Long term ownership report - SX4
For a long time, I'd been searching for a car to buy. All the cars I looked at had something against them that was a strict no-no for me. one car might have had an old engine, another would have troublesome ***, another would have huge depreciation. So during this time, I had to balance my head v/s heart confusions and decided to take a definite stance on it. My stance was/is "I will not buy a car that my heart says no to, I will buy a car that makes the most economical/logical sense". Now that made me cut down on all cars, my heart said "no" to - Ikon, Verna, NHC, aveo. The cars that were left for my consideration - Innova, swift, fiesta, optra etc., made it to my next criteria, which was if I can afford it. Affordability is a big thing for me. I am a first generation car buyer and I have earned all my money myself. I cannot afford my car value depreciating at 40% pa. But at the same time I need an exhilarating experience. So both these factors made it difficult.
Being from the IT industry, I am so used to buying a computer with the latest CPU that has the best threading technology. Probably the monitor colour and the cabinet size never matter me. (I know for some it did). You can call it a hangover or whatever, I was still looking at a good engine, good transmission and easy ride. I also wanted newer technology and some gizmos thrown in.
The swift came in and went past by me as soon as they announced the reworked esteem engine. I mean, why should I buy a car, if I am treated to an over aged option. The fusion and palio were good options, but I really can't afford the depreciation that these two cars provide. The supposed maintenance cost of these cars meant that I kept myself out of them. The swift diesel arrived and I thought it was made for me. Unfortunately, neither did it have a ZDi model nor could I afford its waiting time. Since I live with my parents, I also considered the Innova, but the dual AC model was a bit too expensive for me. It was great, sad looking but a bit too expensive for me. I also considered a Skoda 2nd hand, but dropped off as soon as I heard the service problems a friend of mine has faced. OHC VTEC could have been an option, but it was too old a car.
Somewhere during this timeline, Maruti announced the launch of SX4. And I started tracking its website. Initially it had just a silly promo and a link to an idiotic website for hippies(some men are back club or something like that). Then the specs started to fly in. I don't know if it was frustration of waiting for the perfect car or the availability of a full featured car at a great price, I just wanted to buy it. I did my financials and found that I could afford it, but not the parking space for it :-) What the heck, eh? I just went ahead and called up the Mandovi guys and a friend of mine - Kiran (9854326944)asked me come over on the day of the launch in Bangalore and book it. the dealership has treated me well so I went ahead and booked the car on the day of the launch. Unfortunately I could not get the car in the first set. Kiran set the right expectations and kept upto it. I am fine with people who deal with me honestly even if they tell me the bad news. I had to wait for a month because of my car colour - red. And then on the D-day, me and wifey got it home. Everybody went for a drive with my 1 and half year old son not giving up his front seat and not allowing anybody else to sit in the drivers seat. (Even now, he's like that, recently we had been to a restaurant and the valet sat in the front seat and my son started howling :-) )
Since then till now, the car has been an eye turner. The car's not a great looker from behind, but at the right angles, it looks pretty. The interiors are okay, but I somehow cannot digest the beige colour. It is so bland and without character. I got my seat covers fitted to change that. I chose black art leather on the sides and black fabric in the middle. I do not like the body heat that is generated by leather and hence the fabric in the middle. I got it done through G Sports, whose factory is in JP Nagar Bangalore. It has come out pretty well. Pics are at: Picasa Web Albums - Vinay
My first reactions to the car include a gaping "Oh ****" to the right side A pillar. It seemed such a mess of a design. But now, it does not really seem like it, we slowly get used to it. (Some advice from TBHP members also helped). The GC was a pleasure. My car just runs over the humps. The high tyres also help :-) The ICE was a disappointment. The interiors were good. The car that I owned previous to the SX4 was Zen and had much worse interiors, so I really did not think the quality was that bad.
