My Grand Vitara AT: Purchase process and observations after first 1100 km | Tech Reddy

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The driver’s seat is very comfortable. I completed two 300 km round trips and had no sign of fatigue. Good seat quality and quiet cabin go a long way!

BHPian buntee90 Recently shared this with other enthusiasts

We brought our blue Grand Vitara Jetta MT home on October 12th. I have driven it under 1100 (800km Highway: 300km City) kilometers in the last two weeks.

What I like:

  • Good security package; 6 Airbags, Disc Brakes All Around, ESC, Hill Hold Assist, Safe Global C Platform.
  • Handsome from the back, cool from the front.
  • Big car feel, commanding driving position, good handling; Everything needed is within easy reach.
  • Consistent build quality and good looking interior. So far no rattles and squeaks.
  • Very refined and silent engine. Top Class NVH; About 1.5P equal to NA Creta.
  • Very tractable engine in the city; 20Kmph in 3rd gear is no problem, press the accelerator lightly and the torque boost from the 48V mild hybrid system ensures no lag. We could easily potter around town in 3rd and 4th gear. Part throttle response is good enough for city speeds.
  • Comfortable and tidy suspension; Small speed breakers at speed; No problem, flyover joint; No problem. Ample ground clearance of ~210mm ensures no underbody scrapes on the rural roads that I regularly do in the southwestern part of Haryana.
  • Responsive and glare free 9″ infotainment system. Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto works flawlessly with iPhone 13 Pro and OnePlus 9 Pro.
  • Mileage is very good; 19-20Kmpl at 90-100 on highway with AC on and 2 passengers on board. Easily manageable with 14-15 AC in city.

What I don’t like:

  • The front end of the car could have been better; Front end of Toyota Highrider is better in my opinion.
  • Engine performance is fine for my needs; Nothing as exciting as the Honda City’s 1.5NA. Complicating matters while I was waiting for the delivery formalities, I drove the Grand Vitara Hybrid variant for a short distance and was blown away by the hybrid’s initial acceleration! I don’t think any car under 25L (non-electric) can touch it at 80Kmph. Later it was closed.
  • Engine noise after 3000RPM. But never drive above 3000RPM.
  • light door; They don’t close 5 times out of 10 in one attempt- very annoying.
  • ‘Archemys tuned’ infotainment sound quality. It is acceptable after a few tweaks.
  • The Creta has a plusher ride at low speeds.
  • Okayish headlight performance; Good on low beam but struggles on high beam on undivided roads with oncoming traffic. I believe the Brezza has better headlight throw and brightness.

Primary Selection List:

Brezza Zxi AT:

Reliable, roomy, efficient, good AT gearbox, no head room issues for my 6’2” dad, just fine. Booked in 1st week of September. A silver dual tone Zxi AT was offered by a SA from Pasco Gurgaon but I had two in mind at the time. When I called SA a day later after consulting my family, the car was already sold. Otherwise this post would be about the Brezza AT!

Sonet HTX D AT:

Great engine gearbox combo, cramped cabin, firm suspension bouncy ride. has been cancelled.

Seltos HTC Plus Petrol MT:

A good car with a total of 6 airbags, all wheel discs, ESP as standard. Despite not offering many upgrades over the HTX plus it was ruled out due to poor looks compared to the HTX variant which was overpriced by a good margin. A questionable safety rating of nearly 3 stars and an unstable shell made the decision final.

Creta S Plus Night Edition PMT:

Similar to the Seltos but with a plusher ride and panoramic sunroof. Canceled due to security issues.

Taigun and Kushak were left out due to the less than normal AC performance I’ve experienced during a TD. The 1.5L variants were going out of budget. Road presence was an issue. They look like Nexon, XUV300 competitors.

While waiting for the Brezza Zxi AT, I was thinking that the Grand Vitara Zeta AT variant shouldn’t cost 1.5-1.8L more than the Brezza Zxi AT but Maruti had other plans. The GV Zeta AT was about 3.2L more expensive than the Brezza Zxi AT. Thinking of going with the Grand Vitara Delta AT for a while; It costs about 1L more than the Brezza Zxi AT. But that idea was shelved due to more misses than the Zeta variant.

Meanwhile, I was calling all dealers in Delhi NCR regarding a lucky Brezza Zxi AT cancellation. Some dealers were pushing 20-30k extra accessories to which I said a firm NO. The wait continues.

test drive experience;

In the meantime, Grand Vitara deliveries have started even before the test drive begins! And I curiously asked about the TD version of the MT. Got a call from Rana Nexa Gurgaon and immediately I jumped at TD. The location was 25 km from my house. The TD car was a blue Alfa MT. The first thing I noticed was that the interiors were much nicer than the Brazza. We were 4, 80 kg plus people in the car and I took a long test drive from Rajiv Chowk to Kherki Toll Plaza and back (~20Kms). Gear shift was precise and easy. The car had good low response. It was calm and composed at 100Kmph as it drove over the puddles on the highway. Engine response was fine as I was upgrading from a 2014 Wagon-R. The Grand Vitara has confident inspiring brakes. I found them superior to the Seltos of my friends.

