Suzuki Esteem (War Horse)

Maruti Udyog Limited, the largest automotive manufacturer of India was established in February 1981 though the production started only in 1983. The company started as a 50-50 JV between Suzuki of Japan and Maruti. The government of India held 18.28% stake untill recently. This holding stake was sold off to the financial institutions in May, 2007. Suzuki has gradually increased its holding percentage to 54.2. The first offering from Maruti, the 800, was the bestseller for a long time till its sibling, the Alto, took over. Selling over 5,00,000 cars annually in the domestic market, Maruti exports close to 30,000 units to several countries. Of late, the Indian giant was facing stiff competition from various manufacturers and Maruti did well by launching the Swift which is a modern and exudes a lifestyle image. The trend continued with the SX4. The large portfoilio takes care of the options available to the customer.
The Suzuki Esteem is an export nameplate for the Suzuki Cultus Crescent -- also marketed in Europe and many Asian countries as the Suzuki Baleno — manufactured by Suzuki Motor Corporation. In India, it was manufactured by Maruti Suzuki and sold as the Maruti Baleno.

The Esteem was introduced in the global market in 1995 as Suzuki's first attempt in the compact segment, at the time dominated by European cars such as the Volkswagen Bora/Jetta and Opel Astra, and Japanese models such as the Nissan Sunny/Sentra and Toyota Corolla. As a North American replacement for the Suzuki Swift sedan (the 3-door hatchback remained after it was redesigned in 1995), it was built on a slightly stretched Suzuki Cultus platform for improved cabin room, but otherwise sharing most of internal components with the smaller model — and marketed as a distinct model.
1996 Suzuki Esteem sedan (North America)The Esteem/Baleno was initially available as a 3-door hatchback and 4-door sedan, with 1.3 L (hatch only) and 1.6 L engines, with power ranging between 85 PS (63 kW) and 99 PS (73 kW/97 hp). In 1996, the lineup was extended with the Esteem Wagon (Baleno Break in most European markets and Baleno Altutra in India), Suzuki's first station wagon, also with the same 1.6 L, which also received optional 4WD in the two larger body variants.
Suzuki restyled the Esteem/Baleno in 1999. The car was given a new frontend, with a rounder grille and new headlights, and the engine lineup was expanded. Mazda supplied the 1.8 L BP engine, that was fitted to the sedan and wagon. In North America, the Esteem 1.8 Station Wagon completely replaced the Esteem 1.6, but in most markets the 1.8 sedan became the sports model. In some European markets, the 1.8L I4 was installed in the hatchback and sold as the limited edition Baleno GTi. Europe also gained a Diesel version, with a 75 PS (55 kW) XUD engine supplied by Peugeot.

2001-02 Suzuki Esteem sedan (US)The Esteem/Baleno was replaced in most markets by the new Aerio/Liana. It was pulled from the market in Europe and North American in 2002, after one year of overlapping. The car remained available in many developing countries, including India and Southeast Asia, where it was sold until 2007, when production stopped at the Maruti factory, with the assembly line giving way to the SX4 Sedan.

Dimensions & Weight
Overall length(mm): 4090
Overall width(mm): 1575
Overall height(mm): 1395
Wheel base(mm): 2365
Fuel Tank Capacity(ltr): 40
Engine Displacement(cc): 1298
Type/Configuration: 4 stroke cycle, all-aluminium
No. Of Cylinders: 4
Clutch Transmission
Transmission type: Automatic & Manual
Number of Speeds: 3 Speed (AT),5 Speed (MT)
Brakes
Front: Booster assisted drum
Rear: Booster assisted drum
Suspension
Front: McPherson strut and coil sprin
Rear: Coil spring
Performance
Max. Horsepower (ps/rpm): 85 bhp at 6000 rpm
Max. Torque (kg m/rpm): 110 Nm @ 4500 rpm
Steering
Min. Turning Radius (m): 4.8
Type: Rack & pinion
The looks of the present Esteem model is far superior than the older ones. It comes with a modified rear looks, and to make it more sleek and sporty ,the VXi has a spoiler with serial braking lights. Esteem models comes with new colour variants you can choose from(I chose Pearl Silver). The interiors of the VXi look classy, compared to the older versions of esteem . Seats are furnished with high quality fabric matching the body colour. The VXi comes with power steering and power windows. It also comes with an Kenwood MP3 player with FM/AM. And the A/C is very effective.
Coming to the performance of the car, esteem has a very good pickup, but with the A/C ON the engine struggles a bit. Nevertheless,that would really not be a major concern. Esteem with the A/C ON gives a mileage of 10.5-11KMPL driving in the chaotic traffic of Bangalore:-). The car is an absolute sweetheart while driving on the highway,it gives an average of 14.5-16KMPL.
Now coming to the cons of the vehicle, the Esteem’s body is made of very thin metal. It surely is an area of concern, and you need to be careful and watchful while driving in the trafiic,as a small bump may turn out to be drastic on the body. Another concern is, that of getting into the car requires a good stretch of the body muscles:-) . Other than this, everything else in the car is fine and a good value for money for a car in the mid-size segment.

And then comes the service perspective, I’m very happy with the service offered by Vitesse. They call you promptly when its service time for your car, and also they have an option of pickup and deliver back at your doorstep after the service. They are very professional when it comes to service, no wonder there nobody to beat Maruti in this aspect.
Altogether, if you are looking for a family car in the mid-size segment with all the luxury features and a consistent performance with a moderate price,then Esteem VXi/Lxi the car to look out for.