[SX4LOVER]

hi james, i too have the transparent mats like you. they are really good in terms of keeping the floor clean and give the car a classy look. i however paid for them as there was absolutely nothing being offered with SX4 ZXi when i bought it.

About the MGA reverse sensor though, i would like to mention that ones similar to you mentioned (Xenos , hanging onto existing mirror) available in chowgule maruti , pune of RD brand are good. may be slightly costlier at around 4k.

[mrwalker]

Originally Posted by james

mrwalker, you have a knack for putting your thoughts, ideas and feelings into words!
I liked both your reviews as they were thorough and to the point.

Thanks James! BTW could you let me know what FE you're getting? I know the ARAI figure is 15 odd kmpl but I'm sure the actual is different...

Originally Posted by james

Are you keen on the auto or the manual? I suggest you try out the zxi as the feel is quite diferent from the vxi. I enjoyed driving the zxi more than the vxi.
The Clutch is a real pain and you have to keep the revs quite high while taking off on an incline as its very jerky. I hope it reduces after a while.

I'm definitely going for the ZXi. But the AT is really out of my budget and somehow I feel that I would be better off with an MT as I will not have to re-learn that part of driving. But, on the other hand, the clutch is a b****...

Originally Posted by james

Isnt there any other dealer in pune? I feel you arent geting a good discount/price with your current dealer. You could check in mumbai and do what i did. I picked up the car from a newish dealership thats giving big discounts as they are trying to woo customers from the other dealership. Servicing will be done at the dealer that has been servicing our maruti's for over a decade.

Nice idea, but I have the same feedback from all the 3 major dealers in Pune... What kind of deal did you get?

Current thinking is that even if I postpone and prices go up I'm sure a discount will kick in in Jan until they get rid of the 2009 production stock. So I may end up paying more/ less depending on how the price increase vs discount work out... If all else fails I will just wait for a few more months and get a Manza!

Originally Posted by james

You are at full liberty to reject the vehicle before its registered incase you arent happy with it and your reasons are justified. They cannot force a car on you!

True, one thing good about Maruti, if you complain to the company, stuff happens...

Originally Posted by james

I Got the car in 10 days as promised. Its silver! I wanted blue at first hoping it would look like the Fiesta S colour but sadly it as a light shade of blue and looked odd. So asked for the silver!

Congrats!

Originally Posted by james

Dont get the Underbody + top teflon coat. The top coat goes off in no time and is pretty useless. Just polish the car yourself every month. The next time you check out the sx. have a look at the bottom. Its got a coat or some rubber thingie applied on it. You'll notice the same thing under the paint on the sides where the skirts will fit.
If you dont mind the skirt-less look, keep the car stock. The front bumper skirt reduces your approach angle quite a bit.

I did notice that underbody stuff on the demo car, but wasn't sure it ran along the bottom of the entire body... Didn't like the sports skirts so will not be taking that!

Originally Posted by james

Get art leather seat covers. They cost 5k or so. Easier to clean and maintain.
Dont fit the mga reversing sensor. Its utter rubbish. Get the xenos/etc kit fixed from out for 3.2k. its got a mirror with a display that clamps onto the existing mirror.

Thanks for that and nice pics!

[DigitalDragon]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

The only vehicle i know sold with ABS but without EBD is Mahindra Scorpio, it comes with 3channel ABS. But still the brakes are very good.

To my knowledge Venra has only ABS without EBD.

[shishir_bn]

{{{{{OT}}}}Oye DD what are you doing in this thread. you are supposed to be on the other thread posting pic right?

[james]

Originally Posted by SX4LOVER

hi james, i too have the transparent mats like you. they are really good in terms of keeping the floor clean and give the car a classy look. i however paid for them as there was absolutely nothing being offered with SX4 ZXi when i bought it.

About the MGA reverse sensor though, i would like to mention that ones similar to you mentioned (Xenos , hanging onto existing mirror) available in chowgule maruti , pune of RD brand are good. may be slightly costlier at around 4k.

Hi sx4Lover, the sx is quite a slow moving car(down south atleast) and the dealers have learnt that they can boost sales only by giving discounts and freebies. The trick seems to be working. When we were looking at the sx in early 08, they werent giving anything free with it. Even now most of the dealers arent giving lotsa free stuff but we managed to get some stuff as i kept pushing the sales rep and manager by dangling money over their head!
Some dealers stock reversing sensors from different companies. As long as they work well and you get a good warrenty, its fine.
I havent fixed the sensors as yet. I reverse very very slowly.

