Maruti Suzuki Eeco Review & Pictures


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Maruti Suzuki Eeco Review Synopsis: Maruti Suzuki Eeco price tag is between Rs. 3.09 – 4.11 Lakh. It officially launched in India in Jan 2010.

  • Car Tested: Maruti Suzuki Eeco
  • Variant: 7 Seater Standard
  • Engine: 1.2L MPFi
  • Gearbox: 5 Speed Manual
  • Fuel Type: Petrol
  • Price INR: 2,75,000 (Ex. Showroom Delhi)
  • TAI Discussion: Click Here
  • Official Website: Click Here

The History - Called "Versa"




After tasting a huge success of Omni, the first van by Maruti Suzuki, in late 2001 it released the bigger sibling called “Versa” which was a clone of Suzuki “Every” sold in foreign markets. It’s commonly believed that support of popular personality as a brand ambassador could prove hit of the product in market. However, despite the fact that famous film actor Amitabh Bacchan was chosen to promote Versa in advertisements, the car didn’t proved any success in Indian Automobile Market and main reason being over-priced tag with bland styling.

Now, with the new year, On 7th January Maruti Suzuki released good ol’ versa in an un-expected and all new ‘avatar’ named Eeco to meet stricter emission norms and to give a new lease of life in this tough competitive market. The Automotive India Team took “Eeco” out on the Roads to Test how “Economical” & Value For Money this refreshed war-horse is?


How It Looks?




As a casual observer, It’s hard to spot the difference between old Versa and new Eeco but looking closely for sometime you’ll notice that it being from Maruti-Suzuki family, the car-maker has given the traditional updates which include new clear lens headlamps, tail lamps, new front grille and yes this time height has been reduced to105 mm as well.

The face of Eeco looks much better than it used to be in Versa, though the changes are not so major but new grille with Suzuki logo and fresh headlamps have helped the car to look much neater. However, the bumper design remains same and alas! They are now available only in black color even on the top-end 7-Seater version which we tested. Unlike the sibling Omni, Eeco has a short hood bulging outside under which wipe-wash and small oil tank etc. accommodates but before you get excited we must tell that engine is still located under the front seat, now you know the reason why we love to call it “Hot Seat”.



Coming onto the side view, Changes are almost none and Eeco’s genes being of a van give a too much boxy appearance. The body graphics picked from versa still find their way here again to add some frills on the over-all bland design and Indian rail compartment like side windows are quite wide and airy. One of the interesting part of Eeco is the sliding rear doors which could prove to be a lot of use for family with aged persons for easy entry or exit and if you are a business-man, They can be helpful for trouble-free load and unload of the stuff even in full packed parking conditions. The Outside Rear view Mirrors (ORVM) certainly provides a good view of road but is however flimsy, shoulder lines of this car starts from head lamps and merges to rear, a thick waist line with bold impression helps make Eeco look lengthy.

Rear of Eeco is nothing to write home about, It gave us an impression of grown-up Omni with similar bumper and vertical tail lamps, With the cost cutting at its peak, it is somewhat pathetic to see “Maruti Suzuki” & “Eeco” stickers instead of the metal badges which were used earlier.

 
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What's Inside?



On the inside of the car, Major change is significantly visible in form of beige color combo but the designing of dashboard remains un-changed and looks plasticky. The steering wheel is same which was found in earlier generation Wagon-R and is thin to hold but feels nice to maneuver in city. In this era of electronically equipped cars, Eeco is an exception. Maruti has not provided power windows and central locking is missing as well even on the top-end variant. A bunch of electrical wires is clearly noticeable under dashboard which looks odd.

The storage on dashboard can manage to hold a regular size bottle and decent sized glove box can swallow couple of diaries. Padding on the inside of doors is absolutely plain and surprisingly doesn’t even offer door pockets. Due to taller platform and wheels below front seat, Entry & Exit is bit un-comfortable. The windshield is huge enough to give a clean picture of the road in front but with such a large room, Maruti offers only single roof lamp which could be in-sufficient to light-up complete interiors during night time.



