Maruti Suzuki Zen | Throwback Classics | Gone But Not Forgotten - Episode 1 | evo India
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 พ.ค. 2021
- Kicking off our new Gone But Not Forgotten series with the Maruti Suzuki Zen , the first (sort of) hot hatch India got. Launched in 1993 and on sale for over two decades the Zen had a fantastic engine, slick gearbox, enthusiastic handling and looked fantastic for its time. Sirish Chandran gets behind the wheel of his own 1997 Zen and takes a walk down memory lane. We also run through the history of the Zen and all its variants including the ugly Classic, the 2-door Carbon and Steel and the car that killed off the badge, the Zen Estilo .
Gone But Not Forgotten is going to be regular series, dropping on the second Thursday of every month. Let us know what you think of the series, drop it in the comments below and also we will love to hear about your own Zen experiences. And if you have any cool cars we should feature do get in touch with us
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Do you have memories of the Zen? Let us know!
I have memories of Maruti Esteem, I own it still now and will do keep it till my last breath. ❤️
Yeah I have ....its my love...panda😍
i used to have zen for around 20 years,
its a fun car to drive feels go kart like to drive🔥🔥❤️
I have Honda city 2nd generation in good condition in pune involve it in the series.
The joy we experienced when dad brought home the Zen instead of the 800 in the April of '99. It was the coolest car in a small town like dhanbad those days and boy the heads it turned everytime we were on and about it. Innumerable trips, unforgettable memories, one in particular where we carried around 9 family members in the car from Muzaffarpur to Patna in one go. Yes I was in the boot with my cousin brother and mind you 3 people in the front passenger seat😂. All safe and cool with the AC keeping everyone comfortable in the scorching heat of Patna summer. It serves us for 18 long years and I still remember my father cry when we upgraded to 4th gen facelift City. It was an emotional connection with the car and felt heartbreaking to part with it. I learnt all things driving on it and still love it with all my heart❤️🔥
The little zen has more soul and character than all the current hatchbacks put together!!
Raw and pure
Of course but Honda jazz
Greate built and more milage
Still using superb performance
Mitsubishi Lancer
My dad bought a green zen in 1997, the green colour was new and came in limited numbers. That was our first car. Lot of memories with it, it was driven almost 2.5 lakh kilometres. Had so many road trips to kashmir, rajasthan etc. Truly a great car
2.5 lakh kilometres! Take a bow.
Peacock green to be precise. My dad had the same as our first car, a '97 LX variant!
I have a 97 Zen LX, but on the insurance it days VX.
We still using zen vxi nd it's awesome 👌
Anyone else noticed the 4:3 aspect ratio that gives this video a 90's vibe?
I thought I was the only one:D
@@ferbinxyz ,you, uyuyuyyy, yyyyuuuuuu
Plz explain me what is that vibe ?
@@draxx7gaming920 just watch older films and TV series and you'll know
@@draxx7gaming920all the CRT TVs came with that aspect ratio. Hence everything was filmed with that aspect ratio
I was an ex ZEN owner... And i bought back the same ZEN yesterday... 😁❤
Wow! Congratulations! What year?
Super bro !!
It is not just a car it's an emotion♥️♥️
Hello same here brother, i owned a zen vxi in 2016 sold it because of its bad engine condition and bought a 34k driven mint condition Zen Lx 2004model few months back 😍
Same here we bought a zen 3 days ago and this is our 3rd zen back to back
It's not fast, is super-cramped, ride is horrible, handling is okay, safety is nothing, but still it puts such a smile on your face ❤️
Hi Shirish
The MPFi launched in 2000 with the Vxi top end is the best looking ZEN...❤️🔥
Sirish Chandran
It is better than today's Alto , Kwid and Spresso for sure
In 2001 my father was about to finalize the Zen but finally buy the Daewoo Matiz.
@@PankajSinghautomotive Bought the best in that segment.
