[yogiii]

Congratulations for buying the SX4 Green ! Great car great write up.

I think "our Jamuna Paar badlands" now have a VW East Delhi showroom in Patparganj saw a pic of the same in some polo thread but i'm not sure if there is a service center.

About MID I don't think it would have helped much as we are using two fuels. Wouldn't it be difficult to measure DTE and the current average? Even if it was there it would be a bit inaccurate don't you think. Switching on gas then petrol then gas.

CNG must be filled from the fuel lid with that NGV nozzle. But you always have to find the pump with the NGV nozzle on the same side as the fuel lid ?

Is the OE head unit same as the one in Zxi ?
And as you mentioned it has a USB input too. Because a friend has a non VVT SX4 but I never saw a USB port in his, must be new feature in VVT.
A picture of the same would be great

Well Maruti should offer ABS as an option on the SX4.

Where did you manage to see SX4 green for the first time I mean which showroom?
Is there a TD vehicle available now?

I really like the alloys on the VVT, can you buy them for the Vxi if you know something about it.

And its not advisable to run the engine on CNG when its cold.

The SX4 green is 7.47 Ex-Showroom and you got it for 7.76 On-Road.
Were there any December discounts?
What was the delivery period?
In the end please put up as many pics as you can boot,hood,fuel lid,led cng indicator,Head Unit etc.

Cheers

[maglev]

Congratulations & welcome to the SX4 club.

Mine's a June 09 ZXI, The SX4 is a bit underrated but a great car nonetheless. The Bridgestone Turanza's you've got are great and I don't see any particular reason to change them. Dont and I mean dont go in for any parking sensor, I had them on mine they are absolutely useless. Instead go in for a reversing camera and please do keep in mind that the camera screen should be a separate unit and not something which snaps onto the internal rear view mirror as then you'll lose the day/night feature of the IRVM.

I got my parking sensors disconnected and everything except for the 4 sensors at the back removed as I don't have a choice but to keep them there, otherwise my bumper would have 4 holes. Do post pics and keep us updated.

[musicmanaman]

Congrats Lithiumsunset, fantastic writeup, would love to see you cost analysis, you seem to be very much like me when in comes to cost of ownership analysis, only difference is I drive a HM Avigo and you an SX4, I too did the maths and found that I'm still more cost effective driving the Avigo, and I love the 1.8 Isuzu heart. Please keep updating this tread with pics and FE and how the ownership feels with time. In my books you have made a very informed choice, waiting for pics and CNG to be available like Delhi NCR in the rest of the country, you guys are so lucky man, in Kolkata CNG looks like a distant dream, even LPG is available at a very few outlets. Cheers !!!!.

[sudev]

Lovely writing. SX4 is a very nice car that suffers from lack of marketing imagination. After doing a nice intro as a Man amongst the cars nothing more happened. Probably as the market commentary is saying they will come in with a diesel option. Not marketing but just sales.
MUL continues to focus and deliver on VFM. Anything beyond seems to be beyond them.

[getsriram]

A very honest and open report on SX4 (not biased just because you bought it)

Pics please sir ji

[LithiumSunset]

So this is how I saw my car on the day of the delivery:


Inside the boot:

The tank is all hidden with carpeting


I will try and upload a picture with bags in the boot, to give a better idea of the space available.

Unhook the velcro and the tank is visible


A close up of the (blue) Manual Shut off valve on the tank:


The tank partially covers the Spare Tyre, I am guessing it is going to make it difficult lifting it out...


Under the Hood:

The gas filling valve (MGV = Maruti Gas Valve?) is located under the hood towards the right. I wish it was as conveniently located as it is in the CNG Wagon R.


Unscrew the cap to fill. The actual filling does happen fairly quickly. The car does not start if the cap is not screwed back properly. (Note the pressure activated switch next to the MGV).


The pressure gauge:


The (gas?) assembly next to the MGV


Inside the Cabin:

CNG/Petrol switch to the right of the steering wheel. The right air vent will rotate by 360 degrees for adjustment. The note reminds you about the auto changeover from petrol to CNG. In fact you wouldn't even notice the changeover when driving.


The central console:


and the Glove Box:

[khoj]

I said it before and I will say it again, Blue in any shade is a beautiful colour. Neat installation of the CNG kit by Maruti, shame about the gas filling though it should have been like the Wagon R. Another thing I would like to see is the auto air con atleast as an option on the CNG variant.

[raghu230506]

Congratulations on Green SX4.

Iam surprised to see the valve under the hood, every refill we need to lift the bonnet is bit uncomfortable.

Is there any specific reason for this design? Probably it's to avoid tampering valve

[getsriram]

Hey, very nice pics. Refilling is going to be a bit uncomfortable i guess... but positive side, the car doesnt reveal if it is a green version or a normal version from the outside.

