I have been looking for a new mid-size car and short listed CITY and Verna Xi(petrol as I hardly drive 30-40km per day in South Delhi). Then came SX4 so I paused and waited for customer feedback.
Seeing SX4 I was inclined towards it. By the way my uncle owns a Maruti authorized service centre he didn’t tell me up front not to buy this car but after 7 months being on road and having serviced more than 400 cars(SX4) with 14-15, 000KM his comments,
Car looks good from outside, good ground clearance. Due to BIG boot it gives an aggressive looks but looks are subjective as people in my office say it is a SUV converted mid-size.
Some vehicles even after 2nd service having done 10, 000 KM not giving more than 10-11kmpl in the month of Dec-Jan when A/Cs are off. Summer mileage will be definitely less than 10kmpl. You cannot expect good mileage as wheels are large & dead weight is more than other cars.
Back seat quite cramped 3 persons cannot sit comfortably.
Engine powerful but not smooth common problems reported are sound coming from gearbox, loud engine noise, oil leakages near gaskets, gear shift, door noise etc. It is an old technology engine basically Baleno refined engine. Maruti make good common people cars like 800, Alto etc. not sure of mid-size luxury segment.
Reversing is a problem as view is not very clear.
Cheap plastic used internally dashboard well placed but not having sexy look and feel.
So I am bit confused and deciding for Verna as Honda City will discontinue by Q3 2008. I drove the Verna twice and SX4 thrice in last 2 months with every drive my love for Verna increases as looks are not that sexy compared to SX4 but as I said they are subjective. In a city like Delhi you don’t need a huge car where avg speed is decreasing 3-4km every year. Car should be reliable, comfortable & VFM which I found in Verna. Verna give around 11km till 5, 000km then slowly increases to 12-13kmpl with A/c city drive. You won’t believe my uncle is recommending his son to buy Verna or City.