A funny incident happened when i was at the delers the other day. The showroom driver put a Ritz into reverse and floored it while trying to show off. He went straight into the front of a parked Estilo. Both cars were being prepared for delivery. The bumpers popped in and came right back out without a mark/scratch. Although that car was not mine, i gave the driver a piece of my mind and dragged him out of the car in fromt of everyone. This kind of behavior is just not tolerable. Just because the bumper is designed to take such hits, doesnt mean he should test it on someone elses car.

Originally Posted by mrwalker

Thanks James! BTW could you let me know what FE you're getting? I know the ARAI figure is 15 odd kmpl but I'm sure the actual is different...

With very sedate driving(read less than 2.5-3k rpm), the car is giving about 14kmpl. Tested this with topup to topup method. And all this on mangalore's famed roads!



I'm definitely going for the ZXi. But the AT is really out of my budget and somehow I feel that I would be better off with an MT as I will not have to re-learn that part of driving. But, on the other hand, the clutch is a b****...
If you can manage the clutch jerking problem, go ahead with the MT zxi. Just wondering, did the old sx4 have this same problem? I cant recall because the test drive was over a year ago and very short. Sx4lover, comments?



Nice idea, but I have the same feedback from all the 3 major dealers in Pune... What kind of deal did you get?
Free tints(lumar i believe), transparent plastic mats, Extra remote key, reverse sensors(decided to pay 3k more and take seat covers instead). Apart from this we got a 25k loyaty bonus and 25k cash discount.

Current thinking is that even if I postpone and prices go up I'm sure a discount will kick in in Jan until they get rid of the 2009 production stock. So I may end up paying more/ less depending on how the price increase vs discount work out... If all else fails I will just wait for a few more months and get a Manza!
Good thinking! Im sure they will offer some more discounts in jan/feb. And a Manza??..lolzzz

Also, plz let me know if you want any closeup pics of any part of the car.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by DigitalDragon

To my knowledge Venra has only ABS without EBD.

Verna ABS comes with EBD, the previous versions came with discs on all the wheels later they have been changed to drums on rear after complaints from customers regarding frequent and expensive brake pads replacements, also brake pads on discs wear out earlier than the ones on the drum brakes.

[mrwalker]

Originally Posted by james

With very sedate driving(read less than 2.5-3k rpm), the car is giving about 14kmpl. Tested this with topup to topup method. And all this on mangalore's famed roads!

Nice... Never been to Mangalore though, what're the road driving conditions like?

Originally Posted by james

Free tints(lumar i believe), transparent plastic mats, Extra remote key, reverse sensors(decided to pay 3k more and take seat covers instead). Apart from this we got a 25k loyaty bonus and 25k cash discount

Wow.. What did you do, hold a loaded chequebook to his head? And what's the loyalty bonus for, exchanging against old Maruti car or just owning one?

Just checked SX4 website and the ex-showroom prices in Bangalore/ Mangalore are a good 4-5K lower than Pune. So we have higher prices and lower discounts, just great

[DigitalDragon]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Verna ABS comes with EBD

What you said on the brakes is right. But this is doubly cross checked that Verna DOES NOT have EBD with the ABS. Both from Hyundai and Trident.

Originally Posted by mrwalker

Wow.. What did you do, hold a loaded chequebook to his head? And what's the loyalty bonus for,

Just booked SX4 ZXi Clear Beige today morning. Here is the deal I got; posting for the prospective BHPians:

1. 25K Exchange (same applies for loyalty too)
2. 25K cash discount
3. Freebies:
   1. Basic Pack + Body cover
   2. Under Chassis Rubber Coating + Teflon Coating
   3. 3M Sunfilm - RE Series for back and sides
   4. Reverse Sensor - Redsoul; LED display with sound
   5. Replacement of stock speakers with JBL speakers

The car is in transit and will get the delivery in 2 weeks.

[mrwalker]

Originally Posted by james

I want to add that the headlights are absolutely useless. And so are the aux-lights in the bumper. You just cant see anything in the city and you are absolutely blind on the highway! .

