I can write for the whole day on this but in my observation/opinion major problems are as follows:
Car is heavy which makes it safe but 1500cc engine has to do some extra effort to pull it decently, so it consumes more petrol. Even on CNG it is slightly expensive compared to other 1500cc cars.
No problem with fuel injectors at all. People who wash their engines with high pressure and then spray diesel for extra shine encountered a lot of problems in the beggining regarding fauly sensor readings and faulty injectors.
Company dealerships were not properly trained for EFI vehicles at the time of its launch, they were not able to give any proper justification for excessive fuel usage, let alone corrrect the problem. Also in the beggining spare parts were not readily available even at delerships. After a year or so koreans came to Pakistan, gave training and things got better, parts were also supplied properly.
First impressions were realy good, it attracted lot of sales. First car in sialkot went through auction at 13 lac rupees when actual price was 739,000/-
second one went for 1,290,000 and so on, premium continued for around 1-1/2 years. It was in high demand but when problems started arising and proper treatment was not available, its reputition suffered badly and Dewan simply milked the cow by selling around 5000+ vehicles in 4 years (Source PAMA Website)
CNG version was introduced in 2002 with a hope that complaint of excessive petrol consumption can be cured, but once again dealers were not able to provide proper service of EFI CNG kits, which were introduced for the first time in pakistan. Massive complaints were launched regarding blown up air cleaner boxes, so much so that a fresh order needed to be placed with Korea for Air cleaner boxes, as it was a slow moving item before.
The reason for blown air cleaners and excessive CNG consumption was once again underpowered engine, and lesser spark on low Rpm's and startups. Things would have been way better if 100+ hp engine option would have been available.
Braking was again an issue with same reason of excessive weight. But brake is well manageable and controllable comparatively, u just have to push a little harder.
In short its power to weight ratio was not good, which made it uneconomical, and it was the primary reason for its so called failure. But surprisingly the engine still has life, and only 2 instances are reported in Islamabad Dealership where an engine overhaul was needed, that was also because of overheating. Otherwise engine is durable and reliable.
I think Liana is an actual failure in Pakistan automobile industry. Even suzuki name cannot push it for sales above even 500 units.
Lastly, If it would have been introduced as 2000 diesel it would have ripped apart all competition, because aesthetics, design, suspension is all excellent. Build quality is the same as any other car in its class in pakistan, In fact it is better in many aspects.
I told u i can write for whole day, sorry for taking so long. which city r u from? Do post more if u need any other information. i can arrange a meeting with dewan Regional manager in islamabad, if u r in Islamabad?
