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Lots new on the Estilo

Launched in 2006, the Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo was given a face-lift a few months ago. So what’s new on the Estilo — headlamps, a bigger grille and a new bumper as well. The bigger headlamps along with the wide grille give it a more purposeful look than before and complement the car’s tall stance. It looks more like a mini-MPV than a hatchback from a distancenow. The rear lamps have also been altered a bit. It’s not just the exterior that’s got a makeover, It’s the cabin that’s received a nip and tuck too. Though the basic design of the door panels and dashboard remains the same, Maruti has played around with the colour combination.

You get four different colours inside the cabin, which are a combination of black, grey, beige and a shade of brown. To keep costs down, Maruti has stuck to a lot of parts from its other models. For example, the steering wheel is from the Wagon R, while the gear knob, power window switches and circular AC vents are from the Swift. Another big change is the A-star’s spanking new 1-litre KB10 engine and gearbox replaces the F10D 1.1-litre engine in the Estilo.

This means more power (67bhp), better efficiency and refinement. Another reason for the switch to this new powerplant is that it meets BS IV emission standards, which come into effect in some major Indian cities from April next year. Though the new engine is just a three-cylinder unit compared to the earlier four-cylinder one, it was a major engineering feat to shoehorn the KB10 into the Estilo’s engine bay. Being an all-aluminium motor, the KB engine has bigger dimensions and hence takes up much more space than the cast-iron F10D. In fact, the increase in the cars length is mainly due to Maruti extending the engine bay. The best news is that the Estilo is priced marginally higher than the Zen Estilo. Estilo prices start at Rs. 3.12 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base LX version, which is just Rs. 5,600 more than the earlier Zen Estilo.

The Estilo LXi costs Rs. 3.4 lakh, which is Rs 7,000 higher, while the top-end VXi is priced at Rs 3.66 lakh, which is pricier by Rs 9,800. The top-end model with ABS is Rs 3.95 lakh, which works out to 12,000 more. This certainly makes the Estilo better value than before.

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