[sierrabravo98]

Originally Posted by rich_heart

Wow! FE is showing 19.4!! I struggle to get my Ertiga Auto Zxi give 9.5kmpl, how ever careful I drive and even after the firmware upgrade. Is there something seriously wrong with my car?

What is the typical FE Automatic Ertiga/XL6 gives?

Originally Posted by sumobom4

Your friends must have some seriously light feet! The most I can get from my XL6 in Mumbai traffic is 10-11 kmpl!

The XL6 Automatic has a really wide range of FE depending on traffic conditions. I have seen FE as low as 4.5kmpl in peak Central Delhi traffic. That being said, out on a highway with gentle acceleration pattern (this is important for increased FE) and speeds capped at 100kmph, it usually delivers anything between 17-21kmpl depending on how free-moving the traffic is. Highest I have seen is something near 22kmpl over a 40km trip during Winter season with just 1 driver in the car and speeds below 80 kmph.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by rich_heart

........my Ertiga Auto Zxi..........

Originally Posted by sumobom4

........ my XL6.........

Originally Posted by sierrabravo98

The XL6 Automatic

Hey guys, quoting you all since you own Ertiga/XL6 AT and have good experience with it. Did you ever feel the brakes are not that good, specially when compared to Manual XL6/Ertiga?

I was recently driving it and almost crashed into a cyclist at city speeds, since the braking force I am used to in Manual XL6, simply didn't come in the AT. I felt like the engine kept accelerating, it didn't cut off like it does in MT when we leave the accelerator pedal free.

Hope I am able to explain the feeling, but it was a bit scary. My cousin too confirmed that he nearly crashed into a chap when the car was new, and the brakes aren't good at city speeds. At highway speeds, there is no complain.

Regards,
Shashi

[sumobom4]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Hey guys, quoting you all since you own Ertiga/XL6 AT and have good experience with it. Did you ever feel the brakes are not that good, specially when compared to Manual XL6/Ertiga?

I was recently driving it and almost crashed into a cyclist at city speeds, since the braking force I am used to in Manual XL6, simply didn't come in the AT. I felt like the engine kept accelerating, it didn't cut off like it does in MT when we leave the accelerator pedal free.

Hope I am able to explain the feeling, but it was a bit scary. My cousin too confirmed that he nearly crashed into a chap when the car was new, and the brakes aren't good at city speeds. At highway speeds, there is no complain.

Regards,
Shashi

I have never really run into a close situation like that with my auto XL6, but I know what you are talking about. It used to happen to me quite often with the CVT Honda City which is why I replaced it with the XL6. The only weird thing I have noticed is that sometimes I tend to approach speed breakers under braking a lot faster than I expect. Maybe it’s coz the brakes need more force to be effective? Emergency situations are fine. The pedal could do with some more feel and not be so woolly, if I’m nitpicking.

[sierrabravo98]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Hey guys, quoting you all since you own Ertiga/XL6 AT and have good experience with it. Did you ever feel the brakes are not that good, specially when compared to Manual XL6/Ertiga?

I was recently driving it and almost crashed into a cyclist at city speeds, since the braking force I am used to in Manual XL6, simply didn't come in the AT. I felt like the engine kept accelerating, it didn't cut off like it does in MT when we leave the accelerator pedal free.

Hope I am able to explain the feeling, but it was a bit scary. My cousin too confirmed that he nearly crashed into a chap when the car was new, and the brakes aren't good at city speeds. At highway speeds, there is no complain.

Regards,
Shashi

My experience with XL6 Manual is limited to the 1 km TD undertaken after booking the Automatic (don't ask why we TD'd the manual after the booking the automatic). So I don't know how a XL6 Manual behaves during braking.

With the above disclaimer made, I completely second your assertion that an unfamiliar driver will almost certainly crash an automatic XL6 if he/she is not extra careful about braking distances within city limits at lower speeds. I also had multiple similar experiences in the initial week of ownership wherein the initial 20% of brake pedal travel didn't do much to retard the vehicle with a lot of inertia felt due to no engine braking from the GB. It was especially scary since I was used to the over-servoed brakes of the Honda City which stopped the vehicle within the first 20% travel of brake pedal.

