[Venkatesh]

Shashank Srivastava - Executive Director, Sales and Marketing, Maruti Suzuki India - talks about the market for MPVs, popularity of the Ertiga and XL6, need for an SUV, importance of hatchbacks and more.

https://youtu.be/rAY596U0VmY

[Reinhard]

Have to give it to MSIL for the nerves they are showing. This premium pricing for the XL6, especially with the Carens already available in the market, is quite ambitious. Not just the large bump over the previous version - the atrocious difference between the MT and AT versions is laughable (this is an understatement). No matter how much praise there may be for the reliability of a torque converter - that ancient 4AT has recovered its R&D costs long ago, and Maruti is simply taking people for a ride (pun intended). We have hatchbacks with far newer and complicated DCTs selling at just over 1 million OTR now. The 4AT has no problems, gets its job done. But then that doesn't justify the pricing. Even my Alto gets the job done, would I pay 1 million OTR for it just for that? No.

And its not like the XL6 has looks to talk about. Say "Compass" and I'd pay for the looks for example.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

No matter how much praise there may be for the reliability of a torque converter - that ancient 4AT has recovered its R&D costs long ago, and Maruti is simply taking people for a ride (pun intended). We have hatchbacks with far newer and complicated DCTs selling at just over 1 million OTR now. The 4AT has no problems, gets its job done. But then that doesn't justify the pricing.

Erm, hello, in case you're back to the online world after a long time

You'll find that now there's a competent new 6 speed automatic, with a paddle-shifter thrown in. Couple that with the Maruti/Suzuki brand name and their service network, their pricing doesn't seem all that un-justified. I mean yes, there's a healthy % of customer's willingness to pay factored into the price, but it's okay if you ask me.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by locusjag

Erm, hello, in case you're back to the online world after a long time

You'll find that now there's a competent new 6 speed automatic, with a paddle-shifter thrown in.

Guilty as charged! Have been tied down in work (of good quality for a change!) off-late. Absolutely didn't pay attention to the 6AT thingy coming up. Mea Culpa! Suddenly Maruti takes a big leap forward to "current age" then.

In that case - yes the difference between the MT and the AT - is justified. But still - the overall sticker OTR price is a bit too much for my personal opinion about the car (Especially since its a petrol powered car, no diesel). No offense of course, my 1st cousin owns one too (with the 4AT), so its in the family alright.

[volkman10]

TVC of the All New XL6:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GipY...NexaExperience

[ashwin1397]

So XL6 AT Alpha + is 18.18L (approx) on road here in Bangalore. I am not sure if I should go for it at this price point. Feels a short distance away from the Innova :(

[theAutomaniac]

Originally Posted by ashwin1397

So XL6 AT Alpha + is 18.18L (approx) on road here in Bangalore. I am not sure if I should go for it at this price point. Feels a short distance away from the Innova :(

Well, I'm sure that if XL6 is 18 lakhs, the Innova must be even higher since I do not think that there are any Bangalore taxes specifically for the XL6!

P.S.- Just checked prices on road Bangalore and the Innova base petrol with the super powerful and extremely fuel efficient (sarcasm intended) 2.4L engine costs 22.3 lakhs while the taxi fav base diesel costs over 23.5 lakhs.

Comparing this with Bangalore prices of Alpha Plus Manual (Since the base models are manual) (Rs. 16.18 lakhs), I'm not sure how a 6-7 lakh rupee jump is "short distance"! I'm sure the "short" difference can buy a "not-so-short" WagonR 1.2

[shortbread]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

Well, I'm sure that if XL6 is 18 lakhs, the Innova must be even higher since I do not think that there are any Bangalore taxes specifically for the XL6!

P.S.- Just checked prices on road Bangalore and the Innova base petrol with the super powerful and extremely fuel efficient (sarcasm intended) 2.4L engine costs 22.3 lakhs while the taxi fav base diesel costs over 23.5 lakhs.

Comparing this with Bangalore prices of Alpha Plus Manual (Since the base models are manual) (Rs. 16.18 lakhs), I'm not sure how a 6-7 lakh rupee jump is "short distance"! I'm sure the "short" difference can buy a "not-so-short" WagonR 1.2

The thing is for 5.5 lacs more one can get a diesel Innova and from every reasonable aspect whether it's engine, ride, space, brand name etc.... it's a far more comprehensive buy than the maruti mpv. Plus Innova has the unbeatable re-sale value advantage. With this sort of pricing the Innova looks vfm for the first time, who would have thought of that?!

End of the day the companies wont care if one buys the Innova or the maruti, it's a win for them either way.

We'll see if the Scorpio shakes up the market, M&M must be delighted seeing these prices.

[headbanger]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

In that case - yes the difference between the MT and the AT - is justified. But still - the overall sticker OTR price is a bit too much for my personal opinion about the car (Especially since its a petrol powered car, no diesel). No offense of course, my 1st cousin owns one too (with the 4AT), so its in the family alright.

The price stickiness associated with XL6 will take sometime to make way for the new price range. Frankly, the whole car ecosystem is getting to a point where every new release of a product looks and sounds pricey. It's a seller market outright.

I echo your sentiment about who in their senses would have thought XL6 to cost 18L OTR a couple of years ago irrespective of how much Maruti shouts as premium from the rooftops.

[XRoader_001]

While we all may have valid opinions on XL6 pricing & as a package on the whole but as compared to other OEMs, credit to Maruti Suzuki, at least their launch events are seamless we don’t have multiple events like product unveil, then another one for the price disclosure followed by media drives then agonising wait for the official launch.

For Maruti, it’s simple Pre-bookings then a launch event, media drives, followed by deliveries.

