[naveenvenkatesh]

Picked up a black Ritz Zxi on August 12th from Bimal Motors, Airport Road Bangalore. Its been 10 days and 400 odd kms and i am loving it. Full story coming up.

Background:

I had a Honda dio (in fact, i still have it) in Bangalore for 3 years. Then in 2008, i got married and was planning to buy a swift. But plans of Higher studies pushed it further and further. Finally, decided to book a car nevertheless by late 2009 early 2010. Started seriously test driving all hatches.

The requirement was for a practical, no-nonsense hatch back. It would be primarily for the weekend getaways to my home town Mysore and other outdoor trips. But it also had to be easy to drive for my dad, who owns a swift currently, in case i leave it with him for safekeeping, while i go for higher education.

So the usual suspects were:

1. Hyundai i10: We test drove this in Mysore. Both me and my wife were unanimous in our opinion that it felt cramped. It could be because we are used to the swift for the past 4 years or so but it somehow didn't feel all that good. But i have to say that it has really nice interiors.

2. Hyundai i20: This one came very close in the end. We test drove it from the same dealership we drove the i10 from. It has impeccable interiors, descend space, good after sales support. But, finally at the end, it was the 1.2L engine which felt too strained to pull 5 people. Also,at 6.6L on road, it felt a tad expensive.

3. Fiat Punto: This was really love at first site. We saw the Red Emotion pack at the dealership and were amazed at this beauty. I liked it soo much that i wanted to book one right away. But my parents advised me to wait and watch before i bought a FIAT. Incidentally, my dad'd first car was a Fiat Padmini. Also, the after sales service was a suspect. Finally, my wife said she does not like the interiors. Also, rear seat comfort was a problem. We felt the swift was better in this aspect. The final nail in the coffin was the screwed up ergonomics (no offence meant to currect owners). The power window switches were too far and the poor maintenence of the test drive car was the last stray.But Punto still amazes me!

4. Maruti Ritz: We drove the Ritz in Bangalore and it was really nice how the 1.2L engine responded. We drove it in very bad peak hour traffic on 100ft road, indiranagar and liked it immensely. My dad also had a look in Mysore and like it. It was so similar to swift but with better headroom.

So i booked one on 22nd March. Booked a white one. Was told by the sales guy that i will get it in 1 month.

1 month on, no news. I was still tying up funds for the car, so didn't call the sales guy either. Finally, he called during the last week of April and told me that i will get my car in 2 weeks.
Then in the first week of May, i was asked to go abroad for an assignment. It was fairly urgent, so told the sales guy to hold on.

I came back to India on 5th August. Went straight to the delearship and made the full payment. I told the SE to give me a car in 1 week flat. He said he has a Blue Zxi in Stock. So changed the colour to Blue.
But back home, they didn't like the blue. They said any other colour, but blue.
I called the SE and told him that i didn't want the blue. He said he also has a black Zxi in stock. I told him that Black will be my final choice.
I asked him to show me the car before sending it for registration. Had a look at the car in their yard.
Armed with TBHP checklist, went over all the aspects of the car.
Everything seemed to be in order. Some pictures from the car in the yard.









Was promised delivery on 12th August. That being a Friday, took half a day off and rushed to the dealership.
I could see my car all preped up and ready to go.

Accessories fitted:

LLumar neutral 20 with metallic finish.
Door beading and bumper guard.
Reverse Parking sensor.

Few pictures from the dealership:







PDI was already completed on the car when i went there by about 16:30.
Paid the remaining amount for the accessorizes. Freebies included Car cover and sun film cost.
I got the insurance myself.
The 'in-house' pujari did the pooja and we were ready to hit the road by about 18:00 and drove directly to Sai Iyengar in Indiranagar.

Exchanged the stock tyres with Michelin XM1+. Changed all 5. We are using these tyres on our swift as well for the past 1 year and they are really good.

After changing the tyres, filled 10 liters of petrol and drove straight to Mysore. It took quite a while to reach since i was driving at about 60-70km/h and not exceeding 3000rpm.

Next day, did the customary pooja from the temple and parked it outside to admire it in day light!

