[sidindica]

Ride:

Maruti Ritz: 6 /10
Hyundai I10: 7 /10

The ritz is suspended by convectional McPherson strut/ coil springs in the front and Torsion beam/ Coil springs in the rear, with gas filled shockers on all 4 wheels which run on bigger 14" diameter as compared to the i10's 13 inchers.

But bigger wheels does not necessarily mean better ride quality, as the ritz rides choppily at high speeds, especially at the rear. Though Maruti has done a fine job of calibrating the suspension for our roads, it still falls short as compared to the i10.
Low speed ride is good, with the car isolating its front passengers well due to lighter engine up front, and only deep bumps unsettle the car with some jerks transmitted into the passenger cabin.At the rear, the ride is not as good with most bumps transmitting into the cabin, making it difficult to spend time on rear seats. As speeds rise, the ride improves, but only just and that too at the front. Mid bumps and craters unsettle the car easily, especially at the rear and the suspension has a hard time keeping its occupants cocooned in comfort.

The i10 may ride on small weedy 13 inchers but soft suspension set up means that the ride quality does not suffer, despite having a similar suspension set up as the Ritz. In fact it rides way better then the ritz at low and medium speeds and the rear ride quality is way improved over its predecessor. Again, size has its limitations as at the high speeds, the i10 gets unsettled at huge potholes with a thud sound transmitting into the passenger cabin.

At the front, again the ride is decent and only improves with speed. Highway stability is again amazing keeping in mind the size of the car and its aerodynamic shape makes it less susceptible to crosswinds, something which the ritz sorely lacks.

Handling:

Maruti Ritz: 7 /10
Hyundai I10: 5 /10

Both cars are driven by Electronically assisted power steering owing to its packaging and size advantages, assisted by a motor mounted under the steering column. When launched, the cars were notoriously low on feel and often felt disconnected from the wheels. But times have moved on, so has the caliberation and today's EPS/ MDPS systems feel far better caliberated as compared to previous ones.

But again, Hyundai has its work cut out with the i10 kappa. At low speeds, it is a docile handler,the steering feels incredibly light, a boon on parking speeds ut as speeds increase, the car does not inspire confidence while driving on the highway, even though its stability is good. The steering feels light due to a quicker ratio and disconnected to the chassis and doesn't inspire confidence while taking high speed turns.

Ironically,however, body roll is well controlled and due to the lower center of gravity (owed to its shorter height and longer wheelbase) it can be driven without being scary.

The ritz, though not a good handler as compared to the Europeans, handles better than by the i10 by a fair amount of margin with Maruti calibrating its EPS far better than the Hyundai's. For a tall boy, the car handles amazingly and it feels predictable and benign, and the steering feels well connected at medium and high speeds. Again, at low speeds, the steering is artificial but feels better than the i10.

One concern is the amount of body roll that plagues the tall Ritz. Tall height and short wheelbase are the main culprit here and surely can be tweaked by addition of stabilizer bars, both front and rear, to inspire more confidence.

Braking (with ABS on cars tested):

Hyundai i10: 7 / 10
Maruti Ritz: 6 /10

Both cars have competent brakes with the hyundai better performing of the two. The i10's ABS assisted brakes provided decent stopping distances and the pedal feel was also good.

The Ritz could do better. Though stoppage distance is decent, ABS cuts in very early and again the pads are prone to fade with the pedal feel a bit overservoed, a problem plagued in most marutis.

[profold]

Originally Posted by jkdas

Pal; great job with scoops etc. But can you post pix of what is sold in India? Stay with facts not paid up write ups.

And, i10 shouldnt be a rival for Ritz (unless Suzuki is scared). Both are of different segment right?

It should be i20 vs Ritz.

1) Pix for Indian versions are easily available from the manufacturers website. What "sidindica" possibly wanted was to provide views from comparable angles for both the models side by side. A great job IMHO.
2) I don't think "scoops etc" and "paid up write up" are kind phrases. Every reviewer does include some expressions here and there from the manufacturers' glossies and from carmags. Sidindica, though he humbly claims elsewhere that he is on a learning curve , does the comparo job with diligence and elan . A difficult combination to maintain.
3) Having said the above, sidindica sometimes loses consistency and contradicts himself. But this is acceptable in a forum as we are reporting as well as brainstorming.

4) Regarding Ritz and I20, I would go by your comments in a later post.

Cheers. Happy weakend to all

[sidindica]

Fuel efficiency:

Maruti Ritz: 8 /10
Hyundai i10: 7 /10

Again, the lighter Suzuki powertrain is more frugal with an ARAI figure of about 17.7 kmpl.
Hyundai's i10 is not as efficient as it is advertised it to be but is pretty decent with an ARAI figure of about 16.8 kmpl (exact figure not available but it is close to this mark).

