First Drive: New Maruti Fronx SUV is crafted to win

Pune: After dominating the huge compact and budget car market for almost four decades, India’s biggest car maker Maruti Suzuki’s strategy is to strengthen its presence in the booming SUV market.

Thus, the all new Fronx, its latest compact SUV is among the slew of new SUVs the automaker has lined up, to race ahead in this lucrative market against the competitors.

The company has claimed that Fronx from striking a sporty design language to technology, it also ensures safety, comfort and convenience.

So, I took it for a spin in the city and on highways to check out how the car behaves and performs.

The Exteriors

The Fronx is based on the Baleno, but the designers have transformed it into a genuine SUV presence. From the front, the Fronx is more Grand Vitara than the Baleno and undoubtedly it is its most appealing angle. The raised bonnet, big grille and deep chin give its front strong SUV credentials. But fog lights are missing. The Fronx also has sharp creases all over that give it a sculpted look. Some notable features on the outside are the LED multi-reflector headlamps and LED tail-lamps with a light bar connecting them, LED DRLs and 16" alloy wheel. The car is built on the Heartect platform, which is shared with many other Maruti cars. While the bonnet and tailgate have some weight to them, the car's doors are light. That being said, the Fronx does not feel flimsy at all. There’s barely any flex in the body panels and doors, and the car feels fairly well-built.

The Interiors

Once you step inside the cabin, you will immediately notice that the dashboard is taken from the Baleno. The design looks and feels fresh with a pleasant layout. The dual-tone dashboard is black with a dark brown lower portion and a thick silver insert in the middle. Piano black is used around the A/C vents, infotainment head-unit and climate control console. You will not find any soft-touch plastics here, but the interiors are well stitched together. Also, everything seems to be well-finished in the cabin. The Fronx is a wide car and it also has a long wheelbase, which translates to good space in the cabin. However, there is quite a wide gap between the doors and seats, which means the Fronx does not make full use of its external width and the driver and front passenger sit closer to each other than expected. The driver seat gets height adjustment and can slide back far enough even for tall occupants to feel comfortable. Apart from this, you have a leather-wrapped centre armrest that can slide forward as well for those needing the adjustment. The doorpads too host leather-wrapped armrests which are useable. Overall, the front seats are nice to be in and most users will find the experience to be pleasant. The Fronx comes with a climate control unit with physical switches which feel nice to use. In the Zeta and Alpha variants, air vents have been provided at the rear as well. The A/C functioning is very cool indeed. The boot space of 308 litres which is among the smallest of all sub-4 metre crossovers except the Mahindra XUV300 which has a smaller boot (257 litres). The rear seat is split in a 60:40 ratio. Folding the backrests down gives the car more luggage capacity. A bag hook and a light have been provided as well.

The Drive Experience

What sets the Fronx apart from the Baleno is the return of the 100hp, 1.0 litre, 3-cylinder Boosterjet engine that powered the Baleno before being discontinued. The 1.0 turbo-petrol is exclusive to the Fronx (for now) and has been updated to meet the latest BS6 Phase 2 emissions norms and gets Maruti Suzuki’s evergreen 48V mild-hybrid system. You can get the Boosterjet variant with two transmission options – a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed torque converter, the same Aisin unit as in the Brezza, albeit with a different gearing. The base version of the Fronx gets the tried-and-tested 90hp, 1.2-litre K-series engine, which is, like in the Baleno, mated to a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT gearbox.

Hit the engine start/stop button and the Fronx moves off the line smoothly. Sedate throttle inputs see the Smart Hybrid's ISG motor kick in with an assist before disengaging and letting the engine take over fully. The throttle response is good too. Driving about at city speeds, the car feels smooth. Good driveability is the key here and the Fronx can clear the second gear speed breaker test easily. Despite the turbo, the engine does not struggle at low revs and the car can keep up with the traffic without the driver having to shift down too often. This trait combined with a small footprint and light controls makes the Fronx very easy to drive around in the city. On the highway it is a brisk performer. However, it is not as fast or exciting as you expect. The power delivery is linear in nature. Driving the car in the city or on the highway is smooth and comfortable, as it takes on potholes and rough muddy roads as well. Brakes are pretty good and the front disc and rear drums offer sufficient stopping power. The claimed fuel efficiency figures are 21.5kpl and 20.01kpl for the manual and auto, respectively, on the test cycle but one has to drive a little longer to know the actual mileage.

Should I buy it?

The head turner Fronx is spacious, comfortable and well-equipped and likely to come with an estimated price range of Rs 8 lakh-11 lakh more or less. Depending on the price which will be announced this month, the Fronx is undoubtedly a compelling package and has all the makings of a winner. What will attract the buyers is its look, style, design and road presence as one two-wheeler passerby stopped and took a deep look around the car and said to me: “I am going to book it’ without knowing the price.