As time passed, my impressions changed. The right side A pillar was no longer a challenge(Its still a bother, though). The GC becomes a bigger please and so does the high seating position. The ICE is quite okay, after you play music at the right volumes, bass and treble. I got adjusted to it perhaps. Some stuff that bother me even now are the clutch position (could have been more ergonomic), absence of smaller compartments to keep coins, spectacles etc., The shape of the cabin from the side is a bother, people sitting in the rear seat sides feel the curve with their heads. The body hits the head of the person sitting in the side. The middle seat that way is quite okay for a family of average height. So much was made of the middle seat. To me, performance could have been slightly better. I probably feel like that since I was using a Zen. But its still much better than most of its other competitors. Also the lightness of the steering initially was a problem, I've got used to it now. I can feel the feedback much better now. The headlights were never seen as a problem in the initial few days, but they've turned out to be not so useful now. It was interesting to see the non-issues becoming problems and the major ones disappearing as soon as I got used to my car. So I keep advising people to try something for a period of time, before they decide its an issue.
I've had many pleasurable moments and a few heart aches as well. Scratches on my car were big heart aches. I've had a couple of them. One was while I was trying to sneak in to a small street where the residents had got a small concrete pillar erected to prevent large vehicles come in. I forgot my car was big and paid the price for it. the scratches were not big, but they were my first. The second set happened in a basement when I was trying to take a reverse. I thought I had a clear reverse but there was pillar waiting to provide me my angst for the next few days.
The car has been fantastic when I took a couple of senior citizens in my car to Shivanasamudra on quite bad roads and they did not even feel the strain of travel. It stands on its tyres quite well and the grip is fantastic even when it rains. I did not feel any hydroplaning during that trip, when I was driving at about 80-100 in Mysore road in spite of heavy rains. I've also taken the car to Jog falls and the pleasure was different then. I liked the way the car took the strain of bad roads and rainy conditions for a sustained period of time. I also liked the fact that we'd traveled for about 1000 kms in 2 days and I did not feel any pain (except the one I felt during my next day to office) To me, SX4 is meant to be driven on highways, please buy a NHC if you're driving only on good roads/city conditions etc., I love the way this car handles the bad roads. I guess that's one of the advantages of having a car that has been derived from a crossover design. That's something I had planned on and it feels good when plans turn to reality.
The fact that the car handles bad roads well, does not mean it does not handle good roads well. The car has a slight understeer at speeds over 70. But then since EPS cuts off, I was anyway trying to readjust so it did not matter. The car is tall, so the CG is high, but the high weight of the car gives it better stability. I've driven for quite sometime at 140 and even touched 150 on the NICE road. I did not feel the lack of control. Brakes are great. There's so much of confusion around the technologies: ABS/Disc/Drum/Read/Front. But all that matters is that everytime you apply brakes, it should stop well. And in SX4 it does that. Nothing else matters.
The city driving is good but not great. The size makes it difficult to park etc., I would have preferred a hatchback for pure city conditions any day. But I still enjoy driving this car in the city. With AC/music on, the stress levels are really low and unless you're in a hurry its an enjoyable experience. In fact, after a hectic work life, I'd almost stopped listening to music. It looks like its back in swing.
As an owner, the clutch change was not a problem, but a signal that I would be taken care of. I usually get my car serviced at Mandovi JP Nagar and I know a person there who takes real good care of my cars, so service of the car is a no-brainer. But as he put in, these cars don't really need servicing.
Accessories are part and parcel of any car buying, but with a ZXi in SX4 the amount of accessories you'll need as an after market fitments is less. The car comes with almost every thing. Till date, I've bought perfume, car cover, mobile chargers, seat covers and might buy a new set of headlights, reverse parking camera, sun film.
The joke around my house is that I could never be seen washing my Zen. But with SX4, I wash it at least 15 days once. Its good exercise. And those who see me, tell me I need good exercise :-) One of the lessons I've learnt is not to allow careless people wash the car, scratches will be abundant. I've also tried to take some good photos.
I've done about 2800 kms and will keep the thread updated as I move on.
PS: I've posted the same at team-bhp.com, which is a great place for car enthusiasts.
