Esteem VXi Questions

maheepgupta · 3rd September 2007, 20:03

Hi
I opened another thread over this issue in past but somehow it went dead as no body is looking or responding to that. Here are my queries
After so many days of thinking, I have finalized to plan an Esteem VXi. Now my concerns are
1) Roads are really bad here, so how is the suspension of the car. If the Esteem will be able to give me a bump free ride. I presently have a Zen LX 2003 and SX4 ZXi 2007. While the SX4 is a marvelous machine in this respect, the ride in Zen is a pain and a major reason to change it.
2) Another big issue with Zen is the cabin noise. When driving on high speeds (Say 100) the noise in cabin is too much. If Esteem is silent in those terms? Even in the city traffic, the sounds from surrounding vehicles are too much.
3) I spoke to the True Value guys here and they are offering 1.95 for my 2003 Zen LX (Autocop Central Locking, Sony Cassette Player) Is it a good deal ?
Any feedback from experts and existing Esteem owners are appreciated.
Cheers !

kjdesigns_2000 · 3rd September 2007, 23:36

Esteem is not a very quiet car. It has a tendency to get rattles as fast as 2500 kms. Although i havent driven my esteem in extreme conditions or very bad roads but while driving it i can feel if i do so then the noises will be from all over the place.

Try to take a TD in an esteem which is about 10K kms on odo or 1.5 years old if you can. You'll get a clear picture of it

kpzen · 4th September 2007, 00:34

If u need a silent car with better ride quality than an esteem, then u should consider the Accent or Aveo.

dr.abhijeet · 4th September 2007, 09:05

i have driven esteem in bad roads of bihar for 2 years, its certainly not the for bad roads.
rattles are plenty, suspension bottoms out frequently on bad roads.
the only good thing is its engine and drive train.
you are better off with accent in terms of ride quality.

GTO · 4th September 2007, 10:50

Within that price bracket and entry-level sedans, the most comfortable cars are:

1. Ford Ikon Flair : Robust suspension and very comfortable seats.

2. Tata Indigo : Ditto.

n_aditya · 4th September 2007, 11:03

Do note that the esteems have low ground clearance. With age the rear sags and the car will start bottoming out. If you still want to stick to the esteem get a good suspension setup. Apart from suspensions and slightly weak brakes the esteem is a drivers car - the fun is only in the drivers seat. FE and spares cost will be reasonable/economical.

esteem_lover · 4th September 2007, 11:20

If you didn't like the zen ride, your chances are you will not like the esteem's ride too. Like GTO said go for a Ikon Flair or an Indigo if you want diesel.

The esteem though is a super fun car to drive

WhiteKnight · 4th September 2007, 11:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Within that price bracket and entry-level sedans, the most comfortable cars are:
1. Ford Ikon Flair : Robust suspension and very comfortable seats.

Agree, but on speeds lot of noise seeps into the cabin. maheepgupta doesn't seem to like noise at all.

benbsb29 · 4th September 2007, 12:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Within that price bracket and entry-level sedans, the most comfortable cars are:
1. Ford Ikon Flair : Robust suspension and very comfortable seats.

Very true. However, being a Flair owner let me be honest in mentioning that noise damping when travelling on rough roads isnt exactly the best.

maheepgupta · 4th September 2007, 12:15

Thanks for all these replies..

Alas, I reached to the decision after so many days of thinking but now seems to be all confused again..

As for noise, yes I really want the cabin to be silent.. so that is a big consideration

As for Ford Ikon, I also thought of that but I am looking for a change in next 3 years and I thought esteem will give me a better resale.. Same with Accent.. However, I will go for a testdrive today for Accent

maheepgupta · 4th September 2007, 12:19

As for Indigo.. I already have an Indica which I will replace with this new car.. so I guess buying an Indigo will not give me the feeling of new car as the interior is almost similar and so is exterior.

Plus the Power Window switches are a pain in Tata.. why cant they put it on doors like all other companies..

BTW, Any word on Zen Prices I mentioned in first post.. was it a good deal ?

Cheers !

apachelongbow · 4th September 2007, 17:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by maheepgupta

Thanks for all these replies..

Alas, I reached to the decision after so many days of thinking but now seems to be all confused again..

As for noise, yes I really want the cabin to be silent.. so that is a big consideration

As for Ford Ikon, I also thought of that but I am looking for a change in next 3 years and I thought esteem will give me a better resale.. Same with Accent.. However, I will go for a testdrive today for Accent

Maheep, what is your budget? Esteem is good, if you want to drive fast (due to good power to weight ratio), and also is quite economical. But its really showing its age, and its cabin is not so comfortable and has high in cabin noise.

mobike008 · 4th September 2007, 17:32

@maheep, Esteem VXI is on its last legs. Why dont you give Accent GLE a try even if that is also a bit outdated but it is way better than the Esteem in many respects. Absolutely noiseless (cabin) ride, nice build quality and absolutely fantastic A.S.S. Only thing is it may give you a slightly lower FE when compared to VXI.

prskumar · 5th September 2007, 08:43

As you already have a SX4 sedan, a Getz 1.3 or UVA would be a better replacement for Zen. Getz 1.3 has a quiet ride i suppose. may be owners can confirm.

benbsb29 · 5th September 2007, 09:53

If backseat comfort is a priority, the Accent is not the choice to make. The seats sit real low, and also ingress and egress isnt easy.

