Review: Suzuki Wagon R (PkDM) 2015
Design:
The car looked odd when it first hit the Pakistan roads, but now eyes have adapted to see this THING. Front is prettier than back. Headlights are good looking, front jali is also good. Quality of headlights and rear lights is good. From back give a tall and upright feeling. Also the car is narrow, means the distance between doors is less, both from inside and outside. Driver seems to be sitting too close to passenger with minimal distance in between, and if u drive in speed through curves the passenger comes on to the driver (can be beneficial in some cases ), this is similar to JDM WR in which the front seat is full bench with very small armrest in between. In Cultus the passenger is sitting at a reasonable distance from the driver. Due to height of the car, a normal size person cannot wash the roof of the car as the hands reach there with difficulty, a small table can help in this regard.
Body:
Quality of body is inferior to JDMs but reasonable in local market. No cross bars in doors for safety (I think so). Quality of body is not much superior to cultus, but it is ok. Weight is 825 kg, it would have better road grip, if the weight would have been 900 +. Doors gives good feeling when closed, but if all the windows are fully closed, the doors might not close in 1[SUP]st[/SUP] attempt, because there is no passage of airs from body to outwards (normally present in JDMs where air escapes through little holes into bumpers). The tip is to keep the opposite window open by half inch so that air can escape easily from there. Air press will be really helpful in this case to protect the slightly open window from rain etc. Bonnet is well aligned from front but there is a gap on sides between bonnet and fenders, could have been aligned better.
Wheels:
145 profile is ok for city drive and for elder people like my father, but if I keep this car or drive it frequently over motorway, I?ll immediately put 165 or 175 profile on the rims. Wheel cups are good looking. 13 inch wheel size is ok. Ground clearance of the vehicle is good, can cross big jumps and bumps on our local roads, so deigned perfectly for our roads. Tire brand has been changed to General, and this brand is not bad, and working well. Road grip is a little less above 100-110 speed, can be improved by changing tires.
Mirrors:
Side mirrors have good view, could be better if controlled electronically. Central back view mirror is a bit small, plus it does not have dim light version, so lights of cars coming behind flash into your eyes. 2 tips to resolve this issue, first to place a jali on rear screen, or to putt 25% 3M tint or the central rear mirror, both will dim out the lights. As the car is at height from rear, so while reversing be careful to see any little child or any animal or any object very near to back of the car, it can be missed easily.
Dashboard and door linings are good quality, and design over them is also good. As the dashboard has inclining design, you cannot out tissue box or any other object over it with stability. Color of plastics is black mainly, more chances of catching dust. Beige combination in dash appeals good.
Meter is very well illuminated, RPM meter is really helpful in manual transmission.
Clarion player is outstanding, really impressed by it, though I do not hear songs, but it is really working best for naats etc. Sound of front speakers is very good, better than Passo, addition of 2 speakers at back can make a very nice sound environment. Option of USB and AUX is there, but it lacks Bluetooth connectivity (couldn?t find one).
Sound deadening is average, but way better than cultus.
Seats are not good to me, even front seats cannot impress me. A bit hard and design is such that makes me uncomfortable. Same problem I felt is cultus. Require customization of seats with some curves etc.
Rear leg space is really good. 2 adults and a child can accommodate easily. Front leg space is also good, esp due to upright design of the seats.
AC of the car really good.
Boot space is ok, equals to cultus i think, but it can be increased by folding the rear seats, 3-4 big suitcases can accommodate easily.
Suspension:
Suspension of WR is best as it is soft, if seats could have been better, then it would be better than any other car. Suspension is better than vitz and passo.
Engine and Gear:
Engine is really smooth, engine sound is less, way less than cultus. Gear shifting is smooth except reverse gear, apply clutch hard to make it soft. Clutch is softer than cultus. Gear shifting sound is good.
Pick of the car is awesome.
Gear to Speed ratio is not ideal, at the RPM of 3 the speed is at 95, it could be better if it would be at 110 instead of 95.
Seating position is better than cultus.
Brakes are better than cultus, and are good.
EPS steering is buttery and outstanding and real fun to enjoy.
Summary:
Pros:
- Good fuel economy (14-15 local, 18-20 on long)
- Ready availability of all spare parts
- 2 years warranty
- Drive is way better than cultus
Cons:
- Design could have been lowered and better
- Tires would have bad better profile
- Seats are not that comfortable
- Rear manual windows
Recommendations:
Recommended for medium size family, especially for local use and occasional highway drive, economical for salaried people.
If u have to travel frequently on highways, better to think of some other option.
Imp:
This review is according to my perception and every one has right to differ from it