I am currently planning to upgrade from my Wagon R to, with a budget of 6-8 lacs. I shorlisted the following cars -City, Fiesta, Sx4. The Fiesta was ruled out of after much thought since I was looking for a petrol car, and the fiesta diesel is better.
I went for a test ride of Sx4- Zxi , sharing my experience. This is purely a review from a user perspective, not a technical one.
Looks: The muscular styling, alloy wheels, tall design, ground clearance make it stand out. It is a big car in every sense of the word. The looks are very different from the city but it is indeed good looking! As the Maruti marketing campaign says truly: "Men are back". I simply fell in love with the looks and personally find it much better than even the corolla. The car looks solid, and gives you the sense of a big car the moment you look at it. The interiors are definately not as good as the city, but the stereo controls and climate dials are good. Definately looks amongst the best in its segment.
Features: This is where this car beats them all - the city, fiesta, or any other in this segment.
The ABS, EBD, Climate control, Air bags, stereo controls on the steering are definately a big plus. These extra features for at least 50 K less than city.
Performance: Having test driven the city, I was apprehensive about manoeuvring a large car like Sx4. The moment I revved up the engine, there was a good feel about the steering. The car surely felt great, as it gathered speed. At times after I braked found it difficult to make out if the engine was running, it is a noiseless engine, and it offered excellent stability on the road thanks to the big wheels. The car just raced up and in the busy streets of Delhi was waiting for more speed. The brakes worked really well, infact I felt the jerks at times when it stopped instantly. The Power steering worked fine but could not try it at high speeds, the city power steering is much better though. The AC was average specially in Delhi weather I dont see at anywhere near the Honda. The safety features are good but again need to be tested. The ground clearance is obviously better in the Sx4. The Honda is great in terms of performance a difficult call to take in a test drive which is better.
Fuel efficiency: The dealer told me the mileage will be 15-18 Kmpl, but by the end of the drive he said at least 12 kmpl. So this is where the Honda beats Sx4.
Space: The legroom both front and rear were roomy, and comparable to the city, infact I got a feeling it had more space than the Honda. The rear arm rest is definately poorly designed and the person sitting in the rear middle, will be uncomfortable in a short journey, leave alone a long one. Hence it is a car for 4 adults. The boot is really big and amongst the largest in its class.
Final verdict: The Sx4 is a car for someone who already has a big Car/SUV, and is planning for buy his second car or has a family of 4. I am not too sure whether it is value for money, specially since it is meant for 4 adults only- definately not a Indian family car. The AC also is not as good as it should be in this class.
Overall It is an excellent car but not for someone who is planning to upgrade to a bigger car which can seat 5 adults. Maruti has played smart, they have tried to make a luxury car by throwing in features which the Civic has but priced it at the city price . The City is a proven car and definately the Honda quality speaks, heard Honda will be coming out with a city version soon with ABS, Air Bags. Personally I think its best to wait for that or wait for any corrective action taken by Maruti, or if you want to buy one buy the city- its proven and tested. If you are spending 7.5 lakhs for a car might as well dont compromise. Though if you ask me I would recommend the car, since it is a great machine.
The dealer I went to for a test drive said he had sold 7 cars since the launch, dont know how that transates in terms of overall sales.
(This is my first review so dont know whether it helps you all take a decision)