New Car: Honda Brio or Maruti Ritz?


Thread Starter #1
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Hi,
I am almost done with my Wagon R. I am looking to buy a new car, so the question- Honda Brio or Maruti Ritz or for that matter Swift? I need a hatchback small car as i park on the road & parking is always a problem. My daily run is about 30km, i am a fairly new driver (but not novice). I stay in the city centre & so want a easy to drive nimble low maintainence car. Budget id under 5.5l.
The honda brio ex mt is 5.1l whereas the ritz vxi is 5.5l on raod based on the net prices
Ameyam
 
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Hi,
I am almost done with my Wagon R. I am looking to buy a new car, so the question- Honda Brio or Maruti Ritz or for that matter Swift? I need a hatchback small car as i park on the road & parking is always a problem. My daily run is about 30km, i am a fairly new driver (but not novice). I stay in the city centre & so want a easy to drive nimble low maintainence car. Budget id under 5.5l.
The honda brio ex mt is 5.1l whereas the ritz vxi is 5.5l on raod based on the net prices
Ameyam
If you select Ritz then try to avail Zxi. The top variant will give you all the features and you don't have to repent later. Since you already have a car why settle for middle variant?[:D]
 
Thread Starter #6
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Brio E MT: 4.83L on road
Brio Ex MT: 5.08L on road
Ritz VXI: 5.52L on road
Ritz ZXI: 6.23L on road
Toyota Etios: 5.77L on road
All prices off website without freebies
My budget was sub 5L but I will be stretching to accommodate
I was thinking Brio E MT with aftermarket stereo I already have in my Wagon R (and is very new)

Ameyam
 
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GO for RITZ Zxi for comfort and safe ride. Paying 6.23 is worth for the built quality, engine, ASS and resale value.

Overall Ritz is VFM.

Some more,
- ABS+EBD and airbags is always good to have.
- Alloys gives a better look and better than steel rims
- Ritz Zxi comes with 185/65 R14
- Ritz tall body gives a better ingress egress
 
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Very true. Money is the all factor for getting better benefits.I also settled for Vxi only for money and my intention was not to invest much on petrol car. I don't know your height.If you are 5'9" then Ritz Vxi is ideal for you because this variant does not offer seat height adjustment. Also it's non ABS break's bite is felt less while applying than Zxi's ABS break. [:)]
 
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I would suggest Brio as you said you will driving 30 Km at least so why not go for a fun to drive car and for a change from Maruti . It has good comfort ,engine ,FE .

Also if boot is important Ritz might be better option . At the end every one has different views . Test drive the car thoroughly and think whether you will be happy at the end of the day .
 
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Lets face it, Both dont offer class leading boot space. Ritz is a tall boy, Brio is short. Ritz has safety features on ZXi, so does Brio in VX trim. Both have 1.2 L Petrol engine, both are peppy, powerful, efficient, but Brio has more free revving engine. Both have small cabins, but Brio looks spacious compared to Ritz, my Swift felt roomier then Ritz when I sat inside Ritz, Brio is very spacious for its size. Tiny build of Brio might be others opinion, but will you drive it at 120 kmph in city speeds and crash against a car, divider, wall, pole etc in a city like Mumbai were Speed limit will be there ? Crumple zones will protect in case of crash and if Brio wasn't passing the crash test, it wouldn't have been for sale or would have been stopped immediately due to safety reasons which hasn't happened.

Between Ritz & Brio, I will choose latter because its fresher and easier to park, drive and has a great engine. Along with it it has Honda badge, service costs will be cheaper. I got my 10k service done for 2500 while our WagonR's 15k service cost was 6900.

Ritz is an old car and I would say apart from easy entry/exit, good engine there is nothing going for it.
 
Thread Starter #11
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I did go to the Honda showroom and the deal they offered was pretty crap- I asked regarding the base E model and whether I can install an aftermarket music system or whether they can install one for me. They basically told me it cannot be done- the coin box is not available ans some other stuff. Basically they were telling me the E model is only for show and I should purcahse the EX version only. Plus the offer they were making for my existing car was below par. Not impressed. I would rather sell my existing car off to a dealer than deal with them. While it doesnt rule out Honda, the value they are offering is not upto the mark.

