Maruti Ritz : Test Drive & Review

joy_o_hammer · 19th May 2009, 13:24

IMO the swift upgrade in India will be the Swift that is available in Europe as of now and may not be the new version, as it is only to be revealed in Autumn of 2010 for Paris Motor show. A bit to late to cash in the BS 4 race in India.

Europe Swift currently has 3 choices; a 90bhp 1.3-litre engine & a 100bhp 1.5-litre engine & then there is the 1.6 Litre Swift Sport (125 PS). All these are Euro 4 certified and therefore the most convinient replacement for Swift in India.

There were reports that the base version of the new swift may have the same ritz 1.2 litre engine.

Not sure if Maruti would like two of their cars competing on the similar engines in the long run.

extreme_torque · 19th May 2009, 14:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by vitesh.b

the platforms for Swift and Ritz are different.
Swift is wider and longer.

Suzuki says they are the same, who shall I believe?
As far as length width and height are concerned, Ritz is almost as wide as the swift 1680 mm vs 1690 mm. The extra space liberated in Ritz is because of the height and to a certain extent cab forward stance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vitesh.b

and moreover Swift is manufactured in MS's Manesar plat whereas Ritz is bieng rolled out from Gurgaon plant. had the platforms been same - MS would have rolled both of them from a new plant and taken advantage of economies of scale.

Platform being same doesnt mean they take the economies of scale in manufacturing, it means that they save on developmental costs. Swift and Ritz share nothing in common, their body panels are entirely different and so are the interiors , so please enlighten us how economies of scale comes into picture?

vitesh.b · 19th May 2009, 15:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Platform being same doesnt mean they take the economies of scale in manufacturing, it means that they save on developmental costs. Swift and Ritz share nothing in common, their body panels are entirely different and so are the interiors , so please enlighten us how economies of scale comes into picture?

well.
if the two were being manufactured in the same plant only 1 set of dyes would be needed. the cost of dies is approx 20-25% of the capex of the new car development.

lets assume that MS got 2 set of same dies for 2 of its plants that would increase the overhead per unit by a far margin and increase the cost and thereby decrease the margin the manufacturer would be making.

therefore....

romeomidhun · 19th May 2009, 20:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by joy_o_hammer

Not sure if Maruti would like two of their cars competing on the similar engines in the long run.

They are already doing it with Wagon-R and Estilo!

recshenoy · 19th May 2009, 20:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by ms001

the rear doesnt look that bad in real it is quite acceptable, only the pics make it look very ugly

not sure about Ritz. I saw a Splash today here in tokyo. Looks quite okay for me.

offcourse this SPLASH had wider tyres

Any major difference between Splash and Ritz?

CarsPG · 19th May 2009, 23:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by recshenoy

not sure about Ritz. I saw a Splash today here in tokyo. Looks quite okay for me.

offcourse this SPLASH had wider tyres

Any major difference between Splash and Ritz?

Splash is called Ritz in India

!

i10 · 20th May 2009, 02:40

I got an opportunity to check out the Ritz today as part of Maruti's promotional spree at our office campus. Test drives were not allowed, and am myself no car expert, but I just felt I would put down a few points which I noticed. Variant on display was ZXi.

- Front profile of the car is very good. Commands good road presence, and is very un-Maruti. Side profile is decent, but the back was a downer for me. From a distance the back looks very odd, though closer up, it is not as bad.
- Boot space felt [visually] similar to that of the Swift, and slightly bigger than the i10.
- Seats were comfortable [atleast more than my i10], I didn't mind the blues, and thought they gave the car a slightly vibrant mood. Also the sitting position in the rear seat was comfortable, and it did not feel claustrophobic like I did in the Swift or for that matter, the dungeon like A-Star. Rear leg room is sufficient. The driver's seat is height adjustable [ZXi only I believe]. The tray under the co-driver's seat was of poor quality and too small in size.
- Though the tilt steering I felt did not really have much variation in terms of the highest and lowest positions. They were about an inch apart. Not sure if that is good or bad, but I didn't feel much of a difference.
- Doors are thicker, but no compartment to put a bottle in the rear doors. Front doors have a provision for the same, but not much space wise. Also one thing I missed was the arm support I have in the i10. Speakers are fitted into the door. Big mirrors to boost rear views.
- The main console was highly impressive, and I simply loved the big speedo. Also impressed by the tacho on the left. I had thought the one on the A-Star was an eye sore.
- Dashboard was unimpressive and for once the color combination felt out of place. The small tool box above the glove box was a nice trick.
- Plastic quality downright pathetic. In fact, and again I am not sure if it was just the demo model, some of the plastic on the interiors of the doors didn't seem to have been fitted well - bad finishing to be precise. The fabric on the inside of the door wasn't appealing either.