In typical delhi traffic with full AC on, expect the figure to hover between 10.5-12 kmpl in city and 14-15 kmpl on the highway, for both these cars respectively.

Buying and owning:

Maruti Ritz: 8 /10
Hyundai i10: 7 /10

Again, its a close fight between the two but maruti gets a thumbs up for its vast service network, present in every nook and corner of the country and competitively priced spare parts, making it cheap to maintain on the pocket, part owed to its parts bin from the swift.
Residual values, as expected from many marutis, are also expected to be better, though its too early to comment, but since the car is off to a flying start, the resale values are expected to be good.

Hyundai, on the other hand also provides superb after sales service but some workshops charge very high labour rates, so keep an eye for it while getting the car serviced. The network is vast, though not as vast as marutis, but expanding.

Resale values are decent and again, expected to be good due to the car doing well in sales charts.
However, some maintenance parts cost are on the higher side as compared to marutis and in the long run, the i10 will prove to be a bit expensive on maintenance as compared to the Ritz.

Basic warrenty for both cars is 2 years with an option to extend to 3/ 4 years at nominal prices.
Service interval is every 10,000 km (routine).

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by profold

1) Pix for Indian versions are easily available from the manufacturers website. What "sidindica" possibly wanted was to provide views from comparable angles for both the models side by side. A great job IMHO.
2) I don't think "scoops etc" and "paid up write up" are kind phrases. Every reviewer does include some expressions here and there from the manufacturers' glossies and from carmags. Sidindica, though he humbly claims elsewhere that he is on a learning curve , does the comparo job with diligence and elan . A difficult combination to maintain.
3) Having said the above, sidindica sometimes loses consistency and contradicts himself. But this is acceptable in a forum as we are reporting as well as brainstorming.

4) Regarding Ritz and I20, I would go by your comments in a later post.

Cheers. Happy weakend to all

I hail him wrt to scoops part. But this review is a joke. It clearly biased.

[sidindica]

The final verdict:

A closely fought comparison, this one, as expected, came out to be true.

The Hyundai i10 is a world class product, no doubt. Clean styling,acceptable comfort, ride and quality interiors with a superb engine and decent aftersales service means that you cannot go wrong with this product. Even after 2 years, it is selling consistently well and it is easy to understand why. For a small car buyer, it provides everything that we want, including that extra feel which the Ritz lacks.

However, taking into account the price to features to benefits ratio, its the ritz that clearly noses ahead of the i10. Imposing prescence, decent handling with more than acceptable overall comfort levels make it an enticing package on this price bracket. Adding to the icing in the cake is the superb KB series engine with decent mileage, running costs and above all, the vast network of ever trusted maruti's workshops.Small features
and touches also add value to this enticing package.

After struggling with its current crop of small cars, maruti finally delivers a knockout punch at this cut throat budget hatch segment, with the Ritz having all the glitz which we buyers on a budget need.

Don't we?

First place: Maruti Suzuki Ritz ZXi (7.25/10)

A great all rounder for those who want all the optimal attributes in a small car. Small but significant features and an unparalled service network only add icing to the cake.Rear seat comfort, small boot and questionable rear end styling are small drawbacks that can be overlooked by the sheer value it offers.

Second Place: Hyundai i10 1.2 kappa (6.83/10)

Grace, optimum pace and space. You want it, you got it. Also, gives a overall better "feel" factor. But expensive on price to features ratio, sloppy handling and high cost of maintenance on the long run gives it a runner up status. Still a superb product but overshadowed by Maruti's newest offering. For those who want quality at a price.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by sidindica

The final verdict:

A closely fought comparison, this one, as expected, came out to be true.

The Hyundai i10 is a world class product, no doubt. Clean styling,acceptable comfort, ride and quality interiors with a superb engine and decent aftersales service means that you cannot go wrong with this product. Even after 2 years, it is selling consistently well and it is easy to understand why. For a small car buyer, it provides everything that we want, including that extra feel which the Ritz lacks.

However, taking into account the price to features to benefits ratio, its the ritz that clearly noses ahead of the i10. Imposing prescence, decent handling with more than acceptable overall comfort levels make it an enticing package on this price bracket. Adding to the icing in the cake is the superb KB series engine with decent mileage, running costs and above all, the vast network of ever trusted maruti's workshops.Small features
and touches also add value to this enticing package.

After struggling with its current crop of small cars, maruti finally delivers a knockout punch at this cut throat budget hatch segment, with the Ritz having all the glitz which we buyers on a budget need.

Don't we?

