Maruti XL6 (CNG) owners review | Is it worth buying !

Maruti XL6 (CNG) my latest car. The same was bought by me few months back and now it has done more than 10,000 km run. As such now I am in a position to share with you all my experiences with the car in detail including the most sought after question " deti kya hai mileage" or what mileage the car gives!

Before beginning I would like to make it clear that this blog should not be treated as an expert advise. I am just sharing my ownership experiences about this car. I am also not going into details of the minute dimensions of the car and other nicknacks but will share with you my personal observations and findings about the car. So lets proceed..

HOW I FINALIZED XL6 (CNG)

This is an important point of discussion for any new car buyer as to how to come down to any car. I earlier had Maruti Brezza ZDI+ model (top model) car. It was a diesel car and I was overall satisfied with its performance. The car had done above 80,000 km on the odometer front but was just like a new car since I had maintained it properly. The mileage which I used to get in my Brezza was about 18-19 km per litre in day to day run in Delhi. 

However, it was a BS-IV diesel car. During winter season in Delhi and NCR due to increase in pollution level on account of stubble burning (parali burning) in nearby states temporary ban was being imposed in diesel cars which were BS-IV or lower and for petrol cars which were BS-III. This had caused lot of inconvenience to me. As a result I decided to switch over to any good petrol car. I would like to mention that still XL6 was no where in my mind. 

However, during the course of our further research and analysis we found XL6 (CNG) to be best suited for our needs.  

You can also watch my video as to how I switched over to XL6 (CNG) car in this video on my youtube channel where I had discussed the reasons in detail..

EXTERIOR DESIGN AND INNER COMFORT:

EXTERIOR:

Colour of my car: The colour I selected for my XL6 was Splendid silver. I selected the same as I found it to be more premium and bit less prone to dirt and dust. Though Nexa Blue colour also looks amazing and my friend selected the same but in my opinion it requires a bit more care. 

Overall looks and dimensions: The car is really long. It's not a robust or a muscular car, but the looks are designed more towards elegancy. Good part is that the car comes with factory fitted 16 inches alloy wheels even in the Zetta version which looked quite appealing to me. It has roof rails which the Nexa guys told me to be functional one. 

The CNG tank is fitted on the rear side of the car. Though it takes away bit of space, but its fitted smartly.  There is a sturdy panel over the cylinder on which you can place your small bags etc easily. Also you will get a cover under which the tank and the wood panel hides up properly. The CNG gas filling point is fitted near the petrol filling point in the car and it hides up within.  

It has also got two company fitted fog lamps. However, the Zetta version doesn't have the 360 degree view camera, in fact it doesn't comes with any camera and as I had already stated that I have got installed one rear view camera in my car.

The Zetta version didn't had the roof spoilers or the rear view camera. I got them fitted from the Nexa dealers with genuine maruti parts. I would suggest that one must go for a rear view camera as this is a long car and in parking in tight areas this proves really helpful. Though roof spoiler is only to give a boost to the overall looks of the car. 

However, the view angle coming up on the screen of the infotainment system is not that great. I think the camera positioning angle could have been better.   

INTERIOR & FEATURES:

Transmission ,Seats, comfort and space: The CNG version of Maruti XL6 comes with 5 speed manual gear box. I found the gear box mostly to be smooth and precise. However, on few instances noted that it doesn't engage while doing the reverse gear. But these instances are very few and this I have observed in in my other maruti cars as-well. 

It's a 6 seater car. The middle row has two captain seats and the rear seats can also accommodate 2 adults. The leg space for the front and the middle passengers is awesome. Mostly in cars of this size the last row seats are very tight and is only suited for kids. But I must say that maruti has designed the same very efficiently and its not that narrow either. 

The biggest benefit of the captain seats comes for the rear seat passengers also as they get the freedom to stretch one of their legs in between the space of the captain seats. 

I have covered the roundabout of the car in my below video, do watch it to get a better understanding of the same. 

The seats of the Zetta version are factory made fabric with in between stretches of leather (or may be rexine, do check it). It has 4 air bags, two in front and two on sides. Though the Zetta version doesn't have the ventilated seats which is there in the top version, but I still found that the seats being comfortable and since it's not the leather ones as such it don't get that hot and unbearable in peak summer time.  

However, since in India we have long hot and humid summers, the option for ventilated seats even in the zetta version could have been a better option.

Since, I have now driven the car extensively and had been using it for about six months I can say that the air conditioning system of the car is quite effective. In my youtube videos which I had published earlier many of the viewers had asked about the effectiveness of AC during peak summers. 

What's more of an additional feature in the car is that there is a roof mounted blower also (with varying speed regulator) which acts as a boon for the captain seat and rear passengers and it has good throw. 

There is one more additional feature which comes as a air cooled cup holder in the middle of the central console. Recently I tried using the same by putting up a small water bottle and I found the cooling to be very good. I tested the same during long drives and it chills the water in the bottle as if it was kept in a refrigerator (not the freezer 😆). 

