Maruti’s A-Star is not only an important car for Maruti but even for Hyundai. After the launch of the Hyundai i10, Maruti hasn’t had swift sales. However the A-Star is set to change that. The Maruti A-Star has been priced very well and we won’t be suprised if it becomes the car of the year either. However its not all that good as it appears.
Surely the A-Star looks cute and uses the latest K series engine but Maruti seems to be missing the point. Well almost. They already have 4 cars in the same segment and they plan to launch the Splash as well. How many small cars will Maruti launch? They should phase out the Wagon R and Zen Estilo.
The A-Star surely is a good car and has the capabilities to take the fight to Hyundai’s i10. It looks cute and built quality is better than the Swift. The mid range VXi comes with integrated audio system with remote. However tachometer is only present on the top model. A bit disappointing and looks like an afterthought.
Rear legroom is nothing to talk about either. But then remember this is a small car and targetted towards unmarried bachelors :P aka the youth and people who want a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th car in their garage.
Boot space is good for a small car and the interiors seem to be a control + c and control + v job from the Swift. The steering, AC vents, gear lever are a few things which are straight lift from its elder sibling. Not that its a bad thing but Grand Vitara owners will feel a bit upset about same.
The A-Star ZXi at Rs. 4.9 lacs OTR, Mumbai is not only expensive but makes me wonder why would i buy a small A-Star for that much money when i can get a Maruti Swift VXi. The VXi variant is going to be selling the most. Overall the A-Star is a car in the right direction for Maruti but it might just not be able to dethrone the i10. Test Drive review to follow, stay tuned.
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May 13, 2009 at 1:11 am
Nandu,
I endorse Fas’s views. Honda City is a good car, economy as well as comfort. It falls among the big category, and it is easy to maintain, as compared to Ford.
I do not have any deep knowledge about used cars, havent tried one so far.
A used Honda is dependable; especially after giving it a good look and taking a test drive
All the best in your endeavour Nandu
Raghu
May 13, 2009 at 8:26 am
thx raghu
fas, am waiting for ur sugession about—-in big car which one u like most– look wise, maintenence wise, milage wise, interior wise ,thx
May 13, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Nandu, in big cars I really like the Fiat Linea. The Fiesta is also a superb car, and the limited edition is a steal at Rs. 5.55 lakhs.
May 13, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Hello friends,
I have a 4.5 year old maruti alto (standard) version and I am planning to buy a new car in coming 3 months. I really like A star and I am daydreaming of driving an A star. I am planning to buy ZXi version which has all the facilities like ABS, Air bags, stereo etc. as my current car (alto standard) don’t have AC , power steering, power window (not even a stereo!!) So I have decided that I will buy a car with all the luxuries which I missed since so many years in my car and will drive like a king!
So my dilemma is that should I go for A star ZXi or should I go for ritz, lets say VXi which will fit under my budget of 5 lakhs? I know ritz vxi will not have as much luxuries as A star zxi. I am from nasik and A star zxi will cost around 4.80 lakhs. Is that overpriced? My driving mileage is not greater than 500-600 km per month so will A star be a good choice for that?
Please let me know your views
Aniruddha
May 13, 2009 at 11:35 pm
Aniruddha, the Ritz will be a bigger car than the A-Star. It will have more space and will drive better. I would suggest you get the Ritz, its a better car than the A-Star.
May 14, 2009 at 5:10 pm
below
May 14, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Hi Aniruddha,
Ritz is going to be lauched tomorrow. It is going to have more space than AStar with bigger engine options (KB series family) and a diesel option. It is going to be a tall boy design like the wagon r. but the looks suggest that they have worked out on the DRAG factor that wagon r has when driving on a highway. Hope it would handle better than a wagon r at high speeds. Do a test drive and check it out.
I own an ASTAR and i am proud of it. It has the space i require and the features for my budget. I travel between Bangalore and Chennai very often so preferred the low height Astar with a low drag and better handling at high speeds. I had no reason to wait for the Ritz.
