May 23, 2017 01:15 PM
8886 Views
I am writing this review after using this car for a good 6 months.
VB ZDI+ is technically my 3rd car. My 1st was the Swift Dzire ZDI(2008 model). 2nd was the Alto K10 Vxi Automatic(2015). The VB ZDi+ was replacement for the Swift Dzire ZDI.
It does look like I am a Maruti loyalist. I was not one to start with. But have become one over the years.
My Dzire ZDI was a work horse. It served me really well for 8 years. So when me & my wife started thinking about a car to replace the Dzire, it had to be exemplary, par excellence.
We felt we should only go for SUV's. As we wanted to avoid the problem of the chassis hitting the ground while maneuvering over bumps & pot holes especially when there were ore than 4 people in the car.
We did test drive a bung of Cars/ SUV's in the segment.
Duster was a large car with a huge boot that could be converted into a seating space for 2. But its interiors were sub-standard. The car barely had any electronics. Duster although had an amazingly smooth ride.
Hyundai Creta had good electronics and a ride comfort that was in between the Duster and Brezza . But the high end version was INR 4 lacs higher than the high end version of Brezza.
Ecosport did'nt even make the list.
So here's a laundry list not only the good things but also the bad things about this car
The GOOD ONE'S first
1) The steering is so amazing and smooth. It's almost feather touch. I am struggling to steer my ALTO K10 VXIi Automatic after driving the BREZZA. And I thought ALTO was feather touch after driving my DZIRE ZDI for 8 years.
Just amazed by this car.
2.) The interiors are high quality and give an expensive car feel.
3.) Dashboard Electronics are amazing. The color changing speedometer console lights are tendy and just add to the coolness of the interiors. I have attached a link to a video I created to show you how it works.
4.) The entertainment system has apple car play. It can also be controlled using an Android App. You can connect your Android as well as Apple phones to the bluetooth. And you can actually give commands like "Call Subha" to the device and the voice recognition is so amazing that the device places a call. It would also ask you for options if the person is associated with multiple numbers or there are multiple people with the same name. THIS IS PAR EXCELLENCE.
5.) Cruise control works perfectly well, bu you need to be at least at 80km/hr to engage it.
6.) Rear parking camera, sensor & assist - they are great. The camera is WIDE ANGLE so it covers a lot of area in its view.
7.) There's a compartment in the DASHBOARD(left side) to keep things cool(it has an AC Vent just for it). This is great if you want to keep a few cans of juices or chocolates during your long drives.
8.) Glove compartment - Light. Absolutely amazing addition.
9.) Sunshade Mirror with Light - this is a very thoughtful thing that Maruti did. This is great for ladies who wish to tidy up their hair before they get out of the car.
10.) Engine is amazingly tuned to meet the need of this SUV. I have clocked 140 kmph. The car was amazingly smooth even at those speeds.
11.) Millage - I get about 13-15kmpl when I drive in the city(Bengaluru) in Stop & go traffic - 35km in 2.5hrs. Highways I get about 23-24kmpl.
Now the BAD things
1.) No discounts for long term loyal Maruti customers. This is sort of a bummer. I felt Maruti owed this to me.
2.) The spare tyre(Stepney) - is a normal wheel and not an alloy wheel. Maruti has reduced cost here. So If you have a flat tyre. You would be running on 3 alloy's & 1 non-alloy. It kinda funny.
3.) Boot Space - is a paltry 70% of my Dzire(328 ltrs(vs Dzre's 464). This can be a let down. Although if only 2 people are riding you can fold the back seats fold over too. So your luggage space increases drastically. Else you can put a carrier on the roof.
4.) No leather eats, not even seat covers in the high end. This is really really sad.
5.) This car Like all maruti's is a FRONT WHEEL DRIVE with a Monococque chassis. So technically ITS NOT FIT FOR OFF ROADING. Its a GOOD value for money CITY car which is good for long drives. I had gotten into a situation a couple of months back when my front left well went into a pit dug for some construction work while turning left to a petrol pump. The angle was such that my back left tyre was in the air. There was no damage cause I was dead slow. Although the car had to be towed out of it. I would not have had a problem with a true 4 wheel drive. But yeah a 4WD would be significantly more expensive too.
I don't think I have anything else to tell you about this car.
Over all I love this car and would recommend it to everyone brazenly.
Please feel free to reach out to me in case of any queries or questions regarding the car.
Happy Driving.
