Maruti-Suzuki SX4 Zxi: Running Report

amit · 30th October 2007, 13:24

This is going to be more of initial observations then a proper report as the car is still being run in and is brand new.

I booked the SX4 on September 3 and got delivery on October 21 (Dashera day) from Vitesse Worli.

Reasons for buying the SX4

I was very clear that my next car should have ABS, EBD and both front and passenger airbags. There was going to be no compromises on these two features at all. This eliminated almost all the C segment cars. The NHC was too over priced for the features it was offering and it's engine was downgrade compared to my current car. The Fiesta was too small for the money Ford wanted and didn't offer me both ABS and Airbags. Though I feel that Verna looks the best among C segment cars, the Verna CRdi which IMO is a much better buy then the petrol was too costly and didn't come with ABS and Airbags from what I know. So, even though the SX4 isn't conventionally good looking and was'nt exactly 'my type' of car, I still decided to go for it for the fantastic price to features that it offered. Maruti had a very good scheme for vendors but did'nt include the Zxi in it. The Vxi did'nt make sense to me as the upgrade I would be doing was merely from a hatch to a sedan. To some extent, the Palio was making it difficult for me to pick a new car as none of the C segmenter's had a engine bigger then 1.6 L. I was also waiting for the Linea and GP but the wait ahead was too long and I wasn't totally convinced about putting close to Rs.8 lacs on a Fiat because of the not upto the mark service setup. Two test drives later, I decided to buy my car from Vitesse Worli.

My Observations

The car is still being run in and I am trying to keep it under 2000 rpm with a few bursts of upto 2500rpm. BUT, I do realise that the SX4 is not as 'frantic' a car as the Palio. It's not a car that eggs you to drive like the Palio, it's made more for relaxed driving styles. That is just my initial impression. In this section, I am going to list out my likes and dislikes about the car because like I said, it's too early to form an opinion.

Likes

1. Seats: I find the seats quite comfortable. I love side bolstering and the SX4 has a little bit of it. Also, the seats are softer then on the Palio and getting the ideal driving position is very easy unlike the Palio where it could take upto a few weeks to find that perfect position!

2. Features: The reason why I and close to 3,000 other buyers buy the SX4 every month. For the price, the SX4 is the VFM champion. No doubts about that. ABS, EBD and Airbags are a boon. Though I hope I never get to actually test them, it's reassuring knowing that state of the art safety features are avaliable should the need arise. Climate control is another great feature at the price point.

2. Steering mounted audio Controls: I have taken to this like a fish takes to water. Need I say more?

3. The seating position and the dash layout gives a MPV kinda feel from the inside. Maybe Maruti should think about replacing the Versa with a SX4 based small MPV

.

4. I like the lighting of the instrument cluster and switches. Very neat!

I am not going to comment on engine, performance, ride etc yet, as it's simply too early and it wouldn't be doing justice to a new car and to prospective buyers going through this report. Of course, I will be updating this thread every few months as I get to spend more time with the car.

Dislikes

1. Interior plastics quality could be better. The design is very good but it's the quality thats a little off.

2. The steering mounted audio controls are not back lit.

3. Power Window switches are not back lit!

Come on Maruti, even my Palio which costs over Rs.3 lacs less has them. Funny thing is that even the cigratte lighter is back lit but not the power window switches. Now even if the owner is a smoker, between p/w switches and the cigaratte lighter, which one will be used more? What is Maruti thinking?

4. There is no dead pedal and drivers arm rest.

5. In the night, the fog light switch is back lit but it reflects bang in the middle of the drivers rear view mirror and is right in the middle of the line of vision. It's extremely distracting and irritating.

6. The JK tyres are the worst I have seen. They are just too noisy and it's impossible driving the car with the music switched off because of the noise from the tyres.

7. I would have preferred to have a MFD in the car too. At least a basic one showing real time fuel efficiency, DTE etc. I believe the North American spec SX4 has it.

Now comes the worst part. I could need help here!

PROBLEMS

My car has three glaring defects. I wonder how the car left the factory and passed it's PDI without these problems getting detected. All the below three problems have been communicated to Vitesse and they told me that I could bring the car over for rectification of the issues immediately or it could be done at the first service too.

1. There is a slight vibration in the third gear. I believe this was discussed somewhere else and another owner too had this issue.

2. The steering is off center! I have to actually hold it at a slight tilt when the car is going straight.

The next is the worst and I would really appreciate it if another SX4 owner in Mumbai drives my car to help out.

3. There is absolutely no wheel alignment on this car. The moment I leave the steering, the car just darts to the right. Because of this, I feel I have to hold the steering tight and this is actually pretty discomforting.

