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My 2022 Maruti XL6 review: Purchase, likes, dislikes & upgrades

2nd June 2023, 09:32 by Rahul Nagaraj

Switching from a compact i10 to a longer-than-4-metre car did entail a learning curve.

BHPian Vicks79 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The 2022 Facelift XL6 is a "Jack of All / Master of None" in most departments, yet we still decided to go for it. One area where it holds a trump card is space & you get loads of it. Space and a smooth engine inside a car are non-negotiables for me and my wife.

With approximately 6000 km on the Odometer, it was finally time to do an initial ownership report.

Likes:

Elegant presence & design from most angles. The splendid silver colour is easy to maintain and pleasant to the eye.
Efficient petrol engine with convenient & reliable torque converter 6-speed AT. Paddle Shifters are there for some control.
Well-tuned suspension suited to Indian road conditions.
Spacious captain seat layout means four people can travel like Kings & Queens.
Humongous boot space with 3rd row 50:50 split full flat foldable seats.
Cruise Control is a highway bliss.
Single USB A type & 3 well-located 12 Volt sockets. Phone connectivity was wired at the time of delivery (Nov 22), currently upgraded to wireless Android Auto in the second service.
DRLs, Headlamps in low/high beams offer good dawn/night visibility. Works well for city and highway conditions.
Tilt & telescopic steering in combination with driver seat height adjustment allow for accurate driving position to be set, the 360-degree camera works well in low light/night conditions, and UV and IR cut glasses help control the heating of the cabin.

Dislikes:

Engine mainly designed with sedate cruising in mind. I wouldn’t want to attempt any major overtake manoeuvres with this engine and transmission. Out on the Mumbai Pune Expressway, you feel a little outgunned, the grunt seems lacking. Thankfully neither of us attended "Top Gun" flight school.
Engine bay is open to the ground from the bottom, this always feels very scary.
Interior quality is just OK. MID almost feels Retro, with no sense of premium anywhere, one miss is a cooled glovebox, the cooled cup holders aren’t of much use in a practical sense.
3rd-row is only kid-friendly, 2nd-row doesn't tumble forward, making ingress/egress for 3rd row tricky. Also, 2nd-row seats don’t fold fully flat like the 3rd row, this would have increased the boot capacity/modularity by miles. I still manage to carry my full-size Hybrid cycle in the back along with lots of other luggage.
Steering response sometimes feels vague, it also needs a firm touch and both hands at the wheel to get a response.
Brakes do feel spongy in certain situations. Monsoons will be testing times.
AC blowers especially in Auto AC mode tend to get a bit noisy.
Driver side A-Pillar does create a blind spot specifically at certain angles in a car where otherwise visibility is good overall.
Ride quality though great over a variety of road terrain, over certain speed breakers the rear wheels tend to jump high if you don’t slow down enough. Overall GC is good and fingers crossed haven't scrapped the underbody yet.
In start-stop city traffic, D mode, the engine seems to drop revs as soon as one leaves the A pedal, there is disengaging and re-engaging of the drive off & on the throttle, this is perceptible. The car seems to accelerate even though your foot is off the A pedal, feels scary but you get used to it…

Introduction:

For as long as I can remember I was a cycle guy...

The pandemic gave me a very unexpected opportunity to connect with cars. During the 2021 Covid second lockdown, my older brother’s 13-year-old Hyundai i10 Auto suddenly landed on our doorsteps. My brother had purchased a 2021 Kia Seltos CVT and had no place to park the second car. Having never driven a car till my early Forties I was quite reluctant to learn to drive. Also having a left knee injury, I had always stayed away from manual transmission cars, the Hyundai i10 being a 4-speed automatic, made my driving initiation much easier. It seemed to be the perfect car for crowded Mumbai city conditions, parking could be done in small corners.

Both me and my wife drove the Hyundai i10 for a full year, but age had begun to catch up with the car and we knew we would have to contemplate a change. Family decisions made us shift from the Western Suburbs of Mumbai to Navi Mumbai in October 2022.

Finally, it was decided to upgrade to a new car and the search started in earnest.

Selection Criteria:

Hatchbacks & Sedans were not considered due to various reasons.

A modular MUV format would be our preferred choice.

Most importantly, it had to be a comfortable and spacious car. My wife and I equally split driving duties and are quite sedate in our styles. Modular adjustments to the driving position would be really appreciated.

A torque Converter Auto gearbox would be preferred, we were also open to CVT transmissions. Auto transmission was a key requirement as my left knee injury doesn’t encourage me to use a manual transmission.

Although the car would be used and driven by me and my wife, we regularly take our parents and our nephew out in the middle row. So overall seat comfort in all positions was a must. We both prefer captain seats rather than the bench format.

The car would be used mainly for regular Navi Mumbai to Western Suburbs trips (mostly highway use) with mixed traffic patterns so fuel economy was an important requirement. We also have plans for longer highway-based road trips.

With such objectives, we set an initial budget range of 10 lacs to 15 Lacs OTR. We started the process of talking to dealers and the initial TDs were lined up in the following order.

Renault: If the Triber would be available in a CVT or TC AT, this would have been our first choice as it would have been budget-friendly. The Triber AMT never felt smooth. But loved the modularity in design and suspension on the Triber. Kiger CVT was TDed and was a serious contender but felt too cramped for space.
Kia: Carens (Prestige Plus DCT). This was a strong contender but for the deterrence of a long wait time and budget constraints. Also, the general lack of interest shown by Kia staff made me uncomfortable. It was a close call eventually between the Carens and the XL6.
Maruti: Actually it was the Brezza which was TDs first. The 2022 XL6 I had only been reading about ended up as a wildcard, but a detailed 2nd TD in Navi Mumbai left a lasting impression, especially the amount of space and sense of volume on offer. The 6-speed TC AT also complements our driving style.
MG: Astor was given due consideration but there were too many unknowns.
Nissan: Magnite was also TDed and there was tough competition between the Magnite and the Kiger CVT, overall felt cramped, especially in the footwell area.
Volkswagen: Taigun. This was another strong contender, the engine felt great, the engineering felt solid, but the interior felt like they were in the 1980s and prices were of 2022.

