The People's Midsize Car. Review on Maruti Suzuki Esteem

This car has been around for a decade now so I dont need to write another boring review. Il concentrate on something else though. The evolution of this car and its present form and other details. The Evolution When the first modern midsize car was launched in India in the form of the Maruti 1000, it bought with it a new definition of the term luxury in the Indian context. Refinement and NVH characteristics were taken to unprecedented levels as was the ride quality. The only thing the car lacked was power which came later in the form of a 1.3 litre all aluminium powerplant. With its light weight and superb power to weight ratio the Esteem pushed out the frontiers of Indian motoring even further. It was used extensively in rallies due to its light weight and reliable engine. With a super smooth and refined powerplant, great NVH characteristics, slick gearshift, levels of trim that were far superior to those present in the cars of those days and an all-wheel independent suspension, the Esteem was the epitome of luxury with power windows and central locking making an appearance. Thought now it is consigned to the lower end of the midsize segment, it offers a most comprehensive value for money package. With compliance to Euro-II norms having being made compulsory, the 16-valve, multipoint fuel injected avatar of the Esteem made its appearance. Maximum power went up from 65bhp to 85bhp and maximum torque also increased by 7Nm form the earlier 99Nm to the present 106Nm. This translated into great performance and as the power to weight ratio became the best in its class. Now the various models of the Esteem come with come with a new redesigned front grille with chrome lining, an arm rest in the centre of the rear seat, height adjustable driver's seat, ventilated front disc brakes and safety features like a collapsible steering column., chassis with built in crumple zones and and side impact beams in all the doors. The Esteem comes in LX, VX and AX variants where LX is the basic entry level model while VX is the loaded version and the AX comes with a three speed automatic transmission. The three also come with fuel injection. Now there is a 1.5 litre diesel variant available too with mileage of around 20kmpl in city!!! and 24kmpl on the highway!!! Our CarOur Esteem is working well enough. We bought it in March 2001 when the fuel injected models were just introduced. It has given hassle free performance till date and having no problem. Its has completed around 50,000kms and still no sign of wearing out. The top speed is great having myself touched around 150 on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway and I feel she'll easily touch around 180 or even more on flooring the accelerator. Though Maruti dosent supply them with good tyres. The tyres are very thin for a car of its performance. We had them replaced with thicker 175 section radials after which it gives surprising road grip with only a marginal decrease in mileage. The car gives us around 12kmpl in the hectic city driving of Pune generally with the AC switched on. There is nothing more to say. Though this car feels a bit old. Here are the technical details below. SpecificationsLayout Front engine front wheel drive Wheelbase 2365mm Length 4090mm Width 1575mm Height 1395mm Kerb Weight 860kg Engine 4 valves cyl, 4 cyl, MPFI all-aluminium engine Displacement 1298cc Max Power