Ritz ZDi Review
Maruti India is the leading car makers and distributors in the country and has been in this top slot since many years now. The company has quite a few cars in their splendid fleet with at least one vehicle in each segment of the lucrative Indian car market. One such impressive and adorable hatchback from their stable, Maruti Ritz is said to be one of their fastest selling car in the hatchback segment. This wonderful hatchback is offered in both petrol and diesel variants and was first introduced in the Indian market in year, 2009. Since then this fuel efficient hatchback has been doing incredible business for the company and is also instrumental in generating huge revenues for Maruti India. Maruti Ritz is said to be the quickest car in its segment to have crossed sales of close to 1 lac units in just about 18 months, which is in the hatchback segment. This hatchback is also very active on the very popular social networking website, Facebook and Maruti Ritz boasts of more than a million fans and subscribers following it. The refreshed new avatar has been given quite a number of changes both internally and on the outside as well. Maruti India has also added a brand new top end version, which is called as the Maruti Ritz ZDI . This high end trim has been bestowed with some of the most wonderful and exciting features, which will certainly lure the new generation drivers. The company claims that they have given this new refreshed Maruti Ritz with a whopping 52 changes, which include the interiors, exteriors, safety and comfort features as well. Maruti India has also added three new and exciting exterior paint options, which are a granite grey, breeze blue along with the existing superior white, silky silver, bakers chocolate and a exquisite mystique red (for the top and mid level variants) as well. Maruti Ritz ZDi is equipped with a 1.3 litre diesel power train that has a DDiS fuel supply system and has been tweaked to give an improvised mileage of 23.2 kmpl, which is close to 10% better than its earlier version that used to generate around 21.1 kmpl.
Exteriors
Maruti India has made quite a few impressive changes to this new refreshed hatchback. The Maruti Ritz ZDi is the latest entrant in this model lineup and has a newly designed and very sleek front façade. The neatly designed signature front grille, which resembles a smiling face, has been refined and now looks more refined and cultured. This radiator grille is in two parts and is divided by a body colored slat, which houses the number plate on it and below it is what can be termed as an air dam. The renowned Suzuki emblem has been embossed in the center, while the bonnet is very lustrous with a couple of character lines giving it a new and polished look. The radiator grille is surrounded with a bright and luminous head lamp cluster, which has a new design and is powered with high intensity lamps for crystal clear visibility to the driver. Below these head lamps, there are a couple of brilliant fog lamps, which have been integrated in the body colored bumper and also further enhances the visibility of the driver. The front wind screen is quite large and made of toughened glass that offers a wider view; it has been equipped with a pair of intermittent wipers as well. The side profile also gets some notable changes apart from the body colored outside rear view mirrors and door handles. The company has given this latest 2012 Maruti Ritz ZDI with thick body side moulding to avoid scratches, while the subtle and neatly carved out wheel arches have been bestowed with a trendy set of light alloy wheels, which add to the sportiness of this hatchback. The new Maruti Ritz ZDI also gets a rear spoiler, which gives it an energetic look along with a trimly done up tail lamp cluster.
Interiors
The insides of this charming hatchback has been done up very tastefully with new red dual tone interiors. The seating arrangement has been tweaked a bit in comparison with the older version and the latest seats are now more comfortable and lavish with improved lumbar support. The front seat is height adjustable while all the other seats give a very comfy driving experience. The central console has the similar flowing waterfall like design which starts with the music system and then to the gear lever. There are quite a few storage spaces as well such as cup and bottle holders between the seats and a large glove box as well. The boot compartment is fairly good enough to keep a few things, while there is a spare wheel attached below it. The driver and passenger sun visor have a mirror, while there are three assist grips as well in this hatchback. The dash board is smooth and the interior plastic quality is quite good. The accelerator, brake and clutch controls are very firm and made of good quality material. The instrument cluster has quite a number of notification lamps, which helps the driver in many ways. The interiors are quite spacious and can accommodate five people effortlessly and give them a pleasurable driving experience. Overall, the interiors of this new Maruti Ritz ZDI are extremely impressive and will without doubt lure the customers into buying it.
Engine and Performance
The company has slightly fine tuned the highly acclaimed 1.3 litre direct diesel injection system based diesel engine . This tweaked power train can displace close to 1248cc along with a five step multi injection fuel supply system technology to generate a better fuel efficiency than its older sibling. This latest Maruti Ritz ZDI will now generate close to 10 per cent better mileage, which is said to be around 23.2 kmpl and is the certified fuel efficiency as per the CMVR (central motor vehicle rules). This diesel power train has a combination of a turbocharger along with an intercooler and can propel this hatchback from 0 – 60 kmph in just about 14.3 seconds , which is quite outstanding. This 1.3 L engine can produce a peak power output of 73.5 Bhp at 4000 Rpm in combination with a pounding torque of 190 Nm at 2000 Rpm. This highly praised diesel mill has been cleverly mated with a smooth and efficient five speed manual transmission gear box .
Braking and Handling
This new Maruti Ritz ZDI has been equipped with a ventilated disc type braking mechanism for the front wheels, while the rear wheels get a drum type mechanism. Apart from these, this hatchback also gets the advanced anti lock braking system as well for additional advantage and safety . The front wheel suspension of this hatchback is fitted with a McPherson strut type mechanism along with a torsion beam, while the rear axle gets a torsion beam and a coil spring as well for better stability and balance.
Safety Features
The list of safety features that are included in this 2012 Maruti Ritz ZDI are central locking, power door locks, child safety locks for both the rear doors, dual front airbags for added protection of the front passengers, a pair of front fog lamps for enhanced visibility to the driver in bad weather conditions, front and rear seat belts, side impact beams for extra protection from any side impact to the vehicle. Apart from these there are other notification lamps such as a seat belt warning for the driver, a door ajar warning notification lamp, engine check warning, a day and night internal rear view mirror and several other such safety and security features for the protection of the passengers and also the vehicle.
Comfort Features
This all new Maruti Ritz ZDI is the top end variant in the diesel lineup and has been equipped with some of the most interesting comfort features for the customers. These features comprise of electrically adjustable external rear view mirrors, a tilt and telescopic power steering that now gets mounted control buttons for the audio system, a proficient air conditioning unit that cools the cabin within no time, an advanced music system with USB interface , Radio FM, CD MP3 player with speakers for in-cabin entertainment, 60:40 foldable rear seats for taking in extra things, a multi-information display in the instrument panel that also displays the fuel efficiency and other vital information to the driver. Apart from these, there are quite a number of other exciting and utility features, which enhance the comfort level of the passengers and give them an enjoyable driving experience.
Pros
Excellent and very striking exterior features, internal comfort and safety features are quite good, engine is powerful and the increased fuel efficiency is a boon.
Cons
Engine sound and vibration levels can be decreased, rear seat is little cramped up for a taller fifth passenger and the boot compartment space is quite less.
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