Z - zero
E - engine
N - noise
Keep It Simple ❤️👍
Not exactly, but we love the enthusiasm. Keep it up.
@@evoIndia how do I get my Zen re registered.
It's registered originally at raigarh, Maharashtra. But the registration expired sometime in 2017 maybe.
It's in fairly good nick, and I sure do like driving it.
Any help and assistance would be genuinely appreciated 😊
But the disel varient is very noisy
For its day, the engine was as smooth as a turbine. As you pointed out in the video, it got better sounding as the revs increased.
@@varghesepaul2555 its a 1.5 L engine.
My dad had 3 zens, since 1998 till 2004. Now I got to know how much he loved zen back then 💜
What do you do with 3 zens?
@@gtvideos8037 every 2 year 1 zen i think acc to calculations
3 zens car lene se accha hota ki dad 1 zen lene ke bad 1 Alto aur 1 Wagon R le lete, Wagon R 1999 me aur Alto 2000 me launch hui thi.
@@prateekpathak3614 zen ka thrill nahi deta hai, ye dabba wagonR n Alto 🙂✌️ watch the video again, what it's all about 😊
@@salmasultana6454 exactly he changed 3 within that period 😊
I am still driving the MH410 of 1998 ....still enjoying the driving in bumper to bumper traffic and easily find space for parking !!!!
Perfect size for a congested city
Tatti
Amazing video.... Really brought back memories of the good old days.... ❤️❤️❤️
Omni van
Contessa
Premier Padmini
Gypsy
Ambassador
Willys jeep
Matador Van
Esteem
Tata Sierra / Estate
These are some of the vehicles i would like to see on this show...
We'll be triggering a lot of nostalgia in the coming days and weeks ;) Stay tuned!
I must say that's a great list. The Maruti 800 will complete the list.
17 years and running. Thanks for making this video. Our first car and ever since it has become a part of our family.
The Hindustan Contessa 🇮🇳❤️🔥
Great to watch reviewing our memories. Once I owned a Zen Di 2003. It was a Noisy Boy yet fun in driving 1.5L Peugeot engine giving 25kmpl at the time where turbo chargers were not introduced to small hatchbacks.
Bought zen in 2014 MPFI.. done 90 k .. still using it in city !!! Oh man I just love the performance of engine !!! And easy to drive in city !!! Still now I love to reviv the engine and smack out new hatchback running now !!!just pure love ❤️
Keep up the enthusiasm!
Sirish Chandran sir.. so nice to see you again.. came across this channel today.. I was avid Overdrive reader back in the days.. brings back a lot of fond memories reading your editorials and the bloopers at last pages.. Schumi sir and you are the reason that kindled the love of automobiles in me.. cheers... Take care
I have been following your work since 2006 Overdrive days. You're my favourite reviewer, and your passion shows your respect for knowledge and automotive culture. Been a fan since I was 11, sixth grade.
He's our DK. Drift king.
@@evoIndia Yes, definitely 👍❤️
118934 kms clocked on the 2002 zen vxi and still the first go to car for unwinding stress!
They really keep on running. Immortals!
A very close family friend of ours had a Zen and I still remember how the enthusiast in the 12 year old me would look with eyes wide open every time I visited them. The Zen was a diva amongst the regulars. A true icon!
OMG I am touched. A quick time travel. what a great content
My Father bought a zen from our relatives in 2016 and from then it was mine, Made it into a drivable condition and I started to do a lot of idiotic blunders to it. Weight reduction, Chopped the exhaust (which I welded back) and much more terrible ideas executed.
My Zen became the official "Ambulance" of my college and everyone knew the Moon beam Silver zen which was a star.
Immature me even raced an SX4 and an i10 of my friends. The small size and rev happy engine made driving through streets easy enough to keep the other behind
But then the Floods of 2018 hit us badly and my Zen got completely submerged in the disaster.
It was heart breaking, But being a family of petrolhead we just didn't want to let it go.