What about the fog lamps. Maruti gives its fog lamp switches in the third button where CNG option is provided. So I believe fog lamps are not standard in your car and you need to find a place to put the switch if you install a fog lamp. Am i right?

[sidindica]

Congrats on your car with a superb write up! Which dealer is it? Fair deal Noida? The quality of installation is top class. factory fit, after all is factory fit.

[LithiumSunset]

Originally Posted by hdnivara

What a story man!?! You're a writer or what? You made me sit for an full 40 minutes this morning!
Congrats on the *GREEN* car
20km/kg is an impressive figure considering the size of this car and I just love that colour you've chosen.
Pictures are must (including the boot with the cyl) and wish you many more happy kms with her. Keep us posted.

Drive safe.

My first choice was white and the delivery was suddenly one month, then my dealer called in to say there is a Silver one available, thought it wouldn't be too bad. But before I went there, I spotted an Oyster Blue SX4 on the road, and that colour would not go out of my head. Maybe I was recalling that FTA Linea I had checked out earlier on resale.

Pictures that you wanted are indeed up..

Originally Posted by kaushikr

Great Story.

The way you have gone about your buying decision, listing essential things you need in your new car and total cost of ownership is an organized way to go about a new car purchase! Looking forward to read your detailed driving experiences.

Congrats on the new car. Drive safe.

The car is growing on me. The other day had to fetch people from the airport and had to take out the Wagon, shuru mein to chali hi nahin! I couldn't believe suddenly how sluggish it felt, how each gear tops out at a much lower speed!

Originally Posted by gavinimurthy

Perhaps SX4 lovers may like to have this information, though slightly OT.

SX4 .. Sporty, Relaxing, 4 season vehicle.

Congrats on your purchase.

Murthy

Thanks Murthy

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

Congrats on your purchase LithiumSunset. I am no fan of SX4 and the A pillar the tall stance is a big drawback when it comes to styling for me, but the CNG variant means you'll end up saving big bucks. Kudos to that (I am a Go Green monster myself). The ticking sound that you hear is from the injection rail - any sequential injection system will have that noise. It's not entirely disturbing once you'll get used to it, and with them music on chances are you won't hear it at all. On the flip side you get comparable power to petrol while running on CNG.

Lets get some pictures please.

Drive safe.

Pictures are up, at least some of them.. There is no ticking sound, at least not to my ears. Its definitely seems like a clatter. CNG mein diesel ka maza aa raha hai, minus the turbo lag!

Originally Posted by Driver2000

LiSunset (nice nickname too, you a fan of Eagles?) - congratulations on owning your second set of wheels. Nice touching bit to the overall narration. May you enjoy the car perfectly!

There is a song by this name in a Sting album. But since I am not particularly an Eagles fan, I don't know if Stings version is a cover of an Eagle's original. Googling Lithium Sunset doesn't bring up Eagles, at least on page 1.

[selfdrive]

Cool write up dude, and congrats on the car! It is good hear that city driving isnt difficult, especially turning. How do you find the much maligned ride quality?

[Screwdriva]

The car looks great! As a CNG user for the past 4.5 years, I can now say that my 1.6L Optra CNG has been surpassed....finally!

The integration of the CNG components look top class. This is the natural benefit of a factory installation, something that other manufacturers should pay attention to.

I just did the calculations yesterday based on my usage of 1000 kms a month. Expect to save more than 2 Lacs on petrol savings over the next 4 years of ownership.

BTW, the sound you hear is the engine adjusting to the difference in octane and composition of CNG. It will fade as your engine components wear into a stage of harmony with the gaseous fuel.

Again, congrats on one of the smartest buys this year!

[LithiumSunset]

Originally Posted by s10

Congrats man! you have quite beautifully described your entire buying process. I also migrated from Palio (S10) to SX4 CNG.
Compared to Palio I feel less power and even less with CNG. I had CNG kit fitted in Palio as well and ran it around 2.5 yrs with CNG and somehow I feel initial pickup is less than that in case of S10 with CNG. Anyways S10 was a gem of a machine in both power and handling so not comparing two.
But I absolutely like the automatic switching from petrol to CNG mode and vice versa. Also to add the amazing mileage, I get around 21-22/kg of CNG which initially was unbelievable to me and I rechecked it many times but Yes it is . May be because the Kit type is sequential which is better than what we get in after market fittings.

Eagerly waiting for ownership/ driving experience .

Never driven the Palio, but I am aware of the awesome reputation it has. The mileage you are reporting is awesome, hope that I get it too. Is it mostly in the city driving or highway? I look forward to any tips about the car from you.