May 14, 2009 at 5:19 pm
I had problems submitting comments the first time and thought it never came through… so had to retype :) so i will delete my first comment.
May 15, 2009 at 1:21 am
Comment from Raghu : -
Hello Sundar,
Nice to have you back.
Please tell me what is meant by drag…. How do cars with low height provide you less drag ??
Thanks in advance.
Raghu
May 15, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Hay Fas, I was referring to the Air Drag. Not sure if it matters to every one. Taller the car it gets to pass through more volume of air… aerodynamics – See racing cars F1, GP2, rally cars, they are low and stick on to the road. I am not saying I would drive over 120 :) though.
Air drag hits almost every car -zen, esteem which are low – but you feel it less when you drive. No offence against wagon r – definitely a far big spacious maruthi car than its siblings, I definitely felt more of this effect in the it.
If we look at Rits on the side, its more smooth and steady inclaination from the bonnet to the top – like the innova for example. So i suspect Ritz even though its taller – would not have the drag experienced in a wagon r – Just a thought – I may be wrong – I imagined a wind tunnel :)
May 15, 2009 at 10:09 pm
K Sundar, well the more aerodynamic the car, the more slippery it will be and better for stability and performance. If you notice the last generation Honda City was designed in such a way, that it gave more performance then its figures suggested. What you are saying is totally right, but very few people look into this aspect, LOL.
May 15, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Fas, agreed. Aerodynamics without wings and speeds below 200Kmph (for the wings to work) does not assist in better grip. its about better handling. I guess you meant this whan you mentioned the word ‘slippery’.
May 15, 2009 at 10:59 pm
K Sundar, you are right. Any types of wings don’t work till 160kmph, so its useless to add rear spoilers. However its not safe to drive at high speeds on Indian roads due to poor roads and bad traffic sense.
May 15, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Sundar and fas,
THanks for parting with the information on drag. I have heard about aerodynamic design being adopted in many Thiruvalluvar – and also Bangalore-Hosur tamilnadu transport buses in the 90s. The body would be slightly projected towards the front. I am not a technical person but what I could make out was that the vehicle’s front projection would push the air to both sides so that it can pass through the passage without much resistance from air. That way, the engine has to exert less which would ensure better performance and fuel economy.
Please correct me if i am wrong.
BTW, saw i20 at our Apco Hyundai showroom here in Calicut. A sleek car but better suited for the upwardly mobile… price-wise mainly…
A lot of features though. Not for the middle-class for sure..
Share your thoughts on that please
See you later.
May 16, 2009 at 10:02 am
Fas, right the rear spoilers are for the looks ONLY for our road conditions
Raghu, you are correct, I remember those buses. Bus is too tall to pass the air upwards, so they designed it to dirvert to the sides. It improves efficiency a bit. But for a bus it does not matter though coz they cannot bring down the height of the chasis. Look at the Volvos for example – they look like a very tall box… So they concentrate on an efficient torque’y engine design.
But for cars, they are small – smaller engine – and more importantly driven much faster by common ppl. so the aerodynamics cannot just be efficiency but also safety in the form of better handling. I think pretty much all maufacturer is keeping this as a key in their design boards. Its just the cars differ a little with in limits when it is handling due to aerodynamics and the physical – height & width.
May 16, 2009 at 10:13 am
Yes, One of my friend got an i20. Looks are stunning and has tons of features at a mightly cost. 6.75L Bangalore on road for mid model. it will pretty much make you lazy coz even the OVRM is automatic. Complex systems and electorics more costly to maintain as well. I drove it within our office building. The steering was immeidately catchy – The finish and the lightness. I guess cost will drive many away – there are many options available if you have 7L in your pocket. Its is to compete with Fabia and Jazz lets see where it does after launch of Jazz coz fabia is not a run away hit in the upper hatch back segment.
Some one who would admire these features and the car like my friend did – will buy this car with eyes closed.
