Maruti Suzuki SX4 Diesel Market Response

Launched on 22 February 2011, the SX4 Diesel is similar to the petrol SX4 in terms of design and fitment; the only difference being the type of engine. The DDiS engine which promises to be just as macho yet offers the efficiencies of having a diesel heart. But does this diesel power plant stand up against the strong fan following the petrol engined SX4 has garnered over the years? Here is what potential customers have to say…

"The SX4 diesel is great to drive and the engine is rather refined. If you want a car that is truly enjoyable to drive, then this is the car for you," exclaims Dr. Purveesh Sethi, a dentist and an auto enthusiast in Bangalore who test drove the SX4 diesel soon after it got launched.

A similar line of thought was echoed by Rishi Miglani from Gurgaon and Ankur Paliwal of Delhi when they first drove the car. Both of them thoroughly enjoyed driving the SX4 DDiS and were rather impressed by the silent engine. In fact Rishi stated that he couldn’t make out of this was indeed a diesel because it drove like a petrol!  Ankur was also sold on the fact that the SX4 diesel could just rocket from 0-100kmph in a manner best described as fantastic.

On the other hand, Mayank Rastogi, a resident of Mumbai, was happy with the diesel engine, but felt that Maruti should have taken the opportunity to also spruce up the interiors. He felt that the quality was not in comparison with what the competition offers. This would have really worked at giving the diesel a definite edge over its direct competition.

Talking about competition, the SX4 diesel does have its job cut out for it is pitted against the likes of the Fiat Linea and Tata Manza which also boast of a similar engine derived from the now famous 1.3 JTD from Fiat. Having said that, Maruti Suzuki has had the ability to refine this engine better than the other two and have proved this with their Swift and Ritz hatchbacks which are also powered by the standard 1.3 DDiS unit.

Interestingly, no one complained about the pricing or the features list on the SX4 diesel. MSIL has been known to offer great value for money propositions in terms of their products and from the initial survey it does seem that the SX4 diesel is indeed a product worth reckoning with.

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Dealer Verdict:

The dealers are rather overjoyed for the response to the SX4 diesel has been stellar. With fuel prices constantly rising, more buyers are looking at diesel offerings, so when a potential SX4 customer walks in, we are happy to educate them on the new engine and its benefits. The 1.3 litre multijet unit might seem small, however we inform customers about the variable geometry turbocharger and the fact that the car generates an impressive 90PS@ 4000 rpm and makes a more than satisfactory torque of 200Nm@1750 rpm.

With the inclusion of the diesel engine, the SX4 now caters to a wider audience and judging by the response from the market, it seems as though Maruti Suzuki has  churned out the right product for India.