Being from the IT industry, I am so used to buying a computer with the latest CPU that has the best threading technology. Probably the monitor colour and the cabinet size never matter me. (I know for some it did). You can call it a hangover or whatever, I was still looking at a good engine, good transmission and easy ride. I also wanted newer technology and some gizmos thrown in.
The swift came in and went past by me as soon as they announced the reworked esteem engine. I mean, why should I buy a car, if I am treated to an over aged option. The fusion and palio were good options, but I really can't afford the depreciation that these two cars provide. The supposed maintenance cost of these cars meant that I kept myself out of them. The swift diesel arrived and I thought it was made for me. Unfortunately, neither did it have a ZDi model nor could I afford its waiting time. Since I live with my parents, I also considered the Innova, but the dual AC model was a bit too expensive for me. It was great, sad looking but a bit too expensive for me. I also considered a Skoda 2nd hand, but dropped off as soon as I heard the service problems a friend of mine has faced. OHC VTEC could have been an option, but it was too old a car.
Somewhere during this timeline, Maruti announced the launch of SX4. And I started tracking its website. Initially it had just a silly promo and a link to an idiotic website for hippies(some men are back club or something like that). Then the specs started to fly in. I don't know if it was frustration of waiting for the perfect car or the availability of a full featured car at a great price, I just wanted to buy it. I did my financials and found that I could afford it, but not the parking space for it :-) What the heck, eh? I just went ahead and called up the Mandovi guys and a friend of mine - Kiran (9854326944)asked me come over on the day of the launch in Bangalore and book it. the dealership has treated me well so I went ahead and booked the car on the day of the launch. Unfortunately I could not get the car in the first set. Kiran set the right expectations and kept upto it. I am fine with people who deal with me honestly even if they tell me the bad news. I had to wait for a month because of my car colour - red. And then on the D-day, me and wifey got it home. Everybody went for a drive with my 1 and half year old son not giving up his front seat and not allowing anybody else to sit in the drivers seat. (Even now, he's like that, recently we had been to a restaurant and the valet sat in the front seat and my son started howling :-) )
Since then till now, the car has been an eye turner. The car's not a great looker from behind, but at the right angles, it looks pretty. The interiors are okay, but I somehow cannot digest the beige colour. It is so bland and without character. I got my seat covers fitted to change that. I chose black art leather on the sides and black fabric in the middle. I do not like the body heat that is generated by leather and hence the fabric in the middle. I got it done through G Sports, whose factory is in JP Nagar Bangalore. It has come out pretty well. Pics are at: Picasa Web Albums - Vinay
My first reactions to the car include a gaping "Oh ****" to the right side A pillar. It seemed such a mess of a design. But now, it does not really seem like it, we slowly get used to it. (Some advice from TBHP members also helped). The GC was a pleasure. My car just runs over the humps. The high tyres also help :-) The ICE was a disappointment. The interiors were good. The car that I owned previous to the SX4 was Zen and had much worse interiors, so I really did not think the quality was that bad.
As time passed, my impressions changed. The right side A pillar was no longer a challenge(Its still a bother, though). The GC becomes a bigger please and so does the high seating position. The ICE is quite okay, after you play music at the right volumes, bass and treble. I got adjusted to it perhaps. Some stuff that bother me even now are the clutch position (could have been more ergonomic), absence of smaller compartments to keep coins, spectacles etc., The shape of the cabin from the side is a bother, people sitting in the rear seat sides feel the curve with their heads. The body hits the head of the person sitting in the side. The middle seat that way is quite okay for a family of average height. So much was made of the middle seat. To me, performance could have been slightly better. I probably feel like that since I was using a Zen. But its still much better than most of its other competitors. Also the lightness of the steering initially was a problem, I've got used to it now. I can feel the feedback much better now. The headlights were never seen as a problem in the initial few days, but they've turned out to be not so useful now. It was interesting to see the non-issues becoming problems and the major ones disappearing as soon as I got used to my car. So I keep advising people to try something for a period of time, before they decide its an issue.
