Ritz - The Master Blaster

Exterior It seems  good at rear but the front does not match the tall boy image or  dart shaped rear of the car. Bumerang tail lights are really eye catching. Yet, the body design seems prone to side bruising in busy traffic. Ground clearance is good.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) The Ritz VXI BS IV comes with nothing if you compare with Beat, i10 or Figo.  There are no music system, central locking, Automatic climate control, electric ORVMs in Ritz VXI (though these features are of less importance for me). More spacious than i10, Beat, Micra and Astar. Plastics used are not upto the mark. Rear passengers are not so comfortable with less leg room. But due to tallness, you will experience Maharaja style of seating for 5  averagely built persons. Head room is wonderful and you never feel like confined in a cage. The waterfall console and gear position has attracted praises from friends/relatives who are owners of i10, figo, WagonR, Liva, Micra etc. AC is less powerful than Figo and i10.?

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Best in class. I think it is the same engine that used in petrol version of swift or Dzire! Wonderful performer. With 83 bhp and 113 torque, it outclasses most of the vehicles (petrol version) of its class such as i10, figo, liva, micra, beat. Gearbox performance is good but with some sort of noise !Changing of gears is very smooth ! Brake is fantastic (perhaps due to heavy body weight it remains stable and faithfull in atleast 3 occasions when I had to brake suddenly above the speed of 100/kmh !). Fuel economy is not bad for this heavy (heavier than swift !) and tall petrol hatchback. Average consumption is showing 15 to 16 km/l.  I bought the car in October 2012 and driven almost 4500 km mostly in the narrow and congested city roads of Guwahati which are notorious for traffic snarls and nightmarish to drivers. Here I want to share one day's experience when I driven 8 km in the morning. The indicator was set to zero before the driving. To my utter surprise, it has shown fuel consumption of 23.3 km/litre of fuel ! My question to the maker (Maruti Suzuki) is it possible for this car or the indicator was defective??

Ride Quality & Handling Fantastic ! I bought the car in October 2012 and learnt driving afterwards. I faced no problem in handling such a heavy (heavier than swift) and tall hatchback. very stable at 100 km/h.  Achieved 135 km/h  for a second or two on highway but it was too scary ! (Promised  not to exceed 100 km/h).

Final Words The car is small but powerful. It is my Tendulkar. Not so glamorous but great performer.  The Master Blaster. Saved me and my family thrice. Hats off !!!

Areas of improvement

1. Rear passenger legroom may be extended by a few mm.

2. Quality of Plastics and metal used in doors/body may be improved as in Volkswagen Polo. 

3. Front look requires more attention and research for all Maruti Cars barring Alto, Astar, Dzire.

The tall boy style ,The engine, The waterfall console panel, the gear position and many more.Less room for rear passengers, front look vis a vis the smart dart shaped tail