So we took it to a mechanic we know where it was completely Rebuild to Stock spec in 15 months
Today its Running as good as ne and much faster than how it left showroom
This is the car which gave me the lessons of "hooning"
This is the car which made me dream to be "an auto journalist"
Zen forever will remain as an emotion to my whole family and its gonna stay forever
a family heirloom
I don't know who you are but still, thankyou for building that car once again❤✌️
Zen is Love
Dear Sirish, I learnt to drive on my father's ZEN. It was a 2000 model 16 valve , 55 bhp 1.0 L engine. It was with us till 2020 until my father rammed it into a tree and damaging it badly. We decided against the repair route as it's not worth in 2021. Btw you are bang on with safety aspect. My father broke his hip. With no air-bags and devoid of any modern safety feature, it's only a miracle that pops survived the crash.
Nostalgia overload! I love this car and the memories associated with it.
90's cars will be evergreen forever 🔥🔥old is Gold🔥❤
True. Great cars never die.
Saw ur video today....I have 98 model zen with me....even honda city cannot Lure me!!!!.....I love it so much....it's 24 yrs now....it makes me feel that I am sitting in lap of my mother as a child....love u beloved zen
My father bought a red zen vxi which was the family car until we got the esteem
Zen was the car we took everywhere (hill stations and all) and I showed it off proudly as a kid xD
It was the car I learnt how to change a tyre on.
Countless ice-creams after parent teacher meetings. Trips to the grandparents house
This video brought back mad nostalgia. Thanks evo india
Aah this could drift like anything..!! ❤️ Beautiful piece it was..!! So many memories..!!
Ah the joy of yanking the handbrake in a car, and not in a gadget :P
@@evoIndia hahaha how true
What an amazing video! I miss the ZEN we used to own until 2013
Tell us a nice memory from your time with the Zen
I am also a proud maruti zen VX owner.,bought in dec. 1998.Its still running superbly as on date. I fully agree this jelly bean body is a misnomer, actually its body structure material is still holding fine . ,best thing about the zen is the fantastic panaromic view you get of the road ahead.,wether in the city or driving on highways by the country side., night or day time. I get very nostalgic about so many stories and rides to various places with this vehicle during my service life.After my retirement in 2012 , even after purchasing a chevrolet cruise LT ,MARUTI ZEN remains my favourite.
I proudly owns a 2003 zen Lxi...still love this car...it was my first car in which I crossed 145 kmph speed with a smile on face...I still love it...hope suzuki may launch the same car again...I will surely go for it😘😘😘😘
Friend of mine in college had a zen with a cng tank in it. I remember fitting my entire drum kit into it and going to gigs. Never had a love for the Zen but had some great times in one.
Hope y'all rocked the concerts
Sirish is really good and this was a well put together review. Amazing job, guys!
Nice video, brought back my memories, in my childhood, I was stubborn for Zen but we couldn't afford real Maruti Zen, so I bought a red DIY ZEN toy car for me. I still remember and u brought back this memory. 😊😊😊
Loved it !! Many memories came alive !! College days - schools days and my white zen (first time got to know it’s zero engine noise :)
The jelly bean Zen was my dad’s favourite car! Coming from an automotive background and having driven cars like Willys Jeep and Ford Mercury, I remember him exclaiming that the Zen was the best car he has ever driven!
Zen...
The Zen was the first fun to drive hatchback in the Indian market. It was a driver oriented car with low seating and go kart like handling. The car was very reliable and it is possible to find many good examples of Zen still in use...
♥️
Good cars never die
I love it. My Dad got this in 2003 ( MPFI) nd kept for 12 years. Most peppy car ever driven. Thanks for rewinding thousands of memories.
You're welcome.
great sir..
Great video & superb idea !!! I am auto enthusiast from the early 90's, its was wonderful to read (magazines) & now watch Shirish (videos)..still remember some of the great Road tests in the mags..1st gen Swift/Fiesta 1.6P/Honda City...keep up the great work Shirish !!!