I've had many pleasurable moments and a few heart aches as well. Scratches on my car were big heart aches. I've had a couple of them. One was while I was trying to sneak in to a small street where the residents had got a small concrete pillar erected to prevent large vehicles come in. I forgot my car was big and paid the price for it. the scratches were not big, but they were my first. The second set happened in a basement when I was trying to take a reverse. I thought I had a clear reverse but there was pillar waiting to provide me my angst for the next few days.
The car has been fantastic when I took a couple of senior citizens in my car to Shivanasamudra on quite bad roads and they did not even feel the strain of travel. It stands on its tyres quite well and the grip is fantastic even when it rains. I did not feel any hydroplaning during that trip, when I was driving at about 80-100 in Mysore road in spite of heavy rains. I've also taken the car to Jog falls and the pleasure was different then. I liked the way the car took the strain of bad roads and rainy conditions for a sustained period of time. I also liked the fact that we'd traveled for about 1000 kms in 2 days and I did not feel any pain (except the one I felt during my next day to office) To me, SX4 is meant to be driven on highways, please buy a NHC if you're driving only on good roads/city conditions etc., I love the way this car handles the bad roads. I guess that's one of the advantages of having a car that has been derived from a crossover design. That's something I had planned on and it feels good when plans turn to reality.
The fact that the car handles bad roads well, does not mean it does not handle good roads well. The car has a slight understeer at speeds over 70. But then since EPS cuts off, I was anyway trying to readjust so it did not matter. The car is tall, so the CG is high, but the high weight of the car gives it better stability. I've driven for quite sometime at 140 and even touched 150 on the NICE road. I did not feel the lack of control. Brakes are great. There's so much of confusion around the technologies: ABS/Disc/Drum/Read/Front. But all that matters is that everytime you apply brakes, it should stop well. And in SX4 it does that. Nothing else matters.
The city driving is good but not great. The size makes it difficult to park etc., I would have preferred a hatchback for pure city conditions any day. But I still enjoy driving this car in the city. With AC/music on, the stress levels are really low and unless you're in a hurry its an enjoyable experience. In fact, after a hectic work life, I'd almost stopped listening to music. It looks like its back in swing.
As an owner, the clutch change was not a problem, but a signal that I would be taken care of. I usually get my car serviced at Mandovi JP Nagar and I know a person there who takes real good care of my cars, so service of the car is a no-brainer. But as he put in, these cars don't really need servicing.
Accessories are part and parcel of any car buying, but with a ZXi in SX4 the amount of accessories you'll need as an after market fitments is less. The car comes with almost every thing. Till date, I've bought perfume, car cover, mobile chargers, seat covers and might buy a new set of headlights, reverse parking camera, sun film.
The joke around my house is that I could never be seen washing my Zen. But with SX4, I wash it at least 15 days once. Its good exercise. And those who see me, tell me I need good exercise :-) One of the lessons I've learnt is not to allow careless people wash the car, scratches will be abundant. I've also tried to take some good photos.
I've done about 2800 kms and will keep the thread updated as I move on.
PS: I've posted the same at team-bhp.com, which is a great place for car enthusiasts.
posted by Vinay Murthy at 2:29 AM
6 Comments:
Nice report mate! May you enjoy many a miles in your car!
thefreak.
May your exercise be fruitful :-)
I am seriously looking at buying a new SX4, and your report is proving to be very helpful. Thank you.
Thanks Buddy. I am planning to buy SX4 and your blog has really helped me to understand the Car.
Hey brother nice and deiled report,i am also planning to buy an SX4 but only worry what people say is the milage....as you have had a good stint with the SX4......what say about the milage , and the resale ,,how much is it in city and highway......pls answer soon as i have to decide asap..thanks
My mileage has been satisfactory. I get somewhere between 9 and 10 inside city with AC on. the stretch I drive traffic has an average of 9-12 kmph. I don't switch off the engine for every signal.
Try this link:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/58397-what-fuel-consumption-your-sx4-average-kya-hai.html
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