மாருதி சுஸுகி sx4 யூசர் ரிவ்யுஸ்

Dear friends,

I have been driving a fiat siena till now and wanted a change. It was a bit difficult for me to look beyond a FIAT product but one car which really took me by suprise ix SX4.

I had been to a dealer and then requested a good friend of mine to take me for a test drive, after thorough research on internet & after the test drive I was bowled over by this handsome SX4.

GOOD ONES

1. One thing I admired most is the style, its terrific, you might like to go for black as it stands out in the crowd
2. Height of ZXi impressed me as it let me in the drivers seat with much ease (possibly because of greater ground clearance)
3. The back seat supported my thighs well and there was enough leg room, the arm rest is really comfortable
4. Ground clearance is a boon, as it not only gives you a good ride (suspensions support well) but you just forget if your back bumper will get hit by the pavement (very common in NOIDA & DELHI) in the parking areas, but on the other hand the rear vision gets compromised. I wish with all the goodies in ZXi model a rear parking sensor could also have been provided (though on enquiring i was told it is available as an accessory). One tip I would like to suggest is that while reversing always adjust one of your side mirrors to look towards ground so that you know if you need to be cautious
5. The power is awesome and specially while driving on DND expressway, Delhi you dont even come to know when you have touched 140kmph speed on speedometer.
6. The wide Tyres (205/60/R16) offer good stability and ABS comes as a boon, while taking turn at greter speeds
7. ADJUSTABLE STEERING and DRIVERS SEAT comes in handy for tall and average height people. One thing which will be liked by tall drivers is the HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE seat belt (It really takes good care of your creased shirts and ties) 
8. Few things which come in handy are MAP LIGHT(many a times needed in Delhi), SEAT BELT reminder (much needed for forgetful people like me), DOOR AJAR warnings as sometimes you drive in haste or people sitting back seat do not close it properly, KEY OFF reminder etc
9. Safety features are unmatched for this price and ZXI version is a real value for money. Considering that I had been driving FIAT Siena, it was very natural for me to look on the safety aspect. I was impressed TO A GREAT EXTENT
   1. I would also like to add here a point, many people do not consider these safety features while buying a car but believe me it is far better to invest in safety features. ZXI will always be better buy as on any bad day these safety features will pay off.
10. You will always be looked with those (Neighbours Envy, Owner's Pride) attitude while driving the SX4
11. Let me add one more dimension to it, my wife who is not a car enthusiast, also approved of SX4 and quite liked it.

OK ONES

1. MILEAGE: I conduted a survey on atleast 15 drivers who had bought SX4 in various time frames in the last one year and they all were in agreement that this car delivers 11-13 KMPL as an average of driving in URBAN,EXTREME URBAN & HIGHWAY/EXPRESSWAYS. I would be satisfied to have this much mileage from a 1200kg car which provides so many safety features. Common we cant ask for more
2. A drivers arm rest could have been a boon (on enquiring i was told that it is availble as an accessory)

BAD ONES

1. I wish the integrated music system could have been better with better position of the speakers (definitely not in the doors, atleast the rear ones), which could have definitely been improved.
   1. The music system should be left to the customers to decide as many of you might agree that we have different likings for the music
   2. The voice creeks on putting the music systems on a louder music
2. Parking sensors could have been provided as option.
3. The driver side front pillar masks the view while taking right turn. people driving the car said one gets use to of the same after driving for some time.
4. In built bluetooth receiver in music system could have been incorporated to get rid of bluetooth devices and easy talking while driving (Am I asking too much???)

All in all i am impressed and would certainly request you to take a ride before you plan to buy a car in 8L budget. Do consider maruti's network & service as a boon. No body can understand it better than me who was a proud owner of a FIAT product but let down by servicing and after sales aspect.

Wishing you all a happy and safe driving.

Warm regards, Dr. K. Rajan, NOIDA

Good style, good front vision, supportive seat, ground clearance a boonaudio system could have been better with inbuit blue tooth receiver

I have compared SX4 with Honda City, Swift Dezire, Hyundai Verna, Fort Fiesta, Fiat Linea and would strongly recommend Suzuki SX4.

I bought SX4 ZXi and am very PROUD to own it........... my friends call it "AN UNCAGED BEAST", I think this is what Maruti should call this car....

Excellent Designing, Steering Mounted Audio controls, Extra Large wheels, Automatic temperature control, Dual Airbags, Maruti Service, Pre/Post-Sales Experience, availability of spare parts, Overall length, Width, boot space, CD player, tilt steering, height adjustible seat belts, alloy wheels and all other features that you have in a car in this segment. It is ondoubtedly a MANLY car.

What else can you ask for?

People who write that is does not have sufficient seating space in the rear seat may have actually tried to sit in an AUTO RIKSHAW. Because SX4 can seat even 4 people on the rear seat.

Having a big boot space has its drawbacks and makes it difficult to see the rear, but parking sensors would definitely make it easier to park the car easily, and rearview mirror is very helpful.

