Hi there,
I just test drove the wagon r vxl variant.
To summarise :
Pros
1.I found the engine extremely powerful.
2. The rear legroom is reasonable, and the Middle hump isn't that prominent making it comfortable for the rear passengers.
3. Good looking speedometer and fuel indicator - as seen in bigger PKDMs
4. Rear seat belts
5. Good quality speakers and cd player - a normal listener like me won't need to immediately change the speakers.
6. Cheap parts (apparently the brake pads of the wagon r are cheaper than the mehrans)
7. The steering is similar to the swift, which is a good thing
8. Good turning radius
Cons
1. No abs. This won't be noticeable on driving on dry roads, but can be dangerous in wet driving and as the engine is quite powerful, it needs better brakes.
2. Slight body roll (more than my JDM 660cc) but it's not a car that will overturn easily. It's stable at high speeds.
3. Rear manual windows. Given our dusty environment, the manual mechanism will eventually become stiff and it will be a pain to roll down the windows in a few months.
4. The price : 1089000 for the fully loaded vxl and add an extra 96,000 for accessories plus registration and all takes the price to 12 lacs!!! - spend 2-3 lacs more and you can get a swift / basic corolla
5. The interior quality is okay for a small pkdm, but at the aforementioned price its just not worth it.
6. Horrible small tyres.. Whoever wants to buy it must get bigger tyres and alloys.
7. There's no side mirror adjustment knob. Chalo the new owner may live with not having power adjustable rear mirrors, but this doesn't even have an adjustment lever!!!
To conclude,
This car is a great replacement for the mehran/alto /cuore drivers who wish to upgrade their small PKDMs. But JDM users will be disappointed. However because of parts availability of jdms (an accidented suzuki cervo parked at the suzuki dealership will cost 3 lacs to fix), i think the best option is to buy a swift auto.
The wagon r is no doubt a great car, but the price is exuberantly high and doesn't cater for the average pakistani driver. However for families who are financially stable and want a small reliable car for their college going kids, I think this is a good choice. It's better than a cultus and is way better than alto, cuore and mehran.
At this price they should've atleast given us abs, airbags, power rear windows and rear view mirrors. Then no doubt it would have been a safe and reliable car for our younger generation.
But what other option do we have now? The 660cc JDMS are unreliable and we can't have such a mode of transport. It's just not cost effective if God forbid something goes wrong.
If I wouldn't have owned a JDM I would've bought the wagon r eyes closed. But my car has spoiled me. I just can't spend 5 las more on a lower specced car.
So I'm going to book an auto swift in a few days as I have to sell my JDM before my job starts (and I would need a very reliable car)- this wagon r is too overpriced and low specced for a trouble free JDM owner like me.