At the outset I want to congratulate Maruti for hitting the bulls eye on this model. I mean they have exactly come up with a product most Indians desired for many years. We Indians have big families and need a vehicle to go together in one car.
We did that by stuffing kids in whatever space we get in the sedans and hatchbacks we owned- accepted the slight discomfort in typical Indian way- CHALTA HAI YAAR! I also own a FORD ICON, which I have kept for going to office or anywhere while I am alone.
I bought EECO 5 seater A/c car in August 2010 and clocked 2k kms since then. I have done this through traffic jams in narrow lanes of Pune and long distance outings 300 kms at a stretch on national highways. Even though it is big and spacious from inside, its kinda slim when you make your way through traffic?
I mean the width is small - the sides are plumb straight, unlike other cars where the sides are bulged, needing more space to make our way through.
We are my parents, wife and 2 kids who happily play in the back space where I put cushion mat. also there is enough space for water bottles, food stuff and misc items, still leaving a ’airy’ feeling for all of us inside. Now lets talk of technical aspects.
The car’s engine is smooth, responsive and powerful. The suspensions are good only if the car has certain minimum load- at least 5 passengers. It rocks if there are less passengers. I got a mileage of 17 on long runs and maybe 15 in city traffic- mostly without A/C.
Maybe it would be a km or half less with A/C. The driver seat is good positioned to get good view of front and rear and sides comfortably. the adjustments are decent. No height adjustment.
The other front seat misses the sliding adjustment. Power steering and power windows are greatly missed( I being used to it for past 7 years in my ICON).