January 2, 0800 hrs - Day 1 with the S-Presso
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Just hopped out of the Jimny after clocking a solid 1000 kms in the past few days, and now into the S-Presso. Picked up the new ride from G's place, and kudos to him for keeping all his cars in pristine condition.
The S-Presso, with only 45 KM on the odometer, got its first dose of fuel right away. Turned out to be a timely move as the Jammu fuel pump warned us of an impending transport strike. Drove the car back to Patnitop with a small detour on some solitary mountain roads. On my way home, I spotted a massive queue at my local fuel pump, but my fuel meter still showed full, so I breezed by.
Day 1 Total kilometers: ~145. 100 on a 4-lane National Highway. 45 on double mountain roads. Initial Impressions:- The seat is set up high, catching me by surprise. At 5'8", sitting straight, the top of the windscreen hits just right. But, anyone over 6 feet should check this before sealing the deal.
- The gear lever felt a tad to the back, a little odd after clocking 1000 kms in the Jimny over two days.
- Classic Maruti - every control falls right at hand. Ergonomics? Sorted. Visibility? A solid 5/5.
- Electrically adjustable wing mirrors are a game-changer. If you've ever wrestled with mechanical stalks for micro-adjustments, you'll appreciate the electric upgrade. Another win for the VXI+ version.
- Skipped the stereo on day one. I never dive into music until I get a feel for the engine noise and the vehicle.
- Everything's on the smaller side. The phone holder, bottle holders, steering wheel, and the car width. Compact, to say the least.
- The boot feels surprisingly large for this size of a car. Easily stashed all my Amazon loot, and the parcel tray keeps it all incognito—brilliant!
- With the windows up, the interior is surprisingly quiet for a budget car.
- Minimal vibrations from the 3-cylinder engine, contrary to what the youtubers say. You'll get used to them in about 200 kms.
- In-gear acceleration? Top-notch. Eager pup, loves a bit of revs. Perfect for city jaunts (and hopefully for the hills).
Grinning ear to ear, home sweet home, and a mileage of 19 kmpl on the journey (according to the display). Spent the evening with the S-Presso manual, which is surprisingly well written. Big book on the touchscreen? Ignoring that for now.
Rant Alert - The fuel gauge hadn't budged a single bar. I just don't get it! How hard is it to build an accurate digital fuel gauge? None of the cars and motorcycles I've driven have a linear gauge. It either resets after turning off and on the vehicle or refuses to drop and then rapidly drops. A linear gauge seems to elude all Indian manufacturers.
January 3, 1000 hrs - Day 2 with the S-Presso. 206 km.
Wanted to explore the car in and around my terrain, so decided on a drive to a town just over 100 km away (3 hours one way). Max elevation 2700m. The road is a double mountain road with one lane each for to and fro. Low traffic due to the transport strike—called off, but people were still trickling onto the roads. Some roadworks and tunnel construction on the way, testing the S-Presso's ground clearance.
Engine & Gearbox
This engine despises being lugged and thrives when revved. Keep it around 2000 RPM, and it rewards you with excellent tractability across the gear range. Lug it, and you'll be greeted with a 3-cylinder clatter and the engine's subtle protests. But with such fantastic tractability and mileage, there's no reason to lug it anyway.
3rd gear magic
The 3rd gear picks up cleanly from as low as 25kph and cruises all the way to 70kph effortlessly. This makes it the most-used cog in double road hill driving. You can be lazy and drive it in this gear all day over hill roads.
Music & Touchscreen
Fired up the touchscreen on my way back. Speaker setup? Excellent. Even with just two speakers, the vocals are clear, and sound separation is good. Not an audiophile's dream, but it's a step up from other Maruti offerings like the Swift, Ignis, etc. The touchscreen supports Android Auto, making life seamless. Bluetooth mic pickup is good, and callers said they heard me loud and clear, albeit a little boomy. The mic on the roof, close to the windscreen (as mentioned before), explains the clean audio pickup.
Suspension
The S-Presso's suspension is on the firm side, demanding more force than your average bounce. I noticed this right after the Jimny. The stiffer suspension is likely a tactic to keep body roll in check. Now, if you're cruising along sedately like I do, body roll isn't a biggie. But attempt an
elk maneuver, and you'll get why those springs are flexing some muscle. On the flip side, these robust springs, combined with the S-Presso's already decent ground clearance, make it a champ on village roads and
PMGSY roads. The suspension is a sweet match for gravel and those easy-rolling bumps. However, if you hit a bump with a sudden edge, it can throw the car off a bit. Yet, that's a universal truth for almost any Maruti, including the Jimny. So, sharp potholes are best approached with a gentle touch. Steady as she goes!
Lights
Tonight, the lights faced the scrutiny.
First, the positives.
- The lights shine in a warm, comforting yellow beam. Yellow light reigns supreme in the mountains, especially with snow and mist in the mix.
- The manual beam adjuster is a gem. It provides almost infinite adjustment options, unlike a digital adjustment button that restricts you to a smaller range between min and max.
- The spread and throw are commendable for stock headlights.
Now, the downside: The light intensity is just mediocre, nothing to brag about.
Sure, it gets the job done in rural areas with no streetlights and low traffic density roads, like we have here. But this setup won't cut it in the city with its abundance of streetlights. Nor will it suffice on our National Highways. An upgrade is definitely in the cards before the S-Presso heads off to the plains. Time to shed more light on the situation!
Mileage
The burning question for a cheap car: What about the mileage? Living in the mountains at 1900m, with all roads around being mountainous, from metaled to full-on 4WD trails. My garage includes MG410W, Jimny, and now S-Presso.
On this journey, the MID shows me 21.8 KMPL. Note: I'm a chilled-out, sedate driver with lots of hill/mountain driving experience.
On my way back, the fuel gauge hit half with about 350KM on the odometer. Extrapolating, that means I can get 700 Kms on a full tank. Roughly 700/30 = 23.33 KM/L in the hills over metaled roads. Even so, this is 100% more than my MG410W.
Halving my travel/fuel cost! The MG410W usually returns just under 12kmpl on the same road.