My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

I finally went ahead with 195/65 R15 UC6! Noticed a day and night difference in comfort and braking in the first kilometer itself! Able to glide over uneven patches, smaller potholes, and cats-eyes without feeling them. Even taller speed breakers are comfortable as the vehicle doesn't bounce much after the rear wheel crosses. There's zero road noise. I am seeing a drop of 1-1.5 kmpl in the city regarding fuel efficiency and the need to throttle a bit more. Steering also feels a tad heavier, and I need to see how responsive it is at highway speeds. The higher rolling resistance is quite noticeable as compared to the Bridgestone Ecopia, yet I personally feel this is a worthy tradeoff given the level of premium feel I get! I have hardly done 100 km, which is true in the city. I will wait for at least 1- 2k more and a long drive to get a complete feel.

Also, decided to retain the old 185/65 R15 spare (totally unused) itself. I assumed ~2% difference in the diameter should be acceptable for a spare.

Please do share the cost of the 195/65 spec UC6 as I am contemplating a tire change.

A friend from Kerala recently paid ~26k for 4 UC6 tyres, alignment and balancing. 195/60/R15

4 tires cost ~27.5k at Tyre Empire Whitefield, Bangalore. Please shop across different dealers and check specifically for the dates and negotiate. 195/65 doesn't seem to be a very fast moving size so you usually get 4-6 month old ones. 185/65, on the other hand you can get fresh ones and is approximately 500 rupees cheaper per tyre.

Just ensure you are going for the right size
it should be 195/60 - R16 not 15.

I Have been running 195/65 R15 tires without any issues. Will most probably stick to the same size as its a 2% upgrade over the stock 185/65 R15.

It actually depends on your XL6 model
With the older models it was R15 , now everything is R16
Ref
https://www.nexaexperience.com/-/med...6-brochure.pdf

DIY Footwell Lights install

Having seen the facelift XL6 get footwell lighting, I also wanted to implement this feature.



I wanted something OEM (as usual) so I went ahead and bought this footwell lighting kit which is actually meant for the Swift, but it’s applicable for any Maruti car.



The LEDs themselves can be had of any colour, I chose to go with since it’s the most sober looking out of all.



I had earlier replaced the bottom dashboard unit with the facelifted one since previous MASS had scratched it up pretty bad, so there are provisions given for installing the LED units.


The illumination will only activate under the following conditions:
- When the doors open
OR
- In the initial 30 seconds when the car is unlocked by the key fob.

It’s a nice welcome feature.


Driver Side:


Passenger Side:


Recent Click:

Nice DIY. Does it not work when the car is moving and headlights are turned ON?

It works when the car is unlocked by the key fob or when the doors open.

Would have been great if it worked when the car is moving and the headlights are turned on as well. Sort of like proper ambient lighting.

Nevertheless good mod. Any idea if it fits even for other cars? Also can you provide any pic with how the footwell looks like at night?

Might consider in the future as it will require additional wiring. I have currently tapped wiring from the dome light harness.

It should be possible as long as the positive and negative lines are wired correctly. Here’s a picture of how the setup looks at night time:

I wanted something OEM (as usual) so I went ahead and bought this footwell lighting kit which is actually meant for the Swift, but it’s applicable for any Maruti car.


Can this be installed in Baleno Sigma as well, I didn't find provision given when I checked?

Could you tell me which model year is your Baleno?

Will be terribly distracting at night imo. But that's just me. Any interior light completely blocks my line of sight outside and becomes very very fatigue inducing over long distances. I much prefer the interiors of my car to be as dim or dark as possible when driving.

Just a note of caution to those attracted by the whole ambient lighting trend.