kudos to GTO for a top notch exclusive!

but the car looks like the usual maruti fare which will be dished by the lacs with less or almost no emotion. This is quite visible in the way the newer Marutis (a la Swft, Dzire, Estilo, New Alto, a-star etc) are built. Trademark flimsy build with the old-as-the-hills ill fitting rubber beadings. I guess some things just dont change, and one of them is how Maruti builds their cars.
You can have the best engines in the hood, and the most amount of space in the back seat, but when the car rattles after 6 months of caring use on the Indian roads, the least you would want to do is to return the car back to Maruti and take a full refund. There are 4 Swifts in the family, and My Esteem and Zen themself. They rattle like CRAZY. Totally detracts from the driving experience. Well, the older marutis atleast benefit in another way by having slightly thicker sheet metal, but the new Marutis of today have dirt cheap tinny metal and reek of cost cutting everywhere!

I will never buy a Maruti again. I am done with their flimsy stuff. Period.

[thangu]

Originally Posted by GTO

Features exclusive to the ZXi (no ZDi variant):

All features of VXi plus the following
- 185/70/14 tyres
- Driver + Passenger airbag
- Height adjustable belts + pretensioner
- ABS / EBD / Brake assist

So we have another hatch where Maruti is refusing to give the ZDi version. Can't really understand the rationale behind this, they already have various versions of different models at almost every price point so they really don't have to be worried about cannibalization.