Here are my honest impressions about driving the car for nearly a week after bringing it home.
1. Comfort: When it comes to comfort, sadly the car has failed to meet my expectations. The front seats are not very comfortable and ergonomic as compared to my other car (vitz), which no matter how much I drove it, could never get tired. I felt tired after driving for an hour in Wagon R in rush hour. Especially, my lower back hurt alot after getting off from the car. This has really hampered my enjoyment of driving this car. I always felt that I'm not in a very comfortable sitting posture no matter how I positioned myself to sit in the car in the most appropriate manner. Comfort gets a 3/5 from me. I don't see myself driving this car on MotorWay given it tires me alot in city driving, not to mention the seats are not big enough for me to sit comfortably in.
2. Suspension: This car is a marked improvement over other cars in its class. Though it could use some improvement to tweak the suspension a little bit more on the softer side. It doesn't jump as much as the other cars in its class, though I believe softer settings could help alleviate the little roll I felt whenever I took a U-Turn.
3. Tires: Surprisingly, they work pretty well. The grip is good and they don't skid even on slippery surface. They could've gone with slightly bigger tyres (165/70/R13) which seems like a good fit, but even the stock ones will do their job for as long as you let it.
4. Engine & Transmission: I'm thoroughly impressed by the engine's responsiveness. Even with full AC, I've never felt the engine or throttle lag for even a split moment. I'm guessing the response was the same before the introduction of ETC or was it different? If some members could shed some light on it, would be great.
5. Fuel Economy: My first fuel tank filled up exactly in 34 litres (2200.- PKR to be exact). So far the car has been driven for 330 KM's, and 3 points on the fuel gauge remain. Not a very good average given the car has always been driven on AC with frequent idling here and there, but I'm overall very satisfied.
Overall impressions: It certainly feels like I downgraded given I was previously driving a Liana whose comfort level was outclass compared to other sedans in its class (corolla, city). But overall, I'm satisfied with my decision of purchasing a Wagon R for daily commute.
If anybody could help me regarding the seats issue of Wagon R, that would be really helpful. I'd like to make the front seats as comfortable as the vitz 2012 version. What would be required to make them so ?? Thanks.