Booking/Dealership/Delivery Experience:

Diwali 2022, was almost over as we started contemplating the financials of a 15+L purchase & finally settled on the XL6 Petrol Automatic Alpha Variant (Splendid Silver).

The initial booking amount was paid to NEXA Nerul (Automotive Manufactures Pvt Ltd) on 22nd Oct 2022 and we were told to expect a delivery approximately 4 weeks later.

After a few follow-up calls/reminders finally, we were updated by the Nexa Nerul TL Rupesh Dighe, that our car would be ready for in-hand delivery on the 17th of November subject to the completion of all payment and RTO formalities.

The final On Road Price was INR 16,65,508./- (Insurance (1+3), RTO Tax Registration, Nexa Extended Warranty, Accessories listed below, Fast Tag included on Nov 22).

Overall experience with Nexa Nerul has generally been very positive.

Accessories fitted at the time of delivery were as follows:

All Weather 3D Mats
3D Dicky Mat
Door Visor
Illuminated NEXA Door Sill Guard
Rear Trunk Spoiler (Splendid Silver)
Door Edge Guard Metallic
Bumper Corner Protectors (Carbon Finish)
Antirust Coating

"GROGU - This is the Way...":

Being fans of the "STAR WARS" universe, we have fondly named our XL6 "GROGU" after the cutest character from the Disney + series "The Mandalorian".

The initial few days we were spent getting to grips with GROGU. Ahhh… that fresh smell of a new car. Switching from a compact i10 to a longer-than-4-meter car did entail a learning curve. Now we were truly enjoying this foundling.

Initially, short rides in and around Navi Mumbai gave us the confidence to take GROGU on its first Mumbai Pune Expressway trip at the end of November on the occasion of a family trip to Karla. This was the first longish drive with four occupants, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

The most important compliment a car could get is when its middle-row occupants come back for more. Time and again my parents and my nephew who suffers from motion sickness choose to ride in GROGU's middle row captain seats instead of the back bench of my brother Kia Seltos CVT.

Mid-December was the scheduled date for the first free service, which was done in my absence, the total distance covered 800 km. Due to work, I was outstation during the first service and this one was handled by my wife.

One particular issue which occurred during the First Service and which has since never been resolved is that the Dealership transferred my mobile numbers registered on the Suzuki Connect App to that of my wife's mobile number.

For some reason, no one has been able to reset this to my number and sadly we are unable to use the Suzuki Connect App.

Work assignments kept me outstation and away from GROGU till mid-February 2023. In my absence, GROGU was driven sparingly, and the odometer didn’t see much change. Since Feb 23, we have clocked around 6000 Kms, mostly a mix of many Navi Mumbai – Western Suburbs trips, a few longer drives to Konkan and Pune region.

Car Accessories added since Feb 23:

Black & Decker Tyre Inflator and I meticulously check the tyre pressure on a weekly basis when the tyres are cold. (The Alpha variant does not get TPMS).

ShineXPro Microfiber Car Cleaning Cloth and Wash Mitt Kit.

Shine ShineXPro Foam Sprayer with Shampoo.

Wavex Car Cleaning Kit with Carnauba Wax, Dashboard Polish, Scratch Remover compound, Premium Microfiber Cloth and Ultra Fine Foam Applicators.

A stool which folds fully flat, allows us to raise height so as to access the roof/rails section and front windscreen glass for cleaning purposes.

As you can imagine from these, we both have an OCD for car care & hygiene. Saturday / Sunday or any free time is usually spent washing, shampooing, waxing and polishing the car, especially after a long drive. Thankfully we have a covered but well-ventilated car parking area where we can do this at leisure.

Mid-April 23, just short of 5,000 km on the odometer, I got the second free service. At times I felt a slight sluggishness in GROGU, the exact nature of this is difficult to explain but mentioned this to my SA.

Paid Rs 1650 for a wheel balance & wheel alignment process as recommended by the SA.

The software on the Infotainment system was updated and we can now use Wireless Android Auto.

I had asked the NEXA Nerul team during the second service to help fix an engine guard or net cover for the open engine bay area, but in their opinion, this is not necessary.

Also tried resetting the Suzuki Connect App to my mobile number, but despite many efforts, we still haven't successfully managed to do this.

After the second service, GROGU is sprightly again.

Two other immediate purchases on the horizon:

External or Internal TPMS: My mind tells me to go for an external one which I can self-install and use in combination with a Two-Way Valve for External TPMS.

Air filling and tyre pressure checks are done at home itself.

Please share your valuable thoughts /experiences on this and the products recommended.

Dual Channel Dashcam: Mostly narrowing down on the 70mai A500S Pro Plus+ Dual Channel DashCam or the Viofo A129 DUO DUAL CHANNEL 5GHZ WI-FI GPS FULL HD, again counting on your opinions on these.

We still haven’t got any plans for a ceramic treatment or plans for any PPF procedure.

The bond between us and GROGU is getting dearer, the drives are longer, hoping to do a Navi Mumbai Hampi Vijayapura (Bijapur) drive with the onset of the monsoon.

Till then "May The Force Be With You" all at Team-BHP.

Now that you have sat through my teaser & trailer. Stay tuned for an upcoming feature presentation where I deep dive into GROGU experiences...

Leaving you all with some pictures.