Check Out Maruti Zen Classic, 1st Gen WagonR and Baleno Sedan In Same Frame [Video]

Maruti Suzuki was the first car company to bring mobility to the masses in India, with affordable passenger cars that were cheap to buy, run, and maintain. Many of us have memories of old Maruti cars that we, or perhaps, some of our relatives, had back in the day. Recently, we came across a video that shows the rather rare Zen Classic, 1st Gen WagonR and Baleno sedan in the same frame. 

Wagon R by Maruti Suzuki | WildFilmsIndia

Posted by youtube channel ‘WildFilmsIndia’, the video begins by showing us the then-latest car by Maruti Suzuki, the Wagon R. We see a blue-coloured, first-generation WagonR driving slowly towards the camera. After that, we see a few old and classic Maruti cars parked alongside each other. There’s a brown WagonR (also first generation), a dark-green Baleno sedan, a white Zen Classic, and a blue Esteem. Sadly, the Esteem was parked with its tail facing to the camera, so it doesn’t get any significant screen time. The camera then focuses on the other three, beautifully detailing them under the sunlight. Then, we see the blue WagonR once again. It reverses out of the parking lot and then drives on the road for a little. The filmmakers try to take a few fly-by shots of the car.

The cars in the video – WagonR, Zen Classic, and Baleno – have a different story to tell. The WagonR became the first-ever tallboy from Maruti Suzuki and went on to become a huge hit. The Zen Classic brought the retro touch to the jelly bean hatchback. Sadly, it couldn't sell well. The Baleno sedan came in at a time when the Honda City was being lapped up by C2-segment buyers. Again, the car couldn't do well in spite of being a great all-rounder. However, it did find a soft corner in the hearts of rallyists and enthusiasts. 

Left to right: Maruti Zen Classic, Baleno sedan, and WagonR (first-generation model)

The first-gen WagonR was powered by a 16×4 Hypertech, 1061 cc Multi Point Fuel Injection (MPFI) engine with 4 Cylinders-Inline, with 4 valves per cylinder. The first-gen tallboy was on sale in India from 1999-2006. The Zen Classic was lanched in 1997 but its quirky styling made it largely unpopular, unlike the original car. It had a 993cc inline-4 motor with 60 PS and 78 Nm on tap. The Baleno was Maruti’s most premium offering back in the day, and its decent cabin space and comfort made it popular. It also had great handling, which was complemented by its rev-happy G16 All Aluminium,1590cc,SOHC 16V SMART-i motor. All these engines were BSII compliant petrol powerplants back in the day.