Hence I set out to establish if there was some problem with the vehicle or was my braking behaviour at fault? I drove about 100km in moderate Delhi traffic and reached the conclusion that it was definitely the latter case. I was subconsciously pressing the brake pedal only as much as the City (about 10-15%) which generated insufficient brake bite. Once I started depressing a bit more, the GB also started downshifting to produce engine-braking which aided braking a lot. Hence, I have accordingly altered my braking pattern whenever I have to drive the XL6 and thus have never faced the problem since.

TL;DR: A firm foot is required to generate sufficient braking force.

P.S: On a sidenote, the vehicle is still on the original set of brake pads at 35k kms. I have not discerned any noticeable decrease in performance as of yet. Should I get it replaced at the 30k service (very delayed I know) which will done this week?

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by sierrabravo98

P.S: On a sidenote, the vehicle is still on the original set of brake pads at 35k kms. I have not discerned any noticeable decrease in performance as of yet. Should I get it replaced at the 30k service (very delayed I know) which will done this week?

You can take a call based on condition of the pads, they have wear indicator. This was the condition of my XL6's brake pads at 15k, and they had good life left(till wear indicator).

Regards,
Shashi

[VeBdrivE]

Originally Posted by rich_heart

Wow! FE is showing 19.4!! I struggle to get my Ertiga Auto Zxi give 9.5kmpl, how ever careful I drive and even after the firmware upgrade. Is there something seriously wrong with my car?

What is the typical FE Automatic Ertiga/XL6 gives?

I have driven 16k kms with my XL6 Alpha AT .
8.40- 17 Kmpl is what I get . In city driving with not much traffic and AC on all the time , I get around 11.50 kmpl. Highway drives get 14-17 maximum.

Originally Posted by sierrabravo98

TL;DR: A firm foot is required to generate sufficient braking force.

I totally agree with you . I have driven My XL6 AT for 16k kms now and the brakes are good , it’s just that you have to press the pedal with more force as compared to other cars . My comparison is based on my extensive driving of Ciaz Manual Diesel and Dzire manual diesel.

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Recently two XL6s Automatics came in my family/friend circle. Both are seeing similar usage, they are around 6k on the odo in 3 months, and are seeing 17-19kmpl on highways and 12-14kmpl in city.

19kmpl
No matter how good I try to drive for getting best mileage , 17kmpl is the best I have ever got.

Btw sir , don’t you think XL6 AT is a good car to drive and one of the most underrated or maybe criticised AT (because of 4 speed) .

I have driven Ciaz Diesel manual (1.20L) and Dzire Diesel manual (2.20L) and now I drive XL6 AT , I just love my XL6 AT .
And have absolutely no complaints that it’s a 4 speed AT .
It’s fun to drive , specially on hills and city traffic.

[PaddleShifter]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

I was recently driving it and almost crashed into a cyclist at city speeds, since the braking force I am used to in Manual XL6, simply didn't come in the AT. I felt like the engine kept accelerating, it didn't cut off like it does in MT when we leave the accelerator pedal free.

I have drive Creta AT and Hexa AT only till date apart from a CVT (Kiger) and AMTs.

The feeling you mention was experienced by me as well in the ATs I have mentioned above. I do not recall the CVT and AMT cars behaviour.

I had made an understanding that perhaps this is how an AT car behaves compared to its manual transmission counterpart.

[rich_heart]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Hey guys, quoting you all since you own Ertiga/XL6 AT and have good experience with it. Did you ever feel the brakes are not that good, specially when compared to Manual XL6/Ertiga?

I was recently driving it and almost crashed into a cyclist at city speeds, since the braking force I am used to in Manual XL6, simply didn't come in the AT. I felt like the engine kept accelerating, it didn't cut off like it does in MT when we leave the accelerator pedal free.

