Old is Gold: 5 Cars Which Had Better Pre-Facelift Models.

Evolution is the key to improvement and advancement. From the biggest things like our Earth to the smallest organisms, everybody evolves and ultimately get better. It’s the same rule for cars. Every now and then cars either go through minor facelifts or a whole generation change to become better. But like any experiment, sometimes this can go wrong, and today we will be talking specifically about these cases. So my avid blog readers, here are 5 cars that had better pre-facelift models.

1. Maruti Suzuki Baleno
   

   

   Starting off this list with one of my favourite cars, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. It was launched in 1998 as is often known as one of the first luxury cars in India. Maruti Suzuki unveiled it to compete with the likes of Honda City. It had a smooth-running 1.6-litre petrol engine with 94 ponies under its bonnet. It had very sophisticated looks, great interiors and was a great car. But due to the launch of the SX4, Maruti Suzuki pulled the plug on it in 2007.

   So when Maruti Suzuki announced that it will be launching an all-new generation Baleno, enthusiasts were pumped. But all we got was a hatchback! Now don’t get me wrong, the current-gen Baleno is a great car in its segment, but it surely doesn’t do justice to the nametag at all. The Baleno nametag had an aura, a class and now all it stands for is an efficient no flair hatchback. Saddening.

2. Hyundai Santro
   

   

   The original ‘tall boy’ got a big thumbs up from Indians when it was launched in 1999. Shahrukh Khan driving a sleek-looking hatchback rocked many hearts. It also gave some competition to the holy Maruti 800. Powered by a 1.1-litre petrol engine producing 69 BHP, it somewhat brought a revolution in the hatchback segment. Even the Santro Xing was a huge success and served us for many years until Hyundai decided that it was time to move on, or was it?

   In 2018 they announced the return of the Santro but it wasn’t exactly what we expected. Firstly it was styled in a very weird way, it lost its sober and decent personality and it surely wasn’t a game-changer like its father. I just wish Hyundai would stop cramping their ‘Fludidic’ design in every car.

3. Maruti Suzuki Swift
   

   

   It’s the car loved by all, and even after 16 years, it is rocking the charts. It revolutionized the hatchback segment as the Santro did in 1998. Indians were absolutely awestruck by the design of it.

   A 1300cc oil burner(petrol and diesel) was offered in the first-gen produced 87 bhp and 75 bhp respectively and was a proper hot hatch. Its facelift was a good one but still couldn’t match up to the first-gen. And the third-gen, well, it doesn’t stand a chance.

   While the 2005 model had a personality of its own, the latest-gen looks a lot like a British car( you know which) and even though it’s a great car overall, it still doesn’t have the soul that the original Swift had.

   

4. Honda Civic
   

   

   The 2006 Honda Civic was a complete package. Sexy sleek exteriors, a rather futuristic interior and a mindblowing 1.8 i-vtec petrol engine. The new-gen, not so much. Even though it looked great, the engine was a disappointment. It just couldn’t match up to the stardom the old gen Civic had and it was pretty evident when Honda decided to pull the plug on it after embarrassing sales figures. Make it right Honda!

5. Tata Safari
   

   

   A very specific case of cars that had better pre-facelift models.The car revolutionized the automobile segment forever. When launched in 1998, the Safari was the first luxury SUV of India. Generations after generation it gained even more stardom but the favourite one was the Safari Dicor.

   When the Safari was teased, everyone was too amped knowing that Tata can truly make a great car again. But the exact opposite happened. What we got was a rebadged 7 seater Harrier with no personality, no soul and frankly, it’s embarrassing to call it a Safari. And guess what, no 4×4! Absolute BS.

   We wish we could turn back time, but until and unless we get our hands on a time machine, all we can do is remember them. So there you go guys,5 car which had better pre-facelift models.

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