Overall - A value for money proposition

Before I tried the SX4 ZXi, I could've sworn I would never buy a Maruti vehicle again. While Maruti is known for making fair-priced and fuel-efficient cars, they always cut corners on the design and interiors. But with the SX4, Maruti has definitely come of age. One look at this car, and I knew this was going to be different. I loved the front look of the car (the side view was a bit weird at the point where the front window meets the bonnet). I've seen many car makers including Honda and Hyundai screw up the rear design of their cars (City, Accent, Verna) but the rear of the SX4 appears fine (although a bit high). The boot is large and spacious. As soon as you get behind the wheel, you feel amazed at the tall-boy design. Its so easy to get in and out of this car. Any person who is old, overweight or has a bad knee, will know how important height is. It gets better when you start the engine. It is amazingly silent. The air-conditioning is great. The effectiveness of the climate control comes as a very pleasant surprise in a car of this price. The take-off is smooth. The ride is powerful. The suspension is FANTASTIC. The road handling is crisp. The steering as well as braking is quick and responsive. The pick-up shows you the difference a 1600cc engine can make. The ground clearance is comparable to cars like the Toyota Corolla At this point, I would like to point out the following features which I wasn't expecting in a sub-8 lakh rupee car: Airbags, ABS, Electronic adjustment of the side-view mirrors, automatic climate control, steering mounted stereo controls, 6 speakers, alloy wheels, broad tyres, multiple speed adjustment for the intermittent wiper. As for fuel economy, I get 8.8 in the city and 13.3 on the highways (both with AC), which are fairly good numbers. On the downside, the materials used in the interior really ruin the feel-good factor created by the rest of the car. This is quite typical of Maruti. Even in their other cars like Swift, Dezire, A-star, Zen Estilo, the interiors are very tacky. For instance, the plastic used in the dash looks cheap when compared to the Honda City or the Hyundai Verna. The chunky gear-knob, the ugly music system, the other buttons on the dash and windows, the seat fabric...these all look a little old-world. Hyundai cars have comparitively much better interiors. Given a choice I would have paid Rs. 20 to 25 thousand more for a little better interior...but thats just me. I also feel like replacing the music system, but that would mean not being able to use the steering mounted controls. Another thing, while the seating is comfortable, spacious and ergonomically right, this is not a 5 seater car in the true sense. The rear middle seat has an strange bump (I wonder why) which makes it uncomfortable. One word of caution if you're buying this car. Install parking sensors (Approx Rs. 3,000 to 4,000) immediately, if possible from Day 1. The visibility while reversing is very poor, and parking sensors are a worthwhile investment. I learned this lesson the hard way. Overall, the SX4 is a great performer and offers great value for the price.Height, suspension, ground clearance, power, road-handling, price, designbland interiors, poor rear visibility, side view bit wierd, rear middle seat not comfy