Jun 29, 2004 04:24 PM
6406 Views
(Updated Jun 29, 2004 04:24 PM)
I do not drive the Wagon-R but had purchased one of the initial ones off the production lines for one of my managers. I did a test drive at that time . . .and a few for the hell of it every now and then.
I'll start by giving a bit of the background on the Wagon R and then move on to my experience with this vehicle with some tidbits about their competitors.
Believe it or not, Maruti Wagon R is the most technologically advanced vehicle in its segment. Now, that does not mean that its technology will overburden you or it will have some glitzy stuff which u wont get the hang of. But its ergonomics, performance and durability have been taken very very seriously by both Suzuki Motors and Maruti Udyog.
One very big reason to go for this car is that at this stage, this is one of the two vehicles that have MULs complete attention, both inside and outside their plant, and it figures in a major way in their future plans. That means that if you experience and report any defect in your Wagon-R, the action on it would be fast and swift from the manufacturer. At least that is the honest intention of the manufacturer.
Sometimes, it is not so as the dealers screw up every now and then, but in that case and ONLY in that case (NOW WRITE THIS DOWN), just shoot off a letter addressed to :
Dr K Kumar, Director Engineering, Maruti Udyog Limted, Gurgaon, Haryana
And trust me, these guys will be begging you to let them fix whatever problem you are facing in your Wagon R.
That was the background. Now the vehicle. Performance wise, its pretty darn good. Its very smooth at the take off and covers the distance nicely if yer planning to take any long drives. I had to travel with my manager to a customer located about 5 hours away in this car.
Phudakti hai. . .jumps around, and I mean it in a good way. It just zips in and out of the highway traffic. Had a lot of fun with an uncle driving a Palio. The poor guy just couldnt keep up. And thats when we had the airconditioning on. . .which by the way is COOL. . .in a very literal sense.
Leg space was surprisingly quite comfortable. I am not a VERY tall guy but I have long legs which makes me a bit sensitive about this issue in small cars (I cant sit in an Omni). But sitting in the Wagon R was a cake. I loved getting into and out of the car. Its like you just stepped down from a bar stool.
The BIG HEADROOM funda really didnt work much for me as I have a pretty average sized head with no sharp corners. But I'm keeping THAT test reserved for the day I wear a sombrero :)
I guess Wagon R buyers would be keen on the mileage so here it is. . .13 to 14 inner city driving. Hey, I dont feel too bad signing the gas vouchers for this one.
Interestingly, this manager in my company uses the car for a lot of company work that involves transferring bulky items for short distances. . .and Im talking like about 50 to 100 Kgs in the boot. Guess what, no major repairs. I dont recall signing out the vehicle for anything except for the regular services.
Safety factor is also appreciable in this vehicle. Side impact beams in the doors and front upper member support for the engine make a fine case for your protection. This is actually missing in the Santro.
Did you know that the Santro is a copy of the Wagon-R?!! But the absence of Front Member Support in this car(Santro) is very shocking as its a major impact absorber in case of front end collision and protects the engine of your car.
For those who are wondering what I'm talking about, this is the part thats visible when you open the hood of the car. . .a kinda straight profiled metal part which houses the Hood catch. In the Santro, all you see is a stick pointing straight up.
The negative point that I found in the Wagon R is that it tends to be a bit unstable at times. . .largely attributed to the construction of the vehicle, methinks. The tall frame coupled with small tyres and less width is an ideal recipe for a disturbed Centre of Gravity. No sharp fast turns, no strong jerks on the wheel for the sake of fun.
So think twice before you act like Schumacher in front of those pretty young college grads. . . Although it does do one thing very well. WAGON-R IS THE BEST VEHICLE THAT IVE DRIVEN TILL DATE FOR GETTING A FLYING JUMP OVER A GOOD SIZED SPEED BUMP. Can try that one :)
In all, I would recommend the WagonR as a sensible purchase for someone whos looking for a durable and versatile car that you can take to work and on weekend outings away from the city for pleasant drives.
For those recommending other cars. . .heres some figures of production rates -
Wagon R - 350 per day
Santro - 400 per day
Indica - 500 per day (Allah mehrbaan to gadha pehelwan)
FIAT PALIO - 300 PER MONTH (Go figure)
These I just mentioned to give you an idea of their demand. These are by no means absolute and can be slightly inaccurate. . .but only slightly :)
So, get your Wagon R, have fun and keep the roads safe. Take it easy