3rd September 2007, 20:03	#1
maheepgupta BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Jaipur, Bikaner Posts: 37 Thanked: 25 Times	Esteem VXi Questions Hi I opened another thread over this issue in past but somehow it went dead as no body is looking or responding to that. Here are my queries After so many days of thinking, I have finalized to plan an Esteem VXi. Now my concerns are 1) Roads are really bad here, so how is the suspension of the car. If the Esteem will be able to give me a bump free ride. I presently have a Zen LX 2003 and SX4 ZXi 2007. While the SX4 is a marvelous machine in this respect, the ride in Zen is a pain and a major reason to change it. 2) Another big issue with Zen is the cabin noise. When driving on high speeds (Say 100) the noise in cabin is too much. If Esteem is silent in those terms? Even in the city traffic, the sounds from surrounding vehicles are too much. 3) I spoke to the True Value guys here and they are offering 1.95 for my 2003 Zen LX (Autocop Central Locking, Sony Cassette Player) Is it a good deal ? Any feedback from experts and existing Esteem owners are appreciated. Cheers !
	() Thanks

3rd September 2007, 23:36	#2
kjdesigns_2000 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 160 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	Esteem is not a very quiet car. It has a tendency to get rattles as fast as 2500 kms. Although i havent driven my esteem in extreme conditions or very bad roads but while driving it i can feel if i do so then the noises will be from all over the place. Try to take a TD in an esteem which is about 10K kms on odo or 1.5 years old if you can. You'll get a clear picture of it
	() Thanks

4th September 2007, 00:34	#3
kpzen Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Faridabad Posts: 5,610 Thanked: 1,876 Times View My Garage	If u need a silent car with better ride quality than an esteem, then u should consider the Accent or Aveo.
	() Thanks

4th September 2007, 09:05	#4
dr.abhijeet BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 218 Thanked: 67 Times View My Garage	i have driven esteem in bad roads of bihar for 2 years, its certainly not the for bad roads. rattles are plenty, suspension bottoms out frequently on bad roads. the only good thing is its engine and drive train. you are better off with accent in terms of ride quality.
	() Thanks

4th September 2007, 10:50	#5
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,534 Thanked: 300,738 Times View My Garage	Within that price bracket and entry-level sedans, the most comfortable cars are: 1. Ford Ikon Flair : Robust suspension and very comfortable seats. 2. Tata Indigo : Ditto.
	() Thanks

4th September 2007, 11:03	#6
n_aditya Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Namma Bengaluru Posts: 5,348 Thanked: 3,684 Times View My Garage	Do note that the esteems have low ground clearance. With age the rear sags and the car will start bottoming out. If you still want to stick to the esteem get a good suspension setup. Apart from suspensions and slightly weak brakes the esteem is a drivers car - the fun is only in the drivers seat. FE and spares cost will be reasonable/economical.
	() Thanks

4th September 2007, 11:20	#7
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	If you didn't like the zen ride, your chances are you will not like the esteem's ride too. Like GTO said go for a Ikon Flair or an Indigo if you want diesel. The esteem though is a super fun car to drive
	() Thanks

4th September 2007, 12:15	#10
maheepgupta BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Jaipur, Bikaner Posts: 37 Thanked: 25 Times	Thanks for all these replies.. Alas, I reached to the decision after so many days of thinking but now seems to be all confused again.. As for noise, yes I really want the cabin to be silent.. so that is a big consideration As for Ford Ikon, I also thought of that but I am looking for a change in next 3 years and I thought esteem will give me a better resale.. Same with Accent.. However, I will go for a testdrive today for Accent
	() Thanks

4th September 2007, 12:19	#11
maheepgupta BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Jaipur, Bikaner Posts: 37 Thanked: 25 Times	As for Indigo.. I already have an Indica which I will replace with this new car.. so I guess buying an Indigo will not give me the feeling of new car as the interior is almost similar and so is exterior. Plus the Power Window switches are a pain in Tata.. why cant they put it on doors like all other companies.. BTW, Any word on Zen Prices I mentioned in first post.. was it a good deal ? Cheers !
	() Thanks

4th September 2007, 17:32	#13
mobike008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 11,703 Thanked: 14,829 Times View My Garage	@maheep, Esteem VXI is on its last legs. Why dont you give Accent GLE a try even if that is also a bit outdated but it is way better than the Esteem in many respects. Absolutely noiseless (cabin) ride, nice build quality and absolutely fantastic A.S.S. Only thing is it may give you a slightly lower FE when compared to VXI.
	() Thanks

5th September 2007, 08:43	#14
prskumar BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 139 Thanked: 2 Times	As you already have a SX4 sedan, a Getz 1.3 or UVA would be a better replacement for Zen. Getz 1.3 has a quiet ride i suppose. may be owners can confirm.
	() Thanks

5th September 2007, 09:53	#15
benbsb29 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brisbane Posts: 9,968 Thanked: 13,223 Times View My Garage	If backseat comfort is a priority, the Accent is not the choice to make. The seats sit real low, and also ingress and egress isnt easy.
	() Thanks