Originally Posted by khoj

@LithiumSunset,

Congratulations on your new wheels. How about some snaps especially showing the CNG setup in the boot and under the hood. Do you have to open the hood to fill CNG or is there a separate fill point along side the one for petrol. Cold starts with CNG are best avoided as it is a dry liquid. BTW Turanzas are good tires to have and Blue in any shade is a great colour.

I am glad at least there is someone who wholeheartedly supports me on the colour choice. Though I am not a fan of another muddy skyblue that some other Maruti vehicles come in.. BTW pictures are up and yes, sadly the fill point is under the hood!

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Well written - made for an engaging read.
I thought you meant 'Linea' when you said "car that no one is buying". Did not think it would turn out to be the SX4.

For me, the extra flab is what is unappealing about the SX4. I like my cars to be lean and mean and within 1 tonne.

Can identify with you here, since am pretty involved about the whole 'avoid wastage' thing.....

I was shocked to see Linea figures nosedive in November sales, I did not help Linea's cause either!

I was joking when I mocked the gas guzzlers in the post. I am sure everybody is doing their bit on the green front. Its not for nothing that 'kitna deti hai' question is the first that comes to everyone's mind. I know the first concern is the wallet, but it helps the environment too...

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

LithiumSunset,you have got some amazing writing skills that made me glued to the posts.Keep it up!

Congrats on the SX4.Its definitely one of the underrated cars in the market.It deserves a lot more.Enjoy the ride.

And ya,ownership threads without pics is BIG NO NO in tbhp.So post some pics soon of your hari gadi!

Thanks for your wishes Sagar, the pics are indeed up.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

LithiumSunset, Take a bow! I enjoyed every bit of it. ...

Kudos! Enjoy the car.

deetjohn, I still cant believe that he bought the Teana for 8 lakhs. He keeps consoling me with things like 'its second hand' etc. etc.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Congrats Lithium for the "Green" SX4. Yours is the first one I believe on the forum. Interesting read, I must say.
Some pics of the Green would be so welcome.
Happy mile crunching.

I thought I was the first one, but I think s10 got one earlier. Dont know if has posted any reviews though.

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

Congrats on your car. How about some pictures.

Thanks Live to Jive, the pictures are up.

[LithiumSunset]

Hey Yogiii, here are my answers in bold

Originally Posted by yogiii

Congratulations for buying the SX4 Green ! Great car great write up.

Thanks

I think "our Jamuna Paar badlands" now have a VW East Delhi showroom in Patparganj saw a pic of the same in some polo thread but i'm not sure if there is a service center.

I am sure a service center will follow soon.

About MID I don't think it would have helped much as we are using two fuels. Wouldn't it be difficult to measure DTE and the current average? Even if it was there it would be a bit inaccurate don't you think. Switching on gas then petrol then gas.

You are right about the MID in this two fuel setup...

CNG must be filled from the fuel lid with that NGV nozzle. But you always have to find the pump with the NGV nozzle on the same side as the fuel lid ?

Oh that has happened to me already, not all nozzles are NGV friendly, so they will ask you to go to one that has! Its a matter of knowing which machine to go to, and by the no. of times I need to show up at the filling station, I will remember!

Is the OE head unit same as the one in Zxi ?
And as you mentioned it has a USB input too. Because a friend has a non VVT SX4 but I never saw a USB port in his, must be new feature in VVT.
A picture of the same would be great

I do think that the OE unit is the same in both Vxi and the Zxi and the USB option is standard now.

Well Maruti should offer ABS as an option on the SX4. Where did you manage to see SX4 green for the first time I mean which showroom?
Is there a TD vehicle available now?

I'm afraid, I had to take a leap of faith here, there are no test drive vehicles available. I managed to track a recent owner and he was very happy. In Aggoswami's report on CNG Wagon R, he wrote about the power delivery being no different.

I really like the alloys on the VVT, can you buy them for the Vxi if you know something about it.

I am not crazy about alloys, would rather spend that money on something else. The stock tires are good, from all reports.

And its not advisable to run the engine on CNG when its cold.

I think the dealership people were totally confused on this. They would insist on pressing that switch for 10 seconds to force it to CNG mode... I don't bother with it at all. Its been set to auto, so my car never starts on CNG!

The SX4 green is 7.47 Ex-Showroom and you got it for 7.76 On-Road.
Were there any December discounts?

The undiscounted OTR is about 8.35, my first booking was on 11th November. The car was delivered in December, I even managed to get an additional discount of 5k for december! I managed an overall discount of almost 60k incl. the gear lock.

What was the delivery period?

Actually I did not pick up the car from my original dealer. When I switched my allegiance to Oyster Blue, a friend found this car at a different dealer. Still got to process my refund from the first dealer.

In the end please put up as many pics as you can boot,hood,fuel lid,led cng indicator,Head Unit etc.

Pics are up..

Cheers