HONDA is out of fashion........ go for something SEXY......S_X_4

AMAZING LOOKS, BEASTY, HUGE, SPACIOUS INTERIORS AND BOOT SPACENONE

Comparison of SX4 vs Verna vs City
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The best selling points of SX4 is: Road presence, Climate control, ABS, Airbags, Audio controller in steering wheel, 16 Inch Alloy and slightly better performance. All these goodies sounds very good and exciting. However, when you go inside the cabin, the interior still does not feel very rich.

I have compared this with Hyundai Verna. It neither better. Interiors are not black but it's still cheap plastic. Does not have so many goodies as SX4. Absolutely not comparable with SX4.

Then i compared with Honda city VTEC. Great/Best interior in this range and very dissapointing power. One need to struggle or wait to reach 100 kmph.

However, i felt SX4 would be a better buy and value for money than Verna/City VTEC because of it's unlimited goodies + Great and fresh looks + it's service network.

What i did not about SX4 is it's dissapointing interiors. You will see and feel cheap plastics everywhere. One need to digest these cheap plastics. This is absolutely my personnal preference.

When i heard about Optra Magnum from my colleagues, immediately i took two test drive on the otherday. One in Mission road(You know, How pathetic is the traffic in this road) and then in outer ring road(Marathalli to Sarjapur road). The power is just awesome. In no time it touched 120 Kmph. It's a rocket. I was totally thrilled. Folks, if you want to feel a powerful engine -> It's worth spending time for a test drive. :-)

City drive is very impressive too. I drove in Mission road for half an hour and it's not sluggish at all. Very Impressive.

I have compared this with Elantra, Verna CRDI. On paper, Verna CRDI sounds good, but it's too sluggist on city(bumper to bumper) drive conditions.

LT Magnum Interior looks and feels very rich with it's leather upholstry and some other nice to have goodies.

From power, city drive, highway drive, interior, milage perspective, it's a complete package. You will not feel, you have missed anything.

Of course Magnum is compared with Skoda, however i did not want to stretch my budget to even think for a test drive of Skoda as it's too expensive and the July Autocar verdict quoted "Magnum is a better vehicle than Skoda on most aspects".

Good looks, Lots of goodies(SX4 vs Verna vs City)Plastic Interior -> Does not look rich

Exterior I have been using SX4 for over 3 years and covered 70000km with complete peace of mind and without any breakdown. SX4 is  very aggressively styled from the outside and looks particularly very good in side view and front view.16 inch radials along with the alloy wheels look very good.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) This is one car that comes fully loaded with features like auto climatiser,remote and central locking,power windows,excellent music system,internally adjusted rear  view mirrors,drivers control for power windows,adjustable seats in front,rear defogger etc.Seats are best in the category for comfort and space etc  You never get tired even on a very long drive and family is very happy with sumptuous space inside.Internal space is better than Linea,City,Vento,Rapid,etc because of greater height of SX4.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox I am getting a fuel economy of 13.8 to 14.2 kmpl  of petrol in city use with ac and traffic.Engine is simply too good and gives smooth but very powerful drive.Gearbox is very smooth.Recently covered long distance and got a milage of 17.5 with ac on ,at a speed of 90 to 100 kmph

Ride Quality & Handling SX4 is one of the best handling cars and rides very well on Indian roads with pot holes and speed breakers.It has a ground clerance of 190 mm which is best in class and along with this,its 16 inch large radials just float over the bad roads.It has never got grounded  even on worst roads and large speed breakers.

Final Words SX 4 is aptly designed for Indian roads for complete peace of mind .I have used the car fully loaded on some very bad roads and never ever had any damages.

Areas of improvement Maruti should sell its positive points properly to the customers in their advertisments.

Fuel Economy,space,ride quality,power,style,comfortable seats and entry exit,ease of maintenance,boot looks smaller than it is

i'll start with the cons first
1.For a car with a wheel base of 2500 mm and length of nearly         4450mm interior space is very less.
2.Rear seats r not very comfortable and the arm rest is way to big and is not comfortable enought for 3 passengers to fit in
3.One can actually hear engine n valve noise inside the cabin which was not there to be found in baleno
4.Fuel efficiency will not be very good cause it weighs abt 1200 killo's and already baleno was not very frugal.i know its a diff series engine but still
5. Lack of torque, car rattles when picked up from second gear from 0
Now the good part
1. Jam packed with features, You name it n she has it(please before naming the features also look at the price,dont expect seat massagers from a 7 lakh rupee car)
2 .Interior quality is good. a big step ahead from maruti. step inside and u wont blv its a maruti
3. Ground clearance is high 190mm(only is the zxi, becuz of the tyres, otherwise its 180 for the vxi model).so u can slam ur cars on the speed breakers withouth damaging the base.
4. Driving positing is comfortable(since u can adjust the steering wheen n the seats).thought its not as comfortable as fiesta's.even whicle driving at high speeds its not as planted as fiesta.
Comparison with the Class
Its a mix package.....
U dont get the performance of CITY V-TECH but its abt a lakh cheaper than it
U dont get fuel efficiency of CITY ZX but it comes much much more loaded than city
U dont get that sporty and driver's car feel like that of FIESTA'S but u get everything else like space, features and comfort.
VERNA petrol n AVEO dont have much to offer... except comfortable ride(both) and interior quality(AVEO) apart from this SX4 beats them in almost every aspect.
so final verdict....city still rules becuz its the most frugal and refined car in this segment(apart from this she sucks.....sluggish performance, artificial steering feel, awkward sitting pistion for the driver, front view not satisfactor)

if u look at the price, equipments and huge maruti network i think it is worth going for SX4!!!
P.S please wait for the final verdict from the professionals
styling, equipmentsless spacious than it shud be

Externally the boot looks like an add-on ( the hatch converted to sedan type). Internally the rear seat is a mess with the central arm-rest bulging out. In India we still seat 3 at rear , dont we ?