I have a 1999 Zen MPFI LX bought it in scrap and then got my green tax renewed. I love it
Great move!
I am the era of Ambassador's and padmini's. My first drive was Fiat padmini with steering mounted gears. My friend still holds on to a ambassador with number 9999 and this was my first drive of grand big family car of India way back in 1996.
my first was a diesel Amby!
We have a 12 year old i10 sportz..its still amazing and lots of memories associated with it
I recently driven zen, I was shocked after that car performance. That engine and transmission are smooth, finally that put a smile on my face, I really loved that car.
She is my ❤️
I would just love this series. Thanks Evo India to bring up such content.
welcome!
More such content is headed your way! Stay tuned.
its good that you brought this episode . Memoirs reloaded
Stay tuned for more exciting stuff!
So nice video .l own a zen mpfi 2002 model
clocking 231000 km & still going so good.Thanks to maruti suzuki for such engine
Very well made video Sirish. I never owned Zen however aspired to have one. I still remember when I saw it for the first time and could not hear the engine when the key was turned, was amazed big time. Living in Delhi NCR we do not have privilege to retain older cars like in your case.
Keep rolling in the good stuff.
Ooooohhh. Have been waiting for this one. The Zen is the perfect start for this series.
Lots more to come! Stay tuned!
lot of family memories with this car ❤️my fav car , actually wt to say ,I'm just addicted to this car Zen ,we also having club like zen owner's in instagram ❤️❤️❤️ Zen - emotion ,u can feel , that's we connected to tht engine, it's full of joy ❤️
Zen owners club. Lovely!
still we own the old carburated zen and mpfi one. we even restored and keeping maruti 800 5 speed .had mg 410 gypsy.. all that cars maruti made that days are beautiful.. beautiful video evo.. nailed it..
Really good review on classic vehicles. I am still having a 22 year old zen which runs smoothly. Kudos to Zen family..
After reading Siri's articles in the early issues of Overdrive, this zen video brought back so many memories! Classic, if not nostalgic. If you could do one on the Jeep CJ series pls.
Thank you for revisiting these memories, old cars feel so pure in its driving feel. I own Santro Xing 2007 still using it for my daily purpose.
Another gem, the Santro Xing.
It takes lots of love and passion towards such cars to keep them running till date. Seriously they're fun to drive!❤️
just beautiful, the history around the zen is amazing.
An absolutely AWESOME series that will bring back memories for every petrol head!
A car that should definitely feature on this series is the OG sports sedan - the Ford ikon
P.S: Mine has a Royal Enfield exhaust on it🤯
No jokes, am serious! 😉
I fell in love with the zen when I saw Govinda driving one in the movie Hero No 1. The yellow colour looked so fantastic and refreshing. Another thing that made me love the car was a review on Team Bhp. The G10 engine is really good.
Govinda + Zen, what a badass combo.
So bang on with the review.. this was my 1st car too!! N lots of amazing memories...
The most I related was the point on switching off the ac for immediate thrust.. was awesome..!! I drive a swift dzire now.. but it's nothing compared to the fun I had while driving my zen.. was my companion was 13 years...
This was my first car, which I bought in 2005. Thank you for taking me back in the memory lane...
STILL REMEMBER 2011 AND I'M DRIVING THIS CAR ❤️
I used to practice J turns in my ZEN ....ohh those days and that analog feeling
Golden days
My dad had a golden Zen VX and I grew with the car, spent all my school days in it. My dad sold it just when i was about to finish my schooling and we got the Verna but still today we can never forget the Zen. It was my dad's daily use car for almost a decade and When we go out as a family my two elder sisters always make me sit in the middle but we were so comfortable and happy with it back in those days. Thank you evo India and Sirish, while watching this video my entire childhood ran before my eyes.
VX = rear wiper. Luxury.
@@evoIndia first ever experience of powered windows
One of the best sportiest hatch... Always love to hear from you about ur ZEN @Sirish...❤️🔥
🙏
I have also same 1997 facelift white zen . This is my first car in Mangalore ♥️ still its running condition.
