Took Delivery of New Maruti Ritz Zxi

filcord · 28th August 2009, 11:12

How is space at the back. Does it fit three small adults comfortably for drives over an hour? Love to hear feedback on this issue.

shreeps · 31st August 2009, 16:05

@filcord: Sorry, I haven't had an occasion to seat more than 2 people at the back yet. 3 "small" adults should be fine considering that when I had gone for the test drive, there were 3 "large" size adults in the rear and they were sitting without being uncomfortable. Of course, the TD was only for 15 mins or so.

balajird · 31st August 2009, 17:28

@Filcord, During my TD of Ritz VDI (not sure if the experience changes with ZXI), i had my wife and 2 other family members seated in the rear seat, the TD was about 30 minutes through bad roads, Highway and good road. After 30 minutes, they complained of back pain (lack of back support) and said it was not comfortable for long drives.

I would suggest you take a TD of the car with the three small adults and ask them how they feel, afterall, we are going to spend close to 5.5L and we deserve to decide which car suits us. ALL THE BEST.

NFS2024 · 31st August 2009, 18:15

@shreeps, Congrats on the purchase and the car does look cool !

Well Well, thats a mouth watering FE for a petrol in City driving conditions that too before the first service. Pls do keep us updated about the FE over a period of time.

superboy44 · 31st August 2009, 20:04

congrats on the new buy, really it looks quite cool..
with a snazzy paint job, big alloys it can surely make it to the next transformers movie :-)

Gandhi · 26th October 2009, 18:21

Hey Shreeps, any update on the car? Did you complete the 1st/2nd services? Any long trips with the car?

Please update the thread.

filcord · 28th October 2009, 11:06

don't mean to hijack this thread.
Took my silver zxi for first service a couple of days back. I had passed 1300 km already.
They charged me only Rs 9/- for some double-sided tape to stop the rattling in the number plate. Washing etc. totally free. Of course no oil was changed. Got my car in three hours too.
My mileage so far with 50/50 a/c and 50/50 city-hwy is 14.5 km/litre

del.guy22 · 20th November 2009, 13:01

Please update the thread, Are u also getting rattles like the other Ritz owners ?

How's the FE ? Di you go for any new accessories ? Any other problems so far ?

vijaythacker · 20th November 2009, 13:42

Shree,sorry for the late wishes, but congratulations on the ownership.Ritz zxi is indeed the one to go for, and also most selling model as well.Rear design is somewhat different but it grows onto you gradually and start liking.Enjoy your ride and keep updating.Are you done with your first servicing, if so do update.

shreeps · 19th December 2009, 00:15

Guys, sorry for the late update. Have finished the first service and have around 3000 KM on the odo now. The car continues to perform excellently.

Pros:
The engine really is awesome. Its really silent and rev happy too.
The gears and clutch have become waaay smoother than what they were
With the large wheels and the Michelin upgrades, the ride is smooth and quiet and the vehicle takes most potholes and unevenness in its stride.
Gives a roomy large car feel (at least from the front 2 seats)
Despite a tallboy design, it feels well planted and does not threaten to leave the road when pressed. Crosswinds too dont bother it much (is that because of the "Sumo" stance?)
The steering is light enough but sufficiently weighted to give a reassuring feel at higher speeds

Cons:
I still hate the gear knob moving when I accelerate
The IVRM is totally pathetic. It is in no way coated to reduce glare like Maruti claims.
All round visibility is poor so you gotta be careful while reversing or changing lanes and make sure no one is in your numerous blind spots
They should have increased the boot space a bit. The abrupt end to the rear doesnt help matters much.
The turn indicators don't come back to the at rest position unless the angle of turn happens to be very large (maybe this can be changed at the A$$. I will check during the next servicing)
They really should give a ACC instead of a plain vanilla A/C.
The headlights are next to useless I guess I'll need to change them soon

Overall I am very happy with the purchase and unreservedly recommend the car to anyone interested in a fun hatch with an excellent engine.

Have been getting mileage between 14.8 - 16 depending on factors like
Traffic
How spiritedly I drive
Where I fill up Petrol

Feel free to post any questions.
Thanks all for reading!!