Since I have no expereince with EPS, I am not sure if it's a zero wheel alignment or the way the EPS is set up but there are times when the goes through a rough patch or ridge on the road and the steering twitches slightly to the left or right. This doesn't happen always and that makes it even more difficult to detect. Anyone with similar expereinces to the above?

The very first mileage I have got is about 10.75 kmpl.

I am going to leave this report here for now. I would really appreciate it if fellow SX4 owners and experts help out with the problems above. Unbelievable that such obvious problems escaped the quality checks at Maruti and the PDI at the dealer end.

gemithomas · 30th October 2007, 15:11

nice review. I had been actually looking for such a thing. I mean a FIAT owner coming with a Maruti Ownership Review.

How is the ride comfort. Is it bumpy on rough roads at slow speeds.

omishra · 30th October 2007, 15:30

Amit,
Nice review!

Regarding your problems -
1. Yes 3rd gear, handle vibrations issue was there in my SX4 too. But fixed at 1st service. Also while gear shift, use full clutch press initially till first service. That may help reducing vibrations. I obersed this in my car. But fixed later on.

2. and 3 may be related to steering itself. Don't buy any argument on this from your dealer. My SX4 keeps running straight even I lift my hands off the steering.

VBV · 30th October 2007, 15:45

Looks like you're not the only one with this problem. A friend of mine, who had his tyre changed to GIII had the same steering and wheel alignment issues. He got it set right. And after that it has been good.

As has been mentioned so many times, the third gear vibration is probably going to disappear after the first service.

A couple of things I want to ask you are around power - Do you feel this car has got good power for its segment? I feel its got less steam during lower rpms. For a palio driver, it must be a more sore problem :-)

The other thing you have not mentioned is the visibility factor. Due to the A pillars, there are two blind spots inspite of the small window. Any comments about that?

VBV
PS: A copy of my 1000 km review posted at TBHP is at:
Rumblings out of a gaseous thoughts: Long term ownership report - SX4

Technocrat · 30th October 2007, 15:55

Nice review Amit.. I am hoping that all the three problems you are facing are minor ones & the ones that will get fixed at first service.

P.s. I think this is a unique review where the number of Dislikes is more than likes

DCEite · 30th October 2007, 15:57

Nice review.
But.
Where are the pics mate??

amit · 30th October 2007, 16:14

There is one more dislike that I forgot to mention in the car

.

There are no coin holders. My Palio has them and they really are a big boon.

On a slope, the car with it's handbrake pulled up doesn't stand if the gear is not engaged. The parking outside my office is on a slope and with the parking brake pulled up fully, the car still flows down. Never happens to any of the other cars parked and even to my Palio.

Quote:

Where are the pics mate??

Pics are coming up soon.

Technocrat · 30th October 2007, 16:55

What I feel is that You need to get the car fuilly inspected & get the niggling issues fixed even my Alto doesnt move with Hand brakes on.

extreme_torque · 30th October 2007, 18:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemithomas

nice review. I had been actually looking for such a thing. I mean a FIAT owner coming with a Maruti Ownership Review.

Its a FIAT only

Nice Review Amit. Took a small test drive of SX4 and i loved it but like most EPS systems, it lacks feedback which is very unlike Palio. Enjoy buddy!

Eddy · 30th October 2007, 21:23

Amit, did you double check the tyre air pressure ?

iTNerd · 30th October 2007, 21:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by amit

There is one more dislike that I forgot to mention in the car

.

There are no coin holders. My Palio has them and they really are a big boon.

On a slope, the car with it's handbrake pulled up doesn't stand if the gear is not engaged. The parking outside my office is on a slope and with the parking brake pulled up fully, the car still flows down. Never happens to any of the other cars parked and even to my Palio.

Pics are coming up soon.

Nice review..very concise and accurate.. I actually use the deep rectangular finger holder on the door (the one to close the door) to put coins and parking tickets... comes handy

About the handbrake not holding up in netrual gear, that's something I didn't experience on my SX4 or for that matter, to any of the cars I had driven till date...In fact, I didn't require to pull the handbrake lever all the way to the top... halfway (tick..tick) and it holds.. Make the dealer perform a thorough check.. I just hope you didn't get a lemon while delivery.

vivek_pinkoo · 31st October 2007, 13:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by amit

There is one more dislike that I forgot to mention in the car

.

There are no coin holders. My Palio has them and they really are a big boon.

On a slope, the car with it's handbrake pulled up doesn't stand if the gear is not engaged. The parking outside my office is on a slope and with the parking brake pulled up fully, the car still flows down. Never happens to any of the other cars parked and even to my Palio.

Pics are coming up soon.

Better you get it serviced and then come up with feedback. Your review - like - how this car is selling in big number with waiting period when there are lots of problems.

thefreak · 31st October 2007, 13:21

Nice review Amit.

