Suzuki Ritz Lxi/Vxi vs Hyundai I10 Magna

Ritz and i10 is the most intensely debated cars from potential buyers on this forum.  Reason being both have very similar engine and price (most important criterion   ), in around Rs. 5 lakh hatchback car segment.  So I decided to add my 2 cents with possibility of my bias, for members to explore further.

External Look and Appearance  -  No comment  .  Take your pick.

Engine  -  Both cars have 1.2 L,  technologically advance engine and perform well for regular family commute.  However, professional test results show that i10 has little edge over Ritz due to (as mentioned before by other more knowledgeable members) 150 Kg less overall weight and flatter power curve + Power is delivered at lower rpm.  Road test Ritz and Road test i10 .  More ever, as for as I am concern I pay less attention to 0-100 timing, when buying a car in India and more focus to 0-40 and 0-60.  In India, still we drive more at city speeds than West, and traffic congestion is increasing by day.

Interior Appearance  -  Many members have mentioned before that fit and finish is better in i10 and quality of product is superior.  Further, car is rattle free.  In both cars, every knob is placed at the right place and easy to operate without taking your eyes from road.  However, I am not a great admirer of Tachometer in separate pod - more of a distraction but you will get used to it.

My two key criterion  -  1. Near perfect driving position (can't afford regular, full-time driver  ) and excellent outside visibility  2.  Safety features (after my life saving accident due to airbags).  Traffic is getting worse by day and there are plenty of inconsiderate drivers and road infrastructure is not able to keep pace with increasing traffic.

Price (the most important factor)  -   Please refer to comparison chart  It seems Ritz Vxi has similar features as i10 Magna but cost about Rs. 25 K (+ Tax)  more.  Any day I will prefer tilt steering over fog lights, if my car is to be driven by more than one driver.  Further,  I can get fog lights fitted by any vendor but no one will install tilt steering.

Many members have mentioned that due to current price discount + free insurance and corporate discount etc. OTR price of Hyundai i10 Magna comes very close to Ex-showroom price (Gurgaon is among the cheapest in India due to lower local taxes), whereas Ritz Vxi will cost lot more OTR after taxes and insurance etc.  Moreover, Suzuki dealers are very reluctant to give even free mats etc. on Ritz sale at the moment.  So conclusion is that i10 Magna is lot better VFM than Ritz Vxi  .

...

FE  -  Most hotly argued topic.  Instead of giving my view, I will tell you a story.  Two neighbors working in same office and drive similar Ritz Vxi.  One fights over FE with every  mechanic.  One goes to work during regular office hours and it takes 45-50 minutes to reach to office.  Other goes to work on same city roads and reaches office in less than 30 minutes because his shift is off regular hours.  Ritz and i10 should be very competitive on FE front.

Braking  -  Most neglected data in selecting a car but I consider it, very important.  No matter what you do and how safe driver you are but at times you have to apply hard brakes.  Many members have said before that WagonR is more vulnerable to accidents because it is a tall boy.  That is not the whole story because main problem with WagonR is, poor brakes and hence, Long Stopping Distance.   

If you see 80-0 stopping distance for Ritz is 40.xx meters in road test whereas 80-0 for i10 is 30.xx, which is a major concern for me   .  In emergency, where every inch counts and can make a difference b/w life and death, I feel 10 meters more is too much.  Industry average is about 32-33 meters.  ABS will stop wheels from locking and keeping car steerable but will not reduce stopping distance.

i10 Asta and Ritz Zxi has nearly same price on paper but I think OTR price will show a BIG difference.  I feel that due to increasing fatigue of city driving A/T will become more acceptable in coming years but 3-speed A/T on WagonR is very very expensive.  I love sun roof on my cars during winter and summer, a cheap option on i10.

One secret about purchase of i10 is that negotiate your deal then ask for company option of 175 or 165 tyre rather than 155 (standard) before inking the deal.  This is much cheaper as company option.

Great review ...thanks for posting.

Excellent review. I highly appreciate it. Straight from the Mind, where it should be and straight from heart where it is not from Mind. I personally agree on all of your points. All the best to all future buyers of these Hot hatches.

Nice review. However, I dont happen to see any of Ritz plus points (or isn't there any )

Hi Ami

You got me there ... dude.

My objective was not to review each car but to provide a comparative aspect to facilitate decision making process.  Hence, I did not go into bean counting.  For that purpose I did provide professional road test review to read details.  Further, Mr. Prasad has also written an  excellent and detailed review of Ritz on carwale.com, which provides very precise description of it's capability.  Issues which were not mentioned are very competitive for both cars or positive or to be decided by individual buyer.  In most H/B, three adults of 28" waist size can fit in rear seat but average adult of 36" + waist size will have problem in sitting comfortably - so what to write, it is to be experienced by individual family  .

Unfortunately, Ritz did not provide too many reasons to write home about (repeating the common phrase).  For those fans of Suzuki, who did not like the road test review of Ritz by Charles on Carwale.com, here is another review of Ritz, but unfortunately it may not cheer you up as well.  If you try to open the lid of Ritz's boot, you are likely to be hit by it on jaws due to vertical rear end.  I am afraid     to say that Ritz due to its qualities or lack of qualities, has given more room to i10 to grow, IMO.

My conclusion

FE  i10 > Ritz

Quality  i10 > Ritz

Ride Ritz > i10

BHP # Ritz > i10

Acceleration  i10 > Ritz

Braking (Distance)  i10 > Ritz

Price i10 Magna is cheaper by ~ 60K+ to Ritz Vxi (OTR) and will have more features, due to   discounts on i10

Thanks for the update buddy.

driving comfort is very important in any car. i10 has very poor suspension. Ritz is excellent..

Go for Ritz, as I too have gone for it and awaiting delivery.

Finally, you will need to decide,but there are many positives in Ritz over i10.

Ritz scroes in FE, Boo space, styling [very subjective], tall [better for heighted drivers], and importantly, economical after sales.

Great discussion guys,

I would still argue infavour of a Ritz ( inspite of Maruti & dealers being misrely with the freebies). Amit's comparison is valid, but one strong point favouring Maruti is the cost of ownership- excellent aftersales and low service and repair costs-VFM! More importantly, Hyundai products seem to age more rapidly and seem to have weaker demand in second hand markets and dont forget the astronomical cost of spares/ service in Hyundai.

I booked a Ritz LXi knowing fully well that it would burn a bigger hole ( Approximately Rs 40K in Bangalore) in my pocket compared to a I10 Magna, which offers similar specs as VXi. Maruti should take note that such small things influence a buyer's purchase decision and should be more forth comming with accessories like stereo, central locking, power window etc as standard as in VXi. Additionally, we all know that these accesories aren't reaally worth the money the dealers charge.

If you are planning a new car please note, Maruti Ritz does actually costs more than a comparitive I10-Magna (RS-40-50K). Please budget accordingly. I only hope Ritz manages to deliver on the other promises going around for it to be successful in the long run.