Driving a made in India Maruti Suzuki Fronx in Los Angeles

When the Fronx was shipped from India to the Middle East, Africa and Latin America in July this year, little did we know that we would perhaps be one of the very few to have driven an Indian car, that too a Maruti Suzuki, made only in India, in the US.

Made in India, registered in Mexico, driven in the USA.

And when the news came that the car was on sale in Mexico, just about 250km south of Los Angeles, the wheels were put in motion and one of our Mexican colleagues drove the Suzuki Fronx up from Tijuana in Mexico to our hotel in Los Angeles. The very first thing we did after setting eyes on the Fronx was to check the VIN plate on the car, which I knew from having seen hundreds of Marutis over the years was located just inside of the front passenger door – and there was, firm proof that the car had come all the way from India for us to explore the surroundings of Los Angeles in.

Maruti Suzuki Fronx LA Drive

Our first stop on our Fronx adventure was the City Hall of Pasadena, a small city in Los Angeles County, 11 miles from downtown LA and one of the oldest suburbs of Los Angeles, with the historic Route 66 passing through it.

The Fronx in front of the historic city hall of Pasadena is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features in diverse films over the years including Charlie Chaplain’s The Great Dictator in 1940 and the 1995 movie A Walk in the Clouds.

The Fronx we were driving was absolutely identical to the ones we have in India except for the Mexican number-plates, the same steering wheel but on the left instead of on the right as we would in India and a 1.5-litre mild-hybrid engine instead of the 1.0-litre turbo or the 1.2-litre engine that the car gets in India. The same 1.5-litre K15C that powers the Brezza and the Grand Vitara Smart Hybrid in India.

The interior of the Suzuki Fronx exported to Latin America from India is identical to the Maruti Suzuki Fronx sold in India, aside from being left-hand drive, of course.

The Pasadena City Hall is an impressive building made in the early Renaissance style in 1924, housing over 230 rooms and passageways with the massive central circular structure rising over 200 feet high. This despite the fact that it has only six floors, but each of the floors has a very high ceiling with the 5th floor’s being over 40 feet high.

The Suzuki Fronx framed by the Pasadena Robinson Memorial.

The open space in front provides ample space and an opportunity to do shoots of the City Hall with the Fronx and while we are at it, the two monumental portrait head statues of the Robinson brothers situated across from the City Hall catch our eye and a short photo session turns into a rather more elaborate one.

Maruti Suzuki Fronx LA Drive

Of the two Robinson brothers, one was a baseball player called Jackie and the other an Olympic medal winning athlete. Both called Pasadena home, as does the Fronx that feels completely at home in suburban LA, though dwarfed by some of the other cars (or should we say trucks) on the road. In the city traffic though, the Fronx feels at home as we explore some of the old town before heading to another famous venue – the Rose Bowl.

The Fronx mixes it up with the normal US fare in front of the Rose Bowl.

This is one of the most famous stadia in the US. With a capacity of over 90,000, it is amongst the top twenty stadiums in the world and the 11th largest in the US. Not only has it hosted the most number of Super Bowls (five) but also the Men’s FIFA World Cup final, the Women’s FIFA World Cup final as well as the soccer gold medal match of the 1994 Olympics and will be a venue of the 2028 Olympics.

Maruti Suzuki Fronx LA Drive

Next, we hit the freeway on the way to the Angeles National Forest using the scenic Angeles Crest Highway. It is on the scenic mountain route that we start missing the BoosterJet engine that the Fronx comes with in India, but the beautiful vistas and the low cloud cover made up for that.

Angeles National Forest providing a picturesque backdrop for the Indian-made Fronx.

On a road that sees some of the most exotic cars in the world, it is surprising that the Fronx does catch a lot of people’s eye – it is perhaps because of its good looks and the light elements at the rear that start looking very attractive as dusk falls over Sierra Pelona and the San Gabriel mountain ranges.

The Fronx heads up the Angeles Crest Highway, winding through the mountains surrounding Los Angeles.

The Fronx fits in well with the rest of the traffic as we head back using the head-up display to navigate back to the hotel with a feeling of pride driving an Indian car in the US of A.

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