[condor]

Ambitious pricing at 14.55L for the top end.

However, I hope this 6AT comes in the S-Cross soon. I think that one is a much better car than the XL6, though it is only a 5 seater. Not all of us want/need more than 5 seats.

[TorqMaster]

I bought XL6 Alpha AT in Dec 2021. It was Nov 2021 manufactured vehicle.

Few observations about the old(mine) vs new(currently launched)

Wheels
1. Old one has 15 inch wheels, new one has 16 inchers (per website). These alloy wheel designs look so much better than the old ones and also fill up the wheel wells nicely. Hopefully the owners of the old model are allowed to upgrade to this wheel size without affecting warranty.


Fuel consumption and RPM
2. Looking forward to see the fuel consumption get better at least on the highway. My 13 year old Diesel Manza and my even older diesel Indigo did 100kmph @2500rpm and 120kph @3000rpm. My "old" XL6 AT Petrol engine does the same speed in the same rpm. Would be nice to have those speeds lower in the rpm band so that the engine isnt starting to scream when the speeds go past 120 and the fuel efficiency also is better. Right now I get 500KMs per tank with a light foot and 450 KMs with a heavy foot. My Diesel Nexon does 100 at about 22XX rpm or maybe lower.

Storage and Nifty features
3. The Old as well as new doesnt really have much compartments to store wallets or phone in the Central console. The second and third row could have received trays (to eat food or to place gadgets) behind the seats in front of them. Missing features include Door lights, map lights, lights for the boot behind the third row, Auto closing rear boot door, HUD, Auto dimming IRVM, some sort of "outdoor" edition paint schemes like TATA does Kaziranga stuff, Dual Tone Paint scheme for the Blue car (Blue car with White roof) all could have given it that extra oomph. These are the ones which will make it feel luxurious over the Ertiga .

Price for Features
4. The old one Alpha AT (Top-most model available at that time) was 14.55 onroad. The new one for the topmost variant is 17.XX? For this price we now get the gizmos, the additional two gears in AT, the updated engine and color options. But it is no longer the cheapest 6 seater AT with Cruise Control, apple carplay and Reverse Camera now. This has been replaced by the New Ertiga which offers what the old XL6 offered, in the same price bracket of what the old XL6 was priced at with updated engines and Automatic gearbox!

When I was in the market in 2021, I wanted an AT with Safety mechanisms, some basic features and some nice to haves. The Ertiga AT did not have back up camera, cruise control and Apple Carplay back then. It did come with my preferred beige interior though. However, the XL6 offered Cruise control, Backup camera, Apple carplay and Leather Seats over the ertiga for a difference of about 1.5 Lakhs onroad. My budget was to start from the lowest. I did not see a point in spending additional money on accessorizing the car (and lose warranty??) when I could spend a bit more and get the same car with factory warranty.

Had I been in the market now for my need, I think the Ertiga would have made so much sense to me (without those beautiful LED headlights of the XL6 though ).

[theAutomaniac]

Originally Posted by shortbread

The thing is for 5.5 lacs more one can get a diesel Innova and from every reasonable aspect whether it's engine, ride, space, brand name etc....We'll see if the Scorpio shakes up the market, M&M must be delighted seeing these prices.

For obvious reasons, the diesel Innova is definitely a car that is far better than the XL6 and Ertiga and IMHO, it is better than every 7 seater under 35 lakhs.

However, my main argument was that not every XL6 buyer would have additional 7 lakh rupees at their disposal to upgrade from a C segment MPV to a D segment one.
Even if they have 7 lakhs at their disposal, not everyone of them would be willing to buy the Innova G without even an Auto AC or electric fold wing mirrors as an upgrade from the ventilated seats equipped XL6 Alpha Plus. And for an XL6 buyer who does not care about ventilated seats, the XL6 Zeta is already a very VFM proposition.

[ashwin1397]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

Well, I'm sure that if XL6 is 18 lakhs, the Innova must be even higher since I do not think that there are any Bangalore taxes specifically for the XL6!

P.S.- Just checked prices on road Bangalore and the Innova base petrol with the super powerful and extremely fuel efficient (sarcasm intended) 2.4L engine costs 22.3 lakhs while the taxi fav base diesel costs over 23.5 lakhs.

Comparing this with Bangalore prices of Alpha Plus Manual (Since the base models are manual) (Rs. 16.18 lakhs), I'm not sure how a 6-7 lakh rupee jump is "short distance"! I'm sure the "short" difference can buy a "not-so-short" WagonR 1.2

The Innova is around 23.5L here in Bangalore. For me, safety is a priority. So putting in the extra money for a very safe Innova seems like a short distance for me. It does miss out on the basic features that xl6 offers, but I don't know. I'll have to drive the XL6 to see if it's worth 18L. I feel that anything around the ballpark of 17L OTR would have been VFM IMHO.

[PYSO]

Originally Posted by ashwin1397

The Innova is around 23.5L here in Bangalore. For me, safety is a priority. So putting in the extra money for a very safe Innova seems like a short distance for me. It does miss out on the basic features that xl6 offers, but I don't know. I'll have to drive the XL6 to see if it's worth 18L. I feel that anything around the ballpark of 17L OTR would have been VFM IMHO.

I don't think the Indian Innova has been NCAP tested (pls correct me, if i am wrong). Difficult to say it's a safe car without any testing results to back it up.

The right price comparison for the Innova base variant would be ertiga lxi or ertiga vxi. The price difference is huge.

The right price comparison for XL6 Alpha Plus would be Innova Touring Sport variant. Again, the price difference is huge.

They belong to totally different segments, and are suitable for different usage patterns. XL6 would beat Innova any day for city usage. Innova is a highway mile cruncher.