Maruti Udyog launched Versa is its first Multi Purpose Vehicle to hit Indian Road. It comes with two variants DX and DX2. The Versa was expected to provide an alternative to the long running but highly compromised Omni, offering more comfort, better safety and an all-round, more modern feel. To provide seven-passenger seating in a tiny footprint, the Versa has had to go vertical and melt into a one-and-a-quarter box shape, which clearly marks it out as an MPV.

 

The pout of a bonnet ahead instantly ensures better occupant safety during a frontal collision, while in terms of styling and fit and finish, the difference is perceptible too. And, no, you haven’t been short-changed if you pop the bonnet and find only a radiator, a few essential-fluids flaps and the car jack inside – the Versa’s Esteem-derived, four cylinder, 1298 CC, fuel injected mill cosies itself beneath driver and co-passenger front seats. With 82 peak horses and 10.4 kgm of maximum hauling power, that’s liberal juice for lugging up to eight passengers, or about 600 kg, in payload terms.

 

Indicator lamps are integrated into the wraparound headlamps below which the broad bumper accommodating an air vent flows down to a matte black chin spoiler. Provision is made on the bumper in both DX and SDX versions for aftermarket fitment of fog lamps which should have been offered as OE, at least in the up market SDX version.

 

The front suspension is independent, with MacPherson struts, with modifications to control body roll; the rear uses a non-independent, three-link set-up with a live axle and coil springs. The Versa is largely designed around the interior, which Maruti has tried to make as car-like as possible; it looks rather like the Wagon R’s dashboard, but there’s no getting away from the unfamiliar, high seating position. Visibility is great, and the short bonnet gives you a far greater sense of security than the bonnet-less Omni.

 

A skirt below the rear bumper would help matters a lot by lending the vehicle a better-grounded appearance. Helped by the fact that the rubber is mounted on smart alloys, the SDX version looks a lot more purposeful than its other two siblings, though its roof-mounted spoiler with an integrated stop lamp doesn’t still lend that essential and missing character to the rear-end.

 

 

The power-assisted steering system makes light work of hauling the Versa around corners and combined with its 4.5 metre turning radius, is a boon while parking. The downside of this over-servoed system is that road feedback progressively gives out past 80 kph, combined with a degree of steering play that eases into the equation. So don’t expect responsive crispness of steering when you hustle this MPV towards and into three-digit speeds. The vehicle feels very stable at straight-line speeds, and this is aided to quite an extent by the matte-black air dam incorporated under the front bumper.

 

The DX version accommodates eight. The front seats are fairly comfy, but could have done with lower back support; ergonomics are fine, with all controls logically laid out and falling easily to hand. The steering wheel and driver’s seat are also height-adjustable. The second row of seats includes a bench seat for two with a collapsible third seat lending access to the third seat bank. The last seat row in all versions is collapsible and increases luggage capacity substantially. The seats lack lumbar support and the seat and backrest relation proves uncomfortable over long hauls. The dashboard with its oddities is another exercise in dipping into existing parts’ inventory. No brownie points for marking similarities of the facia to that of the Wagon R, though a metallic finish instrument panel bezel is a refreshing addition. Steering is power assisted electronically and the steering column is tilt-adjustable on all the versions while the steering wheel is wrapped in leather on the SDX version. Central locking is standard on all five doors along with front power windows. Since the driver seat cannot be adjusted for height, the tilt steering is an indispensable feature.

 

The Versa comes in a few different versions, from the stripped-out five-seater DX standard, through the eight-seater DX and DX2 to the seven-seater SDX; these seats flip and fold in a number of combinations, making for a pretty flexible cabin. The middle seat in the SDX is comfy, but passengers in the two, third-row seats would be stuck for legroom.

 

The Versa uses the same 1.3-litre petrol engine as in the Esteem and Gypsy, but tuned to give 82bhp instead of the Esteem’s 85.  It is enthusiastic, revvy and refined, and gives the Versa surprisingly good performance, allowing this horribly un-aerodynamic car to do 0-60kph in 5.21sec, and hit a maximum of 150kph. Fuel economy, as always, is very good, especially in the city, at 10.1kpl; however, the poor aerodynamics means it only manages 13.6kpl on the highway. A high point is the gearbox with its stubby, punchy lever, which is slick and easy to use.

 

The Versa also boasts of a twin A/c in the SDX and DX2 models that essentially employ twin sets of blowers to circulate the freeze to both forward and rear sections of the passenger compartment. Other than the vents on the dashboard, a couple more cooling vents with blower controls placed overhead surround the rear compartment. This not only improves cooling efficiency but also reduces the load added by the 130cc A/c compressor on the engine thus improving engine efficiency as well. A triad of suction vents at the end of the roof improves recirculation. The controls are light and easy to use in the city, especially given the tight turning circle and narrow width.

 

The Versa employs 198mm ventilated discs up front and 220mm drums at the rear. In addition the Load Sensing Proportioning Valve (LSPV) enhances braking performance. The proportional valve senses differences in load applied to the rear axle and accordingly controls pressure applied by the calipers on the brake shoe on the rear wheels. The system prevents wheel lockup.

 

The cabin may not be really high quality and it can’t really compare with a car, but given the priorities of van buyers, it really excels. Now, especially that the price has come down, the Versa is a superb and unfairly overlooked alternative to an MUV, especially if you’re going to be city-bound. The Versa, especially the base version, is pretty good value, but equipment levels aren’t very good.

Filed under: Maruti Cars in India