Sep 19, 2009 10:05 PM
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After waiting for a long time for its launch, I was finally relieved when my new Zen Estilo was delivered to me by Maruti Suzuki dealer M/s MAGIC AUTO, Delhi. I have been waiting eagerly for this car since my plans to buy an old model Estilo was put on hold by the salesman citing Maruti's plans to revamp the model.
Buying Experience: I purchased the car from M/s MAGIC AUTO. I exchanged my 2001 model Maruti 800. Though I did not get any discounts on the car price they agreed to throw in a few accessories as freebies along with the deal.
I finalized the purchase of the old ZEN Estilo Vxi. The day I was going to write a cheque for the booking amount, I saw the brochure for the new zen ESTILO and casually asked the salesman about it. After a short discussion, we both agreed that I should wait for the new facelifted model to be launched. On 28th August, I got a call saying that the new car is now available and so I went to the dealership and made the payment (all in cheque) and booked a coffee brown colored Estilo.
I got the delivery the next day. My car savvy brother was accompanied me to take the delivery. The car cost me 3.92 lakhs on road. Freebies I got were stereo, mats, perfume, steering cover and matching seat covers.
All formalities including registration was done smoothly by the dealer.
The car:
Engine: The engine is a 3 pot - same technology they use in the award winning A-Star. The initial experience was good. The engine was super silent. But the engine runs hot pretty quick and you can feel it in the cabin the moment you switch off the AC. There is a sudden surge when AC is switched on or off. With AC ON, the car feels like it is struggling to pull through - same as my father's Alto.
Interiors: Interiors were not to my liking - Beige and chocolate brown? Where do they get such tacky combinations? Moreover the fabric used in the seat gets soiled real quick. It is a pain to maintain it. The dealer gave zip on type covers but they are also beige but washable and easy to remove and reinsert. The stock carpet is made of some flimsy material which gets stained very quickly. (I got mats free though!). Since the car is a tall boy, getting in and out is easy.
The instrument panels are laid out neatly. There is enough room to keep the nitty gritties - nice glove box and cup holder plus a bottle holder near the gear lever.The steering lacks an ergonomic feel.Visibility is hampered by the awkward A-pillar and I end up looking over the steering when I have to turn around the corner.
Lots of space is wasted on the dashboard. If you place anything on it it will reflect on the glass and reduces visibility.
Seats: Front seats pull backward real far and can easily accomodate a 6 feet tall person. Rear seats are as cramped as A-Star.
The seats are hard and do not have the hugging feel of a Santro.
Pedals and gear: I have a small feet - so the pedals are painful to operate in bumper to bumper traffic. The biggest gripe is the gear shift. It is very hard - the dealer says it will be smoother after some time.
Stock tyres are from JK and according to my brother will hold good for a long time. The wheel caps fall off very often when the car falls in a rut or pothole. It is made of cheap plastic.
Driving experience: The car has completed 1600 KMs as I write this. I commute about 70 KMs daily for work and also I have driven this car out of city (Chandigarh) several times. The car drives okay on straight roads. But during turns I have to lean over to see if it is clear to take the turn due to the obstructive A-pillar. When taking a turn a speeds above 60, the car sways as though it is going to topple over. In bumper to bumper traffic we see in Delhi, operating the gear and pedals is very painful. The seat doesn't do any justice to add to the overall driving comfort. But I manage using a good recron pillow. Fuel efficiency is around 13 KMPL in city and about 16 KMPL on highways which is okay. I got the first bump on the side door at a traffic signal when a cycle rickshaw brushed against it. The sheet metal is very thin!
Overall: Not VFM car. Not at all lady friendly.
There are better options - WagonR (if you like the boxy looks), A-Star which is a fantastic drive in the city - wow. But a bit more costly. I could not get an exchange deal on this one :-( , Hyundai Santro (very ergonomic and lady friendly), Hyundai i10 and the Alto (if you can live with poor air conditioning).
I regret my decision in buying this car. I feel that the old Zen Estilo model was slightly better than the new one since I really enjoyed the AC while revving at good speeds during multiple test drives.
The only reason I bought this car was the great exchange price I was getting for my old 800. I was keen on the A-Star but there weren't any good discounts and hence was above my budget. A-Star is a great city car though.
In my opinion, the new Estilo is the worst car Maruti Suzuki has ever made.
