Exit the Zen, enter the Suzuki MR Wagon. Maruti Suzuki, which has for ages been churning out well-worn models without a change, is here with another of its old models, the Suzuki MR Wagon. The Suzuki MR Wagon will replace the Maruti Zen within a matter of months. In the run-up to the unannounced launch, Maruti has already started offering heavy discounts on existing Zen customers, in the hope of emptying all that old stock, without giving a hint to the buyers that the car they are buying will soon be replaced by a, well, a relatively-new one.

The new Zen Estilo (or the new New Zen?) will be the generation-old Suzuki MR Wagon, which has been running in the Japanese streets for quite some time. In India, the Suzuki MR Wagon (please don't confuse this with the Wagon R) will be based on the Alto and Wagon-R platform. Since the car has gone out of production in Japan, Maruti has been able to source the dies and tooling for the Suzuki MR Wagon at a fraction of the cost from abroad. We believe that launching the Suzuki MR Wagon in India which is already dead and buried in Japan is not fantastic idea.

But the step will help Maruti keep the costs down. The Maruti plant will be producing three cars on the same platform - Suzuki MR Wagon, Alto and Wagon-R. This will help economies of scale and consequent help reduce price. Selecting an old car means that spares will be readily available.

Maruti is expected to price the Suzuki MR Wagon between Rs 3 and 4 lakh. Maruti's new small car will have a 1061 cc engine, pumping out 64 bhp. The wheelbase will be exactly the same as that of the Wagon R.

Unlike the outgoing Maruti Zen had a two-box, jelly bean design, the Suzuki MR Wagon will be a tall boy. The car's silhoutte is a mono-volume one. The wraparound body coloured bumper has a bikini grille. The car may be available in five different variants, with minor variations. The rear view mirror incorporates a turn signal a la Merc, which looks jarring on the car. There are five variants of the Suzuki MR Wagon in Japan.

The dashboard and steering bear the marks of a five-year old model. The car has none of that trendy Swift feel. Maruti may also introduce an automatic model for the Suzuki MR Wagon in India. The interiors are likely to be as spacious as the Wagon R. However, luggage space may be less.

The first Suzuki MR Wagon was first down to the world at an auto show in Tokoyo in 1999. At that time, it had a mid-mounted engine with a monform body. The car-gazers cheered, and two years later, the Suzuki MR Wagon was ready to roll. When it came out, however, the MR Wagon retained the same shape, but had a front-mounted engine.

It was in 1993 that maruti launched its second car, the Zen. The Zen tried to capitalise on the runaway success of the Maruti 800, but it did not sell well initially. The high price was a deterrent. The 50 bhps of power was not tantalising either. In 1998, the Diesel Zen was launched, which spurred some buyers. Still, the car's price did not attract many buyers. In 2000, the company launched the Zen with MPFI and more power, which made it a value-for-money car. Maruti then attempted to introduce the "Carbon" and "Steel", both export surplus cars. (Has anybody seen these two cars on the streets? Not me!)

In 2004, a facelifted Zen was launched, with some cosmetic changes. The design changes were mostly done in India, a sign of Suzuki's increasing confidence in its Indian operations. However, with this relaunch, the Zen lost its jelly-bean shape.

Will a relatively-old model like the Suzuki MR Wagon sell in India? The experience of the Octavia and the Qualis shows that the car-buying public doesn't mind the age, so long as the vehicle is real value for money. Will that be the case with the MR Wagon? One has to wait and see.

SUZUKI ZEN ESTILO - MR WAGON SPECIFICATIONS

price: Rs 3-4 lakh
power: 64 bhp@6400 rpm
torque: 8.56 kgm@3500 rpm
length: 3401 mm
width: 1575 mm
height: 1669 mm
wheelbase: 2334 mm
fuel tank: 30 litres
engine: 1061 cc, 4 cyliners inline
installation: front, reverse, FWD
specific output: 60.32 bhp/litre
bore/stroke: 68.5/72 mm
gearbox type: 5 speed manual
front suspension: McPherson strut
rear suspension: three link rigid type
front brakes: ventillated discs
rear brakes: drums
tyre: 145/70 R13