First Drive - Estilo - Team-BHP

herculesksp · 16th December 2006, 17:23

I had decided on getting a swift and we had gone to the Maruti dealer in the morning to get an invoice when we thought we'll have a look at the estilo. To our great excitement we saw that they also had a demo vehicle and we decided to take a spin.

After quite a long wait we got hold of the demo car and took it around for a short spin. The odo read 208 kms and this was a pretty new car. I felt the steering was little weighted and not very much like on the Swift which felt quite light and comfortable. What was apparent right from the first was that it was much more comfortable to drive when compared to the Wagon R. I found the seating position more comfortable and there was a good gap between the steering and my leg.

The car felt light and the engine was very reponsive and had a nice whine at high revs. Of course it had run just 208 kms but I took it to about 5000rpm on the first and second gears. Didnt have a chance to take it beyond the 3rd gear thanks to some horrible traffic but it felt comfortable and stable over slightly bad roads. Took it on a mild slope on the 3rd gear and the car had no problems. The response in the 3rd gear seemed definitely more than the swift which was a little sluggish in 3rd gear at low revs.

Suspension set-up was soft and the car took small bumps and depressions with ease. Turning radius is also small and the car didnt sway too much when taking a U-turn tho the suspension seemed lightly sprung. Font visibility is definitely different when compared to the other Maruti cars. One cant see much of the bonnet, in fact can not see it at all from the normal drivers position and I know many of my colleagues who dont like this. Thanks to the cab-forward design the A-pillar is bang in the drivers peripheral vision and this hampers visibility a little. (Now I know where honda drivers come from). That was my only issue with this car and otherwise it felt very nice. The gear lever throw was an issue for me coming from the swift. Throw is long and the lever rubs against the co passengers legs while shifting and somehow I was not too comfortable with the long throws now that I have become a fan of the swifts short throw.

Overall very peppy and a great car for city conditions. The car felt pretty light and well built. Much better than the Wagon R. WR is definitely a no brainer now that this car is in the market. The interiors on the top end Vxi comes with beige interiors and door trims while the door trims are a light grey on the lower variants. Top end comes with SRS and airbags as an option and should do good for those who value safety features of a car.

I would have definitely gone for this car. In fact we are still thinking about it thanks to its fresh looks and good colour options. But I am hooked onto the swift (the only deterrent is that those damn guys at Maruti have discontinued the Blue color which I so loved) thanks to its feel and space. Bookings are open for the estilo and delivery time is less than 1 month as informed by the dealers. In fact he said that he would even get some colors within 1 week depending on the demand and stock. Car prices could go up in the next year so nows the time to book it. They are also not offering any discounts on the car and its pointless to expect any next year.

--
kuku

Mpower · 17th December 2006, 02:44

Good review. how is the rear suspension comfort compared to the santro. I guess you have to ride in the back seat to know that.

and how does the handling compare to the nippy old Zen.

mithun · 20th December 2006, 04:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by herculesksp

Much better than the Wagon R. WR is definitely a no brainer now that this car is in the market.

In what sense are you saying that it's better than the WagonR ? Almost all the specifications including the suspension is identical to that of WagonR.

Even a guy who had just bought an Estilo told that WagonR is a more practical car than Estilo !!!

herculesksp · 21st December 2006, 07:51

@mpower: Never sat in the back seat of the estilo, so cant compare back seat comfort to that of the santro, neither have I ridden the old zen. But one thing that I could make out was that it was more cushioned than the Swift. I think the swift is set up for better handling than ride, also could be attributed to the higher profile tyres on the estilo compared to the swift zxi.

@mithun: Lots of reasons why I prefer the estilo over WR. 1) Better looks(subjective), 2) Better colour options, 3) Better build quality, 4) Better looking interiors and more cubby holes, 5) Lot more accessories coming from maruti itself, 6) Steering felt more weighted than WR(subjective), 7) and most important. I 'fit' in an estilo and not in the WR, so I can safely say that it is much more spacious at least for the driver.

