Impressive urban hatch. Review on Maruti Suzuki RitZ

It was the swift dream diesel two years back from the maruthi stable which set a bench mark in overall refinement, noiseless cabin and performance oriented diesel experience and the saga still continues the swift still clocks the overall sales chart in the segment. Maruti in the mean while continues to pump in cars in the small car segment with the latest being Ritz rechristened from the european name splash. Ritz in a way captures you with all the modern engineering, a refreshing style, and fresh looks . Ritz has comeup with the k series petrol engine four cylinder 85bhp engine and the old warhorse in the ddis 74bhp diesel engine both euro iv compliant.

Ritz is targetted as a family hatch vis a vis the swift and lets see whether the car lives up to the claims.

Exteriors: Its got a refreshing new style . looks compact yet chunky in the front bold new stylish head lamps and a funky grill gives it a good stance . The tall boy design ensures its about 60mm taller than the swift . the rear just slashes inwards and from the side on the boomerang shaped head lamps enlighten the contours on the doors to have a all new stance . The rear looks certainly takes a beating and takes a while to get used to. and yes car does has peoples head turning may be for the wrong reasons pondering the shape of the rear but then it clearly has a new age style highly unlike most cars and then thats the only talking point of the ritz as long as the exterior looks go

Interiors: The plastic used on the dash certainly looks good though you cannot say about the same used on the doors. however the dual tone plastics are refreshing the water fall flow center console culminating with gears placed highup like in the i10, the oval shaped aircon vents, the jewel box on the top of dash . the minicooper styled speedometer is stylish and the odometer comes seperate on the dash like in the a star but then it all looks refreshingly new. the steering wheel is the same that we see on the swift . The seats have been heightened to the tune of 50mm upwards to that of the swift escpecially with the tallboy design you have the luxury which enables amd generated ample legspace . leg space in the front is reasonable whilst the one at the back is just ample but the seats gives tremenderous thigh support and hence compensates. The fabric used is upmarket and goes well with the two tone dash . boot is a serious let down but then for an urban commuter and occasional filling in for the long drives for a short holiday its ample and you wouldnt complain. The rears seats split 60: 40 to generate space for luggage but then its not very practical. Ingress and engress outsmarts many and very practical. but is it for five people in comfort? a big no!

performance: The diesel is the same engine that does duty on the swift vista linea palio and the punto but the engine is tweaked to be euro 4 complaint. Engines feels even more refined than the swift the turbo kicks starts at 2000rpm but then its more prolonged . The ritz does a decent job even before it hits the 2000rpm and its a definite city cruiser. the fuel economy should be fairly decent on the diesel though the arai figures of 21.1km /lt is a way off figure to achieve on idle driving conditions. But then the pickup as predicted is impressive and test reports suggest it touches 100 in a matter of 14.3 secs just a sec less from its petrol counterpart

ride and handling: The suspensions have been softened a bit and raised hence its an improvement over the swift as reports suggest but then it certainly can be felt when it rides . the seats are comfortable but then I am not sure whether it gives the necessary lumbar support for the long drives. Being a tall boy body roll at corners are quite evident unlike swift but then its well under control and the straight line stability is impressive . The brakes are hard but progressive may be takes a while to get used to. The gear positioning and shift is a big plus and its a joy to use the same .The tallish car handles pretty well . experts claim that the electronic power steering is more precise in this hatch and certainly is evident .the steering wheel is placed high could be a cause of concern for shoulder pain . and the brake and clutch pedals are certainly quite high from the floor.

cost of ownership: Its a maruti and you expect the spares to be priced low and yes fuel economy on the diesel would warrant buyers to go for the diesel though personally I would have prefered the pricing to be as much as about 30k lesser than the swift.The petrol is about 15k but the diesel is just 6k less but then you dont complain as like every maruti this one too will hold its value with the extensive service network and sales points the cost of ownership is not an issue to be bothered .maruti as it is is committed to supply ritz diesel in ample and delays for delivery would be minimal

To buy one: Ritz is an impressive maruti product no second thoughts about it. It does its job as an modern urban commuter impressively and very practical . with loads of goodies like better ride, clearer driving position and seat comfort than the swift. . The space inside is generous . and looks very airy and u dont feel cramped unlike the swift . the seats are comfortable and supportive . The engine is definitively refined than the swift .but if outright performance and driving pleasure is paramount please stick on to the swift and it would definitely hold on to its value more than the ritz. But with all the impressive features with the looks being subjective ritz will attract buyers and would definitely have its share of stay in the maruti stable.

features and colours:the petrol version of ritz comes in three variants lxi, vxi and the topend zxi which comes with the abs and ebd, dual airbags, alloywheels, integrated audio system, higher profile tyres, tilt steering and blue based interiors . the diesel comes in three variants ldi, vdi and the optional abs on vdi. Maruti has comeupwith 8 colors on the Ritz with three new stunning colors the bakers chocolate, glistening grey, racing green followed by firebrick red, blue blaze, superior white, midnight black and silky silver from choose from.

what people would have liked to see:first look front sinks in rear takes a while to really absorb same happened with swift but then this would certainly take a while to sink in. but then its already a popular car in the Europe. I personally would have prefered a better pricing. additional back support on the seats. reduced hieght on the brake and clutch pedals . probably a dead pedal as well. the high end diesel should perhaps gone with a tilt steering . and the seat hieght adjuster on the drivers seat for that price. the onset of i10s and the sparks with all new beige interiors would definitely look rich and premium but I am not sure how practical it gets to maintaining the same. welli would certainly like a higher profile tyre just for the solidity on the road . but then its still value for money . so no regrets at the end of it. all in all a decent family car for the urban commuter .folks enjoy driving your Ritz. if u happen to own one.!

other cars in the price band: swift ddis, getz crdi, palio multijet, vistamultijet, puntomultijet