I have an Esteem VXi, 2005 model on which I have already clocked 35, 000 kms. I also have a 2005 Santro XG eRLX model. I’ll come to the reason later for mentioning my also having a Santro.
The Esteem has given me totally hassle free ownership experience for the past two years that I’ve owned it. I was in two minds at the time of buying the Esteem as to whether Swift VXi would be a better buy. But what made me decide for the Esteem was Swift’s cramped rear seat leg space, small rear door windows which made me feel claustophobic and tiny boot .
What I found better in Swift was higher seating position (getting in and out of the Esteem is a real crawl!) and the bigger wheels which is supposed to give you a better ride on rough roads (at least theoritically!). But
then I was getting a ’new’ car (Swift) with the engine and gearbox of the good ol’ Esteem - then why not buy the original and get a proper 3 box car instead of a hatchback! Ever since I have not had any occassion
to regret my decision to go with the Esteem.
Being the VXi model, the tyres are lower in profile and wider - which translates into softer ride and better road holding ability - so handling the car at
higher speeds gives you a lot more confidence and braking becomes surefooted without ever feeling that the tyres might lock up on you during hard braking.
Now I’ll come to the all important issue of fuel consumption. I had a Santro Zip Drive previously which used togive me an average of 10 kmpl. When I bought the Santro eRLX the average fuel consumption within city (Kolkata) jumped up to 13 - 13.5 kmpl and I was overjoyed because I feel Kolkata traffic is one of the worst in India! And on highways (I regularly venture out on weekend getaways!) the Santro returns me anywhere between 18 - 21 kmpl (without AC). Now
when I bought the Esteem I had a faint expectation that hopefully it will return an average fuel consumption figure somewhere near my Santro.
But what I got in return even left me wide eyed. I get a cityaverage of 14.5 - 16 kmpl (with occassional AC) and 21 (with AC) - 23.5 (without AC) kmpl on highways. The way I check my fuel average is that I fill up the tank every Sunday from a particular fuel dispensor on auto shut/cut-off from the same retail outlet and I reset my trip meter to keep calculations simple.
I always knew that the Esteem was good in fuel economy but never imagined that it will return me such highfigures consistently. I do not know whether most of the Esteems return such figures or am I plain lucky!!
I would recommend the car to anyone who wants to own a Saloon but doesn’t want to spend over Rs. 5 - 6 lakhs and wants a car which has proven its worth over the years, is highly fuel efficient, reliable and easy (read cheap!) to maintain. I am glad that I listened to my head rather than my heart when it came to chosing the Esteem over its more recent cousin, the Swift!