Forgot to talk about Maruti's main pain point - Rattles!
Surprisingly, NO rattles till now EXCEPT the one caused by the number plate at the rear hatch/door (I guess others too have talked about this). Overall the car feels more solidly built than the other Marutis I have driven like 800, Alto, Zen, WagonR, Swift and Esteem. Especially the doors - they shut with a "thud" instead of a tinny "clang" or "thunk". You have to use way more force to ensure they shut properly since they are more heavy than you anticipate initially.

rr_zen · 19th December 2009, 00:51

Shreeps: Great review there. And, I must say - amazing FE figures too. Congrats and enjoy your new car.

By the way, you have not updated on the story of the bent rim. Hope you managed to get that changed.

navan49 · 19th December 2009, 08:29

Hi,

The turning off indicators is the same for all Maruti cars. Only after 60degree turn only it will come to normal position. In the lane driving it will not come back. The rear view of reversing will be get used to. I feel the gear knob move only if I touch the knob, other wise I don't feel. All the company fitted headlights will be like that. That is the norms of the company as well as the horn too is of low frequency only. They can't help us in this matter.

shreeps · 19th December 2009, 19:27

@rrzen: Thanks. Yes I did get the rim changed without any fuss by the dealer.
@navan49: Thats what I used to think as well. But driving the same route on my WagonR and Ritz, I do see that for the turns where the turn indicator comes back to normal position for the WagonR doesn't happen for the Ritz. This is what makes me think that there must be some different settings.

ritayan · 22nd January 2010, 16:08

@ shreeps: Did you upsize your tyres, if so to what size.

shreeps · 22nd January 2010, 16:45

@ritayan: No I didnt upsize. I personally feel that the OEM size for ZXi is decent enough. I'd however recommend an upsize for the VXi and other lower end versions. I did however change the stock JK tyres to Michelin XM1+. They are much better (read less road noise and more comfort) than the JKs.

However the flip side is that they may get worn out sooner since they are reputed to use a softer compound.

28th August 2009, 11:12	#31
filcord BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: goa Posts: 997 Thanked: 68 Times	How is space at the back. Does it fit three small adults comfortably for drives over an hour? Love to hear feedback on this issue.
	() Thanks

31st August 2009, 16:05	#32
shreeps BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 271 Thanked: 20 Times	@filcord: Sorry, I haven't had an occasion to seat more than 2 people at the back yet. 3 "small" adults should be fine considering that when I had gone for the test drive, there were 3 "large" size adults in the rear and they were sitting without being uncomfortable. Of course, the TD was only for 15 mins or so.
	() Thanks

31st August 2009, 17:28	#33
balajird BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 460 Thanked: 63 Times	@Filcord, During my TD of Ritz VDI (not sure if the experience changes with ZXI), i had my wife and 2 other family members seated in the rear seat, the TD was about 30 minutes through bad roads, Highway and good road. After 30 minutes, they complained of back pain (lack of back support) and said it was not comfortable for long drives. I would suggest you take a TD of the car with the three small adults and ask them how they feel, afterall, we are going to spend close to 5.5L and we deserve to decide which car suits us. ALL THE BEST.
	() Thanks

31st August 2009, 18:15	#34
NFS2024 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 857 Thanked: 460 Times	@shreeps, Congrats on the purchase and the car does look cool ! Well Well, thats a mouth watering FE for a petrol in City driving conditions that too before the first service. Pls do keep us updated about the FE over a period of time.
	() Thanks

31st August 2009, 20:04	#35
superboy44 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: ludhiana Posts: 252 Thanked: 55 Times	congrats on the new buy, really it looks quite cool.. with a snazzy paint job, big alloys it can surely make it to the next transformers movie :-)
	() Thanks

26th October 2009, 18:21	#36
Gandhi BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 962 Thanked: 209 Times View My Garage	Hey Shreeps, any update on the car? Did you complete the 1st/2nd services? Any long trips with the car? Please update the thread.
	() Thanks

28th October 2009, 11:06	#37
filcord BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: goa Posts: 997 Thanked: 68 Times	don't mean to hijack this thread. Took my silver zxi for first service a couple of days back. I had passed 1300 km already. They charged me only Rs 9/- for some double-sided tape to stop the rattling in the number plate. Washing etc. totally free. Of course no oil was changed. Got my car in three hours too. My mileage so far with 50/50 a/c and 50/50 city-hwy is 14.5 km/litre
	() Thanks

20th November 2009, 13:01	#38
del.guy22 BANNED Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: delhi Posts: 94 Thanked: 5 Times	Please update the thread, Are u also getting rattles like the other Ritz owners ? How's the FE ? Di you go for any new accessories ? Any other problems so far ?
	() Thanks

