The Esteem is built to last. But nothing beats the feeling of safety once you and your family are inside. The collapsible steering column absorbs impact to safeguard you in the event of a collision, while the steel side impact beams on all four doors offer lateral protection. The rugged monocoque chassis has built-in crumple zones for added protection. And together, they ensure that you and your family are always protected

What makes the Esteem the ultimate in driving pleasure is a combination of many features - international standards of technology, outstanding styling and of course, safety. Together, they give you guaranteed performance coupled with a feeling of total comfort. That, along with the assurance of protection, makes the Esteem the perfect family vehicle to board as you move ahead in luxury.

Background :

The oldest face around in its class, the Esteem's body style has been around since 1990 in the form of the Maruti 1000, though it did receive a freshening-up in 1997. The front grille, bumper and headlights on the current Esteem have been sourced from the Hungarian Suzuki Cultus which has helped it survive in the onslaught of new designs.

Design And Engineering :

Dimensionally the smallest in its class, the Esteem is, not suprisingly, the lightest too. In fact it weighs a mere 15kg more than the Matiz. This pays rich dividends to those interested in performance and economy. Maruti has risen to the competition by improving the paint quality and overall fit and finish of the Esteem.

Engine And Transmission :

The Esteems buzzy all-aluminium unit revels when shown the whip. But what it lacks is driveability ' the in-gear acceleration times clearly demonstarte the Maruti's weakness. The tall gearing, relative lack of torque at the bottom and the peaky nature of the engine, which has its grunt concentrated in the top half of the rev range, calls for frequent shifting which is a pain in the traffic. The sole consolation is that the gearshift is smooth and precise. MPFi: The Esteem is now also available with a fuel injected unit that delivers 20bhp more than the carburetted sister offering much more to the enthusiastic driver. It makes the Esteem amazingly quicker in a straight line.. The engine rewards those willing to use the entire powerband.

Interiors and Convenience Features :

Though Maruti has made great strides in improving the overall ambience of the Esteem, the insides are pretty cramped and lacks the comfort its rivals provide. The Esteem's insides were completely revamped since the car was first introduced. In 1997, it received an all-new dashboard which comes with a more rounded and contemporary design. Great attention has been paid to the rear seats which is more comfortable thanks to greater under-thigh support. But the raised seat height has reduced headroom and tall passengers are likely to get their hairstyle messed up. Getting in and out is not a very pleasant task due to the car's low stance.

On the road : Steering and Suspension :

The current Esteem's rides is considerably better than its predecessor but compared to the competition in terms of ride comfort, it's still at the bottom of the pack. The problem is essentially of limited wheel travel and a short wheelbase which throws up a choppy ride, with passengers kept well-apprised of the surface conditions below. On the highway, you tend to brace against undulations, potholes and gigantic speed-breakers. The inability of the Esteem to soak up the road subtracts from the all-important big-car feel. The Esteems road manners are best reserved for town where the narrow dimensions, good forward visibility and responsive steering make it easy to handle.