Hope I am able to explain the feeling, but it was a bit scary. My cousin too confirmed that he nearly crashed into a chap when the car was new, and the brakes aren't good at city speeds. At highway speeds, there is no complain.

Regards,
Shashi

My experience of Ertiga Zxi AT is that, the brakes have been spongy since it was new.
Besides that, and as you rightly said, there seems to be some lag, albeit fraction of second, between when the brake pedal is pressed and it has proportionate effect on the wheels. I feel that although brakes are applied immediately, it takes little time for it to overcome the power still being delivered by the engine to the weel.

It's similar to the lag between pressing throttle and car actually moving in an automatic model.
This is all my "feeling" and i am not a technical expert to comment factually. ��

I have not driven a manual and hence can't comment on that

[Leoshashi]

Much awaited Bhubaneswar-Puri trip completed: After planning for months, Puri trip seemed impossible for me because every single time we planned, some issue or the other cropped up and we had to hold back. Eventually, it looked possible and I booked the accommodations without any second thoughts.

Prologue: I was born at Bhubaneswar, and we lived there till 1999. My initial schooling happened there, and thus the place holds a special place for me and my parents. This trip was not to explore anything new, but to relive my childhood, visit places we used to frequent then and meet old friends.

Ranchi to Bhubaneswar: We took Ranchi-Bundu-Chowka-Chaibasa-Jagannathpur-Keonjhar-Harichandanpur Forest Reserve-Duburi-Chandikhol-Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. While the entire trip was very scenic, I strongly recommend not to take this route as Duburi-Chandikhol stretch was in shambles and was under construction. This single stretch was so bad that it took us 2 hours to cover 40km. Once this stretch is operational, this route will be better if scenery is what you desire.

Some pics from the route:

Love early morning drives:

The interior State highways of Jharkhand are now in excellent shape:

At a railway crossing:

Pics definitely don't do justice to the feeling of driving through these tree lined roads:

The iconic Welcome to Odisha board at Champua:

Through one of the many forest reserves:

Awesome tarmac:

Tomka Iron Ore Mountain:

Landscape was amazing:

On NH16(also called Kolkata Chennai Highway) after a torturous Duburi-Chandikhol stretch:

Once we reached Bhubaneswar, we all caught some sleep and eventually hit the road again to visit the iconic Lingaraj Temple. The temple premises and infrastructure around it is much improved compared to what we knew about it.

The XL6 back at hotel and a much deserved rest:

The next day, I went out to meet my close friend. He was kind enough to become my guide and showed me nearly the entire city very sweetly. He also owns a 1999 Maruti 800 DX maintained in good shape.

We were greeted by his pets:

Thanks man for making this trip so memorable:

I then visited my first school and met some old teachers:

I then came to hotel, picked mom and dad since now we were supposed to visit our old colony, a pic of yours truly from 1997:

The colony todaY:

This used to be dad's official ride back in 90s, sad to see it in this state:

The rest of the evening was spent in meeting old friends after nearly 2 decades.

[Leoshashi]

Bhubaneswar-Puri trip, Continued: The next day, after a satisfying breakfast at Bhubaneswar, we set out for Puri. Took the bypass and we were nearing Puri in no time. We knew that before approaching Puri, lots of locals line up on either side of road with fresh coconuts. I was thus carrying a folded carton all this while and stopped at one of the vendors and picked some 40 coconuts. This was also meant for my grandparents back at Ranchi.

First view of the sea at Puri:

A quick visit to Sun Temple, Konark:

Near Chandrabhaga Beach:

At evening, we head out to visit the famous Jagannath Temple Puri. The infrastructure outside is now much changed compared to what we had seen last.

After a satisfying darshan, we went to the market and purchased some Khaja and gifts for friends back at Ranchi. The beach was too busy even at night, and we decided not to head to the crowded beach. But then, a visit to Puri and not visiting the Beach would have been a tragedy. Thus we left our accommodation at 4AM and spent a good 2 hours at beach and it was a good decision!

