[chiranjitp]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

It can also be done the other way around. BHPian ChiranjitP's uncle needed an Eeco with 7 seater and AC. They got an Eeco 5 seater with AC, and I provided him part number of 3rd row seat assembly.

Request him to elaborate on the process.

Thanks to you, my uncle has a 7 seater Eeco with AC . The rear seats of Eeco (both 2nd & 3rd row) comes in 2 parts, cushion part & back assy part (held together with bolts). Our car from factory came as a 5 seater, where the 2nd row seat is full sized. In the 7 seater Eeco, the 2nd row seat is a bit small & can only accommodate 2 people (to allow ingress into the 3rd row). The 3rd row in the 7 seater is full sized to accommodate 3 people.

For the 2nd row we had to buy both the cushion part & back assy part. For the 3rd row we used the original 2nd row back assy part & only bought the cushion part, the cushion part was needed as the leg length was different (the rear portion of the Eeco is a bit raised). The holes to fit the seats was already in place (covered with plastic grommet), only thing needed was to make tiny holes in the carpet. The installation was very simple, plug & play.

Eeco 5 seater 2nd row arrangement:



Eeco 7 seater 2nd row arrangement:



Eeco 7 seater 3rd row arrangement:



Part number for 2nd row cushion assy & back assy:

87101M78L10HTN

Rs. 2291

87301M78L10HTN

Rs. 2291

Part number for 3rd row cushion assy:

88101M78L00HTN

Rs. 3860

Note: I believe the prices were a bit lower when we bought them 1 year back.

Installation in progress:



The final outcome:

[GTO]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The Maruti Suzuki Eeco has completed 10 years in the Indian market

Actually, 20 years if we include the Versa . In my books, this is a brilliant case study of repositioning a flopped car to target an entirely different segment. The initial ads targeted the private buyer, while the later product at a massively slashed price went all out to the commercial segment which makes for its sales today.

In terms of sheer real estate & utility for the money, you just can't beat an Eeco (or the older Omni).

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Eddy

By far the worst car I've travelled in, but just shows the market potential of utility over comfort.

Same here.

Only difference is it was an ambulance and I was lucky enough to sit and travel. The driver was doing 70-80 kmph and it felt scary as hell. You just keep moving inside the car.

[r0nit7]

I don't know how many times I have cancelled an Uber or an Ola just because I was allotted an Eeco. And there are just too many of them registered under these riding services here in Ahmedabad.
As others have correctly opined - great for transport of bulk, but people not so much.

[Sounak04]

I was just going through August Sales Chart of Four Wheelers and Eeco was in the top 10 most sold Vehicles selling almost 9,000 vehicles in a month. It shows the VFM that this car offers.

We have a Eeco for our Ancestral House. Our Ancestral House is surrounded by worst of the Roads. Infact, there are hardly any Concrete Roads near the House but the Eeco does a wonderful job over there. Yes, for a passenger it is really bad. The car move around quite a lot. But use it as a Goods Transporter and it shines. The car is driven by a Driver and even after covering almost 76,000 kms in 7 years, the car did not had a single major repair. Infact, with the CNG installed, the running costs are quite economical.

I have to say Eeco is one such car in India which does not have any real competition.

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by Eddy

I was a passenger in the rear seat and the suspension was horrible.

Yes, you are right, not very good comfort in passenger seat. Actually ride quality is much better when its loaded with 4-5 people or with some load.

[Yieldway17]

Omni was a better looking car/van than Eeco. Maybe because the Omni design was a proven one from JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) while Eeco design is homegrown and repurposed from another model. Also, Omni looked 'cute' (for lack of better word) and compact.

Nevertheless, Eeco will always have a presence in my life as it was the car I learned to drive in. Eeco has good presence amongst the driving schools.

[turbowhistle]

I am curious to find out the profit MSIL must have made in last 10 years. Pretty sure the design was not done from scratch and this vehicle must be profitable from the first year itself.

Such cars have helped MSIL become the cash-cow they are today (nothing against it) and gonna be a tough time when Maruti decides to retire these models.

[Nithesh_M]

Its a Suzuki Carry kei truck redesigned into a van

[srini1785]

Wasn't this model based on an earlier failure in the form of Versa?.

Either people or Suzuki has short memories. I once took a test drive and then went for an Alto K10.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by chiranjitp

Thanks to you, my uncle has a 7 seater Eeco with AC .