The performance i.e. the driving pleasure isnt that great like Honda City but is fair. Interior finishing not very plush. May be being maruti one can buy peace of mind in terms of avilability of spares & service network. Cost is also a factor . Should have been cheaper by 50K atleast. 

maruti network & reliability, gud built qualityaverage interiors, odd rear look

i test drove the SX4 2 weeks ago. here is what i think

1. Engine is peppy and one can hear the sound in the cabin clearly. this is preference from person to person. I dont like it. But is good and powerfull (though not as fast as the verna VGT)
Handling is great. I drove it quiet rough just because of ABS etc etc. no complaints till 100 however you treat it. take it in potholes or do abrupt sharp turns or super hard breaking at high speeds. I was giving a honda city guy a hot time with the SX4 :)) could one can easily catch up with city and beat it. 

2. Music system sucks and big time. if you are ok with any kind of music output then fine. If you are the multi channel amplifier types and woofer types etc then its not even near. Am not comparing to any specific car. But mearly stating the facts as i saw many ppl saying music system is great etc.
3. ride comfort is good. the sitting was comfortable and the stering was nimble. i read about the reports of it being wobbly at high speed. Not so till 100 on bumpy and smooth roads.

4. Features - here is where maruti has been clever. giving minimal but making it look like huge amount.
Climate control is not digital (check swift). So its not actually what we all have in mind.
Steering control for music system is not so great. honestly, how much will it be used? but agreed it is a luxury. cannot be used to decide on the car though.
Safety features are clear winner! no excuse for other manufacturers not providing it!!
Storage space (not dicky) is awfull. can hardly keep stuff.
Back seat is indeed uncomfortable for middle person. but its sports appeal and not for 5 people use.
Price is not high and definitly value for money.

Here is what i summarise

1. Its a maruti trying to be a premium car. You cannot compare with premium segment it is comparing with. I am not saying honda city is best or anything but, the interiors are simply not classy. too much dull plastic, barely trimmings, the feel of the knobs etc not up to the mark (but good still).
2. If you want a very very good average car, then go for it. Else it cannot be compared with C segment cars like cith or verna.
3. Features are there but all are lacking except safety.
4. Power is good but cant beat verna. please do not compare other facts of verna with this car as that is not the point am making here.

All and all, its a good car. But end of it all, its a car that will give you the punch.

hope this helps.

Cheers
Ranjith

good featuresnot there quiet yet.

Test drove the ZXI version at DD Motors, Mayapuri, New Delhi. The car feels like a powerhorse with little rev and indeed punchy. Though the best in the category, still decided not to go for this. Reason: Extremely Hard Gear Shift and it feels like TATA 407 while shifting gears. Felt like requesting the Pillion rider to do gear change for me. Will proabably wait for a year's time for other cars to arrive. Also those deciding, to go for ZXI insead of VXI, since with four small side glass windows, the car is sure to invite Stereo Stealers. In this case the thief will need to spend a little time with the integerated stereo in the ZXI version.responsive engine, quite punchy, feels quite heavyExtremely Hard Gear Shift

Just did a test drive of the SX4 -ZXI version and come out not so impressed about the car and loads of I-told-you-so stares from wifey, who was unimpressed about the way the car looked at first glance. She labeled it as a wanna-be-honda-city and thats how the whole ride felt. Looks average, gears - problematic, pickup - slow and seat uncomfortable inspite of the funny handpump handle to adjust height.

Features, loaded no doubt, but the ride overall was average. Engine is the existing Baleno upgraded on the M platform, so that was not exciting. The car still felt sluggish and though the dealership were cagey about the mileage, with standard 208 mm tyres, I don’t think it would be any better than 10/12 within a city. This is the kind of car you would pick up if it had a diesel option but without compromising on features as done on the Verna.

What this does is split the category with each model, i.e. Honda City, Hyundai Verna and now the SX4 having its own pros & cons at difference spectrums. Honda gives you ride quality, fantastic interiors, super mileage but no features, not even alloy wheels (in GXI), while Verna petrol gives you some features, some quality, some ride but nothing to write home about typically of all Hyundai cars. And now the SX4 has brought best feature for price value, but overall an average car. Tough choice for the customer and it probably will pay to cough up another 4 lacs and go in for the Civic and stop complaining

 

Great Features, Value for Money PricingBad Seats, No rear space, uneasy handling