Excellent

Hi, guys, I bought the car in Aug-2010 when the blue-eyed version was newly launched. The on-road price in Dehradun for Lxi model was 4.25 Lac including accessories. I have driven it 35,000KM till Sep-2015 (though I stay in India for only 5 months a year). I have driven it on highways, city traffic, hill stations and places where there are no roads (Uttarakhand-Himachal-Delhi-Jaipur-UP and some really bad roads). Look and Style: Looks are average as is the case with all Maruti Suzuki cars. Interiors are much better than the previous versions. Dashboard and central console look refreshing. Comfort: Comfortable enough for 4 people on long journeys. 3 in the rear seat becomes little tight. Leg space is more than sufficient. You can stretch your legs easily. Pickup: Pickup is ok. Mileage: City:15-16 with A/C, Highway: 19 with A/C, Hills: 13-15 without A/C (insufficient power to turn A/C on) Best Features: Headroom, leg-space, mileage, ground clearance, low running cost. Needs to improve: Gear shift needs a lot of improvement. Facing problem from day 1 with reverse gear and downshift from 2nd to 1st gear. It is kind of hard to put in the exact slot. Takes some time to get used to it. Overall Experience: Overall experience has been awesome. It was my 1st car. I was planning to go for Alto first but then changed my mind. Seating position is high, road visibility is good (driving on hills you have to work a bit on turns), interiors are good, space is very generous. Boot without the parcel tray can hold 2 large bags easily. Very economical car. A/C is ok for city/highway use. Going uphill with full load becomes very difficult so have to shift to 1st gear very often. Trust me after the free service I have been getting it serviced once annually at a local workshop and he barely charges Rs. 1200 including lube oils and filter change. Running cost- Barely 200 Rs/Month. And trust me I have driven it on some very bad roads.Top speed I could do on highways was 120 KM. Didn't try after that because of vibrations. It is a value for money. Slightly costlier than Alto but with loads of space. Ride and handling are good. Mileage is superb. High-speed stability is not as good. Best to drive between 80-100 KM/hr. Steering is good. Brakes are OK. No breakdown/overhauls. No other issues. Trust me if you are planning it as your 1st car, it is a very good option. Hope people find this useful.