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#1
Hi friends
After a lot of deliberation and a healthy discussion here, (http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...6-thinking-upgrading-maruti-alto-800-a-7.html) I bid adieu to my trusted Alto 800 and brought home my long awaited carriage Sky Grey colored Zest RT XT, about a week back. I have driven it around 220km since then and the driving was done mostly within city limits. Here goes my initial feeling:
1. Delivery: Not as smooth as Maruti, dealers have improved but at least my dealer needs to go a long way before it can match my previous Maruti Distributor.
2. Accessories: I opted for mud flaps, steering cover, floor mat, corner protectors, door visors, Seat covers, side skirt, sun film and body cover. First four were free of cost, paid for the rest. I would not suggest that one should buy form dealership as except sun film and seat covers, the fit and finish were nothing special. An outside shop should offer at a lesser price.
3. Outside of the car: I really loved it. I am a tall man, and this car really fitted my built :) . Jokes apart, the outside of the car is really impressive and I really like the high stance of the car.
Let me share with you an experience which would throw some light on the perceptions of people passing by, about this car. On the second day as I was coming back from my office, I got stuck at a traffic signal. Few young boys and girls were passing by and they were on their way to a nearby office. Some of them stopped momentarily beside my car and one of them went in front to see the brand. Me and my accompanying colleague were pleasantly surprised by their look and words of admiration that they exchanged among themselves about the car. Must say that I felt mighty pleased. :)
4. Inside: Just lovely. Extremely spacious and comfortable seats with ample legroom and headroom. I would really loved to see some more storage space, that's the only point of complain. I have even squeezed a thin adult as a fourth passenger in the back seat, and there was no problem for the other three passengers. Apart from storage space, the A pillars could have been a little thinner as these restricts the view mainly when cornering. Same goes for the rear windscreen, I would have preferred a wider viewing opportunity.
Edit: Actually, I forgot to mention about the lack of storage space inside the cabin. I am quite flummoxed to find about the complete ignorance of this aspect by the designing team, more so, when it is headed by none other than Pratap Bose. Even my old Alto 800 had far more storage space inside the cabin and even with my layman eyes, I can spot places where they could have easily provided some storage compartments. I bought seat covers from Tata dealer, which thankfully comes with bottle holders and pockets. This actually reduces the inconvenience of lack of storage space to some degrees for the rear passengers.
5. Headlamps and DRLs: As good as they get- no complains, very well placed with enough throw for the Low as well as the high beam. Personally I found that Low Beam at 0 provides maximum comfort to me.
6. Infotainment system: No praise is enough for this system. NaviMaps comes free so offline navigation is possible. Rear parking sensor display acts perfectly and Sound Quality is heavenly. Voice commands works fine though efficiency would depend on your pronunciation and ambient noise. Though I must say that there is a learning curve involved and would suggest that the manual should be read thoroughly. I am yet to figure out all the features of this system.
7. Driving: Before you read further, please note that I have driven Alto 800 for last three years, so my perception about the "drivability" is from that perspective.
In a nutshell, it's a beauty on the road. The steering and suspension both are simply marvelous. Normal road roughness is simply eaten by Zest in breakfast. As I am concerned about the fuel economy I drove in ECO mode mainly. According to the trip meter, the mileage is about 14.3kmpl. The car is mainly driven in Kolkata city where I hardly have any chance to use the 5th gear. It's mostly 3rd and occasionally 4th gear. I generally drive with feather touch and avoid sudden acceleration, so I found ECO mode more suitable to my driving style. I haven't taken it on Highways and yet to check the mileage with AC on. Personally, I would have loved to get another 2kmpl more. :)
I must mention here that all the three modes, namely, Eco, City and Sports, are actually functional and one would clearly understand the difference in throttle response if the mode is changed mid-drive. I have not felt much comfortable in sports mode in the city and would suggest that it should be avoided and should be tried only on the highways with free stretch of road in front.
