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Old 9th September 2009, 12:28   #1
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Maruti Suzuki Ritz Vxi Silky Silver 1200 km done

Background:
I wanted a car for safety reasons. The Hosur Road in Bangalore is like a nightmare. Car would be like an insurance premium for not ending up as a road-kill. Since money is the scarce resource my requirement was something on four wheels.
Myself:
The first car I drove was an Ambassador of a driving school when I was in 5th. Then I started with our family car then the Premier Padmini. I liked it better than normal Ambassador. The one I still remember driving in high school is my aunt’s Ambassador with the Matador diesel engine. It was like the Ford Mustang of India at that time I guess. So the only diesel I have driven is this one. Then we switched to Mitsubishi Lancer LE 7 years back and it is like battle tank. We have lost paint on the bumper but it still doesn’t have a dent. From Padmini to Lancer was leap for our family so my parents don’t trust anything other than Mitsubishi.
For me all cars in the same segment are similar today except for the gear ratios and shift. I am a low rpm driver i.e. I would shift to the top gear in the minimum possible time. Normally I shift as soon as I hear the humming of petrol engine. I came to know that diesel is the best for me since my driving style requires lots of low end torque and I would never go above 80-90 except to check everything is ok with the car (e.g. Wheel Alignment etc.)
Research:
I started with a test drive on Alto. I like the car but I was sure that I would have to sell off that car once my finances were better. In the same showroom there was a Ritz diesel which seemed to be something that I would not like to part for 7-8 or may be 10 years. It was slightly priced below Swift and not premium priced compared to A-star or Wagon R. Wagon R I liked but I felt it won’t be a perpetual machine.
The idea was ill keep this for my wife even if I buy a sedan 5 years down the line. So selling was least of the things in my mind. (i.e. after I decided upon Ritz.)
Important Parameters:
1.A pregnant woman should be able to get in and get out of the car easily.
2.I am ready to pay a premium for a back seat leg-room. To put in a different way I need leg space since all members of the family are tall.
3.The car should not become obsolete till I find it obsolete.
My TD experiences:
Alto: Criteria 3 was not met for sure
Ritz: All 3 criteria were almost met. Back seat was a bit upright and rear leg-room was not more than swift. (May be a bit lesser than Swift in my opinion.) More over the TD was on the diesel and I was sold out on the performance
Punto: I was surprised that the leg-room at the back seat is less than ritz or swift. More over the bonnet opening knob came off when I tried to open the bonnet. So it was a disaster. TD was on the diesel and turbo-lag was more than Ritz for sure. Since criteria 2 was not met for sure.
Fabia: It was the best car in the category. Only issue I felt that more than normal engine noise while accelerating. The active version had a ex-showroom price tag of 4.75 lakhs, 20 day lead time and 20000 corporate discount. My parents were damn against it since the dealer from which we got the Lancer has Skoda dealership and commented that buying a diesel Lancer is better than Fabia considering annual maintenance costs. Even one of my friend asked me to buy a used Accord which would be at the cost of Fabia and will have a lower annual maintenance cost than Fabia. More over I felt 3 cylinder engine is not a good decision. And I found that VW Polo also comes in 3 cylinder engine made by Skoda. So I was not going to wait for Polo to be launched and buy it for 20-50k more than Fabia.
