First there was the Maruti Suzuki Esteem. And then the Ford Ikon. You might say there’s no more a relation than they being booted cars going for cheap, but there’s more. Actually, they were originally conceived as hatchbacks; the Suzuki sold in several countries as the Swift (yup!) and the Ikon as the Fiesta in Europe. Both were inexpensive sedans with a hint of performance, elevating them to a sort of cult status in India. So while the Esteem saw the assembly line for the last time in December, the Ikon is still soldiering on nine years later as a cheap, no-frills sedan for largely the fleet market.
Maruti has now replaced the Esteem with the Swift Dzire, the Swift with the boot. It isn’t a perfect fit in the Esteem’s shoes though, now larger, a bit more expensive, yet substantially more modern and comfortable. Ford’s so-called Ikon replacement, the Fiesta 1.4, is even more expensive than the Dzire (50k more for competing top-end variants) but is nothing but a last generation Fiesta derivative with a boot. Both are not very expensive sedans and still retain that hint of performance. So in true BSM tradition, we just had to find out which one is the worthy successor, the one that gives the other the ‘royal boot’!
DESIGN
The formula of adding a boot to a hatchback has worked wonders in India, and going by the success of the Fiesta and the bookings of the Dzire, that formula seems to stay intact. The Swift was always considered a crisp design with those muscular flanks and sharp lines, as well as its Mini-inspired shell. All of that disappears with the Dzire. Up front you now get a twin-slat chrome moustache on the grille and the first signs of real change only appear from the B-pillar onwards.
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