I am going to meet the Maruti guys shortly. There were a lot of recommendations to go for Maruti instead of Honda. Mostly because the parts were easily available and any work required could be done cheaply. Its almost an assumption that a Maruti will need some work done to it after some time

Some have suggested to go for the Hyundai Grand i10 and / or the Toyota Etios Liva. The Grand i10 I haent looked into yet and the Etios may be over my budget. In spite of what everyone suggests, I really cant exceed 5L much

Right now, I am mostly getting confused

Ameyam
 
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The dealer is correct, since E is low selling variant and isn't produced regularly, he might be saying it indirectly. You can choose EX if you want Audio.

Regarding the value they quote of a car is like many other brands, customers feel the price quoted for thier car is much less then what they expected to be. But that same dealer will sell for higher money and make profit from it once a Used Car buyer is found. This isn't new and is common across all parts of country.

Last week I had been to local Maruti Dealer to evaluate our WagonR which is 2011 Version and is VXi Trim. It has done 20k and has few scratches around. The price they quoted was 2.85 lakhs. I wasn't interested in further process as I was shocked at such low price for a car like WagonR which sells in high numbers and has high resale value. Totally cancelled thoughts of selling it for now.
 
Thread Starter #13
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Update: The Maruti guy came in.

1) He informed that the Ritz had offers as it was not selling in numbers. Asked him why so- he said may be because of the shape or whatever, otherwise he said the Ritz and the Swift were mechanically the same. I havent actually ever driven a Ritz

Basically, the Lxi Ritz was 4.59L and the Vxi was 4.95L. The Swift Lxi was 5.11L. He said that the Wagon R was also an option for about 4.1L. I asked him point blank which one he would suggest. He said that if I want performance I should go for the Ritz and if general economy the Wagon R. He didnt suggest the Swift as it was more expensive and he didnt have too many offers on it. There is a ABS VXI ritz and the cost difference isint much.

2) I didnt ask regarding the Swift- some time back I had driven a friend's Dezire and it felt like sitting in a bath tub. I am 5' 8" or so, when I sat in the Dezire, the dash felt high- not sure whether that was inexperience or just the way the car is or whether it will be different with the Swift. May be someone of my size and advice...?

3) I dont know regarding the Wagon R. My current is a 1.1litre WagonR and the new ones ar 998cc. So I dont know how they will feel in comparison. I want a nice sporty ride that doesnt feel pushed when I need to cover ground quickly but at the same time I dont really want to race. I also want a nice and sturdy car that I dont have to jink around trying to avoid even small pot holes like I currently do with my old Wagon R

4) There are some other dependencies in buying a Lxi version like stereo, power windows, central locking etc. I would prefer not to buy the Lxi if I could for these issues. However, he couldnt tell me whether the recently upgraded HU and speakers from my old car could be transfered to the new one without voiding the warranty. He will confirm that later

I know Brio after warranty costs will be high and these lower Maruti prices basically put the Brio out of contention.

So Swift / Ritz / Wagon R. Which one would you guys suggest?

Also, the Ritz Vxi has a ABS variant and the difference isint much. I dont want alloys, stamped wheels will do just fine. But better brakes are nothing to be disregarded

Ameyam
 
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Hi, ameyam

As many people suggest here Go for Ritz ZXI if possible - This one most VFM out there. If you like the looks Go for it, If you don't like the looks - Go for it, Looks will Grow on you and you will start liking it.

For suggesting Ritz as you hell bend towards Maruti and you already handle a Tallboy - You will fill home right you steeped into the Car.

If ZXI is not a viable option then at least stick with VXI with ABS.

But before you decide I strongly recommend please book Extensive Test drive of Ritz in ZXI as well any Ritz VXI or LXI version back to back. Take your time there. MS dealer will provide the car as long as you want.

As you said you felt like Bath Tub in your friends Dezire, Why ? Dashboard is too High ? If this is the reason, then I'm afraid you will feel the same with Lower variant of the Ritz too..Only ZXI can over come this issue.

Anyway don't worry about Power Windows or Central Locking or Security System etc if you choose any lower version, as long as you installed this thing from MGA they are as good as Factory Fitted.
 

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