Overall, without having driven the car, and going just by the looks, I felt this could be one hell of a car, if not for the poor quality material that [I felt] has been used. Again, just a rookie's opinion.

vrrraju · 20th May 2009, 10:35

Hi GTO, Nice review.

But I was just thinking about the front seats. Do you think they are the same as that are in Swift. I usually feel very comfortable in Swift front. Recently I took a tour of 2600KM in 4 days and I never felt fatigue. Does Ritz has the same comfortable seats in front as swift has. Then probably I will exchange my Swift Zxi with Ritz Vdi with ABS.

Good car from Maruti.

rajathv8 · 20th May 2009, 10:42

i think the car looks absolutely hideous at the rear. it is possible that the designers were out of ideas by the time they reached the rear and decided to end it abruptly. from the side it appears as though the rear has been chopped off. the ritz website says they offer 15 inch rims, but on a 14 inch tyre? similar to the 13 inch disk brakes of the a-star! why dont they spend time checking for mistakes?

vitesh.b · 20th May 2009, 11:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajathv8

the ritz website says they offer 15 inch rims, but on a 14 inch tyre?

lol
where on the website??

cartech · 20th May 2009, 12:09

Took TD of Ritz ZXi. Agreed with GTO 100%. Changed SWIFT ZXI booking to Ritz ZXi as it meets my requiremnets in city driving. Deciding factors:

1) Super silent new engine.

2) Good driving position.

3) More practical than Swift (60-40 split rear seat, storage space)

4) Good ride.

5) 40K cheaper (Though would have liked CC)

Technocrat · 20th May 2009, 12:22

^^ whats the on road price difference between Swift ZXi & Ritz ZXi?

cartech · 20th May 2009, 12:59

In Mumbai Ritz Zxi is about 40K cheaper than Swift ZXi (5.95L vs 5.58L)

ant_vas · 20th May 2009, 18:59

HI, had been to maruti showroom to checkout the RITZ on 16th. car looks good from the front, but the rear is definetly a no no for me atleast. i saw a lot of young couple's drooling over the car. i sat inside the car to get the feel of it (as there were no test drives available). the front seats are comfortable for a person like me (5' 11"). the driving position was also very good! the buttons on the console seem to be placed rightly. but the tacho, was some thing not gelling well. one thing i noticed about the front passenger seat is that there was not enough space to stretch my legs! even with the seat the seat pulled back completly!

the rear side as i expected was really congested! i can enter/ exit alrite, but once in, have to sit still, couldn't move coz of lack of space!

my friend was trying the seat's and when he sat at the drivers seat, his left leg got struck between the gap of centre console and the stearing column! (he's 6'3").

he didn't dare to tryout the rear seats.

the tyres looked big for the car(it was high end petrol) which made me think that it would very stable on the road!

as to whether my friend is buying ritz? Naa! out rightly rejected by him!

Technocrat · 20th May 2009, 19:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajathv8

the ritz website says they offer 15 inch rims, but on a 14 inch tyre? similar to the 13 inch disk brakes of the a-star! why dont they spend time checking for mistakes?

Quote:

Originally Posted by vitesh.b

lol
where on the website??

There is no mistake on website

The ZXi sports 15 inch alloys while the other variants sport 13 inch wheels.

19th May 2009, 13:24	#316
joy_o_hammer Newbie Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 21 Thanked: 10 Times	IMO the swift upgrade in India will be the Swift that is available in Europe as of now and may not be the new version, as it is only to be revealed in Autumn of 2010 for Paris Motor show. A bit to late to cash in the BS 4 race in India. Europe Swift currently has 3 choices; a 90bhp 1.3-litre engine & a 100bhp 1.5-litre engine & then there is the 1.6 Litre Swift Sport (125 PS). All these are Euro 4 certified and therefore the most convinient replacement for Swift in India. There were reports that the base version of the new swift may have the same ritz 1.2 litre engine. Not sure if Maruti would like two of their cars competing on the similar engines in the long run.
	() Thanks