Back home the calculations started: the Zeta MT variant was perfect for us. 9″ responsive infotainment with 6 airbags, alloy wheels, rear wash and wipe, disc brakes on all wheels, ESC, heel hold, great headroom for my 6’2 dad, thoughtful cabin lights on inside door handles and more. The Brezza AT For the 1.6L above I get a better looking car, 6 airbags, 17″ wheels, 9″ infotainment. The misses were the sunroof which my dad was already against (he pushed me towards the Brezza Vxi AT) and the AT gearbox. Since the use The case was 30:70 City: Highway A decision was taken in favor of the MT Grand Vitara.

Booking and Delivery Experience:

My ongoing booking of Brezza AT in Pasco Gurgaon is covered by Grand Vitara Delta AT and later Zeta MT in Pasco Nexa Gurgaon. Also, I thought the Grand Vitara would be easy to get due to the ‘high’ price and I was right! Magic Auto Dwarka, Delhi called me a week later with a Blue Jetta MT available for immediate delivery. No accessories pushed, insurance matched my quote, overall a very good experience at Magic Nexa Dwarka.

I went to SBI for a loan; Minimum documents and best deal 7.85%, branch manager even sent the documents to my office for signature. Overall a great experience with SBI.

The delivery date was finalized and after a bit of drama with the dealership account people (loan payment not coming) I finally got the car on October 12th at 7:15 pm with all family members.

With mother, father taking delivery with daughter and niece.

Cost Breakdown:

  • ₹ 1389000: Ex-showroom
  • ₹ 103500: Registration and road tax Haryana (including 10% roadtax concession for mild hybrids in Haryana)
  • ₹ 40500: Insurance SBI General with RTI, Zero Dip, Engine & Gearbox Protection and Lock & Key Replacement.
  • ₹ 885: Maruti Award.
  • ₹ 5070: Accessories: Nexa Brand 3D Doormat, Visor, Mudflap.
  • 13890 ₹ :TCS.
  • ₹ 23600: Extended warranty up to 5th year.

Total: ₹ 15.76L on Gurgaon roads.

Here are my initial impressions after driving just shy of 1100 km.

Three quarters behind.

Side view.

Appearance:

The car looks great! It looks like a Range Rover from the rear and a Jeep Meridian from the side. It looks big from the outside. The primary reason I went for the Grand Vitara over the Brezza Zxi AT was looks. Another reason is Brezza AT is nowhere to be found after a month of booking.

Comfort and NVH:

I am upgrading from a 2014 Wagon R; The first thing I noticed was how quiet the Vitara is! No outside noise, you can cruise all day at just 90-100 kmph and talk to each other without any trouble. The second is the ability to soak up bumps and bumps on the highway. Over 70 wagons were wobbly and unsteady on the uneven road. Grand Vitara planted and potholes defaced on Delhi-Jaipur NH-48.

AC performance:

The cabin should cool down quickly with UV cut glass and rear AC vents. Can’t comment on AC performance as temperature has dropped in NCR for the past few weeks.

Ergonomics and interior:

The driver’s seat is very comfortable. I completed two 300 km round trips and had no sign of fatigue. Good seat quality and quiet cabin go a long way! The view from the driver’s seat is great. It has seat adjustment range and tilt and telescopic steering driving position is also very comfortable. Coming from the Wagon R, I found the interiors to be well appointed, but the large grained hard plastics on the dash board and upper part of the door trim could have been better. There is plenty of storage space, the door can hold a 1L water bottle. There is also storage space for keys and miscellaneous items.

Engine Gearbox and Mileage:

The engine has less feedback and you can easily cruise around town in 3rd-4th gear at speeds above 20KMPH. Gear shifts are precise and clutch travel is just right. You will have no problem with the gearbox in the city with light traffic. The boost portion from the 48V battery helps throttle response. On the highway, the car is very comfortable at a speed of 90-100. As already mentioned in the review the car maintains a top speed of 100Kmph with the engine spinning at 2900rpm. Instant mileage on the MID is between 19-20 kmpl. I was earlier skeptical about the mileage and engine noise at such high cruising rpms, but after driving 200Km on the awesome NH 152D Trans Haryana highway that doubt went away. After 3000rpm some engine noise creeps in but can’t handle some good music. I believe 90-100 on highway and 14-15 at 19-20Kmpl with AC on is easily manageable. Averaged 16.9 kmpl over 550Kms on first tankfull with 500KM highway and 50 Km heavy traffic with plenty of idleness.

Infotainment and Sound Quality:

Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto work flawlessly with iPhone 13 Pro and OnePlus 9 Pro. The 9″ infotainment is smooth and responsive. No issues there. The sound quality is nothing to write home about. It does the job after a few tweaks to the equalizer.

Tires and Brakes:

The Grand Vitara Jetta comes with 215/60 R17 Apollo Apterra Cross. They are rated for mud and snow. I found them better in terms of comfort and road noise than the Yokohama Earth 1 shod on my cousin’s Swift and a friend’s Brio. Braking excellent all round. Once I had a chance to test the brakes on the highway when a stray dog ​​appeared out of nowhere, the car slowed down without drama at high speeds and planted everywhere. Credit to the tires too. I think Apollo Apterras is underrated.

First service completed at 1080 km. There is no reason.

Cheers!!

Check out the BHPian comments for more insight and information.

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