The parking brakes issue is not there in the car of a friend that I have driven here. It holds real easy on slopes. Should be an easily fixable problem.

amit · 31st October 2007, 13:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivek_pinkoo

Better you get it serviced and then come up with feedback. Your review - like - how this car is selling in big number with waiting period when there are lots of problems.

Why should I get it serviced and then give a feedback? A brand new car should be free of defects, I can understand a FEW issues but these are glaring defects.

I don't want to start any unhealthy debate or word war here but for all the "Fiat's have niggling issues and iffy quality", my Palio was flawless when it was brand new. Sure it had a leaky headlight but the mechanicals were flawless.

Except for the no wheel alignment and vibrating third gear, I wouldn't call these lot of problems. This seems more like a friday evening or monday morning production car

.

zoom2_ash · 31st October 2007, 13:26

Amit, excellent review...

really sad to hear about these issues in your brand new car. These should not be there in the first place but I think and hope, all these will get resolved after 1st service. Do write your experience after 1st service...
Also, we are waitng for the pics...

30th October 2007, 13:24	#1
amit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,716 Thanked: 451 Times	Maruti-Suzuki SX4 Zxi: Running Report This is going to be more of initial observations then a proper report as the car is still being run in and is brand new. I booked the SX4 on September 3 and got delivery on October 21 (Dashera day) from Vitesse Worli. Reasons for buying the SX4 I was very clear that my next car should have ABS, EBD and both front and passenger airbags. There was going to be no compromises on these two features at all. This eliminated almost all the C segment cars. The NHC was too over priced for the features it was offering and it's engine was downgrade compared to my current car. The Fiesta was too small for the money Ford wanted and didn't offer me both ABS and Airbags. Though I feel that Verna looks the best among C segment cars, the Verna CRdi which IMO is a much better buy then the petrol was too costly and didn't come with ABS and Airbags from what I know. So, even though the SX4 isn't conventionally good looking and was'nt exactly 'my type' of car, I still decided to go for it for the fantastic price to features that it offered. Maruti had a very good scheme for vendors but did'nt include the Zxi in it. The Vxi did'nt make sense to me as the upgrade I would be doing was merely from a hatch to a sedan. To some extent, the Palio was making it difficult for me to pick a new car as none of the C segmenter's had a engine bigger then 1.6 L. I was also waiting for the Linea and GP but the wait ahead was too long and I wasn't totally convinced about putting close to Rs.8 lacs on a Fiat because of the not upto the mark service setup. Two test drives later, I decided to buy my car from Vitesse Worli. My Observations The car is still being run in and I am trying to keep it under 2000 rpm with a few bursts of upto 2500rpm. BUT, I do realise that the SX4 is not as 'frantic' a car as the Palio. It's not a car that eggs you to drive like the Palio, it's made more for relaxed driving styles. That is just my initial impression. In this section, I am going to list out my likes and dislikes about the car because like I said, it's too early to form an opinion. Likes 1. Seats: I find the seats quite comfortable. I love side bolstering and the SX4 has a little bit of it. Also, the seats are softer then on the Palio and getting the ideal driving position is very easy unlike the Palio where it could take upto a few weeks to find that perfect position! 2. Features: The reason why I and close to 3,000 other buyers buy the SX4 every month. For the price, the SX4 is the VFM champion. No doubts about that. ABS, EBD and Airbags are a boon. Though I hope I never get to actually test them, it's reassuring knowing that state of the art safety features are avaliable should the need arise. Climate control is another great feature at the price point. 2. Steering mounted audio Controls: I have taken to this like a fish takes to water. Need I say more? 3. The seating position and the dash layout gives a MPV kinda feel from the inside. Maybe Maruti should think about replacing the Versa with a SX4 based small MPV . 4. I like the lighting of the instrument cluster and switches. Very neat! I am not going to comment on engine, performance, ride etc yet, as it's simply too early and it wouldn't be doing justice to a new car and to prospective buyers going through this report. Of course, I will be updating this thread every few months as I get to spend more time with the car. Dislikes 1. Interior plastics quality could be better. The design is very good but it's the quality thats a little off. 2. The steering mounted audio controls are not back lit. 3. Power Window switches are not back lit! Come on Maruti, even my Palio which costs over Rs.3 lacs less has them. Funny thing is that even the cigratte lighter is back lit but not the power window switches. Now even if the owner is a smoker, between p/w switches and the cigaratte lighter, which one will be used more? What is Maruti thinking? 4. There is no dead pedal and drivers arm rest. 5. In the night, the fog light switch is back lit but it reflects bang in the middle of the drivers rear view mirror and is right in the middle of the line of vision. It's extremely distracting and irritating. 6. The JK tyres are the worst I have seen. They are just too noisy and it's impossible driving the car with the music switched off because of the noise from the tyres. 7. I would have preferred to have a MFD in the car too. At least a basic one showing real time fuel efficiency, DTE etc. I believe the North American spec SX4 has it. Now comes the worst part. I could need help here! PROBLEMS My car has three glaring defects. I wonder how the car left the factory and passed it's PDI without these problems getting detected. All the below three problems have been communicated to Vitesse and they told me that I could bring the car over for rectification of the issues immediately or it could be done at the first service too. 1. There is a slight vibration in the third gear. I believe this was discussed somewhere else and another owner too had this issue. 2. The steering is off center! I have to actually hold it at a slight tilt when the car is going straight. The next is the worst and I would really appreciate it if another SX4 owner in Mumbai drives my car to help out. 3. There is absolutely no wheel alignment on this car. The moment I leave the steering, the car just darts to the right. Because of this, I feel I have to hold the steering tight and this is actually pretty discomforting. Since I have no expereince with EPS, I am not sure if it's a zero wheel alignment or the way the EPS is set up but there are times when the goes through a rough patch or ridge on the road and the steering twitches slightly to the left or right. This doesn't happen always and that makes it even more difficult to detect. Anyone with similar expereinces to the above? The very first mileage I have got is about 10.75 kmpl. I am going to leave this report here for now. I would really appreciate it if fellow SX4 owners and experts help out with the problems above. Unbelievable that such obvious problems escaped the quality checks at Maruti and the PDI at the dealer end. Last edited by amit : 30th October 2007 at 13:29.
	() Thanks

