Thanks a lot mouthshut and mouthshuteers for helping me for selecting my car.
I wanted to buy a car in 4.5 – 6.5 lakh range. After lots of running around I finally settled for a Ritz Zxi and now I think its time I should also contribute to muthshut.
My priorities-1)hatchback 2)space good enough for 4 tall people, 3)good pickup with ac on 4) reliable, no frequent visits to mechanic, 5) safety –airbags and ABS
So the runner ups- in serial order
1) Swift ZXI – its at the end of its life span- I didn’t want to buy a car which will be called “old model” within a month.
2) Toyota etios liva – test drove etios sedan, good engine, Toyota reliability, all I could make out was cost-cutting shows in interiors- else a good challenger for first spot.
3) Jazz- too overpriced, would have considered for under 7 lakh
4) Ford Figo Diesel- ‘Ford’s Alto”- a “just another car” feel, unexciting cheap, finding hard to explain this feeling. It’s a B segment car and I felt I was looking beyond that segment even though it was priced equal to a B+.
5) I 20 – feels like a cannon ball at high speeds, disconnected steering feel, I already have a few neighbors suffering from Hyundai problems, buy it if you wish to sell it within 2 years, not my case anyways.
6) Skoda fabia- got lots of frightening reviews about service from close friends who own it and ofcourse- mouthshut reviews too said the same.
7) Nissan Micra – poor dealer network, too early for believing reviews.
8) Indica Vista and Fiat Punto: didn’t feel worth trying due to poor service record .
Points in favour of ritz
1) Peppy, smooth, silent engine- surprisingly AC does not effect the engine pickup at all.
2) spacious from inside; small from outside- good for city driving.
3) Well equipped- can match a Honda city SMT – without electric ORVM in terms of specs.
4) No cheapness in interior quality- cost cutting not apparent on any front.
Negatives for ritz
1) rear shape
2) rear shape
3) rear shape
my views after purchase
1) you people were absolutely right about the shape– It grows on you .i think it looks trendy european. I think I have no complaints regarding its back look since I have owned it though it was my most important turnoff factor before purchase. Eventhough I think maruti could have done a better work with its back .
2) rear view is a restricted by broad C pillars – I got a rear view camera fitted but after a week I thought I could have managed without it.
3) 3rd gear feels like auto gear- can handle speeds from 10- 60 in traffic without knocking.
4) I had doubts regarding performance of Nippon music player- it’s a good one, better than Jazz, Bluetooth - I think is not a essential feature but absence of USB port does pinch.
5) Electric Fuel gauge- would have preffered a more accurate fuel gauge.
6) suspension is a little stiff
I would have expected more from RITZ
1) good rear shape
2) electric ORVMs
3) USB in player
4) Distance to empty meter
overall it it a highly satisfying buy, a perfect city commuting daily use vehicle. seems like only competition it will face in future is with Etios Liva but a poor dealership network of Toyota will be in favour of Ritz.
New Swift will expectedly be in the range of 6.5 lakh and ritz does have the might to lead B+ segment.
Highly recommended!
22/8/11
saw the new swift- it looks the same; ritz is comparatively more spacious, swift may loose steam because of overexpectation and under delivering. I felt ritz is a better option for the price difference.
the biggest event in petrol hatchback - honda people wake up to reality; jazz is priced just right and it is no doubt going to give maruti a run for their money. cant believe honda took so long to learn its lesson and may be now they woke up too late- better late than never! would have settled for Jazz if this was the price( 6.5lakhs).
27/11/11
lot of things have happened in the past six months after my purchase. 1)petrol price went up 2) jazz price went down 3) Honda Brio(my neighbour has it- its the best 2nd car if you alredy have a sedan, but ritz is better if that is your only car) 4)new swift launched. still I thnk ritz rules for its price, mileage, peppy / silent engine, and spaaace inside.
some problems which is really annoying is - lack of USB and a stiff power steering. maruti has deliberately left some irritations. I feel music is enjoyed best while driving. but currently I am fed up of writing CDs and you cannot skip unwanted songs using steering controls if you use an I-pod.