Which variant of Maruti’s Renault Kwid rival makes sense for you?

Maruti Suzuki has launched the S-Presso in India with prices starting at Rs 3.69 lakh going up till Rs 4.91 lakh (ex-showroom India). You can only have it with a BS6-compliant 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox with an AMT option. Its available in a total of four variants- Std, LXi, VXi and VXi+, but which should you pick? Read on to find out.

	Maruti S-Presso
Engine	1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol
Transmission	5MT/ AMT
Power	68PS
Torque	90Nm
Claimed Efficiency	21.4 kmpl (Std, LXi)/ 20.5kmpl (VXi, VXi+)

Colour Options

• Solid Fire Red

• Pearl Starry Blue

• Solid Sizzle Orange

• Metallic Granite Grey

• Metallic Silky Silver

• Superior White

Prices

S-Presso	Prices (ex-showroom, India)
Std/Std(O)	Rs 3.69 lakh/ Rs 3.75 lakh
Lxi/Lxi(O)	Rs 4.05 lakh/ Rs 4.11 lakh
Vxi/Vxi(O)	Rs 4.24 lakh/ Rs 4.30 lakh
Vxi+	Rs 4.48 lakh
Vxi AGS/Vxi(O) AGS	Rs 4.67 lakh/ Rs 4.73 lakh
Vxi+ AGS	Rs 4.91 lakh

For the lower variants, we will only be considering the Optional trims due to the additional safety features like front passenger airbag and front seatbelt with pre-tensioners and force limiters on offer.  Now let’s take a look at the variant-wise feature list:

Std/Std(O): Too basic; not worth it

	Prices
Std(O)	Rs 3.75 lakh

Safety: Dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, front seat belts with pre-tentioners and force limiters, front seat belt alert, rear parking sensors, rear door child lock and high speed alert.

Exterior: 13-inch steel wheels and body cladding.

Interior: Cabin lamp

Comfort and Convenience: Front bottle holders, front and rear utility spaces and digital instrument cluster. 

Verdict

This variant just brings enticing entry-level pricing to the table, nothing else. It misses out on simplest of convenience features like an AC, power steering, accessory socket and so on. We would recommend that you stretch your budget a bit higher for a basic modern car. 

Also Read: Maruti S-Presso Vs Renault Kwid: Which Car To Buy?

Lxi(O): Should have been the base variant

	Prices
Lxi(O)	Rs 4.11 lakh
Premium over Std(O)	Rs 36,000

Interior: Sunvisor (dr + co. dr)

Comfort and Convenience: Manual AC and power steering

Verdict

This variant gets just a couple of useful features over the Std variant but only just. The premium being charged for the same is slightly on the higher side. These features should have been available from the base variant itself but since they’re not, we’d suggest you look past this variant to the next one.  

Also Read: Maruti S-Presso vs Kwid vs redi-GO vs GO vs Maruti WagonR vs Celerio: What Do The Prices Say?

Vxi(O): Starts making sense but only just 

	Prices
Vxi(O)	Rs 4.30 lakh
Premium over Lxi(O)	Rs 19,000
Extra Premium for AMT	Rs 43,000

Safety: Central locking and speed-sensitive door lock

Exterior: Roof antenna, body-coloured bumpers and full wheel covers.

Comfort and Convenience: Remote keyless entry, accessory power socket and front power windows.

Instrument Cluster: Relays information like gear position indicator, fuel range and consumption, headlamp on and door ajar warning.

Audio: Audio unit with Bluetooth, AUX, USB and two speakers.

Verdict

This variant should mark the ideal entry point if you are eyeing the Maruti S-Presso. It does get some features that you’ll consider daily necessities but nothing more. These are all usable features and come at an acceptable premium over the previous variant. If you want the S-Presso AMT then this is the least you’ll have to stretch up to. If it doesn’t look fancy enough, then Maruti also offers a choice of accessory packs for the hatchback. 

That said, this is not the one we’d recommend as the next variant is quite closely priced and seems slightly modern in comparison. 

Vxi+: Our choice but not without its share of flaws

	Prices
Vxi+	Rs 4.48 lakh
Premium over Vxi(O) MT	Rs 18,000
Extra Premium for AMT	Rs 43,000

Exterior: Black B-pillar, body-coloured ORVMs and outside door handles.

Interior: Silver/orange accents on centre console

Comfort and Convenience: Rear parcel tray and internally-adjustable ORVMs

Audio: 7-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto along with steering-mounted audio and voice control.

Verdict 

The top-spec VXi+ variant gets all the safety features as standard. It looks slightly upmarket in comparison to the VXi as well thanks to the interior and cosmetic touch-ups. It also gets the touchscreen infotainment system that has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and steering mounted controls for convenience. 

But there are a few feature misses that stick out like sore thumbs such as fog lamps, rear parking camera along with an accessory socket, armrest and power windows for second-row passengers which are available on rivals like the Kwid.

All said and done, it will only be the S-Presso VXi+ variant that we would recommend as it somewhat meets the standards of an entry-level modern-day car. It is also a smart option for buyers upgrading from the entry-level Alto 800 and don’t want to leave the Maruti family.

Read More on : S-Presso on road price