Unfortunately, the answer might be a NO, but there is hope. Maruti is fast moving towards a petrol-only line up as the current 1.3 diesel DDiS motor will not be able to meet the upcoming BS-VI or the Bharat Stage 6 emissions norms. So that means, the Maruti XL6 Diesel might not be a possibility at all.
That said, the newly developed 1.5-litre diesel that we have seen in the Ertiga and the Ciaz keeps our hopes alive. No car manufacturer will ever spend crores in developing an engine, just to let it die a slow death a few months down the line. Yes, in all probability, the 1.5 diesel can be tuned to meet the BS-VI norms and if our sources are to be believed, this might continue to power some Maruti models post April 2020.
The 1.5 diesel or DDiS 225 is a gem of a motor. It might just produce 5 PS more than the 1.3 unit, but offers a good 25 Nm of extra torque, that too at a lower rpm. This, in turn, reduces turbo lag and makes the engine very usable in city usage. Coming back to the XL6, it was launched with a petrol-only motor, the 1.5 unit that offers a good blend of performance and economy. An optional automatic is offered too but to be fair, giving the car's outlook and a typical consumer, the lack of diesel has kept some buyers away, including me!
The Maruti XL6 is a perfect machine that you and I would use for weekend trips and that annual long trip too. During such trips, a diesel comes handy thanks to its torque and efficiency. Just to get the numbers straight, if you were to use the car for 1200km a month for city runs, 500km during a weekend drive and 2000km during the annual trip, it would mean a total of about 22000km every year. A diesel XL6 would easily end up saving you about 55-60k annually or about Rs 1.75 lakh in three years. Plus the higher re-sale value. Am I making sense?
I just hope there are enough queries at the dealership level for Maruti to plonk in the 1.5 DDiS 225 motor and start selling the Maruti XL6 diesel at the Nexa outlets. It would indeed widen its audience base including prospective buyers like me!
