Recently I purchased Ritz Vxi after trying other options available viz; Hyundai i 10(1.2L), Ford Figo, Fiat Punto. I wanted to try POLO also but I found their dealer’s attitude not receptive that gave a doubt about service of the vehicle. My consideration were : Good pick up and handling for Easy city driving, Fuel economy, riding comfort, silent engine with low noise and vibration level and of course Price.
One funny consideration was to look different. I have gone to see Ritz when it was introduced last year but due to unconventional rear view I was discouraged. Same thing due to which very few cars were around and I decided in favour of Ritz as i-10 became very common.Now I saw many Ritz and gradually the unconventional rear look is getting accepted.
i-10 meets all requirement but after sitting in Ritz the feel of a big car and also sitting posture I decided for the ritz. May be as I earlier drove Wagon R I liked the sitting posture. While test driving Ford Figo I could not convince myself about "Best -in class riding and handling" claim of the company. The VXI of Figo is priced 45k less and ZXI 25k less than Ritz VXI still I preferred latteras I felt better driving comfort and faster pick up
besides better mileage.Punto 1.2 litre engine is sluggish and mileage is also less. I tried i-20 also. Comparitively it is better but costlier by 70k( Magna - No freebies). Now cheaper Era model is available and one can try.
Other reason which came to mind is Servie and spares, resale value on whcih Figo & Punto both could not compete with Maruti RITZ though Hyundai can compete.
So far I have done 400 km in 10 days driving on city roads in mixed traffic condition. While ride and driving is comfortable but ride feels bumpy on bad patches of road and one is forced to slow down to pass over patholes. Though I have not tested the mileage but it seems around 13-14 km.My expectation is more because my driving is not on very busy congested roads.
Cost wise I feel the Maruti Suzuki should make it more competitive and reduce the cost or they should improve the quality of interior. It seems they take advantage of tendency of Indain buyers to go for most popular brand without looking the alternatives but things are changing
I wanted to write a another review but after log in it allows only to edit the review written in June 2010 when I purchased Ritz P VXI.
I have driven more than 30000 kms mostly on Delhi Roads. The clutch and gear are still not smooth as in other cars. I have a Wagon R of 2010 also I find driving Wagon R in city traffic comfortable compared to Ritz due to hard clutch and gear. I have learnt about this drawback from some other owners also. While servicing the mechanics say it will become smoother gradually but after driving 30K I dont find the desired improvement. Another drawback I find that body roll sound is comparitively more. I tried with different pressure in tyres but it is more and it is difficult to drive with opened windows even if AC is not required.
Further body noise inside cabin also appears more while driving on rough roads.
Otherwise the vehicle is good as written in my earlier review and I have not faced any trouble in last three years. Mileage is between 14 to 17 kms depending on use of AC and traffic condition. Engine is silent, pick up is nice and driving on smooth and congestion free roads where gear change is less, is comfortable.