First place: Maruti Suzuki Ritz ZXi (7.25/10)

A great all rounder for those who want all the optimal attributes in a small car. Small but significant features and an unparalled service network only add icing to the cake.Rear seat comfort, small boot and questionable rear end styling are small drawbacks that can be overlooked by the sheer value it offers.

Second Place: Hyundai i10 1.2 kappa (6.83/10)

Grace, optimum pace and space. You want it, you got it. Also, gives a overall better "feel" factor. But expensive on price to features ratio, sloppy handling and high cost of maintenance on the long run gives it a runner up status. Still a superb product but overshadowed by Maruti's newest offering. For those who want quality at a price.

Ritz wins hands down. Cool.

sid; you had a Santro. Was it costly to maintain it?


Small but significant feature like? and better a.s.s helps what? You lost it there.

[JayD]

Originally Posted by jkdas

I hail him wrt to scoops part. But this review is a joke. It clearly biased.

Just like some other comparos he has done recently. Sid, brother, no offense, but i prefer your scoops.

[kpzen]

Instead of this thread you could have just added i10 in your NAVRATNA.

[AbhiJ]

Good effort Sid. I personally liked the Ritz too, its a great product from maruti, but that rear was too ugly to live with...

Originally Posted by JayD

Just like some other comparos he has done recently. Sid, brother, no offense, but i prefer your scoops.

You guys are mean....

[tj123]

Originally Posted by sidindica

Usable boot space:
Hyundai i10: 6 /10
Maruti Ritz: 5 /10
....However, the Ritz offers 60:40 split seats on all models which the i10 doesn't. So, its flexibility is better as compared to that of the i10.

Overall Good review Sid ...just wanted to point out that all version of Ritz has 60:40 splits hence it definitely offers more utility space and value for money.

You have rated Ritz lower on usable boot space, however I think it could have been at-least equal if not better.

[driftagain]

Even though Ritz wins overall I believe that the two strongest points in favour are space and fuel economy.

i10 is definitely cramped and you cannot stretch your legs to your liking even if you are not very tall. The i10 feels smaller than even the santro and its only the colors of the interiors which make it FEEL spacious even though it is actually not so.

I still feel that the price points for Ritz are not well advertised and people still have the opinion that it is priced same as Swift even though it is cheaper. The ZXI seems sheer value compared to the i10 Asta because of the high equipment level.

Nice Comparo Sid - I knew that someone would come up this comparison as the price points almost match

[aaggoswami]

The Ritz motor is simply fantastic.
Hyundai I10 will max weight 952kg Kerb weight.
Ritz kerb weight is 1030kg.

Now Hyundai engine is 80 bhp, then the power to weight ratio is 84 bhp/ton. For Ritz, the output is 84bhp, so the power to weight ratio is 81.55 bhp/ton. Easily, Korean Horses are weaker than Japanese. No offence meant to anyone, I am just appreciating the Suzuki unit which almost each and every review says is fantastic.
Despite being heavier, Ritz manages to be faster than I10.

I believe that review is not biased. He has evenly pointed out to weakness and strength. I wonder how " prone to rattles " was included in Ritz's what not hot section.

[nurni76]

Originally Posted by JayD

Just like some other comparos he has done recently. Sid, brother, no offense, but i prefer your scoops.

I think it is unfair to comment that the review is biased. There is clearly no doubt Ritz as an overall package is the better product. In fact even all other magazines/auto shows have proclaimed this. I think we need to give credit where it is due.

I think the only place where there was a small element of bias was in proclaiming the Punto as the winner in the Diesel comparison, where clearly i20 was the best. But then that was also a close fight and besides Sid had made up his mind on a Punto

Good job Sid. From Sidindica to ScoopIndica to Testdriveindica..well done

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by jkdas

So coz Maruti make Ritz cheaper its a competitor to i10? And the build quality of Ritz. Pathetic!

And they even stopped selling Swift to help Ritz's sales. Shame.

JKD internationally also the i10 competes with the splash. i20 is higher segment. here they share 1.2L engine price and equal features. Ritz was never meant to compete with the i20 or Punto. The only common thing it shares is the hatch.

ALso, the ritz has a smaller wheelbase of 2360mm compared to i10's 2380mm. Interior space is actually more in i10 by a small margin compared to Ritz.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by driftagain

i10 is definitely cramped and you cannot stretch your legs to your liking even if you are not very tall. The i10 feels smaller than even the santro and its only the colors of the interiors which make it FEEL spacious even though it is actually not so.

Umm...when was the last time you sat in the two cars and compared back to back? I've owned two Santro's on the trot and now own an i10 as replacement for the second Santro and can vouch for the fact that the i10 has more space all around then the Santro.