Well I have been driving WagonR since May 04 and I should say I have been fascinated to be an owner of this car. I am not a technical freak when it comes to cars, but to say it from a layman’s term nothing expect’WOW’ can suit it.
Now looking into specifics
*Pickup and Speed:
*First of all, I got this as a second hand since I did not want to get a new car right after learning driving. Being a 2003 model( got this is May 2005) with 37000 already done, I did not expect much from this model, but ppl. its amazing that I am able to get a very good pickup and speed with this vehicle even today. Until 115-120kmph, I have never felt any vibrations. Its just that smooth. And the initial Pickup is also good.
There was an occasion where 6(excluding me) got into the car on an urgent work, but still the car would have no problems in pickup. I was just amazed . It was designed as a 4 seater, but even when 7 ppl get in, it doesn’t really lose the pickup(of course driving inside the city)
Space:
This car is more spacious than any other car in its segment. The dickey space is very decent. Infact better than any other cars of its segment. I remember my brother sitting in the dickey without any problems for a complete 140 km. stretch. ( No, I was not intimidating my bro, but suddenly we had more ppl and he had to take it for want of space -)). And yes if you are carrying more luggage with less people, you can just push the rear seat to front and you have much more space for your luggage.!
Comfort:
Being a tall man, the greatest advantage that this car gives me is the comfort in sitting. The leg space is better when compared with Santro and Esteem. I have never felt any problems in my leg whatsoever even after driving 350kms at a stretch. The seats are so tall and definitely beats the Santros and other small cars in seat comfort. The seats can be adjusted to resemble an Air seat which is really good. If you are a pregnant woman or just want that home feeling, you can just fold it down and sleep. Speaking of A/C, I would say its not the very best, but really competitive when compared with its rival.
Mileage:
Now comes the most important part. I used to drive between Bangalore and Chennai quite a number of times( 15 times to be specific in the last one year or so) and have got an amazing mileage of 17 -18 km pl without AC at an average speed of 90-95 kmph. And ppl, remember this was a second hand car. I can complete the Chennai -Bangalore stretch of 351 kms at a fuel cost of Rs.900/-( assuming 5 ppl can travel, it works out cheaper than the train /Bas fare!) Now isn’t that amazing?. And with the traffic jam prone bangalore roads, I am able to get a minimum of 11.5 to a maximum of 13.5.
Maneuverability:
I remember an incident when I was traveling from Bangalore to Chennai in the night. I was speeding at 110 kmph on the highway and suddenly found that a bullock cart was trying to cross. He was half way down the road and I was heading straight towards him. Such is the maneuverability of this vehicle that I took a U-turn around the bullock cart without reducing the speed( obviously I will not be able to reduce since it was very close) in a flash and went past him. Boy that was unbelievable. I doubt whether I can do it like that again, but if at all I am able to do that, I am confident it can only be with Wagon R.
Maintenance:
This vehicle doesn’t give you any major maintenance issue if the normal maintenance is done. I service it once for anywhere between 4 to 5 months and as of today, haven’t faced any issues with this. The major bill for me so far is to fill the gas for the AC.!
There are also certain concerns with this Vehicle
First of all, there is a problem with the view on the drivers side.The vision on your right right above the side mirror(from the driver’s side. I am sorry I don’t remember what they call it. apologies) gets blocked after certain angle. This might be very dangerous in the nights.
The looks of this vehicle is not that great. Even the new Wagon R doesn’t really match up with the Santro / Getz / Indica.
It doesn’t get that smooth while you change from 4th to the 5th gear
Overall
People who look for technical specifics pls excuse me. Looking otherwise, I feel I can say that I am a proud owner of Wagon R and would definitely recommend to all. Just go for it, Its Indian, its Maruti and more than anything, its VALUE FOR MONEY.