I recently sold my November 1999 Maruti Omni E (carb) after 3 1/2 years and 41000 km. The only reason for selling it was I wanted an A/c badly and fitting one in the Omni is not recommended by MUL.
The Omni is an amazing vehicle. It can carry 6 people in good comfort and 8 people in a squeeze.
I removed the middle seat and moved the rear seat forwards to transform it into a regular Omni. Please note that if you do this, you must retain the middle seat if you plan to sell the car later. This is mandatory for change of ownership. I had kept the middle seat in my balcony and thus, I had no problems re-installing it before selling it.
The Omni is not a car and should not be driven like one. Drive it like a normal car and be prepared for some rude shocks while cornering and braking.
Otherwise, the Omni is probably the easiest vehicle to drive in India. The driving position is great and gives you a view of the road that no other vehicles does.
The steering is light and and well-weighted. It feels well connected even at 100 kmph.
The engine is also very good and requires absolutely no maintenance apart from regular and normal services. Performance is not great but keep the revs high in any gear and the Omni can outperform an 800 in the hands of a good driver. To really take off at traffic lights, shift into 2nd at 20, 3rd at 45 and 4th at 60. You’ll be surprised at what the Omni can do if driven like this.
The great driving position is also a cause for worry. No bonnet in front means you must change your style of driving and always adopt a slightly defensive driving technique.
I got a consistent mileage of 14-16 kmpl in the city after my first trip to Bangalore. I feel that highway blasts in carb fitted cars always helps improve the mileage. I have experienced this in my Omni as well as my father’s 1996 Premier Padmini S1. Before the highway trips, the Omni gave 12-13 kmpl in the city.
Comfort is the Omni is not great but for the price you pay for it, the comfort is quite good.
Overall, a good buy and a really useful shopping car. This swallows luggage.
Avoid taking the Omni out on highways unless you’re a really experienced driver. The car sways in crosswinds and can be a handful when you need to stop in a hurry from 100 kmph. But then again, drive defensively and anticipate highway traffic and the Omni is a breeze to drive. Highway mileage was around 19-20 kmpl for me.
For city use, nothing comes close to the Omni. You can squeeze into gaps that 800 drivers would hesitate to get into. The turning circle is also small and that means narrow roads and corners pose no problems if you need to make a U-turn.