After a lot of deliberation and a healthy discussion here, (http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...6-thinking-upgrading-maruti-alto-800-a-7.html) I bid adieu to my trusted Alto 800 and brought home my long awaited carriage Sky Grey colored Zest RT XT, about a week back. I have driven it around 220km since then and the driving was done mostly within city limits. Here goes my initial feeling:
1. Delivery: Not as smooth as Maruti, dealers have improved but at least my dealer needs to go a long way before it can match my previous Maruti Distributor.
2. Accessories: I opted for mud flaps, steering cover, floor mat, corner protectors, door visors, Seat covers, side skirt, sun film and body cover. First four were free of cost, paid for the rest. I would not suggest that one should buy form dealership as except sun film and seat covers, the fit and finish were nothing special. An outside shop should offer at a lesser price.
3. Outside of the car: I really loved it. I am a tall man, and this car really fitted my built :) . Jokes apart, the outside of the car is really impressive and I really like the high stance of the car.
Let me share with you an experience which would throw some light on the perceptions of people passing by, about this car. On the second day as I was coming back from my office, I got stuck at a traffic signal. Few young boys and girls were passing by and they were on their way to a nearby office. Some of them stopped momentarily beside my car and one of them went in front to see the brand. Me and my accompanying colleague were pleasantly surprised by their look and words of admiration that they exchanged among themselves about the car. Must say that I felt mighty pleased. :)
4. Inside: Just lovely. Extremely spacious and comfortable seats with ample legroom and headroom. I would really loved to see some more storage space, that's the only point of complain. I have even squeezed a thin adult as a fourth passenger in the back seat, and there was no problem for the other three passengers. Apart from storage space, the A pillars could have been a little thinner as these restricts the view mainly when cornering. Same goes for the rear windscreen, I would have preferred a wider viewing opportunity.
Edit: Actually, I forgot to mention about the lack of storage space inside the cabin. I am quite flummoxed to find about the complete ignorance of this aspect by the designing team, more so, when it is headed by none other than Pratap Bose. Even my old Alto 800 had far more storage space inside the cabin and even with my layman eyes, I can spot places where they could have easily provided some storage compartments. I bought seat covers from Tata dealer, which thankfully comes with bottle holders and pockets. This actually reduces the inconvenience of lack of storage space to some degrees for the rear passengers.
5. Headlamps and DRLs: As good as they get- no complains, very well placed with enough throw for the Low as well as the high beam. Personally I found that Low Beam at 0 provides maximum comfort to me.
6. Infotainment system: No praise is enough for this system. NaviMaps comes free so offline navigation is possible. Rear parking sensor display acts perfectly and Sound Quality is heavenly. Voice commands works fine though efficiency would depend on your pronunciation and ambient noise. Though I must say that there is a learning curve involved and would suggest that the manual should be read thoroughly. I am yet to figure out all the features of this system.
7. Driving: Before you read further, please note that I have driven Alto 800 for last three years, so my perception about the "drivability" is from that perspective.
In a nutshell, it's a beauty on the road. The steering and suspension both are simply marvelous. Normal road roughness is simply eaten by Zest in breakfast. As I am concerned about the fuel economy I drove in ECO mode mainly. According to the trip meter, the mileage is about 14.3kmpl. The car is mainly driven in Kolkata city where I hardly have any chance to use the 5th gear. It's mostly 3rd and occasionally 4th gear. I generally drive with feather touch and avoid sudden acceleration, so I found ECO mode more suitable to my driving style. I haven't taken it on Highways and yet to check the mileage with AC on. Personally, I would have loved to get another 2kmpl more. :)
I must mention here that all the three modes, namely, Eco, City and Sports, are actually functional and one would clearly understand the difference in throttle response if the mode is changed mid-drive. I have not felt much comfortable in sports mode in the city and would suggest that it should be avoided and should be tried only on the highways with free stretch of road in front.
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