3.0 Exterior | 4.0 Comfort | 4.0 Performance |
3.0 Fuel Economy | 3.0 Value for Money |
Exterior I'm 6'2" and use an innova for long drives. For within city rides, I share a Santro with my dad who is 5'1". So, both tall boys. Surprising as it is, the Ritz is the ONLY car in this segment (premium hatch) suitable for tall people. bummer. So, I bought this pretty much because of lack of choice. The shape is kind of growing on me.
Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) The legroom is surprisingly good. Getting in and out is easy (because of the height of the seats). with the front seat fully retracted to the back, there's hardly any room in the back, but then I don't need it. the tachometer on the dash is really cool. before this, i never even bothered to look at the tach, but now i find myself doing it everytime I shift gears.
Here's the bad part. the build quality is really Really REALLY cheap Cheap CHEAP. The car is two days old (really) and already rattles and hums like nobody's business. call for a test drive and check this out - open the trunk and tap on the left and right bottom side walls, you'll know what i mean. they have two small cover/doors there for access to the shocks. open the cover, the plastic is not even 2mm thick. the tool bags are loosely thrown in the trunk - no place to secure them. wtf? that rattles like there's no tomorrow. the A column (on which the seat belts hang) rattles on both sides. there's a drawer below the front passenger seat. it's a surprise feature, apparently. guest what, it rattles. in short, you sit in this car and the whole world rattles. and my ICE (audio system or In Car Entertainment) isn't even installed yet. thanks to this, i'm now an expert (in theory, at least) in sound deadening. If you buy this car, you HAVE TO deaden it. that's going to cost 20-30k easy. so add that to the cost.
Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Now this is the good part. you take care of the rattles described above and you're all set. the engine is super. the gears shift so sweetly it's a pleasure to shift. I've read really good reviews about this engine too. I think it's a fiat engine.
I've had trouble pulling up moderate inclines in 2nd gear but guess this will get better with time (the car is only 2 days old).
Ride Quality & Handling The rattle really messes the whote thing up, but if you sound deaden the car, the ride quality will be quite good. it's a tall car so don't hang tight corners and u-turns at 60kmph, but the handling is pretty good. the steering feels quite light. i haven't driven her over 60kmph yet.
Final Words I don't know - if you are a tall guy/girl looking for a premium diesel hatch, you got no other choice. if you are open to other cars, fiat punto, vw polo and skoda fabia are much better built. hyundai i20 and toyota liva are crap. american cars seem like value-for-money but they really are not. in cheapness of build, they'll put even the ritz to shame. swift looks better but ritz has a better engine.
Areas of improvement Plastics, brother. take care of the vibrations, rattle and loose sounds. use thicker metal on the body and you'll have a real winner.
Engine, AC, GearboxPlastics, Build Quality, Rattle