[Trust_In_Thrust]

We had a Zen G10B manufactured in Oct 2003. We had to sell it off with heavy heart recently due to 15year rule in Delhi. The car was pristine even after running for over 1.5lac kms. I literally ripped it with Rev Limiter hitting in first three gears for nearly 90% of driving cycle, aggressive downshifts to compensate for poor brakes , running the heater to cool down the engine during red line driving. Zen never let me down in terms of part failure. Due to my driving i only used to get approx 10kmpl which was great (The fun it provided every time i drove was heaven). I only took care of change of tyres after every 25k Kms , Change of oil every 5000Kms with Air / Oil Filters , Change of Spark Plugs every 20K Kms , Change of distributor with coil every 50K Kms , and brake pads check replace cycle . Zen was a dream. We have a City 2011 , Swift Diesel 2014 , Hexa XTA 2018 now. Zen was a like Drugs for someone who loves to drive.

[Indraneel Bhat]

Classic case of how a design grows on you......What a car!!!
This car was a true example of a four-wheeler with the spirit of a two-wheeler!

I absolutely HATED the Zen classic's looks, but the Carbon 2-door was this young professional's wet dream. But it was too expensive. I never wanted my parents' money to buy my first car. That honor eventually went to a 2006 Alto. It's a regret that I could never own a Zen. But I did drive ones owned by friends and absolutely loved the car. No other car in India has matched the "chhota packet bada dhamaka" vibe like this one.

It's a pity what Maruti did with the Zen name by putting it on that monstrosity called the Zen Estillo. The Estillo may have been a competent car, but it was not worthy of the Zen moniker. And that's the reason the Estillo, in my opinion, was one of the worst cars ever released in India.

@sidindica bhai...thanks for this nostalgic article...

[W.A.G.7]

Wow! What a beautiful nostalgic thread! It brings back the fond memories of the Zen. I think people used to pay something over and above to get a quicker delivery of the car, back in the 90's. It was a hot and happening hatch back then, for us school kids; and we used to drool over it. The Zen Carbon and Steel were special and back in those school days we used to dream of owning one, once we grew up

The thread also brought back fond memories of the car magazines of the 90's when each review used to run in depth into 4-6 pages long and they never skimped on reporting. I don't know the scene nowadays (I haven't purchased any auto magazine ever since I joined team bhp in 2010); but when I casually glanced through some of the magazines at a roadside stall, a few years ago, the in depth review had whittled down to a page and a half of utter gibberish.

Thanks for sharing this wonderful thread and those beautiful picture of the era gone by!

[Doc_nerd]

The zen hate/love affair had started in my family when it was launched in the early 90's. Initially, I stopped my dad from buying it as I didnt like the looks but, by the late 90's with the launch of the body colored bumper version the design grew on me. We bought the vxi version in Miami gold color in 2002. No other car could have carried that color with such grace. I think it came with a kenwood radio cassette player with front speakers fitted from the factory. The engine was anemic even in it's MPFI Avatar & we always switched off the A/C whenever we needed an extra boost we used to call it the turbo button ��. It was cramped in the rear bench. No safety kit whatsoever except for front seat belts. Sold it off within 3 years and bought the first gen swift. The less we talk about the last update for the zen the better. It had ungainly looks.

[Kireek]

Zen, the word itself brings lots of fond memories. Being my first car, loved every aspect of it. Mine was one of the last batch cars before the Zen Estilo was launched. In its silky silver, I still remember how it used to shine when it had a good washing session. I had upgraded the tyres, had alloys and had got free flow exhaust done. It was a hoot to drive in Bangalore city traffic. Had many firsts in that car

Was contemplating an engine swap with a bigger one and even discussed having a Turbo fitted, met with Raj Hingorani too, he advised not to put that kind of money on a Zen

Sold after 10 years and 1+ lakh kms. I still miss the car for its character on the road and its ability to zip zap zoom in traffic

[anjan_c2007]

It's now 30 years since the Zen was launched this week in 1993.



Auto magazines did cover stories as it was a big 'breaking news' and their 'big welcome' to the world car, but this news magazine Sunday, that mainly featured political happenings and analyses, too did a cover story.

[TurboKat]

The only Zen D I've seen in Guwahati till now. Owned by an 80 year old guy and maintained properly. It's a 1998 car.

[zxcv444]

Thank you so much for uploading the June 1993 Auto India roadtest of the original Zen, was searching it for long time.
Does anybody have the March 2000 Autocar India roadtest of the Zen MPFI 16V? Will be grateful if it can be uploaded on this thread.

[shortbread]

Originally Posted by TurboKat

The only Zen D I've seen in Guwahati till now. Owned by an 80 year old guy and maintained properly. It's a 1998 car.
Attachment 2516766

India's most fuel efficient car, perhaps in real world terms still holds this title. A misers dream combination, Peugeot's frugal diesel engine and maruti's feather weight body.