Some pictures:















Some pictures of the interiors:










Initial impressions:

1. I have driven the swift extensively and the only grouse i have about it is the terrible low end torque. Fully loaded with 5 people and on a gradient, the swift struggles and will need frequent gear changes. We are already on the second clutch plate.
But the Ritz is completely opposite. The low end is extremely good. City drivability is really nice. This was apparent immediately and i hope it gets better was we go along.
2. Another thing we liked about the car was the headroom. Its so easy to get in and out of the car.
3. AC is chiller. I feel its a tad better than the one on the swift.
4. Body roll is surprisingly less for its height. I had expected it to be more!
5. More tachometer looks cool! The steering mounted audio controls are a boon.

Some things that could have been better:

1. Automatic Climate Control: I don't understand why this is not being offered on the Zxi. Its present in our swift. The AC is good in the Ritz but an ACC would have been better.
2. Really thick 'A' pilar: This has been a flaw carried over from swift. This can really dangerous sometimes.

I am still exploring the features of the car. I will keep this thread updated as i go along.

[Schoudhury]

Congrats.
Welcome to the Ritz Club.
ACC would have been really nice ,specially after using the AC for sometime when your fingers gets real cold , im sure all the ritz owner would miss the ACC.
How did you find the headlamps of the Ritz ?
That's really great that you have changed the rubbers straight away.
Bdw,was the stock tyre JK or MRF .
Get some nice seat covers and a steering cover.
Cheers
Take care and drive safe

[naveenvenkatesh]

@ Schouldhury, Thanks.

Oh yeah. I forgot to include it in my report. The headlights also need lot of improvement. I drove between Mysore and Bangalore at 8-9 in the night. Was not very impressed with the head lights also.

Yes will be getting the steering cover soon. Any suggestion for seat cover? Shall i go for Art leather or genuine leather? The fabric seat covers seem pretty good though.
The stock tyres were JK.

[Schoudhury]

If budget is not an concern , then go for genuine leather from some good place .
I recently upgraded the headlamps to Philips 90/100 with hella relay, was really facing tough time driving in the night even in the city.
Would suggest if you plan to make highways trips , specially in the dark, get the lamps upgraded accordinlgy.

Cheers

[filcord]

Congrats, a choice you will not regret.
A few tips if you don't mind:
-To keep the colour like new, never ever dust or wipe with a dry cloth. Ideally you should rinse with plenty of clean water and wipe dry with the softest of cloths. Wax every three months. Black shows scratches immediately if you ever attempt to wipe with a dry cloth.
- Use a leather steering wheel cover, again , you'll feel the difference.

[naveenvenkatesh]

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

If budget is not an concern , then go for genuine leather from some good place .
I recently upgraded the headlamps to Philips 90/100 with hella relay, was really facing tough time driving in the night even in the city.
Would suggest if you plan to make highways trips , specially in the dark, get the lamps upgraded accordinlgy.

Cheers

Will check out genuine leather also.
Can you tell me where you got the headlamps changed? How much does it cost? Also, will this affect the warranty? If not, then i will get it changed immediately. I drive a lot during the night time so this is a much needed investment.

[naveenvenkatesh]

Originally Posted by filcord

Congrats, a choice you will not regret.
A few tips if you don't mind:
-To keep the colour like new, never ever dust or wipe with a dry cloth. Ideally you should rinse with plenty of clean water and wipe dry with the softest of cloths. Wax every three months. Black shows scratches immediately if you ever attempt to wipe with a dry cloth.
- Use a leather steering wheel cover, again , you'll feel the difference.

Hey thanks for the tip. Yes Black does attract lot of 'unwanted' attention, if you know what i mean. Will advice my security regarding this.
Yes will get the leather steering cover this weekend.

[funnyguru]

Congrats buddy and welcome to the Ritzy club!.

[blackasta]

congrats naveenvenkatesh on your black beauty.
Enjoy zipping around with your new found love.
As they say - maintaining a black car is not a weekend exercise - its a full time job!
Do visit the http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning...esthetics.html thread.
You are lucky you have tbhpian mkh in your city to provide you with tips.

[Schoudhury]

Originally Posted by naveenvenkatesh

Will check out genuine leather also.
Can you tell me where you got the headlamps changed? How much does it cost? Also, will this affect the warranty? If not, then i will get it changed immediately. I drive a lot during the night time so this is a much needed investment.