Welcome to the legends club
I am glad I had this beauty once
It's a shame this video only has 250k views! Well done Evo India - wonderful series and what a car to start off with! Still miss my 2000 moonbeam silver Vxi
True, Gone But Not Forgotten. Zen is beautiful car. Do more and cheers!
have a 2003 Zen and it runs really well.
I still remember it was my dads car and I was around 15, and I took it for a spin in my streets the first feeling of driving a car came from there for me power steering was not that of a big deal but the turning radius was bit poor............. I really cried when we sold that car, in fact this car is still better than today's Alto for sure
We just missed to hear that Lovely loud exhaust sound in your ZEN.
It was truly a Bad Ass... Love it.. ❤️
we are eagerly waiting to see other episode of this series.
Yes, more such videos are in the pipeline ;) Stay tuned
cops also miss hearing that exhaust 😂
@@sirishch Lol... But that was one perfectly tuned exhaust sound... Still remember it in the older Maruti 800 History episode.
@@sirishch i had seen that old evolution video several times.... just to hear your Zen sound🔥 and the way how you describe it (the coolest Cat in the Town)😎❤️
That's why I love this channel. So pure.
Thank you for the love. Stay tuned for more pure content.
Believe it or not Sirish i could relate to this video like no one would, I too have a Zen that is part of our family, coincidentally it is 1997 and was bought by my grandfather too, I still drive it once on weekdays around my block (Delhi NCR - 15 year rule stops me from long drives), maintenance is constant, something or the other needs to be repaired / changed because of age but since its family it gets what it wants !! Great video, loved it !!!!
Kuddos to the new series... Waiting for more...❤️👍🏻
Thanks mate. Stay tuned for more!
Please cover the gypsy baleno & Honda city too. This one brought up a lot of memories. Thanks for this.
We'll be igniting a lot of memories! Stay tuned.
Liked the every detail in the video, like the background music, the video aspect ratio, all things are from that 90s era...❤❤❤
Thank you!
Loving the throwback videos & Shirish gives life to such videos
The series also gives perspective on the very basic things that we take so much for granted now
Hats off to the team effort at Evo India! And big thanks!❤
Loved the review... for once it was an welcome change and refreshing....
I would love to see...
1. Maruti Esteem 1.3 carb
2. Tata sierra turbo
3. Standard 3000 (rover)
Thanks for the love. Keep watching.
Love the Zen, I got a 1997 Carbie
My grandfather also owned a zen, it was a blue coloured 2000 model LX, and I loved thrashing it around!
And oh yes, I used the BOOST button so frequently that the fuse for the AC went bust twice 😂
Awesome video of the ZEN! I'm still holding onto my ZEN which is a 1995 Model with Black Bumpers😊 And mine is off white too with the Black Lined Japanese Tail Lamps. It's an absolute no nonsense car and reliability is right up there... My car has done around 1.4Lakh KMS and still going strong not using it much as I've also got the 1st generation 2005 model Swift zxi which is one of my all time favourite which was another bench mark of Maruti Suzuki. Appreciate this video which brings back so many memories of the ZEN which was my college car too😀👌👍
Absolutely brilliant!
Thank you! Stay tuned for more.
Has to be the series no one wants to miss. Bring back all the nostalgia. Have a Santro ZipPlus still going strong.
Grab your tissue box. You're going to be crying out of nostalgia in the coming weeks.
@@evoIndia just hoping I don't run out of tissue stock😅
Our teacher at school had Hyundai Santro Xing back in 2004- 2005, V used to clean its lights all the time v saw it out of our own desire.
I drive a ZEN LX .... 98 model .. my mom bought it..it’s still with our family .. I could relate with everything you were narrating ..
My 1st car, loved every moment I drove in the Zen.. thanks for the video .
Just loved it
Great. Stay tuned for more
Zen without silencer pipe is still of the sweeetest sounds ever ! ❤️
True!
