I am trying to choose between the new zen and Santro
Took a test drive of the new zen yesterday, and here are my observations
Pros
1) I liked the looks. Looks kind of attractive and modern from the outside..especially from the front. From the back it doesnt look that good.
2) Dashboard and controls are nice..beige color looks nice..AC is good..cools fast. Power steering is good (though it lacks 'feel'..but it's ok with me).
3) Seating position is higher. I get a better view of the road.
Cons
1) Gear shift sucks big time :(..as many people mentioned earlier. It's very vague and rubbery, plus the throw is very big and imprecise. This is the first thing u notice when u do a test drive. Definitely spoils the 'feel'. They shud trash this gearbox and put something like the one they have for Swift.
2) The breadth of the rear seat looks very small. Dealer told me it is a 'bench' type instead of the 'bucket' type that Santro uses. Anyway the seating comfort at the rear is very bad. Looks like whoever made this car, didnt expect people to sit in the back seat. Maybe it's bcos in Japan or wherever this car was designed and used, it was primarily a 1 or 2 seater.
I think the first change that Maruti might make to this car, is to make the rear seat better. By breadth of the rear seat I meant the distance from the back of the seat to the front (eg comparing a narrow bench to a broad bench)
3) Zen is smaller in dimensions compared to the Santro. This showed up in the seating comfort at the rear. 3 people at the rear seat seems to be a very tight fit in the Zen.
According to zen's brochure
Length = 3495mm
Width = 1495mm
For Santro, the figures are
Length = 3565mm
Width = 1525mm
So Santro is atleast 3 cm wider and 7 cm longer from the outside.
In the Zen's brochure, they tried to put it in a positive way saying that the inside of the car is spacious due to the compact placement of the engine and since the car has smaller dimensions it is easier to drive in the city
But I think it just says one thing..that the interiors are cramped.
4) I like the design but the car looked a little too tall for it's size from some angles.
5) Not sure if this one is correct...it's my personal opinion..someone pls correct me if I'm wrong...I want to fit a big speaker at the rear. In the Santro I can fit it on the board they have in the boot behind the seat. In the Zen I have to fit it either on the doors or on the hatch. I dont think I can fit a big speaker there and it might not give a good effect.
In addition to all this the effective on road price is much more than the Santro (since for Santro the dealers are giving quite a good discount).
Many of my friends have Santro, and I have driven it a lot and I like it. Plus it's a proven vehicle.
So I think I'll go with the Santro. Any suggestions ?