Q: I need your help in deciding between a Maruti Esteem VX and a Ford Ikon 1.3 EXi. The car will be doing around 70 km daily (Mumbai roads), with outstation family trips involving anything between 300 to 2,000 km thrown in occasionally. The purse rules and the budget is around Rs 6.70 lakh maximum. Tell me, which will be easier on my purse for the next five to six years, both in terms of fuel and maintenance and also fetch a reasonable price when I wish to switch over?
Sanjeev Kamath, Mumbai
A: The Esteem, in its MPI avatar, packs infinitely better performance punch than many of the larger mid-sizers around. There is no way one can doubt its ability to thrill the enthusiastic driver, and at a price that appeals to limited wallets.
Fact remains that this car is old