30th October 2007, 15:11	#2
gemithomas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 2,366 Thanked: 143 Times View My Garage	nice review. I had been actually looking for such a thing. I mean a FIAT owner coming with a Maruti Ownership Review. How is the ride comfort. Is it bumpy on rough roads at slow speeds.
	() Thanks

30th October 2007, 15:30	#3
omishra BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 279 Thanked: 45 Times	Amit, Nice review! Regarding your problems - 1. Yes 3rd gear, handle vibrations issue was there in my SX4 too. But fixed at 1st service. Also while gear shift, use full clutch press initially till first service. That may help reducing vibrations. I obersed this in my car. But fixed later on. 2. and 3 may be related to steering itself. Don't buy any argument on this from your dealer. My SX4 keeps running straight even I lift my hands off the steering.
	() Thanks

30th October 2007, 15:45	#4
VBV BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 227 Thanked: 6 Times	Looks like you're not the only one with this problem. A friend of mine, who had his tyre changed to GIII had the same steering and wheel alignment issues. He got it set right. And after that it has been good. As has been mentioned so many times, the third gear vibration is probably going to disappear after the first service. A couple of things I want to ask you are around power - Do you feel this car has got good power for its segment? I feel its got less steam during lower rpms. For a palio driver, it must be a more sore problem :-) The other thing you have not mentioned is the visibility factor. Due to the A pillars, there are two blind spots inspite of the small window. Any comments about that? VBV PS: A copy of my 1000 km review posted at TBHP is at: Rumblings out of a gaseous thoughts: Long term ownership report - SX4
	() Thanks

30th October 2007, 15:55	#5
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,770 Thanked: 2,705 Times	Nice review Amit.. I am hoping that all the three problems you are facing are minor ones & the ones that will get fixed at first service. P.s. I think this is a unique review where the number of Dislikes is more than likes
	() Thanks

30th October 2007, 15:57	#6
DCEite Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NCR Posts: 3,588 Thanked: 3,479 Times	Nice review. But. Where are the pics mate?? Last edited by DCEite : 30th October 2007 at 16:07.
	() Thanks

30th October 2007, 16:55	#8
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,770 Thanked: 2,705 Times	What I feel is that You need to get the car fuilly inspected & get the niggling issues fixed even my Alto doesnt move with Hand brakes on.
	() Thanks

30th October 2007, 21:23	#10
Eddy Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Singapore Posts: 9,558 Thanked: 14,518 Times	Amit, did you double check the tyre air pressure ?
	() Thanks

31st October 2007, 13:21	#13
thefreak BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 361 Thanked: 7 Times	Nice review Amit. The parking brakes issue is not there in the car of a friend that I have driven here. It holds real easy on slopes. Should be an easily fixable problem.
	() Thanks

31st October 2007, 13:26	#15
zoom2_ash BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 74 Thanked: 5 Times	Amit, excellent review... really sad to hear about these issues in your brand new car. These should not be there in the first place but I think and hope, all these will get resolved after 1st service. Do write your experience after 1st service... Also, we are waitng for the pics...
	() Thanks