May 17, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Is it possible to list out 3 advantages of buying A Star over Ritz?? is there any reason why anyone should buy Ritz over A star, if rear seat/boot space is not an issue?
May 17, 2009 at 7:24 pm
VIJAYAK, I have not seen or did a test drive of Ritz yet. If boot space of Astar is enough for you – You get the Astar – you save on buying as well as running it. You will be amazed by its performance. According to me, boot is the only factor that is less in Astar.
Astar over Ritz:
1. You can save on buying and owning it than the Ritz – any varient.
2. Shorter – less air drag (not sure if this is a concern for you)
3. – I could not think of anything else –
Ritz over Astar: from my intial assessment on Ritz from the brochure.
1. More space for sure
2. Zxi includes alloy wheels, audio controls in steering – which ASTAR does not have. But VXI ZXI price difference is over 40K unlike the Astar
3. Seems to have better interiors.
May 26, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Raghu / Fas / Sunder
I have checked the reviews and I am really confused with the positive and negative reviews. I am planning to buy A-Star VXI. Please let me know your honest reviews/feedback about A-Star.
May 26, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Shalini, the A-Star is a very good car. Every car has its negatives but the A-Stars positives far outweigh the negatives. Close your eyes and get the A-Star, you won’t be disappointed.
May 26, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Thank you FAS
Please keep me posted on the reviews/comments you get about A-Star. Also let me know the cost – OTR for both VXI & ZXI Models. This should help me decide the model. I am based in Bangalore.
May 26, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Shalini, your most welcome. The cost of the A-Star VXi is Rs. 4,22,620/- and the A-Star ZXi is Rs. 4,63,040/- All prices OTR, Bangalore.
May 27, 2009 at 3:12 pm
hi fas i like to buy honda city vtec 2002 model 45000 km running
its cost 2.75lacs, can i buy this car , how is this car and how much milage it will give
May 27, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Anil, you can go ahead and get the car. Mileage is around 10kmpl but the performance is awesome. Make sure you check the suspension, exhaust and the condition of the engine. The VTEC engine is a absolute delight.
May 27, 2009 at 3:24 pm
thx fas
wt is the differenrt honda city and hondacity v tech , and milage only 10 km it will give?
May 27, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Anil, the VTEC has a VTEC engine with 1066bhp, alloys and 14″ tyres. The non-VTEC version has 13″ wheels, no alloys and 100bhp. In City it will give 10kmpl, highways it will give 12kmpl. That is quite good for a car like this, because very few petrol cars touch double digits. I am saying the minimum mileage. Depending on your driving you can get more.
May 28, 2009 at 6:52 am
My friend just tell me and I can’t believe it, Mike’s daughter are dead so tragedy and so sad. I am a big fan of him, he is a great guy, best boxer – crazy little bet but every body know him and like him.
May 28, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Hi Fas,
I have read your commnents on the maruti A star. Within a month or two I will be buying a car. My budget is 4.0 to 4.5 lakhs (On Road Price ofcourse, I am a resident of kolkata !!) and this would my first car. SoI am really in a fix, between Zen estilo, A star and Maruti WagonR. I have downloaded the brochures of the mentoned cars and have gone through them. So now I will request you to solve this problem for me and suggest me that which car I should buy.
Secondly, few of my friends are telling me to by the car after the monsoon (in the month of November or December) as the water logging in the city can affect the new engine of my car. So what shopuld I do???
May 29, 2009 at 12:05 am
Anindya, out of the three cars you have zeroed in on I would suggest you the A-Star. The Maruti A-Star comes with the latest K-Series engine, which the other two cars you mentioned will soon be getting. Almost all cars in the Maruti line-up are set to get engine changes except the A-Star and the Ritz. Thus its a no brainer, get the A-Star VXi (comes well within your budget) and with the remaining change, you can install a good music system, seat covers and other accessories you would like. If you stretch your budget by 10k or so the ZXi is a worthy buy with ABS and airbags.
