The Maruti Suzuki Fronx, which was launched in late April, is not only the carmaker's first sub-4m SUV for its Nexa dealership chain, but it also marks the return of the 1.0-litre Boosterjet turbo-petrol engine to the carmaker's line-up. The Fronx also gets the naturally aspirated 1.2-litre K-series petrol engine that’s found on many other Maruti Suzuki models. The carmaker now says that the Boosterjet variants comprise just 13 percent of the Fronx's total sales.
- Greater demand for non-turbo variants due to affordability
- Mid-spec Delta Plus trim is the most in demand
Maruti Fronx 1.2-litre petrol in greater demand
At launch, the Fronx already had an order backlog of more than 20,000 units, and deliveries are now underway at most outlets. A quick check with dealers reveals that the 1.2-litre-equipped variants hold the lion’s share of the bookings, even though they are a bit down on power and equipment.
This was not the case when the car was unveiled as, according to Shashank Srivastava of Maruti Suzuki, the Fronx variants equipped with the 1.2 turbo engine had the majority of orders. “There has been a big change here as the prices were announced. So when we look at the Boosterjet, it was about 55 percent of the total orders and 45 percent was the K12, but that has reversed. Now, around 87 percent of orders are for the K12 and only 13 percent are for the Boosterjet engine.”
There is a difference of exactly Rs 1 lakh between equivalent trims of the 1.2-litre petrol and the more powerful 1.0-litre turbo engines.
Maruti Fronx popular variants
The variant that's most in demand is the 1.2-litre petrol Delta Plus, with a waiting period extending up to three months at some locations. In fact, for buyers looking for an automatic variant for use in the city, this is almost the default choice as it's decently equipped, and with the turbo-AT variants being on the steeper side, most are heavily skewed towards the 1.2-litre petrol-AMT. For reference, the 1.2-litre petrol-AMT is priced between Rs 8.88 lakh-Rs 9.28 lakh while the 1.0-litre turbo-AT variants are priced between Rs 12.06 lakh-Rs 12.98 lakh.
What’s important to note is that the 1.2-litre line-up ends at the Delta Plus trim, so buyers looking for a more feature-packed Fronx have no option but to go with the expensive Boosterjet engine.
The Fronx Delta Plus gets features like a touchscreen infotainment, a reverse parking camera, LED headlamps and alloy wheels. In fact, the Delta Plus is the only trim that's available with both engine options (and both gearboxes for the 1.2-litre petrol).
All prices ex-showroom, Delhi
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