I did a lot of research before buying a Estilo (New) LXi in February 2010. Since I have to drive nearly fifty kilometres every day, fuel economy was important for me. And as a reasonably tall person, and as someone who has driven a Maruti 800 for years and an Alto Excite for a few months now, I was clear that I wanted a vehicle with taller sitting position than my earlier vehicles. Maruti’s service reliability is something I have experienced in the past and so my first preference was a Maruti. But, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t consider any other vehicle. After initial research, I had shortlisted Spark as well as i10. After speaking to people who drive these vehicles, I dropped Spark from my list. With i10, it was an interesting problem. i10 with IRDE engine was priced in the range I was considering, but mileage and performance wasn’t upto the mark. i10 with kappa engine got excellent reviews, but was priced beyond the range I was considering. In terms of space and interiors too, i10 really scores, but I decided that the additional spending wasn’t worth it.
So, then, for me, it was between A-star, Estilo and Wagon R, all Maruti vehicles. Both A-star and Wagon R are there with my cousins and so, both my wife and I could get not only direct reviews, but also direct drive experience on them. A-star scored exceptionally well on mileage, gear shifting and the basic engine quality. But, low seating, low rear space etc were clear negatives. My wife also found the road view from the driver’s seat a matter of concern. With Wagon-R, seating and space concerns weren’t there, although engine quality was inferior to that of the A-star. Poor quality gear shifting and not so great mileage were also negatives. That’s when I looked at Estilo New as the best of both worlds! It had high seating and reasonable space. At the same time, it had the A-star’s K series engine. So I took the Estilo for a test ride and I was quite happy with it. The gear quality was far better than that of Wagon-R, although A-star’s gear shifting was still superior. The vehicle was fun to drive and handling was very decent as well. I decided to go for the vehicle, but one major concern remained: Why is it that I’m not seeing any Estilos on road, even though the vehicle was launched in August 2009? To be honest, this question bothered me so much that I delayed the booking of my vehicle by almost one month, all the while trying to find people who have driven it, to find if there is any major problem.
I managed to trace quite a few who were driving the new vehicle and all of them were very happy with their vehicle. I also learned that most of them had booked their vehicles in September and October, but got hold of their vehicle only after three or more months. So that partially answered why I was not seeing that many vehicles. In fact, then I was concerned whether I will also have to wait for months after booking. I checked with the company and found that since January end, for most regular colours, there wasn’t any waiting period. After that I met with a few prospective buyers who were deciding to buy a vehicle at that point of time and asked them why they were not considering an Estilo New. Almost all of them told me that they got good reviews about the car, but since it is not seen on the road, they were concerned if there is some negative which they could not find. Two of them also told me that Estilo was a failed brand and that will affect its resale value.
Anyway, I do not know how many of them eventually bought an Estilo, but I took the plunge. It is more than a month now, and I’m really glad I bought this one. I had originally considered buying a VXi, but didn’t because while the price difference between a VXi and an LXi is about 29, 000, the real value difference in terms of useful accessories (for me) was about 17, 000. I bought an LXi and added accessories worth about 14, 000 and in terms of utility, there is very little to differentiate between my LXi and any VXi now.
When we emptied the first full tank, we were surprised to realise that we have got nearly 17.3 kmpl on an average, even before the first service! The executive who sold the car was confident that I would get between 15 to 16 kmpl even before first service, but this was surprising to him even. Of course, I drive about 50% on the highway, and I switch on the AC only when it is hot (which is most often in Hyderabad!), and with that now I’m consistently getting 18+kmpl. So on the fuel efficiency front, there are no complaints!
I enjoy driving the vehicle. The engine is not noisy as some have said, although AC with outside airflow cut-off is a bit noisy. AC cools reasonably well. Gear shift is good enough. Handling is pretty decent and overall performance is good enough for this range. The only complaint I have is that at fewer RPMs, the engine produces less power than ideal. This implies that if you are used to slow speed city driving in an Alto or an 800 kind of vehicle with fewer gear shifts, then you might get a little irritated at times as you will have to up shift the gears more frequently or else the engine will go off. I have got used to that now, and my mileage is not affected much by the use of higher gears for city driving. When RPMs increase, the power generated might surprise you. In fact, on the highways, Estilo can really surprise some of the higher range vehicles.
Exterior looks like a mini-Innova. My vehicle is an ECRU beige one. Interior looks good in light coloured dual tones. Strangely, the A pillar and roof is still coloured in the traditional light grey cotton shade. That is an oversight, I suppose, and that is where an i10 is consistent with its interiors. Luggage space is more than I expected for a vehicle of this kind. Back leg space is better than that of an A-star (or even Swift), but three people there is a bit of a cramp. Driver’s seat, when going for long drives, is better to be kept upright. It provides the right support when kept upright. A-pillar does block some view (which is a problem with most new cars), but even on that front, this one is better than A-star. Wagon-R is better on that count.
Of course, I wish there were more features. I wish a music system would have come built-in with the VXi. Similarly, I wish dual airbags and ABS would have come at a lower cost for the higher-end Estilo. Those are wishes and I guess, I would never get a perfect vehicle in that sense. But, for the money that I spend, I am not complaining. As I mentioned earlier, I had done my research, and took my time to decide, but now from experience I can say, go for it or wait for Wagon-R K series. Even then, if you don’t like the boxy looks of Wagon-R, then there isn’t much to discuss.
If you can spend more money, then go for i10 kappa series. At this price range though, to me, there isn’t much to debate!