A few gems from the sales exec...
- Re James point on headlights as above: "People don't know how to use the headlight beam/ levelling control and then complain about insufficient light"
- Re lack of discounts: "If we give discounts beyond that authorised by Maruti, we can get fined Rs 1 lakh".. Yeah right....

Originally Posted by DigitalDragon

What you said on the brakes is right. But this is doubly cross checked that Verna DOES NOT have EBD with the ABS. Both from Hyundai and Trident.

but this particular post has the correct explanation, link.

Originally Posted by DigitalDragon

Just booked SX4 ZXi Clear Beige today morning. Here is the deal I got; posting for the prospective BHPians:

1. 25K Exchange (same applies for loyalty too)
2. 25K cash discount
3. Freebies:
   1. Basic Pack + Body cover
   2. Under Chassis Rubber Coating + Teflon Coating
   3. 3M Sunfilm - RE Series for back and sides
   4. Reverse Sensor - Redsoul; LED display with sound
   5. Replacement of stock speakers with JBL speakers

The car is in transit and will get the delivery in 2 weeks.

Congrats!! Looks like I should come down to Bangalore and buy there...

[james]

@DD, you got yourself an awesome deal mate!!

@mrwalker, Yup! Held a bundle of down payment cash over their head! This was probably the only way to show them that we were very serious about the car and wanted a steal deal!!
But would it be feasible to buy the car in blore, take it to pune, pay the octroi, taxes etc and register it? Karnataka dealers seem to be giving good discounts!!

[DigitalDragon]

@James,

Thx Buddy. The cash discount and exchange bonus are valid across india. However, you need to bargain hard with the dealer for the free accessories. If at all you plan to buy it in bangalore, you need not pay anything extra in Pune, as the Road Tax in Karnataka is the highest in the country (14.3 % including service tax). So eventually you will lose out. Pune OTR will be less than Bangalore OTR.

[mrwalker]

Originally Posted by james

But would it be feasible to buy the car in blore, take it to pune, pay the octroi, taxes etc and register it? Karnataka dealers seem to be giving good discounts!!

Nah, just kidding.. Have done that once for my WagonR (originally KA registration) and am yet to recover from the exhausting process to get it registered in Pune.

Originally Posted by DigitalDragon

@James,
The cash discount and exchange bonus are valid across india. However, you need to bargain hard with the dealer for the free accessories. If at all you plan to buy it in bangalore, you need not pay anything extra in Pune, as the Road Tax in Karnataka is the highest in the country (14.3 % including service tax). So eventually you will lose out. Pune OTR will be less than Bangalore OTR.

The cash discount is not available in Pune.. Ad in the local newspaper from Maruti states only 15K exchange bonus..

Hmm so I pay 7% less road tax in Pune (7% compared to KA 14%) which works out to around Rs 50,000 less already.

BUT Maruti never sees any of this money, so I guess they are just targetting a given OTR price across the country...

Also how does one change the thread title?

[DigitalDragon]

Originally Posted by mrwalker

The cash discount is not available in Pune.. Ad in the local newspaper from Maruti states only 15K exchange bonus..

Hmm so I pay 7% less road tax in Pune (7% compared to KA 14%) which works out to around Rs 50,000 less already.

BUT Maruti never sees any of this money, so I guess they are just targetting a given OTR price across the country...

Also how does one change the thread title?

So net net all same.

For changing the thread name, you need to write to the mods, either in the open post or through PM.

[SX4LOVER]

Hi James! the clutch of SX4 does have a jerking problem but its just a matter of adapting. in my 1 year and 14000 kms of driving with the SX4, i have realised that the problem is only in 1st and 3rd gear predominantly. so what i do is i consciously make an effort to release the clutch slowly in these gears. havent faced much of problems since !

illl be going in for 15000 service contrary to the service manual since i have to get some scratches removed and camera reverse sensor fitted (probabley ) apart from some other minor things. then, if god willing, ill be posting a thorough 15000 km / 1 yr review!

[_raVan_]

Thanks for the review MrWalker. How is the riding feel of the AT?

Also found the below video while searching in youtube. Its just a slideshow of pics if anyone is interested.

YouTube - New Maruti Suzuki SX4 VVT