My mom's Maruti Omni E(45000kms and counting)

Ever wondered what fun you can extract driving your mom's car, well here's my tale and I suggest you keep a napkin ready.


Getting into this car with my 5'11" frame is a hassle, I mean just look at the space in the drivers area, its cramped. I've to make a lot of adjustments just to get my left leg inside the car. In the entire car, the only place I can sit comfortably in is the passenger seat beside the driver's. Dont even wana talk about the rear seat as its so damn jittery. A bike is a better family vehicle then this piece of junk. The interiors arent much so no use talking about it, its typical low priced Maruti to be honest.
Now comes the driving part, and if you arent crying already I suggest now would be a good time...to keep your napkin ready. Putting the car in 1st gear is like fighting with a monkey who just stole your picnic basket, however low end performance of this car is good you can get it to 40Kmph even on 2nd gear, but then you get a feeling that the engine is revolting, after 40-50Kmph all the accelaration just dissappears. Then no matter how hard you try you have to hold patience to get the car to 80Kmph, which is the top speed I might add, unless and until you are rolling the car downhill. Maruti calls it a MPV, and I say its a joke, a MPV should be able to do atleast a 100 on the highway this barely exceeds 83 Kmph, it should be a safe, whereas this car is wafer thin, it should be fuel efficeint this only gives a 11Km in the city, Maruti claims it too be a family car, this is a pain in the arse for the people at the back, trust me I've been there on bumpy roads. Sometimes I feel like driving this into a wall then again its mom's car.

well, you have been too harsh on the omni. you cant expeect swift like comfort from the omni especially when you have paid so less for it!

well i agree maruti omni has quality issues. but then let me get this clear the car is not at all produced for any driving pleasure or for car enthusiasts. nor is it built for high speeds or racing. i feel it does a decent job for which it is built. and thats what counts. which vehicle in the omni price range can you fit 8 ppl?? omni is just a peoples carrier and sometimes even used as goods carrier. and i did not find the space to be so less as you have explained. yes true the car isnt comfortable but then remember its not a car its just a people's carrier and not exactly a family car.

Hey friends, what you say is right. But even as a people carrier, Omni doesn't succeed entirely. You can carry people in comfort, as in the Tata Winger, or just merely stuff them into a car as dumb objects and drive off. Plus, more than quality issues, its got safety issues. If this car crashes, the occupants will become peanut butter in a sandwitch. Maruti could have atleast offered a safe and comfy people carrier. Plus, the engine, though fine enough for the city, is gutless on the highway. Then again, its got no stability. People and goods need to be carried safely also, and not only economically.

We Indians only understand how much money we can save. Thats the reason Omni sells, just because of its price. Maruti did good business by capitalizing on this sentiment. The Versa, being a much better car, is cursed by the people for its high price. Hence Omni sells and will continue to sell.

@ dcargod: buddy, considering your requirements, the price of the omni will shoot upto 5 lakhs then. maruti has designed the omni as a ultra cheap car & hence it looks & feels that way. we should not forget that not everybody can afford a 6-7 lakh winger.

raj_5004 wrote:@ dcargod: buddy, considering your requirements, the price of the omni will shoot upto 5 lakhs then. maruti has designed the omni as a ultra cheap car & hence it looks & feels that way. we should not forget that not everybody can afford a 6-7 lakh winger.

exactly thats what even i am trying to say. you are getting what you are paying for. its not atleast overpriced like the TATA Nano.

yes hummer,Omni has served perfectly what its built for, you can expect features and everything from a below 2L car, swift like drivebility and comfort, omni yes isnt safe, isnt for highways pleasure, just serves a family transportation from one end to another, might we see new omni with features we all are waiting for, hope so.

Yeah Omni is giving out everything for 2-3 lacs. If you want more, spend another 5 lacs and get better options. But Omnni could be better. MSIL should have been improving it on every facelift, but i don't see any improvement.

Maruti Omni is one of the best suited car for its purpose, This car is not meant for your drag races etc, So why are you asking for more power?I feel the given power if sufficient(I woudn't mind more though)
Omni is used in different cities for diferent purposes, In nainital I've spotted many, People use them for up - down on the hills and it work without much trouble.
About the safety factor, Its OK if you drive cautiously, who said to drive it at 80+kph?

All I would say is that its a nice car for all purposes but don't feel that am being partial, It definately has got some negatives but most of those are not which are mentioned in some of the above posts.


VT

After reading the above posts, I would conclude that we Indians are too cost conscious to see anything else, which is unfortunate.

dcargod wrote:After reading the above posts, I would conclude that we Indians are too cost conscious to see anything else, which is unfortunate.

its not about being cost conscious. and even if it is. well we are a poor nation and we must accept the fact that not all can afford big, spacious, filled with features and creature comforts, and high on safety standards Mercedes Van.
i would again like to point out the bottom line that the customer is getting what he is paying for. i would request all those who wish for swift like performance and safety, and comfort, and driving pleasure, please go and buy a 5 lac swift. and yes you will have to compromise on number of passengers you can carry in your powerful hatchback.

There are many whose living is based on this metal box. These use it as a taxi, for transporting cargo, even lives of many as an ambulance, etc...it earns bread for many thousands. All these for roughly 3 lacs. And all you can expect is only a barebones car. But i agree MSIL could've done some small improvements on every face lift.

May be they might come out with new Omni O2 as its been talked while with improved things and better car to handle till now, hope so.

yes hope they come up with a better car. but yes if tata nano costs 1.5 lacs then maruti van is priced low.

im_hummer_freak wrote:yes hope they come up with a better car. but yes if tata nano costs 1.5 lacs then maruti van is priced low.

absolutely hummer, an eight seater car costing around 2.5L is quite cheap and was easy on pocket too.