Is the car registered as a 5 seater or a seven seater now?

Originally Posted by GTO

In my books, this is a brilliant case study of repositioning a flopped car to target an entirely different segment.

In terms of sheer real estate & utility for the money, you just can't beat an Eeco

Absolutely. The Versa was a flop and I realised why - highly priced, low FE for the same G13B engine, pathetic ride and handling which doesn't just fit the private car model !!!

I still went in for one - pre-owned for 7 months only and done 22000km. The car looked very promising in brochures but one test drive and I felt I was riding a horse. Yet, something told me to go ahead.

The car was with me from Jul2004 to Dec2010 - my longest period of ownership. Reason? It's not love at first sight but one begins to appreciate its other virtues and ignore the ride and handling.

Likes

1. Versatility - load it as much as you want - no issues. I once was to pick up 6 people from the Railway station and ended up bringing 11. The car took the load effortlessly.

2. Negligible maintenance in my period of ownership

* engine oil changes every 10k kms,
* gear box and diff. oil changes every 25k kms,
* two brake fluid changes
* two coolant changes
* one set of tyres (at 47870km),
* two wheel cylinders (one damaged due to a missed brake fluid change and one changed as a preventive measure)

3. Rocket speed pick up

4. Reasonable water wading capability

5. Great maneuverability in tight lanes due to its compact dimensions and great turning radius

6. Excellent road view

Dislikes

1. Ride and handling

I re-designed the interiors in 2008 to make the cabin look airy, and the beige dashboard surround design of the Eeco is actually my patent

Here are some pictures of the interior post mod.





The car is now 17 years young at 1,20,000km and the current owner, who runs a premium car care center, is holding the car since Dec2010 .

He has an Amaze too, but lauds the abilities of the Versa. I told him that he won't get bored with the car - and he says I was right.

He has only had to replace the clutch set once, the tailgate dampers once, and has serviced the AC only once, plus oil and coolant changes as recommended.

Not one oil seal had leaked so far except the spark plug seals.

He did replace the windscreen, headlights and taillights with Eeco parts and threw in alloys with 175/70 R13 tyres when he did this fantastic restoration over 2 months sometime in 2017.

Savour some pictures post restoration. I still drive this buggy when I go to Surat.








If this breadbox is still going strong with low maintenance after 17 years, it is no surprise that the next avatar viz. Eeco is the darling of the masses.

[Arjun Bharadwaj]

Sightly off topic, could not resist opining.

Going against some of the thoughts stated earlier, I think the Eeco kind of does have a competitor - the Renault Triber. Agree there may be positives and negatives compared to Eeco, but it fits the bracket of a Cheap car with a lot of space and a small engine. What say?

[zalaps]

Originally Posted by vigsom

I still went in for one - pre-owned for 7 months only and done 22000km. The car looked very promising in brochures but one test drive and I felt I was riding a horse. Yet, something told me to go ahead.

Vigsom Sir,
This platform has right balance of toughness and creature comforts. Anyways if car can not complete 20 years with you then that's a flaw in original vehicle design.

Jokes apart, always admire your passion to keep vehicle going with details!

[sainyamk95]

Originally Posted by Yieldway17

Omni was a better looking car/van than Eeco. Maybe because the Omni design was a proven one from JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) while Eeco design is homegrown and repurposed from another model.

I'd have to disagree here since the Omni was based on the seventh generation Suzuki Carry while the Eeco(Versa) is based on the tenth generation Carry, more specifically the Suzuki Every Plus.

Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzu...ki_Every_Landy

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by vigsom

the same G13B engine,
1. Versatility
2. Negligible maintenance
3. Rocket speed pick up
4. Reasonable water wading capability
5. Great maneuverability

Maruti Suzuki has managed to make the G-series engine BS-VI compliant. And the same G12 SOHC unit finds its way under Suzuki Super Carry. The ability of this old engine to handle load is seen all over India. In my maternal native I have seen guys get an Eeco, run it as a cab or goods carrier with very little maintenance all round the year. Kudos to Maruti for striking at the perfect spot in market with Eeco. Just like Mahindra found a nice spot with Bolero Pickup and Innova took on the cab segment by storm, Eeco is just doing the same at lower end of price bracket. Another thing that helps Eeco IMO is availability of service centers and spares even in remote location, adds to convenience and confidence in ownership.