Indica Vista: Good but the brand killed my interest in it. And yes a woman also should be able to drive it.
Hyundai: My friend has a Verna which I liked. Santro - my near family members were not happy with Hyundai. i-20’s price was not justifiable at least for me. If they had put their engine in Skoda Fabia and sold it I would have been a good proposition. I am biased against Hyundai. In a way, it’s similar to my attitude to Indica.
Jazz: Extremely pricey. Honda is not selling VFM cars. I would prefer Mitsubishi or Toyota. I had test driven Cedia, City and Altis.
Chevrolet: Again Korean genes. Looks like VFM proposition but I feel it just appear so. Hyundai is better than Chevrolet. One thing I noticed is if the car is chauffeur driven, then the best car is Optra. Its back seat is the most comfortable which feels like a cradle.
Didn’t TD Swift, Wagon R, Estillo, Palio. I felt it’s too common.
Decision:
Ritz Vxi: My budget was 5 lakhs and Vxi On-road price was just with in my budget. I do only maximum of 700 km per month. I am a fan of kinked designs. I love A-star, i-10 and the tail lamp of ANHC. And, I felt since most people won’t buy, I would get some kind of exclusivity which I feel was a wrong assumption looking at sales. I wanted Baker’s Chocolate but the dealer told he can give Silky Silver immediately for which I agreed. I was told that silver is maintenance free and more demanded in second hand car market. (I couldn’t understand what is meant by less maintenance. It is always dirty with dust/water spots.)
Dealer gave floor mat and mud flaps.
Buying was a non issue. But rattling was there from the first day. I felt many times as if bikers were hitting hearing the rattling noise. It’s still there after 1200 kms and one service. The only way to reduce it is to put music I guess. The workshop guy was blunt in telling that it will rattle in bad road and cant be removed.
During first service Teflon coating and underbody anti rust coating was done.
Dealer – RNS Motors.
Accessories
1.Sony Xplod USB HU
2.JBL 400W rear and 200 W front speakers
3.Art leather black seat cover. (Our Lancer has black leather –doesn’t get dirty. I like black than beige.)
4.Xenos central locking system.
5.3M Sunfilm – the lightest available for night visibility.
6.Extra fabric floor mat.
Some sound started coming from the A/C blower after first service. I took it back to service station and they removed the blower. For that they had to remove the steering column. After fitting back the steering wheel centering was not done properly. (It is slightly tilted to left when car moves straight.)
Overall Experience:
1.It’s as smooth as a sedan but the gear is a bit hard. Especially the reverse gear it just doesn’t engage. I will have to lift clutch a bit to engage. Sometimes normal gear shift also seems to be a bit tough.
2.Everyone said smooth and spacious. Complaints were about gear shift. But I like short stick and shift. Most people who commented have Getz, Alto, Santro, City, Wagon R, Swift etc. Have to get my parents feedback to get the family opinion.
3.I feel the car moves a bit to left if I leave the steering. I feel it’s because the roads are slanted to the left.
4.Rattles Rattles Rattles.
5.Fun to drive. Cornering can be done easily at 40 km/hr and normal curves at 60 km/hr.
6.Mileage: 100% city driving (50% of the time below 30 km/hr) – 12 km/l
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Old 9th September 2009, 12:42   #2
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Good Choice thamban,