We eventually left for Ranchi at 6AM:

Stopped midway at this place famous for Odia sweets, Chenapod etc:

We took Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Panikoili-Anandpur-Ghatgaon-Keonjhar-Champua-Haat Gamharia-Chaibasa-Chowka-Ranchi this time. This route isn't recommended by Google and was non existent till a few years ago. This runs parallel to the Duburi road, and while it isn't as scenic, it has arrow straight empty 4 lane roads. Progress was quick and we managed to reach outskirts of Ranchi in merely 7.5 hours(compared to 10 hours it took while going to Bhubaneswar).

Somewhere in Ghatgaon:

Approaching Champua:

This section was so awesome that mom slept like a baby for almost the entire stretch with front seat reclined all the way:

We reached the outskirts of Ranchi at around 3.30PM and stopped at Hotel Panchwati in Bundu for some much needed rest and food:

And with that, the XL6 completed 20k on the ODO:

[Leoshashi]

20,000 km service: Took in the car for 4th service at 20,045 km. This had to be first paid service, and needs changing of coolant and brake oil as per MSIL's recommendation. Hope they switch to Long Life stuff soon like most other OEMs. Changing coolant every 2 year feels wasteful!

Despite me going there pretty late, the chaps at MASS happily accommodated my car. They quicky changed the engine oil, flushed brake and clutch lines with new fluid, poured in new Coolant, cleaned the brakes, AC and air filter, rotated the wheels, and did wheel alignment. They had an ongoing offer of 25% discount on labour and also gave me free wheel alignment since I didn't opt for car washing, because I didn't want their boys to extend their work hours for me.

The brake pads have good life left:

After those roads, I was expecting messed up toe values:

Final Bill:

Special Thanks to WM and SA Mr. Nazir for quicky getting the service done.

Got the XL6 washed later at my neighbourhood washing center:

About the car:

-It performed admirably well all throughout the trip and took us to places in absolute comfort. Specially mom who is a sciatica patient never felt the pain despite travelling 10+ hours at one time. But this gave us an idea, that 10 hours is the max she can comfortably do non-stop.

-Total distance covered in this road trip was ~1300km

-I measured the efficiency once before Konark using full tank method, and it came out to be 18.7kmpl(616km in 33L). For the entire trip, MID showed 19.7kmpl.

-While the ride quality shines on good roads, the Monocoque construction does have it's limits on bad roads. This cannot fly over broken stretches like an Innova does.

-Sound insulation greatly contributes towards comfort. A must have for every owner I'd say.

-Have two active complains lodged with MSIL, first about peeling chrome finish on grill and second being a minor play in front seats(which I thought was normal) until that automatic XL6 came in our family. Maruti officials have filed a report and changed a few stuff but it made no difference to the play(made it worse on one of the seats). Their technical team is working on it and a resolution is expected soon. Will post in detail about it once they fix it. Regarding peeling chrome finish on, they have already ordered the part and it should be changed under warranty this week.

Regards,
Shashi

[Guru_Shikhar]

Nice and crisp details of the trip. The roads seems to be excellent to drive; also there is lesser on coming traffic? (Cause two photos show you on right side of the road)

Also can you please comment on under thigh support of the captain seats? It seems a bit lesser ( looking at one of the photos).

20k km from 2020 that to facing covid restrictions is a good mark.

Have a wonderful time with the beautiful XL6.

Cheers.

[hellmet]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Regarding Software version, MD-0421 is the latest version and it's available with service centers. I got mine updated few weeks back.

Attachment 2268468

Shashi, would you by any chance have access to this ZIP file? My service center guy was clueless. Our S-Presso is running version MD-1221.

[HornNotOkPlease]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Bhubaneswar-Puri trip, Continued:

We just missed a photo shoot opportunity with two XL6 on the beach, i had also travelled to Puri from Kolkata as well on the 25-27th weekend

[Truck_Monk]

Amazing Travelogue. I really enjoyed reading your travelogue but one thing that stole my heart was that white gypsy. Though it was not properly taken care of but gypsys always attract me.
Thanks for this great travelogue Leoshashi.