I was looking for a decent sedan within range of 5.5 lakhs with practicality, fuel efficiency, sturdiness, running and repair costs and looks.
The options i had in mind were dzire ldi/vxi, Hyundai accent, and ford ikon 1.4 tdci. Fiat linea, Skoda fabia, ford fusion were all pricey and short on features given the ex-showroom prices.
Now i went to maruti showroom and test drove ritz vdi, dzire vdi and could not resist the temptation of driving sx4 zxi.
Since i am from Australia and used to of driving 4litre and 5.7 liter cars (Ford Falcon XR6 and XR8) so i knew from the beginning that the power and performance mental block would have to be put aside since in India we have completely different perspective of power and performance.
I was completely disappointed with the turbo lag of ritz vdi and dzire vdi as both the cars share the same engine. My personal opinion is that the turbo lag in this engine could prove disastrous while overtaking on highways due to the way power is generated when you press the throttle hard. In nut shell the engagement and disengagement of turbo is not up to the mark and is fairly evident.
Now Sxi being the best of Maruti’s stable is all right given the price and inclusions and features.
But again the engine was not that responsive as I had expected it to be especially in comparison to Honda City 2008. But it beats Honda in terms of price, features, braking, spares and repairs. Honda comes thumbs up in running costs, comfort, steering sharpness. But enough of Maruti now…
Ford Ikon 1.4 diesel engine is a gem of an engine and so is the car
Reasons:
It is fairly quiet (I don’t know how can people say that the engine is noisy)
It is responsive
Ride comfort and handling is better than most of the cars in its league.
Boot space
Rear room leg space is just acceptable (I am 6ft 2inches tall and still managed to sit straight at the back seat which was surprising for me). Also, the rear seats can accommodate only 2 persons of my size and built (I am muscular not Fat mind itJ!!!)
The only flaw I could detect in the car while I was test driving was that the engine died going uphill with 5 people in the car, AC on, in the second gear. which was a shock for me b’cos this engine delivers its peak torque 160 at 2000 rpm (QUITE ATTAINABLE) and peak power 68 ps at4000 rpm
But overall I liked the car and undoubtedly it is the best option available in 5.5 lakhs price range. I would say an overall complete package.