Second row bench is comparatively comfy and well reclined but lack of head rests makes any drive more than an hour practically tiresome. The 7-Seater model accommodates a bench for two aligned to a corner in middle and three can be seated in last row. Opening the rear slide door from inside is somewhat a tricky task, First you need to slide the handle & push it backwards, which rolls the door towards the rear, but it’s not that easy also a lot of discomfort is felt, especially when you are doing for first time. Eeco has an option of child locks which is a welcome feature for this car.

In the Eeco, You won’t complaint much about the room though the third row passengers could find shortage of leg space so it’s advisable to hand-over that area to kids of your family.



 
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Picture Mania




Above: Basic design of Eeco wan't so successful to impress us.

Below: Boot opens to create a roof-like structure. A bonus for mobile business.



Above: Not-so generous space in boot on 7 seater model.


Above: You'll find new locations for everything in Eeco, From engine to Fuel Filling Lid ...

Below: Extremely Basic Door padding.



Above: No headrests for rear rows. A pain for long trips.











 
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How It Moves?


Above: Searching for the Engine? It sits below the front seat in cabin.

Maruti Eeco is powered by latest 1196 cubic capacity K-Series engine which boasts power of 73bhp @ 6000rpm & un-matched torque of 101Nm @ 3000rpm. Eeco is 98 cc lesser than versa & 8 bhp lower in power, but the engine is highly refined & combines a good low & mid speeds with perfect balance of drive ability & mileage.

It’s a perfect city MPV which will be used by many business men for its stunning power and greater service support. Cranking the engine doesn’t make much noise as the older generations and is in fact well refined & silent with no vibrations at lower revolutions.
Clutch is pretty hard to press & depress and gearshift is not of top notch quality but thanks to diagonal shift assist feature.

Drive train is good & you feel comfortable inside the cabin at anything below 2300rpm. Once you hit the bar of 2500rpm & above, the engine growls a lot & the main factor “drivability” gets affected. Non – Powered Steering feedback is quite a surprise, at standstill we have nothing to comment but after 20kmph, it becomes lighter resulting easy maneuverability in tight areas, Anything above 90kmph again tends to scary as it over steers!

In the long stretches we managed 140kmph in Eeco, Stability is not much to comment about but the car reached 100kmph from 0 in less than 15 seconds which is quite remarkable.


How It Performs?



A feature we missed most in Eeco was the power steering which is helpful while parking or for high speed stability. This Maruti is well tuned for the 2nd & 3rd gears, whether in hectic traffic or a quarter-mile, you will never go un-noticed.

Following are the acceleration figures from our drive;
1st churns out maximum speed of 38kmph, where as the 2nd gear out performs any car in this segment with a whopping 90kmph & 3rd gear clinches the pole at 130kmph. We managed 140kmph in 4th gear; this was the top speed we could achieve in this car. Due to lack of speed sensitive steering & over steering, it’s really risky to drive anything about 90kmph. Body roll in this segment is in-evitable and Eeco is no wonder here, Once you touch 80kmph with a turn, you can feel heavy body rolls which warns you not to push more.

The tyres of Eeco are puny 155mm R13 spoils the stability at higher speed. Maruti has keenly concentrated on fuel economy and just missed the fun factor in driving. The front suspension comes with McPherson struts with dual rate coil springs & the 3-link rigid system with progressive rate coil springs fits at rear. The coil springs offers bumpy ride on bad roads but ride quality is far better compared to that of leaf springs. Overall the comfort levels are up to the mark for given price. Ground clearance of 160mm can take almost any urban areas with ease and Braking is good overall in city driving but on highways you need extra efforts to stop at the right place. Ventilated Discs makes its way in the front wheels where as the rear is assisted with Drums.
 
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How Safe Is It?



In this Rs.3 Lakh car you should not keep much expectations because it doesn’t satisfies the entry level standards of new Generation Safety like Airbags and ABS. Just the Seat belts, Side impact bars, Child lock and Crumple zones are only main safety features of Eeco.

How Much It Returns?



Eeco has a notable ARAI figure of 15.1kmpl but In test, we managed to obtain 10.5kmpl in City and 13kmpl in highways however if you have a light foot you can even expect more from this car. Fuel tank size of 40 liter is sufficient enough and once completely filled up, You can drive anywhere around 440kms before searching for next fuel station.
 
