If you’ve watched TV or read a newspaper over the past few weeks, as I expect you would have, you’re sure to have seen Maruti Suzuki commercials tom-tomming the tag of becoming India’s number 1 SUV maker. The rise up the sales charts is on the back of models like the Grand Vitara, Jimny, Brezza and Fronx. Now, what classifies as an SUV is debatable, but even within this grey area, the Fronx is the odd one out. It’s actually more of a raised hatchback.
Ok, so with that out of the way, what a looker the Fronx is! To me, a good benchmark of how fundamentally attractive a car is, is how it looks in its lower trims. Our car is a mid-spec Delta+, bereft of the fully loaded Alpha+’s precision-cut alloy wheels, yet it stands out. I love the broad-shouldered, mini-Urus stance and the tail-end is particularly slick. It’s really the design that you’d want a Fronx for.
The Fronx got off to a rolling start with a quick trip to Goa with Soham, but the majority of my usage since has been within Mumbai. Thing is, this is the very environment the Fronx shines in. The 1.2-litre engine, which the overwhelming majority of Fronx buyers are opting for, offers enough pep in town, and, as I’m happy to report, is a light-sipper too. The Fronx has been averaging around 13kpl in city driving. Mind you, this is with the auto stop/start function switched off on every drive. Noble as the feature is, it’s too eager to switch the engine off and this gets irritating in bumper-to-bumper traffic. It doesn’t help that in Mumbai’s sweltering heat, it also turns off the AC compressor.
Speaking of which, the air conditioner is really effective in cooling the cabin. I also like the 7-inch touchscreen that pairs seamlessly with my phone and runs Android Auto wirelessly without glitch. The large front seats get my vote too but I wish driver seat height adjust wasn’t restricted to the top variants only – I find myself sitting higher than I’d like.
AMTs are my least favourite kind of gearbox and the one on the Fronx hasn’t made me a convert. It is nice as AMTs go with smooth enough shifts, but its natural urge to upshift gets my goat on the long incline to my parking on the fourth floor. The gearbox fumbles between first and second gear, and now I just default to manual mode via the gear lever for this last bit of my daily commute.
On the matter, journeys in the Fronx start with an irritating 95-second long seat-belt reminder beep. Irritating because the warning buzzes even when there’s no one seated at the rear. Maruti hasn’t included a seat load sensor and this means the seat belts must always be buckled in, something exiting passengers would not typically do. It can also mean people sitting over the belts and the driver not getting a warning.
On the whole, the Fronx has fit in quite easily into my life. It’s easy to drive, easy on the pocket and easy on the eyes. Just spring for the weight sensors please Maruti.
Gavin D'Souza
Staff Writer
Rahul Kakar
Saumil Shah
