[B-Taurus]

Shashi, i need a quick confirmation. Do you know anyone who has got the Alpha camera installed on the Zeta version? I had a short discussion with Puneeth (from Essar Auto) and he suspects that the connectors could be different as the male connector on the Alpha and Zeta model may be different, otherwise he does not see any reason why there should be 2 different part numbers and such a price difference between the two (almost 3K). The dealer is not sure because he has never ordered the Alpha camera before.

Meanwhile Puneeth also gave me the price of the rear spoiler which is 2k less than what the dealer quoted, so have asked the dealer to cancel the spoiler from my accessories list. I will get the spoiler installed outside which is more reliable than the dealer. Will also get the under body cover from Puneeth, he said he has a few pieces available with him. The NEXA guys must be kicking themselves for having a customer like me

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by B-Taurus

I asked him the price of this part and he quoted 6990/- incl installation while the price in the accessories list is 4990/- for the camera. I've asked him why there is a price difference if the parts are the "same"? He says price is dependent on the part number, so no specific logic . Now he says it will take time to receive the part and I said I'm in no hurry, worst case I will get it installed later. The battle continues.

A bit of patience will pay off handsomely in the longer run. So better to wait. Your camera will reach you earlier than your car.

BTW do they charge labour for installation of accessories as well? I guess for MGA that's not allowed except alloys. I'm hearing this for the first time. If you escalate this then they will have to take it all back. It's not the norm anywhere. Dealers anyway get a handsome margin for accessories, charging over it for labour is daylight robbery.

Regards,
Shashi

[B-Taurus]

Can anyone here comment whether the tax component calculated by the dealer is correct? I checked online today and found that in Bangalore the road tax is 17% of Ex-Showroom price (for cars above 10L INR), some cess etc are added later, but my dealer price list shows 19.1% Road tax + 1% for car above 10L INR. 20.1% in total

I’m a bit confused now. Should I blindly trust the price shown on the Maruti price list or ask the dealer how they arrived at that value?
Did anyone else here get the same doubt or am I getting paranoid?
Wifey says I’ve gone crazy after booking my XL6

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by B-Taurus

I’m a bit confused now. Should I blindly trust the price shown on the Maruti price list or ask the dealer how they arrived at that value?
Did anyone else here get the same doubt or am I getting paranoid?

I too had this doubt, but clearly told RM and his TL(team leader) that I'll pay any amount for which I get Government receipts, and not a paisa over that.

Weirdly they reduced ~2k at the last moment from the initial quoted registration charges. I got government receipts of Rs. 44,445 for my XL6 and paid for the same.

The RM knew me well and is an honest chap, so he didn't object at all. But I have seen some SAs citing illegal bribes for quick registration, it's all hogwash and no longer applicable.

Just ask for proper receipts and pay for the same. They wouldn't give anything wrong in writing.

Wifey says I’ve gone crazy after booking my XL6

Welcome to the club.


Regards,
Shashi

[procrj]

Originally Posted by B-Taurus

Bangalore the road tax is 17% of Ex-Showroom price (for cars above 10L INR), some cess etc are added later, but my dealer price list shows 19.1% Road tax + 1% for car above 10L INR. 20.1% in total

Karnataka Road Tax + Cess works up to 18.87% and there is a TCS component that is calcuated at 1% of On-road price. TCS should be credited by your dealer to IT department and should reflect in your IT statement online. Not sure if your dealer is combining TCS + Road tax components to make it 19.1%. Please do share detailed break up provided by dealer.

[MCR]

Congrats procrj on the car. Your car ownership thread has prompted me to have a look at XL6.
Right now my shortlist contains two cars . One the S-Cross and two the XL6. I started off considering more expensive cars but later decided that I will not spend anything in excess of 15 Lakhs on road. In no mood to pay unwanted additional taxes to the government considering various factors at play currently.

However, a few queries I had were as below;

1. Is the power sufficient to cruise at highway speeds with 4 Adults, 2 kids and the luggage?
2. How are the highway dynamics of the car? Is the express way ride quality bouncy?
3. I plan to switch to 195 section rubber as well. Does it aid in better braking and overall ride quality?
4. Is the build quality good? Does the car feel too tinny?

I wish you many more kms of happy ownership experience.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by MCR

1. Is the power sufficient to cruise at highway speeds with 4 Adults, 2 kids and the luggage?

I am yet to drive the car with full load of 4+2 + Luggage but based on 4+lots of luggage, the car has sufficient power to reach highway cruising speeds of 100-120 kmph. You will have to downshift and rev the engine to get the car moving quick, which IMO is something that you would do with any NA petrol.