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What We Like In Maruti Eeco? [thumbsup]

  • Economical to maintain & Easy on Pocket
  • Value For Money - What you pay is what you get.
  • Un-Matched Height & Roomy
  • Refined Engine
  • Gearing Ratios
  • Digital Console for Fuel Indication & Trip Meters.
What We Dis-Like In Maruti Eeco? [thumbsdown]

  • Boxy & Plain Exterior Design
  • Cheap interiors plastic
  • Less Legroom on 3rd row
  • Lack of Power steering & Power windows (even in top end variant)
  • Small tyres spoil the handling at high speeds.
  • Electric wires visible under dashboard
The Automotive India Star Ratings


  • Design -
    (2.5/5)
  • Quality -
    (3.0/5)
  • Comfort Levels -
    (3.0/5)
  • Performance -
    (3.5/5)
  • Ride Quality -
    (3.0/5)
  • Handling -
    (2.5/5)
  • Fuel Efficiency -
    (3.5/5)
  • Safety -
    (2.5/5)
  • After Sales Service -
    (4.5/5)
  • Value For Money -
    (4.5/5)

The Automotive India's Verdict



Extremely Economical and Compact Omni, That is what we call "Eeco" to be. Maruti Eeco is currently the most spacious MPV available at this price, Though the car has no frills in terms of basic equipments like power windows, power steering etc and the interior as well as exterior designing is plain too but what it will make sell is the attractive price tag. If you need to carry joint family but are on a tight budget, Eeco is the car you should look at or even small businessmen who need to transport the goods in or across the towns, Eeco could prove to be a perfect buy because those days will be over soon when people with such requirements considered the Omni as it will be discontinued in all major cities to meet stricter emission norms which go on force in April this year and that is why the stripped down Versa a.k.a Eeco has been introduced to compensate its place. We wonder if Maruti would have introduced Versa at this attractive price way back on its release in October 2001, The name "Versa" might have never entered in "Indian Flop cars" list.
 
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Variants & Pricing

  • 5-Seater > Rs.2,58,999
  • 5-Seater (A/C) > Rs.2,88,999
  • 7-Seater > Rs.2,75,000
Colors Option:
  • Superior White
  • Bright Red
  • Midnight Black*
  • Silky Silver*
  • Blue Blaze*
  • Glistening Grey*
(* Metallic Colors)

Detailed Specifications

Engine :
- 1.2 Liter

No. Of Cylinders:
- 4

Displacement:
- 1196cc

Power:
- 73 BHP @6000 RPM

Torque:
- 101 NM @3000 RPM

Transmission :
- 5 Speed Manual

Brakes :

Front
- Ventilated Discs

Rear
- Drums

Suspension :

Front
McPherson Struts with Anti-Roll Bars

Rear
Three-Link Rigid

Wheels & Tires:
155 R13 LT, Steel Wheels & Tubeless Tires.

Dimensions :

  • Length - 3675mm
  • Width - 1475mm
  • Height - 1800mm
  • Wheel Base - 2350mm
  • Kerb Weight - 923 Kgs
  • Ground Clearance: 160mm
  • Fuel Tank Capacity - 40 Liters
 
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From Where To Bring Home a Maruti Suzuki Eeco?

Impressed with our Report and Maruti Eeco? TAI will help you to Locate the Dealers.

New Delhi:
Name: Competent Automobiles
Address: 19,Shivaji Marg
Contact: 011-45790000

Mumbai:
Name: Vitesse Motors
Address: Turf View, Seth Motilal G Sanghi Marg, Worli.
Contact: 022-24945464

Kolkata:
Name: Machino Techno
Address: Jindal House, 8-A, Alipore Road
Contact: 033-30487740

Chennai:
Name: Khivraj Motors
Address: 623, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 006.
Contact: 044-42269555

Living in some other location? Contact Us and our team will help you to locate a dealer in your area or take advice to choose a right car for yourself. Also, When inquiring from a dealer, Please mention "www. The Automotive India .com" and help us to spread the word.


Once you've bought the car, We're still here for your service, Post your auto-related queries in forums to get the correct answers.

