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Maruti Suzuki Ritz Ownership Review
In order to provide viewers with a firsthand experience of owning cars, we have been publishing ownership articles for the past few months. We had previously published an article on Maruti Suzuki Omni, Ford Fiesta, Tata Safari, Accent, i20, Santro etc. This week we Interviewed Mr Dinesh, owner of a Maruti Suzuki Ritz. The car has completed roughly 15000KM till date.
The above image is sourced from official Maruti Suzuki website
Provided below is a detailed description of the same.
Technical Specification of Maruti Suzuki Ritz
Technical Specification Maruti Suzuki Ritz | ||
Variant | Petrol | Diesel |
Engine Capacity (CC) | 1197/4 | 1248/4 |
Power (PS / RPM) | 85/6000 | 75/4000 |
Torque (Nm / RPM) | 113/4500rpm | 190/2000rpm |
Gears | 5/M | 5/M |
Dimensions in MM | ||
Length | 3715 | 3715 |
Width | 1680 | 1680 |
Height | 1620 | 1620 |
Wheel Base | 2360 | 2360 |
Turning circle radius | 4.7M | 4.7M |
Ground Clearance | 170 MM | 170 MM |
Average fuel efficiency kmpl | 17.7 | 21.1 |
Details of the car
The car is essentially a Maruti Suzuki Ritz VXI petrol version of 2010. The engine displacement is 1197/4 cylinders, with a power output of 85PS and torque 113NM. It is silver in colour with no LPG kit fitment made. An average mileage of around 16KMPL has been observed during the ownership period. Steel wheels having radial tyres rated 165/80R14 and with a ground clearance 1`70MM make this car extremely reliable and stable.
Some of its accessories include air conditioning, power steering, power windows, central locking. The fabric upholstery is present and interiors have been well maintained.
The tables below give details of specifications and key features of the same.
Below is a brief interview with the owner of this car about his experience
Question: Since when do you own this car, what motivated to go for the brand and model?
Answer: I own the car since December 2010. Maruti Suzuki is well known for providing best of performance cars, with wide spread service network. Ritz was quite a recent launch at the time of purchase, it had the requirements I was looking for, such as newness, brand value, service back up and good resale value. So choose the same.
Question: How was your experience with earlier models to present one?
Answer: Earlier, I owned Maruti Suzuki Versa. It was a good experience in drive quality, seating capacity etc. The drawback was the mileage which was much below expectations. Also as it was discontinued and was losing the image, the same and bought a updated version car.
Question: Can you tell something about present status of car?
Answer: At present it’s in quite good condition. I have maintained the car well by getting service from authorized service centers. Till now, I have not given it outside for service.
Questions: How is experience compared to earlier cars?
Answer: Obviously it’s a better experience as I have higher powered car with better interiors fit and finish. AC is effective and it won’t be tiresome in long drives also. I am getting mileage of around 16kmpl which is quite good. It’s updated in styling. Some people do give negative comments about shape of car. As far as I am concerned, it’s quite an updated styling and it takes time for people to get used to the styling of this car. For example, Maruti Suzuki Swift was under negative feedback with respect to shape as it was like a earlier generation styling. However at present one see the huge number of Swift dominating roads.
Features of Maruti Suzuki Ritz
Features | |||
LXI/LDI | VXI/VDI | ZXI/ZDI | |
Petrol | |||
Exshowroom Bangalore | 427811 | 487781 | 528919 |
Diesel | |||
Exshowroom Bangalore | 528335 | 584561 | 670000 |
Power Steering | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Power windows | No | Yes | Yes |
Central locking | No | Yes | Yes |
A/C | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Music system | No | Yes | Yes |
Fog Lamps | No | No | Yes |
Rear wind shield washer | No | No | Yes |
Defogger | No | No | Yes |
Dual Horn | Yes | Yes | Yes |
IRVM | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Alloy wheels | No | No | Yes |
Tyres Rating | 165/ 80 R14 | 165/ 80 R14 | 185/70 R14 |
Driver seat height adjuster | No | No | Yes |
ABS with EBD | No | Yes | Yes |
Dual Airbag | No | No | Yes |
Question: How about cost per service?
Answer: Generally my cost per service would be around Rs. 3000. Including change of oil, tuning, washing etc
Question: Any accident repairs done, insurance claimed?
Answer: Till now no accident repairs have been done. As I am well experienced in driving and do follow the traffic rules properly. I try my best to follow rule of safety first speed next and hence avoid probable loss of money and time in accident repairs.
Question: Any mileage issues?
Answer: I am getting mileage of around 14Kmpl in city and 17in highway. That’s quite good considering traffic conditions during peak hours.
Question: How was your experience in long drives?
Answer: We had taken long drives of around 800KM or so. Generally I use it for taking to work place now and then and for family outings in weekends. It was never a problem is taking for long drives including night time driving. It’s a hassle free car and one enjoy the spacious and comfortable interiors.
Question: Any brake down faced and how was the problem solved?
Answer: No Brake down faced till now.
Question: Any good and bad experience at service station?
Answer: Service quality is good with respect to workmanship .Did not face any problem with service. The service people do give high importance to quality work and delivery in time. However the service cost at authorized service centers is bit high. As my vehicle is still in warranty, I prefer to give for service at authorized service center .I give top priority for quality of service provided.
Question: How do you rate the overall ownership, would you recommend the same to others?
Answer: We are satisfied with performance of the car. Though cost for service is also manageable. One can always expect good resale value for Maruti Suzuki cars. It’s quite recommendable .However It has to be accepted that with launch of updated styling version of Swift, the demand for Ritz is affected a bit. Hence I live this to individual opinion of prospective buyers.
Question: If going for a new car which brand and make would you choose and why?
Answer: It’s a difficult question as I am quite satisfied with present car and planning to own it for few more years. I always give preference for latest launches and will check out the latest version cars available at that time.
Competition of Maruti Suzuki Ritz
Competition of Maruti Suzuki Ritz | ||||
Maruti Suzuki | Toyota | Volkswagen | ||
Ritz | Swift | Etios Liva | Polo | |
Variant | Zxi | Zxi | VX | 1.2L highline |
Engine Capacity | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1197 | 1198 |
Max Power (PS) | 85/6000 | 87/6000 | 80/5600 | 75/5400 |
Torque (NM) | 113/4500 | 114/4000 | 104/3100 | 110/3750 |
Gears | 5/M | 5/M | 5/M | 5/M |
Power Steering | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Power windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Central locking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
A/C | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Music system | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Fog Lamps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rear wind shield washer | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Defogger | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
ABS | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Airbag | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Average fuel efficiency | 17 | 17 | 18 | 14 |
Ex showroom Price Mumbai (lacs) | 528919 | 580347 | 614513 | 630711 |
Question: What’s your opinion about other brand cars?
Answer: I agree there is much competition in car segment especially of hatchbacks. Manufacturers like Volkswagen, Nissan, and Renault have high quality cars. The service network always posts a tough obstacle in choosing such brands. Like for example, in case of a brake down away from city limits, getting service would be difficult thing. Though one can rely upon vehicle quality, problems due to external damage would be difficult to manage as it needs much time and money to bring it back to service center for repairs. It will be huge advantage for any manufacturer in having emergency service assistance in association reputed service network in nearest city/district center.
Conclusion
In this review one can notice that there is good feedback regarding owning a Ritz. It has been well indicated that people lay huge emphasis on the availability of a service network while choosing a car. We welcome our viewers to share their opinion in this regard.