2. How are the highway dynamics of the car? Is the express way ride quality bouncy?

Suspension is well tuned for highway drives. Soaks up small bumps and doesn't bounce around much. Rumbler strips are easily dismissed and small-mid sized potholes are not a worry. On smooth flat roads its ride quality is very good and the there is not much to complain when it comes to comfort. Seats are quite comfortable even for 3-4 hours non stop runs and you don't feel fatigued.
You will need to find the right speed to drive on when it comes to bad roads as very slow is not the answer. At about 25-30 kmph, bad roads are not that much of an issue but the road noise seeping in does get irritating.

3. I plan to switch to 195 section rubber as well. Does it aid in better braking and overall ride quality?

Braking is adequate with the 195 section rubbers and I haven't had a situation where I had to panic brake as yet. I cant really compare them with stock tyres as I never did drive on stock tyres Ride quality on the 195 is good and the yokos are doing a good job. Do note that Odo is just 2.6K kms so not a lot of data to go on.

4. Is the build quality good? Does the car feel too tinny?

If you are looking for a Tata OR Mahindra like feel to the doors and panels, then you will need to look elsewhere. Panels are thin and feel light, glasses are thin, NVH levels inside the car are bad. Having said that, I don't feel unsafe in the car. The Ertiga received a 3 star rating and based on various inputs, my understanding is that the frame has been strengthened with more high tensile steel and additional cross member added etc. Hopefully they do test the XL6 and share its safety rating.

I wish you many more kms of happy ownership experience.

Thanks a lot

Between the XL6 and S-Cross, I think the tune of the XL6 is more fun to drive. Do take extensive test drives of both before deciding.

[B-Taurus]

Thanks for the info procrj Reg the road tax.
The split up provided to me:
Ex-Showroom price: 11,14,689/-
Road tax: 2,13,445/-
TCS: 11,147/-

That’s 19.1% plus 1%?(TCS).

You see a problem?

I’ve asked my RM to send me details of how the tax is calculated, guess he’s still trying to find a way how to convince me

—B

[Leoshashi]

If I may reply:

Originally Posted by MCR

1. Is the power sufficient to cruise at highway speeds with 4 Adults, 2 kids and the luggage?

I had this doubt too, but during a visit to my native place last year, we had the XL6 loaded to the brim, with 4 large adults(all well built and 6ft tall) and around 250-300kg load with rear seats folded down. Total passenger load was easily above 700kgs. The drive and engine pep remained unaffected. Not even 1% loss of power. If anything, the ride felt a lot settled and the tendency of rear to jump at speed breakers decreased a lot.

Of course you cannot compare the driving style of diesel to a NA Petrol, but if you downshift, there is more than enough pep available from the motor.

2. How are the highway dynamics of the car? Is the express way ride quality bouncy?

Not at all. Very well settled by MPV standards. Of course you cannot flick around corners like a sedan, but its more like a Ritz.

3. I plan to switch to 195 section rubber as well. Does it aid in better braking and overall ride quality?

Switch to 195/better rubber is a must. The stock Ecopias are crap compared to Michelins/Conti/Yokohama. I heard recently Conti has launched their much acclaimed UC6 in 195/65R15 size.

4. Is the build quality good? Does the car feel too tinny?

Not too tinny, feels much better than Swift/Dzire/Baleno. But yes being a Maruti the interiors are prone to rattles and you cannot escape it even in S Cross(although its less prone). Few people are facing even seat rattles. The recliner mechanism becomes loose after sometime. And of course the panels have no VW like heft to them.

That's the biggest downside if you talk about build. I mean our Crysta was abused by driver for the first 3 months, yet it feels solid from inside with not even a squeak to speak of. I bet if he drives any Maruti, it will take a lifetime to fix all the loose bits.

If you can stretch, get a Crysta Automatic. The extra money is well worth it. If you have a strict budget of 15 lacs, the XL6 is unbeatable if VFM/comfort is considered.

Regards,
Shashi

[MCR]

Originally Posted by procrj

Suspension is well tuned for highway drives. Soaks up small bumps and doesn't bounce around much.

Between the XL6 and S-Cross, I think the tune of the XL6 is more fun to drive. Do take extensive test drives of both before deciding.

Thanks a lot for the feedback. I did take a test drive from Nexa Surakshaa yesterday and we were 3 adults and 2 kids. The kids loved moving from second row seat to the third row a lot. Wifey has motion sickness and a few kilometers on NICE road did no good to her motion sickness. I was not driving fast and the speed was in the range of 80-100 Kmph.
I did like the driving experience but the car is off the list since we felt the ride quality was a bit wavy.

