Maruti Zen (2006)

Maruti Suzuki is undoubtedly India's largest automobile manufacturing company and has given numerous high performance vehicles to Indian market since its inception. Maruti Zen is a name that comes automatically to the lips when we talk about Maruti Suzuki's best contributions to automobile industry. It is a 5-door hatchback that first introduced in India in 1993 and was assembled in Manesar, Haryana. Its name 'ZEN' is an acronym for 'Zero Engine Noise' or in Japanese, it means 'Complete'. It underwent a facelift in the year 2003 and its production got discontinued in 2006.

The exterior of Maruti Zen gives a simple yet elegant look with a flat and simple front bonnet, simple front grille with company's logo in the center, decent rectangular headlights, body colored bumper, front windshield with wipers, body colored ORVMs and door handles, small side turn blinkers at both sides, 12-inch steel wheels, curvy rear profile, simple tail lights and rear windshield with wiper and washer. This hatchback has a length of 3535mm, width of 1495mm and height of 1405mm as its dimensions and has a large wheelbase of 2335mm for a stable ride. It has a good ground clearance of 165mm for a bump-free ride and a front and rear track of 1335mm and 1305mm respectively. It has a curb weight of 765kgs and a fuel tank capacity of 35 litres.

The interior of Maruti Zen is simple and comfortable with a powerful AC with heater, a spacious dashboard, a rear parcel tray, seat back pockets, tinted glass, sun visor on both sides, front and rear assist grips, fabric upholstery, remote fuel lid and trunk lid opener, tinted glass, folding rear seats, power windows, child safety rear locks, hydraulic power assist, rack and pinion type steering with energy absorbing collapsible steering column and a boot space of 210 litres. It is a spacious hatchback with front and rear headroom of 952mm and 930mm respectively, maximum and minimum front legroom of 1170mm and 990mm respectively, maximum and minimum rear legroom of 750mm and 610mm respectively, maximum and minimum front knee room of 750mm and 610mm respectively, maximum and minimum rear knee room of 840mm and 650mm respectively and a shoulder space of 1270mm.

Maruti Zen LXi has a 993cc, 1.0L, In-line 4-cylinders, 4 valves per cylinder, MPFI, BS-III compliant SOHC based petrol engine with a maximum power of 58 bhp at 6000 rpm and a maximum torque of 78.45 Nm at 4500 rpm and has a five speed manual gearbox transmission. It gives a top speed of almost 150kmph and reaches 0-100kmph in 15.58 seconds with a mileage of 11.4kmpl in the cities and 17.3kmpl on the highways.

Maruti Zen has 236mm disk brakes at front and 180mm drum brakes at rear. The suspension system is MacPherson Strut type at front and 3-Link Rigid Axle type with Isolated Trailing Arm Coil Springs and Gas-filled Shock Absorbers at rear. For the safety, it has power steering, front and rear side impact door beams, rear child safety locks, front seat belts, bright headlights and a rear windshield wiper and washer. Maruti Zen LXi was available in five shades which include Beam Blue Metallic, Silky Silver Metallic, Pearl Silver Metallic, Bright Red and Superior White. The ex-showroom, Delhi price of this legendary hatchback was INR 3.90lakhs.

Overall, Maruti Zen is a great hatchback with a price that favours a large number of middle class Indian families and the car provides them with good safety, performance, comfort and luxury at their heart wished price.