IMO,One of the good looking car in latest release.
Especially Rear End design.But a lot of people are buying some other cars because of the rear end.My brother too
The interior is fresh and not like maruti product.
you'll get very good A.S.S from maruti and not to worry for next 5+ years.
you need to fill the tank and do regular service maintenance only.
Rest you get a wonderful owning experience and trouble free car.
Enjoy and Drive safe
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Old 9th September 2009, 12:52   #3
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thamban: Firstly congratulations on the purchase and on the nice, honest and refreshing review. Let me wish you many many miles of happy motoring.

Regarding the steering centering it's a matter of a few minutes job at the service center. just drive back to them and get it fixed and while your there do ask to meet with the service manager if not someone else higher up the rung and get your rattling issues sorted out now. They should be able to find the root cause for this and clear it out for you, just stick to your guns and get it done. I would not compromise on this if it were me.
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Old 9th September 2009, 13:52   #4
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Congrats Thambian on the buy. Ritz is a very good buy.

The mileage you have reported is low IMHO. Regarding the rattles, I own a Zxi (though done close to 1000 kms) and there are no rattles as yet. Get this fixed from the service center.

And no post is complete without pictures. Pictures please.

Happy driving.

Nikhil
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Old 9th September 2009, 17:18   #5
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Congrats Thambian on the buy. Ritz is a very good car. I will be booking one this December.
Please upload some pictures. Also, can you give me a break up on the price of accessories? I am not able to decide between Vxi+accessories or Zxi.
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Old 9th September 2009, 21:39   #6
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Pictures

Maruti Suzuki Ritz Vxi Silky Silver 1200 km done-100_0039_1.jpg

Maruti Suzuki Ritz Vxi Silky Silver 1200 km done-100_0035.jpg

Maruti Suzuki Ritz Vxi Silky Silver 1200 km done-100_0036.jpg

Maruti Suzuki Ritz Vxi Silky Silver 1200 km done-ritz4.jpg

Maruti Suzuki Ritz Vxi Silky Silver 1200 km done-ritz.jpg
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Old 9th September 2009, 21:47   #7
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Accessories Price Break-up

1.Sony Xplod - Rs. 5500 (with 1 year warranty) CDX-GT430U
2.JBL 400W rear and 200 W front speakers - Rs. 6000 - GTO947 + GT5-S265
3.Art leather black seat cover - Rs. 4000
4.Xenos central locking system - Rs. 2500
5.3M Sunfilm – Rs. 2000
6.Extra fabric floor mat - Rs. 500

Around Rs. 800 extra for installation and wood panel for fixing speakers.
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Old 10th September 2009, 06:06   #8
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Congrats , it looks really pretty. could you share which particular 3M film you installed and from where in bangalore
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Old 10th September 2009, 07:44   #9
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Congratulations Thambian... Good choice if you like (can live with) the looks of the car. You could have gone for the MJD though. (5.5L On road?)
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Old 10th September 2009, 07:55   #10
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Firstly, congratulations on the new Ritz. Your mileage figures seem to be less. Even I am facing the rattling issue

The black seat covers looks good. Where did you get it done? You could also change the fabric on the doors. It looks incomplete without that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by naveenvenkatesh View Post
Congrats Thambian on the buy. Ritz is a very good car. I will be booking one this December.
Please upload some pictures. Also, can you give me a break up on the price of accessories? I am not able to decide between Vxi+accessories or Zxi.
Naveen, if you can stretch your budget to Zxi, go for it. It is excellent VFM.
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Old 10th September 2009, 12:08   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thamban View Post
4.Rattles Rattles Rattles.
Wow cant believe there already are rattles galore.
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Old 10th September 2009, 12:36   #12
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Hi thamban,
Congratulations for the new car and decent pictures of the car. Black seat covers look good. You could have gone with the Bluetooth enabled HU for the car with another 3k probably.
Was surprising to know that the car has rattle already. Get it fixed as suran181 advised.It gets irritating sometimes to hear that constant rattle.
Enjoy the car.
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Old 10th September 2009, 21:52   #13
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Accessories Dealer

Quote:
Originally Posted by asa View Post
Congrats , it looks really pretty. could you share which particular 3M film you installed and from where in bangalore
TopCar Decor
Electronic City.

They have one more shop in Koramangala.
3M film I guess is the 70% transparent one. Not sure since I selected the lightest one in the shop.
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Old 11th September 2009, 11:33   #14
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Congrats Thamban, and welcome to the Ritz club. I own a zxi, and am free from rattle problems. I do not believe that the build of zxi is better then vdi etc. What I have found is that most of the time rattles can be found out and eliminated yourself. Some loose tools in glove box. Strap clip touching the door, some loose coins etc. However as people have suggested, if the problem is inherent get it rectified.
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Old 18th September 2009, 20:20   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nsbhagwat View Post
Congrats Thambian on the buy. Ritz is a very good buy.

The mileage you have reported is low IMHO. Regarding the rattles, I own a Zxi (though done close to 1000 kms) and there are no rattles as yet. Get this fixed from the service center.

And no post is complete without pictures. Pictures please.

Happy driving.

Nikhil
I shall be getting delivery of a Ritz Zxi next week. Can you please let me know if I should fill in regular or premium petrol ??
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