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HomeFeatured ArticlesThe 1999 Maruti Zen Classic | A Less Desirable Zen

The 1999 Maruti Zen Classic | A Less Desirable Zen

Maruti Zen was the premium hatchback of the 90s. What the Baleno hatchback is to Maruti Suzuki today, The Zen was to Maruti back in the 90s, a slightly upmarket offering from the desi brand. The Zen was launched in India in 1993 sitting right above the legend itself Maruti 800. The word “ZEN” Stands for Zero Engine Noise, which might have been a thing back then. Also, the word “ZEN” means ‘complete’ in Japanese.

1999 Maruti Zen Classic
1999 Maruti Zen Classic

Suggested: 10 Forgotten Maruti Suzuki Cars In India: From SX4 To Stingray

Zen was the first hatchback in India which was considered to a fun to drive car. Its compact and low rise looks further added to the sporty feel. It came with a peppy 993cc engine churning out 50 horses which were bumped up to 60 in the later versions of the car’s transition to MFPI engines.

It due to all these factors that the Zen is still considered to be an enthusiast’s car and various examples of OG Zen could be found in neat conditions with sweet Modifications to date.

The Zen brand in India has witnessed various phases from being an affordable hot hatch with rare limited editions to being a rather subtle family car (Zen Estilo in the later years).
But the Quirky update that the Zen ever got was in the year 1999, which eventually turned out to be a shitty call for Maruti.

The 1999 Maruti Zen Classic

1999 Maruti Suzuki Zen Classic
1999 Maruti Suzuki Zen Classic

In 1999, after 6 successful years for the Zen, Maruti decided to launch the Zen in a new configuration and for some reason, they thought that the public would like the Zen in a Retro-fashion. Maruti Suzuki also got onboard popular actress and model, Lisa Ray to feature on the brochure of the Zen Classic.

And so the Zen Classic was launched in India. The changes were mainly cosmetic. The Zen Classic had a different front and rear profile. The front of the Zen Classic had a new three slotted grille and round headlamps and the bumper had steel bars on them. The distinction on the rear was two-slot round tail lamps and some steel cladding on the rear.

Checkout! Modified Maruti Suzuki Zen | Certified India’s Loudest

What went wrong with the Zen Classic?

Maruti’s formula for a retro-styled version of an existing car might have worked with some other product or variant, with a different design, but the Zen simply couldn’t pull it off well. One could also say that the idea for a retro-styled car did not go down on the drawing board as well as one might have thought, cause the Zen Classic looked straight-up atrocious.

Comparing it to the conventional Zen in terms of appearance, the Classic had way too much going around with its weird grille, round headlamps, and out of tail lamps.

The Zen Classic is a ‘classic’ example of a product offered by a company that the public didn’t ask for. As a result, the sales of Zen fell devastatingly as no one was interested in buying the unfortunate Zen.

1999 Maruti Suzuki Zen Classic Rear Profile
1999 Maruti Suzuki Zen Classic Rear Profile | Source

Along came the Zen Carbon & Zen Steel

Fans of the Zen Badge were clearly disappointed. In order to win back the fanatism and make up for the disappointment by the Zen Classic, Maruti made a smart move. The Zen was exported to Poland in a two-door configuration and Maruti had some inventory left from that export order. So Maruti decided to launch a limited edition of the original Zen in a two-door configuration, called the Zen Carbon (in black colour only) and the Zen Steel (in silver colour only) at a price tag of Rs. 5 lakhs. The fans got so excited for this rare Zen that the whole limited run got sold out in a matter of months and hence Maruti finally made up for the mistakes it made with the Zen Classic.

Also Read: Maruti Zen Carbon & Zen Steel | The 3-door Zen Twins

The Zen Classic also is a rare find in today’s time since no one really bothered the preserve the ill-fated car.

Vaibhav Arora
Vaibhav Arorahttps://gomechanic.in/blog
Content Developer at GoMechanic | Auto Journalist | Been a car guy ever since i remember opening my eyes | Golden Age for cars is long gone | Guilty of hooning out on the streets |

14 COMMENTS

  1. I have this lovely car, Aug 1999 model, in metallic Orange. Only problem is that I can’t find its’ external front and back chrome strips & headlight rounds.

  2. I got Zen (not the classic) bought second hand from my friend and like a lot the weight and engine performance. Changed it with my Chevy Sail for its peppyness. This is not a regular 800 typo, its a different variant.

  3. I have zen classic.. I need front bumper and round Head light set. Please let me know if anybody know about this

  4. सर नमस्कार मेरे पास 1999 मॉडल मारुति जेन क्लासिक है मुझे आगे का बंपर चाहिए कृपया करके हमारी मदद करें 9511162498

  5. Hai, I am using this car from 1999, problem facing its external part. My requirements it’s tail lamp of its left side. I somebody can guide me. Or contact no.

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