A nice car for the city and occasional highway drives

Exterior

Going by the slew of cars we have in the Indian market, looks shouldn't really matter, but when you get a view of of the car for the first time, when you reach somewhere near the rear, you will definitely say - hey, where's the rest of this car??? But ofcourse, you won't say its a superb looking car at first sight (some say its a little ugly also), but give it some time, and you will definitely find this car rather cute and good to look at too. So it grows to become a rather good looking car, which is a very good thing.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

For starters, the hieght of this car is simply brilliant. Its superbly easy to get in and out of the Ritz, and tall people will simply love it. And in spite of the car being small to look at from the outside, every1 who has stepped in, find it incredibly roomy and spacious inside. The leg-room could have been better, but hey, its decent and better than other cars its size. A bit tight when you have 5 people sitting, but the spacious and airy cabin, completely makes you forget that. The AC is really good too and the driving console and dials are very easy on the eye (the fuel gauge should have been better though), and the rpm meter is positioned in a nice place giving it a racey look. The steering mounted stereo controls on the top-end makes it even more easy to use, an already easy stereo system, and the sound too is decent. The gear box is positioned simply brilliantly, which makes gear shifts an ease with the gear knob placed right where your hand would want it to be. Storage compartments are also many and placed at very ergonomic locations in the car. The car too is pretty comfortable except for the fact that it is a little stiff on bumpy roads with a little bit of the road noise creeping in. At high speeds, you can hear the wind hitting against your car, but you can't complain about that, due to its height. The interiors too are very subtle and welcoming, making you feel at ease in the airy cabin. One thing to note is the car does have a blind spot or 2 (and a rather small rear windshield), but then, that should encourage you to be a better driver, and not blame the car (because every car has its blind spots!!).

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

The car is very peppy for a 1.2 engine. It is very easy (and pretty fun) to drive in the city. Very! In the 4th and 5th gear however, the pick-up doesn't seem the same. As in it slacks down considerably, but this tuning has been done by the Maruti Suzuki fellows to return decent mileage figures. You will find the need to change to lower gears (especially on the highway) while overtaking, after which the car simply zips past your opponent. Basically, the car offers more than enough power for your city needs and sufficient power for the highway. But if your in the mood to race, you might as well go buy yourself a race car!!! Because this car, is no snail, but no cheetah either. The engine is a bit noisy though and gives a slight race car noise at higher revs. Fuel economy is nothing close to what Maruti claims(17-18 to a litre! in the city! ridiculous!!). It returns about 11-12 in the city and about 15 (to a litre,petrol) on the highway which is not great, but ok. The gearbox is nice and easy on the hands, but could have been a little smoother on the feel, just a little. The gear ratios also are well set, making this car a very good performer.

Ride Quality & Handling

Ride quality is not something you can boast about in this car,but it is ok. It feels a bit bumpy on bad roads, and so the suspension could have been softer. The back seat also could have been better, but no complaints as it is good for city drives. The car has good handling and the breaks also are pretty effective for it. As i said earlier, it is very easy and fun to drive around. Steering the car into corners also is nice and for a car this tall, you feel nice and stable and safe even at high speeds. Only a few minor vibrations in the initial revs, with the ac on, but not a disturbing thing at all. On the whole, the car has a nice feel to it.

Final Verdict

The guys who gave it the car of the year award, were far from being idiots. A very nice car and definitely the best buy in its class.

Areas of improvement  

An anti-glare mirror is required, slightly stiff ride, noise from the engine and noises that creep into the cabin (road noise, noise from the breaks and certain other sounds).

 

Height, very european looks, nice interiors, good pick upsuspension a bit stiff for bad roads, engine noise, road noise