We looked at the S-Cross as well, but again the car and the interiors were a bit "beaten" and we decided to check it out in another Showroom.

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

That's the biggest downside if you talk about build. ...

Thanks for your post and info Shashi. Yes MSIL cars don't age well and thats primarily my worry too. The test drive car was having rattles everywhere.

[blorebuddy]

Originally Posted by MCR

However, a few queries I had were as below;

1. Is the power sufficient to cruise at highway speeds with 4 Adults, 2 kids and the luggage?

We have traveled with 5 adults and 2 kids with boot filled with luggage and A/C running all the time. No issues

2. How are the highway dynamics of the car? Is the express way ride quality bouncy?

I have couple of issues

• If the tarmac is not smooth (NH or State roads which are laid long time back) too much of road noise in the cabin. I hate this. It is not an issue in the smooth roads. This road noise is the most irritating for me.
• Last row is bouncy at high speeds. You should drive between 80-100 and slow down during bad patches or bumps. Also avoid driving it like sedan
• It does not inspire confidence to ride at high speed. It feels wavy.

4. Is the build quality good? Does the car feel too tinny?

It's better compared to the recent Swift, Baleno. Definitely it's a Maruti. However one good thing is that no rattles yet. Clocked 32K so far and 2.5 years. Thank god and hope it remains same.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by MCR

Wifey has motion sickness and a few kilometers on NICE road did no good

IMO, NICE has got to be one of the worst "high speed" roads and if that is your test track, then I am sure that you will find it very hard to zero in on a car under 30L that doesn't trigger motion sickeness. Driving on NICE in an innova OR duster is also not a great experience. I would recommend you test on few other roads before shortlisting your next ride.

[MCR]

Originally Posted by procrj

IMO, NICE has got to be one of the worst "high speed" roads and if that is your test track, then I am sure that you will find it very hard to zero in on a car under 30L that doesn't trigger motion sickeness. Driving on NICE in an innova OR duster is also not a great experience. I would recommend you test on few other roads before shortlisting your next ride.

Yes, you are right. The NICE infrastructure corridor is a bit wavy. But those are mostly the kind of highways I encounter on my long drives normally.
I was predominantly looking at comfort levels in the second row seat since we had 4th Gen Verna (Pre-facelift model) and it was also like a boat at high speeds and wifey would sometimes reject long drives just due to that.
This time we are very clear about this requirement.

OT : Test drove the Seltos 2 times in 2 days (Saturday and Sunday) on the same stretch and the ride quality was very acceptable.

[MadTiger]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Yes camera is absolutely plug and play, but it would be wrong to call it camera from Alpha variant. Alpha's camera module costs ~6k IIRC, while the MGA one costs ~4k.

There have been numerous cases of Blue screen and all of them are Zeta variants as per a comment there. Courtesy: XL6 group on FB

I had the exact problem, I took it to the dealership thinking the camera might have gone kaput. What actually turned out to be the problem was, (at least what I was told) the connector to the controller module which is located at the rear left side panel of the car was lose. I don't buy this statement though but it works!

Originally Posted by procrj

7.11 Speaker Upgrades & Door Damping

Noise insulation is very bad in the XL6 and it was very irritating to hear traffic noise seeping into the vehicle. Added to that, I was not too happy with the stock speakers and thus began the search for a decent upgrade + some door damping.

Tyre and road noise does continue to seep in and the plan is to damp the floor sometime in the future.

This is something I have been thinking for a long time, but was not sure which speaker to go for. Your post definitely gives me some lead on how to approach this upgrade. Procrj the job has been neatly done, thank you for this post.

Originally Posted by procrj

Update - Headlight Adjustment

After a few trips on the highways in the dark, realized that visibility isn't great and was planning on leveling headlights.

While the end result is good, I thing the high beams are a little high and slightly skewed to the right. Will continue to adjust till I find the sweet spot.

Even though I have got used to the lights, however I am precarious about this DIY. If I mess this up there is no way to go back to the factory default.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by MCR

OT : Test drove the Seltos 2 times in 2 days (Saturday and Sunday) on the same stretch and the ride quality was very acceptable.

Seltos does offer decent ride quality

Originally Posted by MadTiger

Your post definitely gives me some lead on how to approach this upgrade.

Looks like price of CTK/STP damping mats on amazon has dropped today when compared to the last week or so. Would suggest you keep track of prices over time before buying.

If I mess this up there is no way to go back to the factory default.

You can always adjust the lights as needed. When I drove out this weekend I realized that the high beams are skewed to the right. Will adjust the same sometime this week to ensure that the hotspot is inline with right headlight unit.