The New Zen, ...ahh the agility of a leopard (or was it a cheetah...doesnt really make much of a difference to me)......makes me wonder what the heck did they do to the nimble little car to make it comparable to the leopard....and i’m talking about the engine here....not the leopard like headlights which they so claim to have designed.
Continuing from where I left from on the Getz review, if u ask DC to makeover a Kinetic Honda into a Kawasaki Ninja ZX1000, its still gonna get overtaked by a handful of vehicles on the road....that is still gonna be the kinetic honda at the end of it all.
Anyway...so yeah I checked up with Maruti.....on their new site....and a couple of other sites as well....All they said was....it was facelifted....I’m c’mon yaar.......I am absolutely fed up of this ’’chingusi’ by MUL now......the reference to chingusi I’ll explain later in this review.
So yeah...now I start the actual thing.....a brief apology to all the readers for ranting about nothing and everything not related to the new Zen......haha.
So....now me goes to a MUL dealership parking my Accent way back on one side road and then walking over since I didn’t want to let him know I own a Hyundai. (MUL is very very concerned about loyalty...and if u walk in with any other car...the salesmans enthusiasm dips considerably....maybe its because they already know the other car is much superior....so they wont buy a MUL product...but lets not get into that) Yeah....so I spot a nice Yellow Zen parked inside the dealership....
One look at the car tells me that....its gotta beautiful paint job...and I mean mean exquisite.....Great finish.....One of its plus points definitely.......now for the new Leopard lights.....I dunno....I really liked the old ones more....they look more contemporary........this new ’’ooh...I’m todays generation car’’ look doesn’t really jell with the same old chassis.
The tail looks nice.....i mean the last Zens dumb tailight was a real NO-NO......one thing I would have liked is....Since the new Zen came after the Santro Xing......and the Xing having twin lamps on its rear....MUL could also do the same...but no.....like I said.....MULs STINGY.
Now for the Engine.....God....This is why I am so ANGRY AND MAD.......You guys are gonna read this and agree with me too....thats apart from those guys who already agree as per their own analysis and those guys who like the ZEN no-matter-what.
Lets do a prelimenery check up on the price factor first..... MULs own stable -- The Alto and the Wagon R are cheaper than the Zen even though they’re 1100 (1061 c.c) and the Zen is a bloody puny 1000cc (993 c.c) The Santro is an impressive 1081 c.c or something close to that...... and I’m not talking about the Alto LX or the LXi available in the 800 c.c version....coz that is definitely and obviously way cheaper than the outgoing Zen.
So all 3 cars (two from MUL itself) inspite of being more powerful and refined than the ’NEW ZEN’ still are priced lower than the ZEN.... now personally speaking I dont really mind why its priced lower...but what I’m concerned about is....why is the Zen priced higher....the reason??
The reason -- No reason a logical mind could fathom....only reason I can think of is that its selling coz of its ’tried and trusted’ tag. Thats the only reason why the car is selling..... There is absolutely no change in the engine.....
And one thing I REALLY REALLY REALLY don’t understand is....when MUL has already got the 1100 cc engine in the stable....why do they not give it in the Zen even as an option....???
..... this is just the tip of the iceberg......the real cracker is about to come.....
Like I said before the Zen is priced higher than the Alto 1.1 and the Wagon R (only comes in 1.1) even though its a puny 1000 c.c same old engine...... The Wagon R and the Alto 1.1 even have a tachometer in its high end variant....while the Zen doesnt offer the same in any variant.....
lets compare the interior now.....Very Very cramped in the front and the rear...the Wagon R and the Santro both scoring over the Zen big time......The Alto a close finish....somewhere near equal the Zen....
You know the promo for the Wagon R, their catch line being ’’for the smarter race’’....well it absolutely holds true.... IF YOU ARE SMART, you’ll go in for the Wagon R which is more techonologically ahead, more refined, more comfortable, more value for money......and tried and trusted (remember......its the M800 of Japan).......and if you’re not smart you will go in for the Zen...........
Makes me wonder....why would Maruti price the Zen at 3.27 lakhs.......I’d haggle with MUL and not pay a dime over 2.2 lakh for a brand new Zen.....The Wagon R and the Alto 1.1 being a much cheaper and a technologically more advanced car (also more comfortable but thats only the Wagon R) is an automatic choice
So trust me guys....drop the Zen....its reign over the Indian roads is over.......Its a good car....but its no longer comparable to todays new Generation Car....No Facelift of the Car can ever make it Comparable to the Santro Xing and the Wagon R.
Any Potential buyers....its my true opinion and my firm belief......that you’re gonna regret buying this Car....so please stay away from it...
And as for the ’’chingus and stingy’’ MUL.......nevermind the Facelifts, give me a the 1.1 or a 1.3 litre engine fast.....or Retire the Car.....
I hate to say it but.....THE ZEN REALLY IS ONE OF THE WORST CARS IN THE MARKET TODAY....
Sorry all you guys owning a Zen.....but thats the truth....it really is........you’ve got a thousand reasons why not to buy the car.....Call me and I’ll give you a million more
Regards, Rahul