Dear MSers,

I had earlier posted  a question in this space (about collapsible steering for Estilo) and I promised to get back with a review. Well, here it is !!

My car search started with a second hand M800. After some thought, I decided to go in for a new 800. When I learnt about the power steering (or the lack of it in M800) I decided I would go for ALTO. However, I couldn’t justify the 80,000+ increase over the 800 since the ALTO had the same engine and comfort levels. So I decided to drop that one too.

The dealer pointed a ZEN Estilo which was parked and asked me to give it a try. I only had to get in and out of the ZEN once for me to fall in love with it. Aesthetic beige interiors, tall boy design and a ton of features put together still costed 20-25 K less than cars of similar category. My mother did not like the looks of the Estilo, but I loved every inch of it (except probably for its narrow appearance). For well over two months, I studied extensively about the ZEN, its advantages and drawbacks, price and sales...Today, on D-Day, I ended up doing a volte face and booked a Santro Xing after bowing to the voice of the majority in the family. However, since I have done so much analysis, I think I can post something of use to future buyers of Estilo. Hope people find it useful.

The Positives:

1. Stunning Interiors - Will make all other cars including Santro feel like a cave
2. Excellent VFM - Tons of features including Keyless entry in VXI model but same price as Santro GLS which has much less
3. Low TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)
4. Amazing Power steering - You only need 2 fingers to steer this car across even the most crowded streets
5. Good A/C, brakes and dealer network
6. Decent mileage and a noise free engine

The Negatives:

1. Not much popular with the masses - It shouldn’t matter much unless you want to be the odd guy driving a not-so-familiar car (similar to FIAT UNO, Daewoo Matiz and the likes). With the impending launch of Maruti’s A-STAR and TOYOTA’s small car, it is do or die for Estilo.
2. Poor Gearbox.
3. Lower pickup compared to Santro
4. Cramped ineriors. For its segment, it is not bad, but it could have been better.
5. Lack of sensible colors (I think Dark Blue and Maroon would have been much better choices than purple and olive blue. In my case Color was a major deal breaker)
6. Nano-ish looks. You don’t want to pay 4 lakhs and be known as the person who drives a Nano-like car :-)
7. Looks (subjective). Initially, looks are what attracted me the most, but I once saw a black Santro Xing (possibly 2-3 years old) and a black Estilo standing side by side. I realized how true it was to say that beauty was only skin deep. The Estilo had some dust on it, but because of its narrow appearance, its looks paled in comparison with the Santro. I decided to drop looks as a selling point for the Estilo since it looked good only when brand new.
8. Last but not least, this car shares its dimensions with the ALTO. If you think the ALTO is cramped for space, you don’t want to go for the Estilo.

I don’t have much to write about Santro, but going by reviews in other sites, overall owner feedback and sales, I believe it should be a good car too. There goes my long review !! Happy car buying experiecne.