The oldest design here, the Zen has gone on to become a cult car in certain parts of the country. After 10 years, Maruti gave the Zen its first serious face-lift to further boost its appeal.

DESIGN & ENGINEERING
FACE-LIFT CAN’T HIDE AGEING CHASSIS
The new bonnet, grille, bumpers and front fenders make the Zen look bigger and more like a European supermini, but sadly the cheeky character is gone. The rear with its wimpy looking tail-lights looks like it belongs on a Maruti 800 and the famous 'jelly-bean' look is gone. Fit and finish is good though, and the new body parts line up well with the old ones. Dimensionally the Zen is largely unchanged, the new bumpers adding a bit of length. Remember that this is essentially a 10-year-old design so the crashworthiness of the car isn’t to recent safety standards.

INTERIORS, SPACE & EQUIPMENT
Freshened up but still cramped The cramped interior is one of the Zen's weak points, but Maruti has worked hard to make it as interesting and practical as possible. The interior uses a sporty design theme, following in the footsteps of the short-lived Carbon and Steel models. The gearknob gets a prominent aluminium-effect top, the dials are now sportier, the upholstery lighter and more cheerful. The interior feels more airy than before. There is also now a partial central console, comprising a cubbyhole and two cupholders, which does increase practicality.
Leg- and head-room are very tight, but the seats after years of fine-tuning have a good back-rest angle and supportive squabs. Still, one would be hardpressed to describe the Zen as a true family car. Luggage space is dismal, and there is space only for a couple of squashy bags. Any more and the two rear occupants would have to leave.

ENGINE & PERFORMANCE
REV-HAPPY ENGINE AND DELIGHTFUL GEARBOX
The Zen's 1.0-litre 60bhp all-aluminium engine is central to the car's sporty character. It's as quick as the Wagon R but feels a lot quicker thanks to its rev-happy engine, which fizzes and sparkles all the way to a 6000rpm redline. At low revs it isn't as responsive as the Wagon R but once you get the revs up, it feels urgent and eager which makes it a delight to drive.
The butter-smooth gearbox is a joy to use and enhances the driving experience. The 4-valve per cylinder engine though pretty smooth is quite audible when revved but this 'buzziness' is an intrinsic part of the Zen's character.

RIDE & HANDLING
NIMBLE WITH A GOOD RIDE
Light and tiny, the Zen is wonderful through traffic, aided by an EPS system that is effortless to use. However, the steering is rather woolly and vague and completely devoid of feel and at times it feels disconnected from the wheels. The high profile 145/80-R12 tyres are also partly responsible for the unresponsive steering and the Zen doesn't dart into corners like the Wagon R.
The upside of the Zen's tall shoes is ride quality that is good for a car of this weight and size.
The Zen feels quite cushy on most surfaces, filtering out most of bumps and thumps. It's only at speed and on undulating surfaces that the short wheelbase can get unsettled.

FUEL EFFICIENCY
AT THE TOP OF THE TABLE
Despite the peaky nature of the engine, which means frequent gearchanging, the Zen managed a commendable 11.2kpl in the city while on the highway it did even better to touch a class-topping 16.7kpl.

BUYING & OWNING
RELIABLE BUT TINNY BODY LACKS SOLID FEEL
Like most Marutis (or Suzukis), the Zen is reliable and backed with the most widespread service network in the country. The body though is not as robust as newer competition and it doesn't hold together past 40,000km, with creaks and rattles creeping in.
The downside is the expensive sticker price which makes it only average value for money, but spares are cheap.