SUPERB Video !! Absolutely loving this new series . Hope to see more cool old cars here soon . As for the Zen, I own one to this day .. mine happens to be a white 1995 Zen MH410 , pre the body coloured bumpers version :) I love and enjoy driving it every single time I get behind the wheel :) Truly puts a smile on my face as your mentioned .
simple joys...
Learnt to drive on my dad's zen. What a car and so many good memories. Travelled the length and breath of India. Even went to Uri on muddy slippery Himalayan roads!
My level zen❤
Amazing choice of content 👍 Would really love to see the Fiat Palio 1.6 and the OG Baleno 1.6 featured here. Cheers.
Suggestion noted. Thanks. Stay tuned.
we own a 1999 zen Lx, in very good condition.......bought other cars too..right now we have a Toyota and a Mitsubishi as well.. but sweet memories we have with our Zen is something that is precious to us...and of course my sister, my cousin,and me all learnt driving in this Zen....!!!! ....we can never even think of selling our ZEN. its a part of our family..we all love it...!!!
Great series… finally childhood is back. Looking forward to some exciting nostalgia.
Awesome. Stay tuned.
Drive review of the legend Maruti 800, remember reading the reviews of these old cars in the evo magazine but it would be fun to watch it in a drive review.
Fun is on its way. Stay tuned!
Great video
We're glad you like it!
Just seeing this thumbnail put a smile on my face, I have so fond memories with this car. This is the first car after ambassador that I used to ride in often. My father's friend had a red Zen VXI. I used to look forward to going on a trip in it all week. I drive a Tiago now, it is a great car today but the Zen will always hold a special place in my heart. It was and still is an absolute beauty. I even used to hate the Estillo for using the Zen name.
Great initiative guys... took me back to my childhood... dad had bought his first brand new car the ZEN in 1998. This was after the 2nd hand fiat padmini which meant that the ZEN was totally outta the fiat's league. The acceleration, the speed, the feel ... i can see myself in the passenger seat right now . So many memories. And my dad loved it cause we had 3 ZENS in our family after that... 😊 .
Ps. Do an episode on fiat padmini as well. Thank you .
Lovely video, please bring the Hyundai Accent CRDi and the Daewoo Cielo on the show too!!
Haven't seen a Cielo in years! anybody knows of one in running condition?
I get the same feeling with my 2006 alto❤️❤️❤️
Maruti Suzuki's tailor-made gems for India
My dad got his dream car the maruthi zen in 2008.....whoa dis little car is way beyond my expectations......I still drive it every day n never felt I'm slower in coping up with my friend's polo.... hatsoff to Maruti for providing such a great car , it can still do 120-130 effortlessly
Cannot wait to see what cars you guys will showcase in this series! Along with the Indian-made cars, do tackle some foreign imports that were prevalent back in the day.
Speaking of the Zen, my uncle owned one, a second-hand example in a blueish-purple shade. He had the car from 2006 to 2009, when he replaced it with a Ritz, which was replaced by the S-Cross this year (he's a Suzuki guy apparently).
I have very few memories of the Zen since I was living outside India at the time but during my annual vacations we used to visit our family and during those days I got to drive around with my uncle in the Zen. It was a well-kept example from what I remember and coming from a place that had so many better-made cars, entering the Zen felt like a whole new world.
It was a time when the auto industry started to boom in India, and these cars were at the helm of the movement then.
awesome video
Thank you
How can I forget the Zen ??!! I loved it when it was launched, but, couldn't afford it. Finally got around to buying it (a white one too !!), in 1999 and had it all the way till 2007. Loved the jellybean design then, and still do
If you like the design, get checked up for mental health
I own a zen diesel and love the way it pulls and the exhaust on the top revs is no less to a sports car…..I love doing speed runs on the highway hitting 125kmph in no time 💥💥
I had almost similar experience with our family owned 800. Nicely created 👌 loved it throughly.
Oh they were close siblings, the Zen and the 800.