Maruti-Suzuki Zen

Everybody loves Zen

TTHE STEERING IS TOO heavy, the brakes too spongy, the ride too crashy and the air-con takes forever to cool. In every respect a modern hatchback is better, but then you give it the beans in second gear, that decade-old Automech exhaust clears its throat and you can’t help but smile. My family has an emotional attachment to the Zen but the funny thing is that everybody who drives it also falls in love with it. That motor, even by modern standards, is a sweet little thing – unhindered as it is by any emissions or efficiency norms. You reach its limits relatively early but the flipside is you’re having an ‘exciting’ time at legal speeds. Then you step on the brakes and realise it’s time to dial it back a notch. ⌧