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The latest offering — the Ritz — also has a quirky rear end. The rear glass area is concave, or a dented rear end, as Maruti calls it. This design saves the glass area and rear lights in case of an accident. The rear lights are boomerang shaped, and gives the Ritz a distinctive look. However, the concave and angular rear shape limits the luggage area. The rest of the car has an aero dynamic shape, and this gives the car good road holding and a fuel average of 17.7 kmpl. Whether you like the looks or not, the interior is carefully thought out — a high-seating position, easy ingress and egress, largest leg and head room in hatchbacks. This is bound to endear itself to senior citizens with arthritis and six-footer sardars with turbans. The interior is also very different. The centre console —waterfall centre console with silver garnish, as Maruti calls it — is attractive and houses the usual knobs and buttons to control the car functions. What is highly unusual is that the gear shift lever is incorporated into the centre console. It may take some time getting used to but the five-speed gear-box and light clutch are a joy to handle. The instrument cluster is hardly that. A large speedometer houses everything. The RPM counter sits on top of the dashboard. The space on top of the dashboard could have been better utilised, as in the Wagon R. There is a utility tray under the passenger seat, which could be handy — for what? Map pockets and cup holders are built into the front doors but they are not enough. In any case, cup holders — read glass holders — are not a good idea. You cannot be sipping a hot beverage and driving at the same time. The engine is probably the strength of the Ritz. It is the K-series 1.2-litre engine. It is Euro IV compliant and Euro V ready. The Ritz also offers the 1.3-litre multi-jet diesel that does duty in the Swift. The K- series petrol engine is also found in the Estillo and A-Star. The Estillo gives 18.2 kmpl and the A-Star 19.6 kmph. Other then fuel efficiency, it means low emissions. Maruti claims that the K-series engines are leaner, meaner and fitter. The ex-showroom prices for the Ritz are from Rs 3.30 lakh (approx.) for the LXi model to the top model ZXi — Rs 4.85 lakh (approx). This would have air bags and ABS brakes. The diesel models with 1.3-litre engine is in the LDi for Rs 4.68 lakh (approx) to VDi at Rs 5.02 lakh (approx). The Maruti Estillo, the best looking hatchback in the Maruti stable, has also been re-born. Most important, it has the K-series engine, which has been down-sized to 1000 cc, the older model had a 1100 cc engine. The engine is Euro IV compliant and Euro V ready. With the introduction of the new Estillo, the Zen has driven off into the sunset. The Zen, with its quirky rear end, shows off the jelly bean shape. The Estillo is a tall boy design which was introduced by the Hyundai Santro and Wagon R. It would seem that this shape finds favour with buyers, young and old. The Estillo is high on safety as well as comfort. Something that owners may never notice is that the distance between the front bumpers and the steering wheel has been increased. This improves the safety of the driver in case of a frontal impact. Visually appealing are the new interior colours, a two-tone combination of beige and chocolate. The seat covers have geometric patterns. The words used by Maruti are bold new looks for describing the Estillo. The front and rear bumpers have been re-designed to give it a bold look. The sweep back headlights have a bold design. The bonnet has a crease, giving the nose a sharp, if not a bold look. Side mouldings and new ORVMs are also redesigned to add to the bold look. The front grill is chromed, and this gives it an up-market look. The best part? Prices start at Rs 3.14 lakh for the LX, and go up to Rs 3.45 lakh for the LXi version. Then there is the Alto, India’s largest selling car. The car has an 800 cc engine and three cylinders. Remember the first Maruti we had? The Alto has four valves per cylinder, a 32-bit on-board computer, an MPFI engine which gives you 47 ps at 6200 RPM and 62 nm of torque at 3000 RPM. It also means fuel efficiency of 18.1 kmpl. The Alto also has the intelligent Computerised Anti-Theft System (CATS). This means that the car can only start with the original key. Of course, it has the AC, heater, collapsible steering and all other goodies to make life comfortable and safe. The price for the standard model with non-metallic paint is Rs 2.26 lakh (approx). The top model, in limited edition, is called Exite. It is only Rs 2.90 lakh. Happy motoring.
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A
few points cannot be denied to Maruti people. They do make some of the
best cars available in the Indian market. They do offer a vast array of
choices, and they do invite remarks about the rear end shapes of their
hatchbacks. The old Zen had an unusual shaped rear end.