From its clear-lens headlamps to its large taillights, the Suzuki Esteem presents itself well. The black honeycomb grille looks sharp and the car, especially the wagon, is well proportioned.The wagon doesn't look as if its longer roof was tacked on as an afterthought for the utilitarian minded. Indeed, with the two-tone paint option, the wagon is arguably the snazziest Esteem of the lot, and there is no appearance penalty for the extra utility. We even got some admiring looks from teenagers, no doubt prompted by Speedline five-spoke alloy wheels and low-profile Yokohama tires.
A remote fuel door release is standard, and the wagon's liftgate is locked and unlocked by the central locking system. A handle under the license-plate light unlatches the gate, which lifts to 45 degrees above horizontal. The gate opening and low roofline guarantee that anyone taller than 5'8'' will have to duck while loading cargo, but liftover height is only 22 inches. The load floor is flat and the strut towers intrude only minimally on cargo space. There are storage bins under the carpet and room in the right quarter panel to add a CD changer or store a first aid kit.