As a child, I liked the standard matador compared to those ambys and fiats. Over time, it was the omni and then it was Armada and then Scorpio. And as I grew up into my twenties, there was the Hyundai Terracan. Man! What a car! But presently it is Nissan X-Trail. I love the car. Hey wait! There is the new Pajero too. And then there is the Porsche cayenne to admire.. Not to forget the Merc M class and the BMW XG.
Coming back to reality, I decided to purchase my first 4 wheeler in October 2004. My requirements were Inexpensive to buy, maintain and run. So out of the slew of models I love and/or afford, I had just 3 to pick. The 800, Alto and Omni. All from our very own Marutis stable. I could not choose the 800 as it was not attractive compared to alto. The MPFI was good, but dimension wise, not a good choice. Alto was cool, I loved the red color, now the wine red is too good to resist, but again, I wanted the car to be seating more people and carrying their luggage too! So I was left with only one choice OMNI!!
It was on Ayudha pooja, October 22nd 2004 when my Aqua blue Omni arrived. I had asked for radial tyres so it came shod with JK radials. As I sat behind the wheel, the plasticky rubbery smell of the new car filled my senses and yes the smile showed it all! The aqua blue color is one of the best, and I chose some nice seat fabric to suit. My vehicle was for Coorg where my parents live. The roads aren’t that good, but then there is no traffic as well. I can drive on roads both good and bad amongst nature humming my favorite tunes. And that is what I did for sometime.Kudos to Maruti Suzuki for designing a vehicle as simple as an Omni. They dished out 800 and sent Ambys and Fiats home. Costs of ownership, maintenance and drivability were the main reasons. Omni is not far behind too. Over the last year it has been a pride possession.
Good things first. My omni has always been reliable. We did a lot of trips, and with jump seats at the back (Legal experts back off!!) it was not a rarity to see 7 people on board on the way to a wedding or a function during the seasons. Visibility is excellent and it’s a fun to drive. (Again, I love driving my friends esteem at 120kmph and another friend’s pulsar at 100kmph (modest). But on an omni, I better have fun driving at 80kmph given to the dynamics) . We have carried plants, pots, cylinders (domestic!!) furniture and electronic appliances with ease. 5 of my family traveled with our luggage (including our books, music instruments to pass time) yet comfortably. So there is no car that can match the omni in terms of affordability and utility in one package.
The MPFI is definitely a better engine compared to its predecessor. Mileage is a decent 13 to 20kmpl depending on if you are driving in bad roads/city or the highway. The service has been great. Pratham motors, Bangalore are doing a fantabulous Job. They pick the car in time, deliver in time and the car is delivered spotlessly clean and well serviced. However, a service done at Sagar automobiles Gonikoppal was not satisfactory. Though they did a good job changing the lubricants and greasing, The dust on the fascia was still there and the underbody still looked a little dirty.
Now the Cons. I don’t expect airbags on the Omni, but safety is definitely an issue. The front seatbelts are good enough, but the ones at the rear are leashes in disguise!!. The headlamp is not that impressive. (Not sure if it is the same with all omnis though.).The car is grossly underpowered. The engine must be worked to cough up at least 50 BHP.. Front occupants enjoy a pretty decent ride, but the ride at the rear can get really bumpy unless you have a sand bag in the luggage area. The leaf spring is of the bygone “Tonga technology” era. The body rattles starts very early and now it’s like you are driving a car with “Ghungroo” all over. Maruti seriously must address this. It has no lockable glove box, something that I would like. If driving on a highway, better be careful of other drivers too. You can’t afford to bump into someone/something or get bumped as well. The sliding glass can be tampered easily and anyone can break into the car pretty quickly. There could have been a trip meter too.
But overall, You cannot buy a utility vehicle for the price of an omni. You cannot expect to carry half your house, yet small enough to zip through the smallest of roads and turn right there in case you lost your way and found a dead end! for someone who resides in a rural/semi urban area, is looking for an inexpensive but practical car, and who doesn’t make much of long/highway trips, no other car can beat the Omni. For the month’s quota of grocery shopping or the week’s vegetable shopping, or maybe help a friend move his/her house, no other vehicle can come closer at this price!!