I own a Maruthi Esteem VXi, bought on Apr 2007 through Bimal Auto Agency, Bangalore. I had two options in mind, whether to go for a Maruti Swift Diesel(VDi) or an Maruti Esteem VXi. Due to the fact that, there was a long waiting period for the Swift Diesel, I made my mind to go for an Esteem VXi.
The looks of the present Esteem model is far superior than the older ones. It comes with a modified rear looks, and to make it more sleek and sporty, the VXi has a spoiler with serial braking lights. Esteem models comes with new colour variants you can choose from(I chose Pearl Silver). The interiors of the VXi look classy, compared to the older versions of esteem . Seats are furnished with high quality fabric matching the body colour. The VXi comes with power steering and power windows. It also comes with an Kenwood MP3 player with FM/AM. And the A/C is very effective.
Coming to the performance of the car, esteem has a very good pickup, but with the A/C ON the engine struggles a bit. Nevertheless, that would really not be a major concern. Esteem with the A/C ON gives a mileage of 10.5-11KMPL driving in the chaotic traffic of Bangalore:-). The car is an absolute sweetheart while driving on the highway, it gives an average of 14.5-16KMPL.
Now coming to the cons of the vehicle, the Esteem’s body is made of very thin metal. It surely is an area of concern, and you need to be careful and watchful while driving in the trafiic, as a small bump may turn out to be drastic on the body. Another concern is, that of getting into the car requires a good stretch of the body muscles:-) . Other than this, everything else in the car is fine and a good value for money for a car in the mid-size segment.
And then comes the service perspective, I’m very happy with the service offered by Bimal. They call you promptly when its service time for your car, and also they have an option of pickup and deliver back at your doorstep after the service. They are very professional when it comes to service, no wonder there nobody to beat Maruti in this aspect.
Altogether, if you are looking for a family car in the mid-size segment with all the luxury features and a consistent performance with a moderate price, then Esteem VXi is the car to look out for.