And, same question from me, why did the guy who bought it prefer the wagon R over the estilo? The only reason I would prefer the WR is for the LPG option.

16th December 2006, 17:23	#1 (permalink)
herculesksp BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 141	First Drive - Estilo I had decided on getting a swift and we had gone to the Maruti dealer in the morning to get an invoice when we thought we'll have a look at the estilo. To our great excitement we saw that they also had a demo vehicle and we decided to take a spin. After quite a long wait we got hold of the demo car and took it around for a short spin. The odo read 208 kms and this was a pretty new car. I felt the steering was little weighted and not very much like on the Swift which felt quite light and comfortable. What was apparent right from the first was that it was much more comfortable to drive when compared to the Wagon R. I found the seating position more comfortable and there was a good gap between the steering and my leg. The car felt light and the engine was very reponsive and had a nice whine at high revs. Of course it had run just 208 kms but I took it to about 5000rpm on the first and second gears. Didnt have a chance to take it beyond the 3rd gear thanks to some horrible traffic but it felt comfortable and stable over slightly bad roads. Took it on a mild slope on the 3rd gear and the car had no problems. The response in the 3rd gear seemed definitely more than the swift which was a little sluggish in 3rd gear at low revs. Suspension set-up was soft and the car took small bumps and depressions with ease. Turning radius is also small and the car didnt sway too much when taking a U-turn tho the suspension seemed lightly sprung. Font visibility is definitely different when compared to the other Maruti cars. One cant see much of the bonnet, in fact can not see it at all from the normal drivers position and I know many of my colleagues who dont like this. Thanks to the cab-forward design the A-pillar is bang in the drivers peripheral vision and this hampers visibility a little. (Now I know where honda drivers come from). That was my only issue with this car and otherwise it felt very nice. The gear lever throw was an issue for me coming from the swift. Throw is long and the lever rubs against the co passengers legs while shifting and somehow I was not too comfortable with the long throws now that I have become a fan of the swifts short throw. Overall very peppy and a great car for city conditions. The car felt pretty light and well built. Much better than the Wagon R. WR is definitely a no brainer now that this car is in the market. The interiors on the top end Vxi comes with beige interiors and door trims while the door trims are a light grey on the lower variants. Top end comes with SRS and airbags as an option and should do good for those who value safety features of a car. I would have definitely gone for this car. In fact we are still thinking about it thanks to its fresh looks and good colour options. But I am hooked onto the swift (the only deterrent is that those damn guys at Maruti have discontinued the Blue color which I so loved) thanks to its feel and space. Bookings are open for the estilo and delivery time is less than 1 month as informed by the dealers. In fact he said that he would even get some colors within 1 week depending on the demand and stock. Car prices could go up in the next year so nows the time to book it. They are also not offering any discounts on the car and its pointless to expect any next year. -- kuku

17th December 2006, 02:44	#2 (permalink)
Mpower Team-BHP Moderator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago/B'lore Posts: 3,629 View My Garage	Good review. how is the rear suspension comfort compared to the santro. I guess you have to ride in the back seat to know that. and how does the handling compare to the nippy old Zen. __________________ The difference between the men and the boys....................is the speed of their toys.

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21st December 2006, 07:51	#4 (permalink)
herculesksp BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 141	@mpower: Never sat in the back seat of the estilo, so cant compare back seat comfort to that of the santro, neither have I ridden the old zen. But one thing that I could make out was that it was more cushioned than the Swift. I think the swift is set up for better handling than ride, also could be attributed to the higher profile tyres on the estilo compared to the swift zxi. @mithun: Lots of reasons why I prefer the estilo over WR. 1) Better looks(subjective), 2) Better colour options, 3) Better build quality, 4) Better looking interiors and more cubby holes, 5) Lot more accessories coming from maruti itself, 6) Steering felt more weighted than WR(subjective), 7) and most important. I 'fit' in an estilo and not in the WR, so I can safely say that it is much more spacious at least for the driver. And, same question from me, why did the guy who bought it prefer the wagon R over the estilo? The only reason I would prefer the WR is for the LPG option.