In the front there is a 12 volt charger socket along with a separate point for USB cable. In mid row also there is a 12 volt charger socket. Good part is that in the last row also there is a point for 12 volt charger along with glass holders for both the passengers. 

There is also a sun glass holder on the top in front of the rear view mirror. Though I had hardly used the same. 

The infotainment screen is ok. But I have noticed on several occasions that it hangs and often suddenly switches off and then restarts automatically. This usually happens when the mobile phone remains connected to it for long through the cable. It has android auto and apple car enabled feature. I have used android auto on it extensively and had also used the google maps feature on it. I must say it would really have been a nice if Maruti would have brought the wireless connection system here. 

Yes one more thing to add that both the side rear view mirrors have features for folding-unfolding and controlling the same from the inner buttons in the car, which is really a useful feature. But the inner rear view mirror (IRVM) in the car doesn't have the auto dimmer feature. 

Another thing I can say that the hand rest in the middle is not that wide and if two adult seats in the front seats then their elbow often touches which at times is irritating especially for the driver. Though this is not a big deal but I never faced this issue in my Brezza car as it was bit wider than the present car. 

POWER & PERFORMANCE:

The car has 1460 CC (approximately) engine capacity. Prior to this car I had the diesel cars and generally they have better torque than the petrol counterparts. So initially I was bit apprehensive with this factor while going for the petrol car. But thankfully I found the XL6 (CNG) to have adequate power and torque and it doesn't face any such issues even if fully loaded with passengers. 

However, since it doesn't have turbo feature as such misses on zoom-zoom drive. But personally, it suits my drive needs as I prefer engines which delivers power in a bit linear way. 

I have also discussed the benefits of non turbo engines in one of my below videos where we had a trip to Neelkanth Mahadev temple. Do check the video you will throughly enjoy the trip apart from enjoying the view of ancient temple and the path going through jungles and hills. 

In the below video we had a trip to Rakhigarhi in Haryana where remains of Harappan Culture was found. The place is worth visiting. In Rakhigarhi more than 5000 years old civilisation has been discovered. We did our journey in my friends car which was Nexa Blue XL6 (CNG) car. 

Friends keep watching the videos also as I am suggesting to get a holistic picture of the car and also to enjoy the drive and places we had visited. 

FUEL EFFICIENCY AND MILEAGE

Now coming to the most sought after question as to what mileage the car gives! I would say that this is the strongest forte of this car. I was simply amazed by its mileage and especially on CNG mode it's way more than what I used to get in my earlier diesel Maruti Brezza car. Yes I am talking about the mileage the car gets in CNG version. 

Before proceeding further I would like to add here that the company fitted CNG system in the car is a gem. The transition from Petrol to CNG and vice versa is seamless. 

To appreciate the mileage which I got in my city drive in the initial days of the purchase of the car you must see my below video which has been widely watched and appreciated by the viewers. 

Once you are done with the video you will get a picture of the mileage which my car had given in the initial days. 

However, many of the viewers had also requested to do a mileage test on the petrol mode in my CNG car and that test was also done by me while I had a trip to the scenic Neelkanth Mahadev temple visit in Alwar in Rajasthan. Have a look of the same. You will further get lots of information and experience about the car. Check my below video. I would really love to see your comments on my videos too. 

In these videos you must have got an extensive idea about the car including its power and features. However, this is not just the end, in fact I drove my car in the newly inaugurated Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. I tested extensively my cars overall performance in this drive including its high speed performance and mileage test both of petrol and on CNG. 

The mileage even goes above 32 km per kg on CNG and in petrol it has touched even upto 24 km per litre. Do watch the videos above to get a clear picture on the mileage factors. I would say that in different driving conditions you will get different mileage but in my case I have always got it above 24-25 km per kg on CNG.

The road is of an international level and is in its developmental stage. In this drive I have also covered the road condition and status of the Delhi Mumbai Expressway including the toll charges in the stretch I covered. 

Must say that the Road and transport ministry headed by Shri Nitin Gadgari ji had done a great job and the infrastructure developed by them is a national pride. Friends do check the video below.

You will get most of the answers in respect of this XL6 CNG car also in it. 

Conclusion:

If you are looking for a family car with an overall package of space, comfort, elegancy, reliability and above all with good fuel economy then I can say that this car should be in your check lists. So far as I am concerned, I am satisfied with the car. The dual fuel system makes it a more greener way of driving the car. Further CNG as a fuel is very clean and efficient one making it much economical to drive the car. I hope you all enjoyed my review of the Maruti XL6 CNG. So stay tuned and don't forget to comment and share the reviews with your friends. 

Thanks very much.👍👍😊

[Disclaimer: The aforesaid views and experience are personal to the author and should not be taken as any professional advice. Further the author shall not be liable for any errors or omissions in the information and viewers are advised to check the same from concerned official sites or offices. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, nation, company or individual. We always respect the dignity and feelings of any religion, ethnic, individual, groups, nation, company etc.]