 |
| Maruti's
ageing Esteem can easily be transformed from an entry-level
saloon car into Ikon-beater |
|
Hyundai
has joined the performance game with its 103bhp, twin-cam Accent, which
is featured elsewhere in this issue. The idea of injecting more zing into
this popular mid-sizer is to make it more than just a mundane family car.
The logic is simple. Cars have long transcended their utilitarian objective
of being mere transportation. They now have to be more appealing to own
and drive if they are to win the hearts of today’s car buyers. The
Ikon is a case in point.
On
the other hand, Maruti is losing a golden opportunity with its Esteem,
which has the potential to be the most exciting car in its class. But
the problem is that the Esteem is suffering from a personality crisis,
one of the main reasons why its sales are dwindling every month.
When the Esteem was launched in 1994 it was India’s premium saloon
car and enjoyed that status until the arrival of global competition, which
reduced it to play the role of an entry-level saloon car. As a family
car, the Esteem is outclassed by several of its bigger rivals. The rear
seat is too cramped with little head and legroom and in fact, the substantially
cheaper Indica is more spacious. The ride quality, though greatly improved,
is not in the league of the Siena or Corsa whilst long distance drives
with the entire family are not the most comfortable either.
However, re-position the Esteem as an enthusiast’s or driver’s
car instead of one for the family and it makes a very convincing case
for itself. Firstly, the driving position is as superb as the rear bench
is bad and ergonomically difficult to fault. The steering, gearshift and
other controls are easy and effortless to operate. But above all it’s
the Esteem’s 1.3-litre engine which in 16-valve and fuel-injected
guise gives it Ikon-beating acceleration.
Maruti can easily shed the Esteem’s budget image for a sportier one.
Firstly, a sporty grille, deeper chin spoiler, side skirts and fatter
tyres on alloys would instantly transform the Esteem’s weedy looks.
For a marginal increase in cost, the interiors could be spruced up as
well to give it more sparkle than the drab and dull design it now has.
Aggressive gearing (it needs a shorter final drive ratio) could vastly
improve the Esteem’s acceleration to set the performance benchmark
in its class. What about ride and handling? Not known to Maruti is that
several years of rallying in Esteems has seen the MRF and JK rally teams
spend crores of rupees on developing suspension systems that make any
road feel like velvet.
Taking the Esteem more upmarket and developing it to outperform the Ikon
would do wonders for its brand image. Instead of playing the price card,
it could play the performance one. That way it would command a premium
which would more than justify the costs of its development.
|
September 2001 