20th November 2009, 13:42	#39
vijaythacker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Ahmedabad Posts: 1,499 Thanked: 75 Times View My Garage	Shree,sorry for the late wishes, but congratulations on the ownership.Ritz zxi is indeed the one to go for, and also most selling model as well.Rear design is somewhat different but it grows onto you gradually and start liking.Enjoy your ride and keep updating.Are you done with your first servicing, if so do update.
	() Thanks

19th December 2009, 00:15	#40
shreeps BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 271 Thanked: 20 Times	Guys, sorry for the late update. Have finished the first service and have around 3000 KM on the odo now. The car continues to perform excellently. Pros: The engine really is awesome. Its really silent and rev happy too. The gears and clutch have become waaay smoother than what they were With the large wheels and the Michelin upgrades, the ride is smooth and quiet and the vehicle takes most potholes and unevenness in its stride. Gives a roomy large car feel (at least from the front 2 seats) Despite a tallboy design, it feels well planted and does not threaten to leave the road when pressed. Crosswinds too dont bother it much (is that because of the "Sumo" stance?) The steering is light enough but sufficiently weighted to give a reassuring feel at higher speeds Cons: I still hate the gear knob moving when I accelerate The IVRM is totally pathetic. It is in no way coated to reduce glare like Maruti claims. All round visibility is poor so you gotta be careful while reversing or changing lanes and make sure no one is in your numerous blind spots They should have increased the boot space a bit. The abrupt end to the rear doesnt help matters much. The turn indicators don't come back to the at rest position unless the angle of turn happens to be very large (maybe this can be changed at the A$$. I will check during the next servicing) They really should give a ACC instead of a plain vanilla A/C. The headlights are next to useless I guess I'll need to change them soon Overall I am very happy with the purchase and unreservedly recommend the car to anyone interested in a fun hatch with an excellent engine. Have been getting mileage between 14.8 - 16 depending on factors like Traffic How spiritedly I drive Where I fill up Petrol Feel free to post any questions. Thanks all for reading!! Forgot to talk about Maruti's main pain point - Rattles! Surprisingly, NO rattles till now EXCEPT the one caused by the number plate at the rear hatch/door (I guess others too have talked about this). Overall the car feels more solidly built than the other Marutis I have driven like 800, Alto, Zen, WagonR, Swift and Esteem. Especially the doors - they shut with a "thud" instead of a tinny "clang" or "thunk". You have to use way more force to ensure they shut properly since they are more heavy than you anticipate initially. Last edited by shreeps : 19th December 2009 at 00:19. Reason: forgot to add points about rattles
	() Thanks

19th December 2009, 00:51	#41
rr_zen Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 1,810 Thanked: 423 Times View My Garage	Shreeps: Great review there. And, I must say - amazing FE figures too. Congrats and enjoy your new car. By the way, you have not updated on the story of the bent rim. Hope you managed to get that changed.
	() Thanks

19th December 2009, 08:29	#42
navan49 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: CHENNAI Posts: 1,000 Thanked: 73 Times View My Garage	Hi, The turning off indicators is the same for all Maruti cars. Only after 60degree turn only it will come to normal position. In the lane driving it will not come back. The rear view of reversing will be get used to. I feel the gear knob move only if I touch the knob, other wise I don't feel. All the company fitted headlights will be like that. That is the norms of the company as well as the horn too is of low frequency only. They can't help us in this matter.
	() Thanks

19th December 2009, 19:27	#43
shreeps BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 271 Thanked: 20 Times	@rrzen: Thanks. Yes I did get the rim changed without any fuss by the dealer. @navan49: Thats what I used to think as well. But driving the same route on my WagonR and Ritz, I do see that for the turns where the turn indicator comes back to normal position for the WagonR doesn't happen for the Ritz. This is what makes me think that there must be some different settings.
	() Thanks

22nd January 2010, 16:08	#44
ritayan BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Back in Delhi Posts: 228 Thanked: 48 Times View My Garage	@ shreeps: Did you upsize your tyres, if so to what size.
	() Thanks

22nd January 2010, 16:45	#45
shreeps BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 271 Thanked: 20 Times	@ritayan: No I didnt upsize. I personally feel that the OEM size for ZXi is decent enough. I'd however recommend an upsize for the VXi and other lower end versions. I did however change the stock JK tyres to Michelin XM1+. They are much better (read less road noise and more comfort) than the JKs. However the flip side is that they may get worn out sooner since they are reputed to use a softer compound.
	() Thanks