This is my maiden car review ...
I searched for a car for almost a year , read so may car reviews. For any middle class person in india buying any product for that matter, the first constrain one can have would be the money. Taking into account the above fact I was ok with Alto coz I believe in Maruthi.
I went to the showroom with my friend and we had a look at Alto, A-Star and Estilo, my friend suggested that Alto had a old engine and asked me to look for something contemporary so I discarded Alto out of my contention.
Then we had Astar and estilo to chose, Astar was very cramped(Tough has very good handling and mileage) and I chose estilo for itz space. I got this car in March 2010.I have driven it for about 4000 Kms and one long drive on the high way for 1200 Km stretch(Both ways), so this means I have taken time to analyze things and then tell people about this car.
Engine: The engine is the awesome part of this car, believe me I was able to overtake a scorpio a verna on the highway.Has a very good distribution of power across all speed ranges, The new K-series mill , ’gem of an engine’, itz very smooth to drive on any day.
Handling: The handling is very comfortable for city conditions, I would say it is better than a santro or a spark coz I have driven these cars (of my friends) on city and highy way conditions. The handling gets a little edgy when the car is on a highy way at a speeds of over 90-100Km/h, still l took turns constantly at 120 Km/h and was not very comfortable but managed it. Also the cable operated gear shift is very smooth and comfortable better than many cars in the segment
Space and interiors: The space in the front and the back seats are really good, but the back seats are not very comfortable for longer drives due to the high seating position, but you will feel a little comfortable when you pull the head rests on..
Milage:No doudt itz maruthi and a new Kseries engine, , it gave me a whopping 19.65 KMPL on a high way even when I drove it at 140 KMPH. believe me itz truth, even my friends were surprised to see itz fuel efficiency at such great speeds..
Overall: Everyone say that this car is a flop and has not helped maruthi’s cause to become a leader in the small car segment, im not sure about the sales stats. But it is a very good car than what it is reviewed by many people. After all any car should meet the specific demands of the owner, and im sure this car meets the demands of every first car buyer. Im very happy with this product of maruthi.But do not buy it from a dealer like Indus motors Chennai, they will not serve you well. More interestingly my first service bill was 115 Rs very happy with the car as a package.