I bought a new Esteem VXi last year. I’ll spare the details of the decision making process, but my shortlist sounded like two ageing movie stars - Esteem and Baleno.
I test drove both, & even then I knew that the new Esteem is not very forgiving for city driving. The torque in lower gears is sensitive to rpm, so your driving skills will definitely improve. The next time you drive an underpowered car you’ll be glad you were trained on an Esteem. The Baleno, on the other hand, is a pleasure to drive. Its 3rd will go all the way down to a crawl, and the 1st doesn’t require that desperate nudge on the accelerator.
As you may guess I settled for the Esteem because it was a good 2L less. Once you’ve reconciled yourself to becoming a better driver, the Esteem’s value kicks in:
Reliability - The car needs only petrol. Probably the most trouble-free car on Indian roads.
Suspension - Decent even for bad roads. Speed bumps require slowing down, can’t ride them.
Power steering - Superb. Excellent feedback, the car is an extension of your mind.
A/C - Decent. Doesn’t detract from the pick-up because you’ve become a better driver!
Boot - Plenty of space, the #1 reason to buy an Esteem over Swift or Getz.
Negative points include:
Gymnastics required to get into the rear seat.
The rear door sharpens to a point on the top trailing edge(shame on the designer).
The body metal reminds you of a dalda can. The doors are wimpy & don’t shut reassuringly. Just try a Fiat Palio and you’ll know what a decent car body should feel and sound like.
So the Esteem decision comes down to whether you need a reliable car with decent space at less than half the price of a Honda.