Review: 2013 Maruti Suzuki Ritz Automatic

The popularity and demand of automatic gear box is increasing day by day. A few small automatic hatchbacks already on sale in Indian market. Maruti Suzuki Ritz automatic is the latest entry to this segment.



The Ritz face-lift recently got almost 52 changes on the car and made the hatchback more appealing.



But there is something disappointing that the automatic gearbox is available only with the petrol engine option. The company currently has no plans of introducing an automatic gear box to a diesel engine.

The 2013 Ritz automatic got a VVT engine offers a peak power of 87 PS at 6000 rpm and peak torque of 115 Nm at 4500 rpm. The engine comes mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. The four speed automatic gear box is very similar to the Swift Dzire and A-star. The vehicle has a better part-throttle responses and it never feels underpowered.



The vehicle features three driving modes: '3' '2' and ' L'. The 3 is useful for driving up in the hills while the ‘2’ and L are for ascending and descending really steep slopes. For the Ritz automatic, Maruti claim a fuel efficiency figure of 17.31 kmpl. The vehicle can accelerate to 100 kmph in 17.53 seconds.

As the transmission has only four speeds, the gear ratios are quite tall. So the gearbox shifts to a lower gear every time, is usually at a very high engine rpm and as a result the engine also becomes very noisy.



The Ritz automatic gets a power windows, power steering, AC, ABS with EBD and tilt steering as standard. The other feature include a slightly altered and lower-mounted nose with a one-piece grille, fenders now rise up above the bonnet ‘V’and the headlights are sharper. But the vehicle lacks stereo or rear wash wipe. The vehicle got some interior updates too.

The Ritz automatic will compete with A-star, Honda Brio and the Hyundai i10 hatchbacks. Both the Brio and i10 are available in two automatic variants, and the starting price of the vehicles are Rs. 5.24 lakh and 5.74 lakh respectively. The Ritz auto is available only in one trim – VXi ABS, has a price tag of Rs. 6.15 lakh, at ex-showroom Mumbai. Ritz is very spacious with compact dimensions, comfortable ride and is more convenient now.