Disclaimer: User only review, I know very little about cars like carburator(did I even spell that correctly) or engine ghorda(mutilated hindi for horse) power to even pretend an attempt at a technical interview.
About two years back I was on the lookout for a car. I had the budget for a sedan but didn’t want to splurge too much as I was expecting to change the car in a couple of years for something more flashy and bigger. Having driven in the west I wanted to have some time on Indian roads before getting some more expensive ride.
So I bought the new Maruti Esteem LXi. The only major stuff this model lacks(compared to the VXi) are the spoiler, fog lights and the useless cassette only(!) stereo system. Also the tires are one size smaller, and the interiors are greyer. Though the grey interiors were a plus for me as I myself am a greyish person.
I think this car is the exact small/big combination that most of us like. It has seating for 5(3 thinnish people in the rear), an ample boot space and just about enough ground clearance for indian roads. Initially I had thought that the boot would be big enough to cart my sister and family or brother and family whenever they come from their stay abroad. But I had seriously underestimated the amount of stuff people bring over from abroad no matter how many times they visit their "desh". So it didn’t solve that purpose. In fact I had to take a Sumo/Tavera almost everytime.:-)
So much for space. Regarding drive quality, I really like the car’s response when I am alone and it fairly zips along due to its commendable power to weight ratio, but get 5 people in it and you need to step on the gas a lot more to make it move forward. Once it picks up pace though it is quite responsive. The shift lever is also positioned almost exactly where I like it, I just need to stretch my elbow a little to reach the lever. The power steering is also great and I have been able to take u-turns with a single finger(well almost, but two fingers is as good as one;-)
Fuel efficiency. It gives me about 12kmpl and that is a tad on the lower side by what I had read before getting the car but still amounts to about Rs.4/km in Delhi and that is good enough for me. I have taken it for a some long drives(Jaipur, Lucknow) and during those trips it has exceeded 17kmpl which is quite economical I would say.
It has never had a major breakdown on me at least(touch wood) and I think by keeping it regularly serviced I have got really good value for the cost of the car. Its battery conked out about a week back, but then I had left the headlights on and there is only so much you can expect from a car battery. And even then 2 years on the original Maruti battery is quite a stretch going by what my mechanic had to say about that(going as mechanics go, this piece of information could be taken with a pinch of salt)
Now for the best part. I really really like the low seating on the car. Its seats are much lower than most other cars I have seen, but this allows the roof to be pretty low too, which gives it a much more sleeker look than most other sedans. In fact I had the displeasure of parking my landlord’s car a couple of times(Honda City) and I hit my head on the roof getting in and out! The low seating does have one disadvantage; I can’t keep an elbow out of the open window while I cruise, but in Delhi I think that is an advantage as I thankfully still have my elbow firmly attached despite several rather close encounters with other vehicles on Delhi roads.
So here I am more than the couple of years I had initially given this car still driving it and still not looking for the new ride I had promised myself. Though I don’t know if I would remain loyal for much longer as there are quite a few really nice looking cars in the market now. But overall I am very pleased with my purchase. What I really like about it is how it looks from the front. It might just be me but I think it looks like an SLK at a tenth of the cost;-)