Last year there was terrible flooding in Kolkata so it would be good to postpone the buying decision. However the flooding will happen every year so we can’t really run away from it. You will need to protect your car, because flood water can destroy the ECU and companies void the warranty saying they don’t cover natural calamities. In water logged areas (the water should not be too much that water gets in through the grille) you will have to revv the engine a bit to make sure water does not enter through the exhausts.
May 29, 2009 at 11:30 am
Thanks fas, for your help.
C you.
May 29, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Dear Fas,
I am planning to buy car between Rs.3.75~Rs.4.5 lacs. Car Shortlisted by me are Getz Prime1.1, A-Star, i10 1.1 or 1.2, Ritz Lxi or any other as per you. I like Swift VDI & Ritz VDI but Price is a problem for me.
Pl suggest Whether to go with Petrol & diesel car. My running in not more than 700~1000 kms. My company pay me for the exp of car. I ove Maruti Zen.
May 29, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Ankur, since your running is low and your company gives you fuel, mileage is not a concern. Thus I would suggest you buy the Hyundai i10 1.2 or Ritz LXi. Don’t buy Swift petrol because its going to get a new engine soon. If you can stretch a bit the Swift VDi is a fantastic car too. Its not only mileage where the Swift Diesel rocks, but the superb torque and the kick in the pants feel the engine gives you once the turbo kicks in.
June 1, 2009 at 11:54 am
What do you say about Getz Prime 1.1 as it Rs.3.95 Lacs with Loyality bonus of Rs.20K & corproate bonus Rs.4 K would cost me around Rs.3.71 only OTR A’bad. Is worth buying it.
June 1, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Ankur, at that price the Getz is absolutely value. The space, ride and comfort of the car is in a league of its own. What you waiting for, at that price, go get it. Its totally worth the money :)
June 1, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Fas,
Thanks Can u give your cell no I would like to discuss with you.
i10 1.2 Cost OTR – Rs.4.44 with some Rs.15 K discout & Ritz Lxi is also Rs.4.44 without any Discount.
Still you would suggest to go with new technology for future better drive.
June 1, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Ankur, if you can stretch than the i10 is a better bet. It has a more powerful engine, better mileage and will have better resale. I would suggest you get the i10 is price is not a issue. The i10 has the latest Kappa engine and the car is relatively new. The Getz will be discontinued soon.
A better way to talk would be through gtalk since I am not in a position to talk right now.
I would suggest you go to the Hyundai showroom, sit in both the cars, see which is more comfortable. Test drive both cars and than decide.
June 4, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Dear Fas,
I have just TD of A-star, I found it drving pleasure & very strudy on road at even high speed better than i10. What would you suggest.
In terms of mileage it is around 19+ are many custoomer in city & highway around 23 kmpl. I really got impressed with driving pleasure.
I am in mood to go with A-star vxi version. It this VFM & best resale.
June 4, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Ankur, yes the A-Star is value for money. You liked the car, then you should go for it. But mileage figures seem a bit stretched. You wont get 19, but expect 16-17 in city and 19-20 on highway. Resale will be very good, since its a newly launched car (hence no discounts) and its a Maruti.
June 5, 2009 at 9:34 am
Ankur,
Handling of this car is just perfect. Its just inch perfect when it comes to taking curves at speeds over 80Kmph. As Fas said, Mileage will be around 15 ~16 with in city. May be a km more if you reduce the usage of AC. I am getting a 16. I try to keep the windows down before 7 AM and after 10 PM drives.
I find the hard suspension set up for better handling results in more jumping for slow speed (10~20 kmph) bumps in city especially in the road around my residence in Bangalore – i am planning to shift anyway :)
My Astar came with JK’s – The ones i preyed not to come with. Its making hell of a sound at 70+ speeds. same happened with my old Zen as well. I dont know why maruthi has a tie up wit JKs
June 5, 2009 at 9:36 am
New bridgestones in my old zen is so quiet even at 100+ speed. but I dont have plans to change these JKs soon.