Country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki has launched yet another SUV in the market. The car was first shown at the Auto Expo earlier this year which is when the brand had started taking its bookings and now after more than 3 months it has finally hit the roads.
Design
From the exterior the Fronx looks like a mix of the bigger Grand Vitara and the smaller Baleno. Maruti’s ‘crafted futurism’ design language is visible here too and there are many SUV elements like body cladding, chiselled wheel arches, muscular fenders and roof rails. The signature NEXWave grille is taken from the Grand Vitara while the crystal block DRLs are there too. The rear is where the Fronx gets its own identity with wide sweeping connected LED rear combination lamps running across the width of the vehicle. The alloy wheels too get a different design when compared to the Baleno but the size is the same. The car gets 10 colour options three of which are in dual-tone.
Interiors
The cabin of the Fronx gets black and bordeaux contrasting colour scheme which ensures a sporty appeal. There’s a special forged metal-like matte finish on the dashboard along with high gloss silver inserts to highlight the rugged character of the car. Features in the cabin include a head up display with turn-by-turn navigation, 360 view camera, wireless smartphone charger and a 9-inch HD smart play pro+ infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. You also get an Arkamys sound system along with Suzuki Connect which offers more than 40 connected car features.
Engine
The Fronx comes 2 Petrol engine options, and both get manual as well as Automatic gearboxes. For the first time ever, the all-new 1.0L K-Series Boosterjet petrol engine with smart hybrid tech is available with a choice of a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic transmission with steering mounted paddle shifters. Buyers can also choose the 1.2L K-Series Dual Jet, Dual VVT motor that comes with the Baleno. Offering Idle Start Stop technology this engine is available with either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 5-speed AGS or AMT transmission. Maruti is claiming a fuel efficiency of more than 20 kmpl on every single variant of the car.
Safety
The Fronx is built on Suzuki’s HEARTECT platform and uses high tensile and ultra-high tensile steel ensuring a strong body structure. Safety features on the car include 6 airbags on the top trim (driver, co-driver, side & curtain), 3-point seatbelts for all passengers, ESP with hill hold assist & roll over mitigation, ABS with EBD and ISOFIX child seat mounts.
Prices
The Maruti Suzuki Fronx has been launched starting at Rs. 7.46 lakh for the base 1.2 L manual and the top turbo Automatic has been priced at Rs. 13.13 lakh, ex-showroom. The car can also be owned via Maruti Suzuki Subscribe at an all-inclusive monthly subscription fee starting from Rs. 17,378. It allows a buyer to use a new car without owning it, by paying a monthly fee that covers the cost of vehicle, registration, maintenance, insurance and road-side assistance.
The author is a Senior Editor at carandbike.com.