These numbers clealy signify that Zen Estilo beats its competitors ie. mainly Santro Xing and Wagon R which have a mileage of around 15.5kmpl and 16kmpl respectively.The tweaking that the Maruti engineers have done with the engine has certainly helped along with improved aerodynamics.

I  also managed to experience the A/C of the car as it continues to become sultry hot here in Delhi while I write this down .The A/C works like a charm and cools the car in a matter of about 4-5 mins. The average with air conditioning on is about 17kmpl with Xtra Premium on the city roads.On highways I am pretty sure that it can go upto 18.5kmpl.

So Zen Estilo has clearly emerged the winner in both performance and economy segments in the small car or the budget car category.With Chevrolet Spark coming up and the proposed 1-Lac car by the Tatas, it remains to be seen for how long can it maintain that tag.

Estilo means “style” and it surely lives upto the tag that has been added to the new Zen!

With first service just round the corner I have managed to drive 800 Kms in the crowded city of Delhi.Coming to the mileage first of all as it is certainly the most talked about point in the budget level segment cars,Estilo gave me a mileage of 16kmpl with every litre of the gas being spent on the city road and not the highway,so that does a seem a pretty decent average considering the fact that it is still in the run-in period.

The car sports the same engine as the Wagon R which is a 1.1 litre 32X4 hypertech engine.
The specs for the engine are as follows:

• 1061cc
• 64.8ps
• 84Nm,
• 4-cylinder
• 16-valve
• MPFI F10D Petrol

The engine has not been refined much except for the fact that it has been tweaked a bit for responsiveness and fuel economy which certainly have given it a better mileage and better pick up time.Also the engineers have worked on the aerodynamics of this car…

The biggest difference where Zen Estilo scores the most are its interiors which are at par with some of the higher end cars and give you a feel of luxury.

Maruti has increased the interior space by extending the dashboard area of the car over the engine thus leaving little space in the engine compartment but certainly no complaints from me as you spend most of the time inside!

This make the car look a lot more spacey…
The wheelbase is a bit larger than the good old Zen at 2360 mm…

Though the car is bit taller than the old Zen but it is smaller when compared to Wagon R but that certainly doesn’t translate into lower headroom for the driver….
There is a lot of dashboard space as mentioned earlier and the high mounted seats are comfortable enough for a long ride.

Can’t comment on the air-conditioning as I couldn’t urn it on in the chilly weather that Delhi is having over the past one month but according to reports it certainly does its job perfectly.

The EPS(Electronic Power Steering) is good but not excellent and leaves more to be desired.

The gear ratios are pretty good for a car in this segment..I managed to get it upto 40kmph in first gear and 80kmph in the second…The rest is pretty obvious!

So new Zen lives up to the saying “Changes are always meant for the good” and it certainly has all the ingredients to make it a tough competitor to the Wagon R and Santro Xing.

With over 15,000 units sold at the time of writing this post it certainly is on its way to glory that for a long time has been with Santro.

Hence I would give it 8/10.

This was the scenario when we had booked the car on the 3rd day after it has been launched in India….

But yes the wait for worthwhile as I really liked the car at the first look…

As for the initial reviews that some of you might be wanting from me…here is a sneek peek to just some of the findings that I can reveal to you in the first few Kms that I have travelled in the car…

• The power steering is quite responsive.
• The turning radius is smaller than mentioned in the specs!
• The handling is smooth but brakes are not very powerful.
• The acceleration is good though it could have been better.
• Gear ratios are pretty good and leave you pretty impressed!

These are just a few of my initial findings and you can expect a full fletched review in the coming few weeks….watch out this space for more!