PREVIEW
I thought a lot about whether I should write this review or not. There are already many good reviews on the M800 and the details of the vehicle are well known. But I am going ahead and sharing my thoughts on a vehicle that made me a proud owner of a four wheeler and gave us a first little status in this big bad world.
She was with me during the phase when I grew ln both my professional and personal life and she was the one who made my daughter Sanjana, hate trains and other modes of transport.
We have a few unforgettable memories in my M800. One of them was when we sighted a herd of elephant near Munnar sitting in our vehicle. Up until that point of time, we did not know that elephants did not like the color White. Only when they started chasing our M800 did we realize this.
This vehicle meant more than just steel and metal for us.
Now…
The REVIEW
We purchased a second hand Maruti 800 in Sep 1999. Since we were on a shoe string budget (i.e. the selling price of our Max 100 bike) we ended up purchasing a 1988 model vehicle (NO A/C) for 30, 000 Rs. We then spent around 30000 Rs on the vehicle to re-condition the engine and suspension (once I managed some more money). The vehicle then gave back a good return to my family.
Fuel Efficiency :
Our vehicle used to give us about 18 Km / liter when driven in the city and 21 / 22 Km per liter on the highways. Compare it to the 10 Km / liter most other vehicles give, you have a straight winner. The figures held good until we sold our vehicle in mid 2001. Certainly Suzuki still has the most fuel efficient vehicles on road..... This is evident even in the MPFI engines rolled out by Maruti currently, which are miles ahead of competition as far as fuel efficiency goes.
Serviceability :
We took our vehicle once from Chennai to Munnar and back (more than 1000 kms total) without any major problem. We were driving past a town Dindugal, when our engine started choking and we found that the radiator fan was not working. A roadside mechanic in the outskirts of the town was able to fix the wiring connection to make the radiator fan work quite easily in less than 15 minutes.
That is the main advantage of having M800.... you can get it serviced / repaired practically anywhere, even if you have any problem while on road. This is not possible with any modern vehicle from Ford / Hyundai / GM (who have a very small dealer network). This is especially true when you go thru rural areas and small towns.
But I should mention that our Ikon never stopped on the road in the 42 months that we used it (I think that is what premium price gets you, if you can afford it)
Leg Room :
People do grudge about the leg space in M800. Come on, what more can you get for the money the vehicle costs. If you are ready to spend money, then go buy any costly vehicle with lots of leg / head space. But for those families who simply want a roof on four wheels to travel safely (compared to the scooters / motorbikes), M800 is still the best value for money.
We have driven with 4 ½ people in M800 for continuous stretches up to 400 Kms. The ride is certainly better when compared to what we can get in an Amby or Fiat and not bad at all for people of average height. (yeah, it does ache when you get out… we realized this negative point after we purchased our Ikon.)
Air-conditioning :
The air conditioning in M800 is not effective to say the least. But new M800 that my friend owns has a pretty decent air-conditioning. We were really surprised by the speed of cooling. The only grudge was that the engine starts to loose steam as soon as A/C is switched on.
Suggestion :
If you own a two wheeler and want to changeover to a four wheeler without making a big dent in your pocket, M800 is still the best. (You may want to rush before Maruti actually stops making them)
Another perspective :
The M800 is not at all a good vehicle in terms of safety. You will have to always compare it only with the two wheeler segment. It is safer to travel in M800 only when compared to a two wheeler. All other 4 wheel vehicles are miles ahead on safety and accident handling than M800 with the exception of Omni van, which may be worse than M800.
If you can afford a little more money, buy an Alto. It could give you all the benefits of the M800 with more comfort and relatively higher safety.