Report Credits:
Road Test & Photography : Adam Aniz (Zinam)
Text & Format: Vibhor Tyagi (350Z)

(Source of Eeco Diagram in Post #7: www.marutisuzukieeco.in)
Note: Article/Pictures can not be reproduced in any form without written permission of The Automotive India's authority. (2008-2010)
 

350Z

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Report Added.
Yet another Exclusive by TAI. This is the first most detailed Road Test Report of Maruti Suzuki Eeco on Internet. :smile:

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
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Wow exclusive report first on net! Kudos to Zinam and TAI!! Once again great report 350Z and great pictures from Zinam. And Zinam i know the place exactly where you have tested this , in that tambaram bye-pass near that HP petrol bunk!![:D]


The interiors look very ordinary but we cannot expect anything more at this price tag. Everything from the placing of the engine to the fuel tank lid looks odd! But lack of headrests even in the top end model will be tiresome a journey for more than an hour for sure. Similarly they could have provided power-windows and central locking also. This clearly indicates that MSIL have planned this vehicle for the commercial segment and not much for family use!


The FE is not that great , doesn the Omni deliver better figures??(somebody confirm this) This car is not meant to be driven at high speeds due to those puny tyres and lack of power steering.


Overall a good replacement for Omni actually better and more roomy with a more refined engine. Can be a hit in the commercial segment as it is properly priced. Maruti has learned their lesson from Versa!


Hey Zinam is that you sitting in the rear seat?? If you for your height cannot find adequate leg room then i cannot imagine myself sitting in the rear seats itself for my height. I would have to fold my legs to sit inside!![lol]
 
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Great report again guys. This is really exclusive.[thumbsup]

Maruti has not provided power windows and central locking is missing as well even on the top-end variant
How did you feel driving without power steering? Did you have to put more effort?

The tyres of Eeco are puny 155mm R13 spoils the stability at higher speed
Very much under-tyred, as earlier version. And it looks more small because of its hight, same as WagonR.

Electric wires visible under dashboard
This is bad. At-least they can hide these things.

But, at this value, whatever they are providing is useful.
 

350Z

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How did you feel driving without power steering? Did you have to put more effort?
Yes. Obviously more efforts have to be thrown in for Non-Power steered car and as it's said in report, It is a chore when you are driving especially in heavy packed areas but actually its all about getting used to, Once you are driving car on regular basis it can be neglected sometimes. Not that a magic wand turns it into powered steering but all about getting “used to” as I said. This is what my experience in non-powered steering cars has been yet.

Very much under-tyred, as earlier version. And it looks more small because of its hight, same as WagonR.
In addition to this, The roof has been chopped as well if we notice carefully.

Maruti-Suzuki-Eeco-Side-View.jpg

Maruti-Suzuki-Versa-Side-View.jpg

This is bad. At-least they can hide these things.
Cost Cutting. Almost all cheap models from Maruti have this issue, 800 for example.

The interiors look very ordinary but we cannot expect anything more at this price tag.
They are ordinary indeed but we expected some fabric on doors, Atleast on top-end model with little features like couple of power windows and powered steering. Maruti, Please?

Everything from the placing of the engine to the fuel tank lid looks odd!
Location is odd but must say, Both of them are cleverly placed

The FE is not that great , doesn the Omni deliver better figures??(somebody confirm this)
Maruti Omni returns almost same mileage that of 800, that is 16kpl in cities and 19kpl on highway trips, So yes its more than of Eeco but then more passengers can be seated as well. :smile:


Overall a good replacement for Omni actually better and more roomy with a more refined engine. Can be a hit in the commercial segment as it is properly priced. Maruti has learned their lesson from Versa!
Price is proper already. It could prove to be a good family car and seems like it will soon become dearer to taxi operators as well.

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
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Thanks Dhaya, RSM & Aditya!

@ RSM - Yes. Driving a Non Power steering car is hectic in heavy traffic. You dont have any chances to zip, zap & vroom away! But at speeds more than 40kmph, you can do anything you want!

@Dhaya - Since we owned Omni, the mileage figures ae quite good since its underpowered to Eeco! We get around 14 in City & 17 in Highways!
 

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