20th May 2009, 02:40	#322
i10 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Outside India Posts: 130 Thanked: 63 Times	I got an opportunity to check out the Ritz today as part of Maruti's promotional spree at our office campus. Test drives were not allowed, and am myself no car expert, but I just felt I would put down a few points which I noticed. Variant on display was ZXi. - Front profile of the car is very good. Commands good road presence, and is very un-Maruti. Side profile is decent, but the back was a downer for me. From a distance the back looks very odd, though closer up, it is not as bad. - Boot space felt [visually] similar to that of the Swift, and slightly bigger than the i10. - Seats were comfortable [atleast more than my i10], I didn't mind the blues, and thought they gave the car a slightly vibrant mood. Also the sitting position in the rear seat was comfortable, and it did not feel claustrophobic like I did in the Swift or for that matter, the dungeon like A-Star. Rear leg room is sufficient. The driver's seat is height adjustable [ZXi only I believe]. The tray under the co-driver's seat was of poor quality and too small in size. - Though the tilt steering I felt did not really have much variation in terms of the highest and lowest positions. They were about an inch apart. Not sure if that is good or bad, but I didn't feel much of a difference. - Doors are thicker, but no compartment to put a bottle in the rear doors. Front doors have a provision for the same, but not much space wise. Also one thing I missed was the arm support I have in the i10. Speakers are fitted into the door. Big mirrors to boost rear views. - The main console was highly impressive, and I simply loved the big speedo. Also impressed by the tacho on the left. I had thought the one on the A-Star was an eye sore. - Dashboard was unimpressive and for once the color combination felt out of place. The small tool box above the glove box was a nice trick. - Plastic quality downright pathetic. In fact, and again I am not sure if it was just the demo model, some of the plastic on the interiors of the doors didn't seem to have been fitted well - bad finishing to be precise. The fabric on the inside of the door wasn't appealing either. Overall, without having driven the car, and going just by the looks, I felt this could be one hell of a car, if not for the poor quality material that [I felt] has been used. Again, just a rookie's opinion.
	() Thanks

20th May 2009, 10:35	#323
vrrraju BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 186 Thanked: 35 Times	Hi GTO, Nice review. But I was just thinking about the front seats. Do you think they are the same as that are in Swift. I usually feel very comfortable in Swift front. Recently I took a tour of 2600KM in 4 days and I never felt fatigue. Does Ritz has the same comfortable seats in front as swift has. Then probably I will exchange my Swift Zxi with Ritz Vdi with ABS. Good car from Maruti.
	() Thanks

20th May 2009, 10:42	#324
rajathv8 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 380 Thanked: 760 Times	i think the car looks absolutely hideous at the rear. it is possible that the designers were out of ideas by the time they reached the rear and decided to end it abruptly. from the side it appears as though the rear has been chopped off. the ritz website says they offer 15 inch rims, but on a 14 inch tyre? similar to the 13 inch disk brakes of the a-star! why dont they spend time checking for mistakes?
	() Thanks

20th May 2009, 12:09	#326
cartech BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 198 Thanked: Once	Cancelled Swift ZXI and Booked Ritz Zxi Took TD of Ritz ZXi. Agreed with GTO 100%. Changed SWIFT ZXI booking to Ritz ZXi as it meets my requiremnets in city driving. Deciding factors: 1) Super silent new engine. 2) Good driving position. 3) More practical than Swift (60-40 split rear seat, storage space) 4) Good ride. 5) 40K cheaper (Though would have liked CC)
	() Thanks

20th May 2009, 12:22	#327
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,813 Thanked: 2,700 Times	^^ whats the on road price difference between Swift ZXi & Ritz ZXi?
	() Thanks

20th May 2009, 12:59	#328
cartech BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 198 Thanked: Once	In Mumbai Ritz Zxi is about 40K cheaper than Swift ZXi (5.95L vs 5.58L)
	() Thanks

20th May 2009, 18:59	#329
ant_vas BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: bangalore Posts: 413 Thanked: 687 Times	HI, had been to maruti showroom to checkout the RITZ on 16th. car looks good from the front, but the rear is definetly a no no for me atleast. i saw a lot of young couple's drooling over the car. i sat inside the car to get the feel of it (as there were no test drives available). the front seats are comfortable for a person like me (5' 11"). the driving position was also very good! the buttons on the console seem to be placed rightly. but the tacho, was some thing not gelling well. one thing i noticed about the front passenger seat is that there was not enough space to stretch my legs! even with the seat the seat pulled back completly! the rear side as i expected was really congested! i can enter/ exit alrite, but once in, have to sit still, couldn't move coz of lack of space! my friend was trying the seat's and when he sat at the drivers seat, his left leg got struck between the gap of centre console and the stearing column! (he's 6'3"). he didn't dare to tryout the rear seats. the tyres looked big for the car(it was high end petrol) which made me think that it would very stable on the road! as to whether my friend is buying ritz? Naa! out rightly rejected by him!
	() Thanks