In this edition of What Car? we talk about a better deal between Ritz and Swift and Automatic transmission Cars.
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Question 1: Ritz VDI or Swift? Which one should I go for?
Hi Team, I am planning to get a Ritz VDI in a week’s time. I have been a fan of Swift from the day one of its release. But recently after seeing the Ritz, inclined to buy the car for the discounts, price, comfort, features etc. But still have a second thought if I can switch my decision to Swift. It just costs 70K more. And this car will be with me for at least 8 yrs. Please tell what I get in Ritz and what in Swift. What will I loose. Need details info like Suspension, Ergonomics, Dashboard, Utilities, Seat quality, Handling, Drive control etc. I will surely take your detailed inputs before i decide.
The latest offer for Ritz VDI in chennai is 6.5 lakhs onroad.
Also let me know what are the other cars which i get for this budget from other companies. Awaiting your reply.– Rajiv Fernando
MotorBash:
Hi Rajiv,
We hope you must have test driven both the cars to get a basic hang of things. The basic-most difference between both of them is that the aspirational value of Swift is more than Ritz.
While the DDIS on the older Swift/Ritz was more violent, the recent facelifted versions come in relatively tamed tunes. This is basically done to increase fuel efficiency on both the cars. Broadly speaking, both the engines perform almost the same almost all the times. Even after the detuning of engines, these remain two of the most fun-to-drive cars specially on the highways. However, the infamous turbo lag under 2000 rpm is surely annoying in city traffic on both the cars.
New Swift, being lighter and more aerodynamic has a better overall performance including outright and in-gear acceleration. In Swift, you sit lower and it is more of a proper car like posture whereas Ritz seating is higher aiding in easier ingress and egress. The road view is also better on Ritz.
Swift is a considerably better handler and this shows specially on highways. This doesn’t mean Ritz is significantly bad but being a tall-boy it pays the price. Ritz will give you a feel of a more spacious car majorly because of its better headroom. However, both the cars are not the most spacious out there.
Swift has a bigger trunk whereas Ritz has one of the segment’s smallest. Not that Swift’s a whole lot better, but yes its bigger and can accommodate more stuff.
Ritz has an optional ABS option in VDI trim which is not available on Swift. The tiny gear rod with that separate pod-like tachometer gives a sporty feel while driving the Ritz. Gear feel is similar on both the cars.
One more point, like almost all other Maruti cars, both Swift and Ritz are undertyred! Swift feels a little more comfortable both on the back and front, but that depends upon your height as well.
So, if you feel, these differences count upto a difference of Rs 70,000 for you and if you can wait insanely for eons of months, Swift is the car for you. Our suggestion would be to buy the Ritz now. It makes a strong case with its much lower price and discounts and is a very nice all-round car. For the saved Rs 70,000 you can run your car for more than 20,000 kms or can purchase a better set of tyres and other accessories.
For more information on the new Ritz you can check out our following articles:
- New Ritz Facelift – What has Changed? Interior Pics & Comparison with Older Ritz
- We Take the New Maruti Ritz DDIS for a Small Drive, Quick Review with New Pics
Sail U-VA LS, Punto 1.3 Active, Ford Figo TDCI ZXI, Indica Vista Quadrajet VX and Etios Liva GD are the other similar cars you have in this segment around your budget.
Question 2: Should I buy an Automatic Car?
I want to buy an automatic transmission car. Please suggest that should I buy Automatic transmission or not. If you think that this is not good choice for me, please suggest best advice for me in following case.
1.) Which is best Diesel/Petrol.
2.) Should be best in average.
3.) Best in each case.
Please suggest best advice– Sarjeet
MotorBash:
Hi Sarjeet,
You have not mentioned your requirements. Automatic Transmission (AT) cars are gaining popularity these days simply because of the ease with which they can be driven across without the need to use that clutch!
They are as easy to drive around as A-B-C. However, they are not really an enthusiasts choice and are NOT as frugal as their manual transmission counterparts. So, if your drive is extensively in congested traffic and you feel you have had enough of playing with that stick and pressing that clutch, you can go ahead and test drive an Automatic car.
In fact, these days you have plethora of choices in Automatic segment. If you are looking out for a small hatchback car, we have a readymade list prepared specially for people like you. You can read our List of All Upcoming and Available Automatic Hatchback Cars in India.
So, take a test drive of an AT car and if you feel this is the one for you, we can talk more about which one fits your requirements.
For the remaining questions, please understand that there is no individual best car in the market today. The car which fits your requirements/preferences is the one which would become the best for you. So, please enlist your priorities, preferences, expected mileage, budget and zero in on cars which fulfill that.
If your question has been answered we request you to share your views in the following comments section. If you want to ask anything else/more, you can always revert back to us.
For all our readers, you can also ask us similar questions related to cars. If you have been caught in a dilemma on which car to buy you just need to send us a question here or shoot a mail at motorbash@gmail.com
We would do our best to help you in coming to a conclusion.
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