I got the lamp changed @ Sachin'sAutoshop ( near forum ),and it cost me Rs 1100.If budget permits go for the HID, they will be much better than the normal 90/100 bulbs. No i dont think it will have any effect on warranty as its a complete plug-in setup,and can be removed any time .The service advisor @ MASS also suggested me the same setup when i asked him about the light upgrade.

Originally Posted by naveenvenkatesh

Hey thanks for the tip. Yes Black does attract lot of 'unwanted' attention, if you know what i mean. Will advice my security regarding this.
Yes will get the leather steering cover this weekend.

If possible ask your security guy to first put some mugs of water on the car properly and then wipe the car, this will make sure that the dust particles gets loose and can be removed easily when wiped with wet cloth.

Once you get the covers post some pics .

Cheers

[funnyguru]

Originally Posted by naveenvenkatesh

Hey thanks for the tip. Yes Black does attract lot of 'unwanted' attention, if you know what i mean. Will advice my security regarding this.
Yes will get the leather steering cover this weekend.

Nothing to beat pouring some water and using your hands to wipe the dust before using any of the cloth types/micro fiber. It works better.

[Gandhi]

Hey Naveen,

Finally your report is up. Congrats dude. Enjoy your beauty and handle her with care for first 1000 KMs. Do read the User Manual thoroughly. I upgraded to Phillips 90/100W bulbs recently and they are much brighter than the stock headlamps. The throw is similar to the stock lamps but the illumination is very good.

Drive safe.

[PCS]

Hi NV !

You have made a right decision in buying it. Congrats on you purchase !

Ritz is a wonderful car.

Even i own one black Ritz VDi, but your car colour looks far superior than mine.

I had fitted alloys after 2 months of purchase

Anyhow congrats once again. Do post more pics of your car in 3/4th angle from rear.

[naveenvenkatesh]

Originally Posted by funnyguru

Congrats buddy and welcome to the Ritzy club!.

Thanks Funnyguru.

Originally Posted by blackasta

congrats naveenvenkatesh on your black beauty.
Enjoy zipping around with your new found love.
As they say - maintaining a black car is not a weekend exercise - its a full time job!
Do visit the http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning...esthetics.html thread.
You are lucky you have tbhpian mkh in your city to provide you with tips.

Hey thanks. yes i have gone through this thread and its been an interesting read. I will need to buy some microfiber cleaning cloth soon.

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

I got the lamp changed @ Sachin'sAutoshop ( near forum ),and it cost me Rs 1100.If budget permits go for the HID, they will be much better than the normal 90/100 bulbs. No i dont think it will have any effect on warranty as its a complete plug-in setup,and can be removed any time .The service advisor @ MASS also suggested me the same setup when i asked him about the light upgrade.


If possible ask your security guy to first put some mugs of water on the car properly and then wipe the car, this will make sure that the dust particles gets loose and can be removed easily when wiped with wet cloth.

Once you get the covers post some pics .

Cheers

Hey thanks for the info. Any idea how much the HID would cost? Are there any relevant thread about HIDs on tbhb? This is new to me.
Security guard has been apprised about this.

Originally Posted by Gandhi

Hey Naveen,

Finally your report is up. Congrats dude. Enjoy your beauty and handle her with care for first 1000 KMs. Do read the User Manual thoroughly. I upgraded to Phillips 90/100W bulbs recently and they are much brighter than the stock headlamps. The throw is similar to the stock lamps but the illumination is very good.

Drive safe.

Hey Gandhi,

Thanks. I remember seeing your black Ritz here and jumped at the opportunity to buy one.
Yes will change the bulbs soon. may be Philips or HID, since budget is not a constraint.

Originally Posted by PCS

Hi NV !

You have made a right decision in buying it. Congrats on you purchase !

Ritz is a wonderful car.

Even i own one black Ritz VDi, but your car colour looks far superior than mine.

I had fitted alloys after 2 months of purchase

Anyhow congrats once again. Do post more pics of your car in 3/4th angle from rear.

Hey PCS. Thanks. Yes will take some more pictures this weekend and post them for sure.

[vkochar]

Very nice choice. Looks are a subjective choice BUT for me the Ritz has always been a nice looking car and a sure Swift Alternative.

The ZXi seems decently loaded.

What is the OTR price ?