I just got a chance to test ride the new Maruti Eeco today at Khivraj motors, chennai. The car feels very good, though not as classy as the earlier Versa which I have driven earlier.
The main differences between the present eeco and the earlier versa are that the engine has been changed to a new 1200 cc one as against the earlier 1300 cc engine which was in the swift, gypsy king, and esteem. The engine remains under the seat and is not under the bonnet as wrongly reported in several websites.
Coming back to the eeco, the roof has also been lowered from the extra high roof of the versa, this has infact given a good stance to the car, rather than the top heavy truck like stance of the versa.
The dash board is somewhat OK and a take on the alto, though it is not very well finished, probably as a result of maruti cutting corners.
The front seats are sufficiently bolstered for this class of car, and have an integrated seat cum head rest as in the hyundai i10, however, the middle two seats as well as the rear seats are a total let down and are of very poor quality and feel like that of the corporation buses of old, these seat backs height is also very low and can lead to severe'whip lash' injury in case of a rear impact to the vehicle.
Moreover, the vehicle does not even have the option of power steering for any of the models, this may not matter with a light load, but with a full load on hill roads, it will really tax one's biceps and cause early exhaustion. It also does not have any power windows or music system either.
However, the front of the vehicle, which is apparently increased in length marginally compared to the versa, looks neat and tidy and the innards under the bonnet are well placed.
The boot is huge in the 5 seater and the rear has some space even in the seven seater for soft luggage.
The engine is a bit raspy and not as smooth as the earlier engines that we are used to from maruti, I suspect it is due to the requirement for higher emission standards and the higher compression ratio.
The A/C was sufficiently cool during the evening, however I suspect it will be unable to cool the enormous cabin in the hot summer, especially with that huge boot.
Last but not least, the driving position is absolutely royal, and it towers over the other'ordinary' cars, and feels similar to driving a Scorpio or Innova, no less, except for the small and weedy steerring wheel. It has a very small turning radius and I was able to make a u turn within half the road!. Very enjoyable to drive, if you have an open mind.
All in all the car is an excellent bargain for the price, and it seems a criminal waste to go in for a small car like the alto or wagon R for about 3.1 -3.4 lakhs when you get an enormous jeep like car for just 10% more. At Rs. 3, 46, 500 for the A/C version in Chennai, the Eeco is an absolute bargain.
All in all good thinking by Maruti to replace the Omni which has to be phased out of showrooms by March in the metros. Of course, its ride leaves much to be desired, and jostled the occupants about on the speed breakers, or may be I am expecting too much(i normally drive a palio).
As I have said, it is absolutey bare basic, and is designed to be the middle class man's MUV with one sole USP- space, space and more space. You should go in for the Eeco only if you badly need the space or feel claustrophobic in a small car at the same price, otherwise it is no match for a proper car, as it would not be advisable to venture out at speeds over 90km/hr, on the highway, so as to leave a good margin of safety. A good buy, then as I reiterate. Ride on mates. Regards from Twincam.
P.S. I got to drive the eeco for about 1400 kms on a really lo-ong drive in south india over 4 days recently. This was a mix of exellent roads[chennai to coimbatore], b grade roads and very bad roads too. Here's my take:-
the eeco drives like a powerful omni, thats it.
does not feel like a drunken elephant, it maintains its true'line and length' even at 120 km/hr, so long as one does not make very tight turns.
it shivers and shakes uncomfortably if a large vehicle passes opposite.
Is very noisy when compared to a car in the back seats and has a very pronounced transmission whine and differential hum at speeds over 50 km/hr. there may also be a bit of roof drumming.
back seats very uncomfortable as there is no support for the neck and back.
A/c is just OK and does not cool the back seats very effectively if there are more than 2 people.
still good fun to drove but a bit scary as there is very little crush space in front.
good for maneuvering and making tight turns in crowded traffic.
has very short first and second gear, good enough for the hills but a drag on the highway. third gear a bit tall.
be sure that you want it before buying. Its not for everybody.
it will never be a car. period. Ride on, mates. Regards from twincam.
