Best car from Maruti's stable. Review on Maruti Suzuki Esteem

Today despite the new foreign make cars being launched in India and the upcoming ones like the Ignis from Maruti, Ford Mondeo in the sedan segment, I could still swear by the Maruti Esteem. This is truly the best car from the MUL stable and priced so attractive, that I would say it gives more value for every Rupee that you have spent.

We were going to buy this one, until of course Dad was given the Ikon by his office. The car has several pluses as compared to the minus points.

We are often zapped by the looks of foreign make cars often ignoring what is back at home. ''Ghar ki murgi daal barabar!''

But the Maruti Esteem is not plain Jane vanilla. It is definitely more sleek, long and slim. The front slopes elegantly into a chrome-plated grille. The lamps are long and slender on the sides and above the fender. The sides are not as curved, slightly sharp and flat and in fact more like the Honda City. I swear!

The car's uniqueness is the rear side. Though the rear lamps i.e. brake/turn/reverse combination are pretty conventional and lies on the extreme edges and projects slightly on the sides, the uniqueness lies in the boot lid. There is a red broad panel right across the boot. The boot lid opens to reveal a large boot, which is albeit smaller than the Hyundai Accent, but there are additional tail lamps - viz., brake lights and white reversing indicators on the boot lid itself. The car looks sloping from rear to the front - very aerodynamic and sporty, especially if you add the tail wings.

The interiors are real comfortable for 5. The gray plastic moulded panel is stylish though not as exotic as Lancer. The speedometer, fuel level indicators are well illuminated and viewable from the driver position. The leg space at the front is reasonably big and so it is on the rear side. The cabin stays cool, though not as much on the rear side. The driver is very comfortable in the inclining and adjustable seat. The floor-shift gears are smooth and jerk free. You don't even feel it except for the smooth acceleration as you step on gas. The windscreen is big and sloping that offers real good view of the road. The fabric is reasonably good at the price the car is offered. But with large spare parts available, one can go in for leather seats that would make the car a luxury.

Under the hood, it sports an all aluminium engine that has many advantages like light weight, better thermal conductivity and cooler operation. The 1300 cc, 4 cylinder, 16 valve engine gives a healthy 85 bhp. Esteem is but a smooth car that accelerates from - 100 Kmph in less than 12 secs. You feel it surge ahead as you accelerate it and change gears quickly. Add to that a top speed of 155 Kmph and you will be happy to drive it on highways, more so if I tell you that it also is fuel-efficient and offers 14-16 Kmph on highways and 10-13 Kmph for city driving. Impressive, isn't it? Probably because most of the body is Aluminium too making it a light weight car.

We always nurture a feeling that Indian cars aren't as safe, probably because we have seen and heard of air bags in the cars abroad. Well yes it's true, but Esteem also has safety features like side impact beams, crash zones in its all Aluminium body and you would not believe it - even a collapsible steering wheel. The 13'' ventilated disc brakes in the front and drum brakes at the back offer quick braking, though the car may swirl slightly at the rear during sudden braking.

Also the car is available in great color choices. I like the dark maroon, white, metallic gray and metallic blue colors on the Esteem.

Overall I am all out for this car and highly recommend it for those looking for best budget car. Though a budget car, it has got that executive style and if you remember, it was once a status symbol, I believe it still is.