The Maruti Suzuki XL6 has been updated for 2022, and in the process, has received a price bump. However, the MPV has also gained a bunch of new tech and features, and with the help of the gadget gurus at Stuff India, we bring you a detailed review of this tech and how it works in the real world.
2022 Maruti Suzuki XL6: 7.0-inch touchscreen with SmartPlay Pro connected tech
At the heart of the XL6's tech upgrades is Maruti’s new-generation ‘Smartplay Pro’ infotainment system. The screen, unfortunately, hasn’t grown from the previous car’s 7.0-inch size, but the all-new UI is sleeker and more responsive than the old SmartPlay Studio system. The home screen is simplified into three tiles and while the interface is quick and the touch response is lag-free, a bit more colour would have made things more interesting.
Further inside the menu and you will also find basic voice commands native to the Suzuki infotainment software, and can be accessed in one of three ways – via a steering wheel button, a dedicated button on the touchscreen or by just saying “Hi Suzuki”. However, this is quite basic, allowing you to only control four of the most rudimentary features, and so it’s good that there’s also Amazon Alexa that lets you send commands to the XL6 from the comfort of your house.
There is also a Suzuki Connect partner app, which after sharing pin codes with your smartphone, opens up even more connectivity options – 40 of them, according to Maruti. The most useful of these is the remote AC start function (only on the automatic version), which will help you through the ongoing heat wave, but you also get the usual stuff, like geo fencing, vehicle tracking, diagnostics and statistics, and remote lock and unlock.
2022 Maruti Suzuki XL6: 360-degree camera and 6-speaker audio system
What community is saying on the XL6?
The MPV now gets 360-degree surround-view cameras, a feature first introduced by Maruti in the new Baleno. The system works well, but the feed on display could have done with a sharper resolution and less fish-eye distortion. It is, however, convenient when parking the MPV in tight spots. Also new for the XL6 is a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that displays on the 7-inch touchscreen. The system shows a loss in tyre pressure instantly, which is useful – and safe – on a long journey, especially if you’re travelling at high speed at the time.
The 6-speaker audio system sounds better than any previous Maruti Suzuki unit, thanks to the better electronics and amp in the Smartplay Pro system. It’s more full-bodied in the mid range and bass, and doesn’t have the usual tendency to rattle the door panels as you increase the volume, like on other Maruti cars.
Maruti Suzuki would do well to improve device connectivity by adding more USB ports. For a three-row vehicle, having only a single USB-A port for the entire car is simply unacceptable. There are a couple of 12V sockets but the lack of USB-A or USB-C ports for the middle and last-row seats is going to disappoint kids who live on their phones and tablets. Also, the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality is not wireless.
2022 Maruti XL6: rivals and positioning
As before, the new XL6 will rival the likes of the Mahindra Marazzo, Kia Carens, and its own sibling – the newly launched Ertiga. However, this time Maruti has made a greater effort to set the more upmarket Nexa MPV from its Arena sibling, the Ertiga, with features like LED headlamps, 360-degree cameras and ventilated front seats. The Marazzo, like the XL6, gets a 7.0-inch touchscreen and a few connected car features through Mahindra's Blue Sense app. If it’s tech and features you’re after, however, it’s the Kia Carens that has the most. Higher variants get a 10.25-inch touchscreen with connected car tech via an onboard e-SIM, wireless phone charging, a Bose sound system, and an air-purifier. However, the Carens misses out on the 360-degree camera.
Uday Singh
Dipan Sur
Glenn Noronha
