Zen Estilo: 1st Drive

Before I get ranting and raving about the new Estilo, lets take a walk down memory lane. In November of 2006, Maruti Suzuki pulled the plug on the Zen, which was a neat jellybean shaped hatchback that had risen to cult status as it was the only hot-hatch around. To replace it, Maruti Suzuki introduced the Zen Estilo in December 2006. The Estilo was a far cry from the hot hatch design and instead it was actually a tall boy! Maruti thought it would be a good idea to carry over the 'Zen' brand name as this would lend a brand connect to this new car. The Zen Estilo however was more like a refurbished Wagon R and the two cars even shared the same engine and gearbox. Basically the Zen Estilo failed to make a mark of living up to the cult status of the Zen and without the aura of the Zen, the new car literally went through a bit of an identity crisis.

Without the flair or the aura, the Zen Estilo was under pressure from enthusiasts and car buyers alike. The only mistake on Maruti's part being that they tried to carry over a brand name that had a very strong impression of being fast, zippy and young, and they took that and stamped it onto a car that was not any of those words! The Zen Estilo was stylish, at the time, however, its vague gearbox and non exciting image didn't do anything to aid the brand. Now, don't get me wrong, it was not a disaster in terms of money when looking at the sales charts, for it was able to clock total sales of over 1 lakh units in its life span. In fact the Zen Estilo settled down to a steady 3,000 units sold month on month. The loss that I speak of was in terms of a brand name and the Estilo had to live up to being 'just another small car.'

All that is set to change now, for Maruti has taken painstaking efforts to right a wrong, and in doing so they have started from the beginning. First things first, they've dropped the 'Zen' tag, so the new car is now just the Estilo. Okay, there is still a badge on the rear that says 'Zen', but all the communication and marketing efforts are towards just calling the new car the Estilo. Secondly they've addressed everything that made the Estilo 'just another car' and now the new car boasts of a soul of its own.

Starting with the exteriors, the sculptors at Maruti Suzuki came alive and did a commendable job of livening up the front. Gone are the flat-pan looks, for the front now comes with redesigned headlights that are in line with the Suzuki family design (read as Swift, Ritz and A-Star). The car also has a new grill that almost smiles at you and a bold new bumper with integrated fog lamps that have a 'sculpted look'. The front fenders have also been revised slightly. Overall the front fascia gets a muscular overtone that does brighten up the front end of the car as well as lends towards a younger personality. The side and rear have not received too much in terms of changes, however subtle modifications such as the revised OVRMs, door claddings and new wheel covers do add to the element of change on the Estilo.

The interiors are pretty much the same and the beige color expression is carried over from the outgoing model. Subtle changes however include a new seat fabric, a two tone dash, rear parcel tray and a digital fuel indicator. The touch screen JVC stereo system is an accessory and does not come as standard on the car (however it was available on my test car and it's a worthy piece of equipment, if you have the moolah to put down for it!). Seating is convenient for a small family, thanks to the tall boy stance there is enough knee room in the rear as well. For the driver, it's a very upright seating position which allows for a good view of the road, but for someone who is above 6 feet tall, it might be a slightly tight fit.

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The biggest change and the best aspect of the new Estilo however does not lie in the new lines or fresh fabric, but under the hood. Gone is the 1.1 litre mill that also does duty in the Wagon R as Maruti has gone ahead and given the Estilo a more contemporary heart. Powering the new Estilo is the KB10 Series engine that also does duty in the A-Star. The KB 10B engine is a 998cc, 3 cylinder unit that has a high compression ratio of 10:1 and delivers 68PS @ 6200 rpm and a noteworthy torque of 90Nm@3500 rpm. Its peppy nature is more suitable for a young car like the Estilo. The lightweight aluminium engine boasts of low NVH levels, enhanced fuel efficiency and linear performance throughout the powerband. In fact according to ARAI tests, the Estilo is set to return a fuel average of 18.2 kilometers to the litre. Salient features of the KB10 engine include an all plastic engine manifold, a smart distributor-less ignition system with dedicated plug top coils and advanced injectors plus an innovative rocker-less DOHC shaft. The engine has been further optimized by using light weight pistons and nutless conrods. All this has lead to the engine having a dry weight of just 47 kilograms.

Along with the engine, Maruti Suzuki has also carried out extensive changes on the gearbox, which was earlier vague and just irritating to use. The new box is better appointed and slots into gear rather well. To bring about this change, Maruti Suzuki has incorporated a new cable type transmission technology as against the rod type earlier employed. Further to this, the Estilo has been fitted with a detent pin gear shift mechanism that eliminates sliding friction between parts. No doubt, the change in the gearbox is immediately noticeable.

With so many changes carried out, it made sense for Maruti Suzuki to also address the ride and handling. The company claims to have changed the suspension set up in order to benefit handling, however you'll be hardpressed to tell the difference here unless you drive the old model and this one back to back. Having said that, the ride quality is not bad for a small car. It handles our roads rather well and as long as you don?t think you are Schumacher or Hamilton behind the wheel, then the handling also stays in check.

The new Estilo might still be a tall boy, but this major makeover has given it a new lease on life for now the car has its own soul. It's a peppy tall boy hatch that offers a decent amount of style and doubles as a great family hatch as well. What Maruti Suzuki has managed here is to address every ailing issue that plagued the earlier model and has successfully found solutions to make the Estilo a brand in its own right. Having said that, the road ahead is tough as competition is not slowing down to let anyone catch up. The Estilo name has a certain stigma attached to it and that will be a tough game to play in terms of taking this brand name to newer heights. What does play in Maruti's favour however are its service network and ability to price its products aggressively, such as the new Estilo. Let's hope the new Estilo has a better innings this time around, for the changes do deserve that chance.