Suzuki WagonR 20,000 kms report

[DCEite]

On the occasion of 2nd anniversary of my car, here is the 20k km review (or more accurately, 19,783km)

Our 800 was getting old, and being primarily driven by my father, I needed to have a car for my own self. So we decided that we need another one. It was the month of February 2004. The following cars were considered:

Tata Indica: I pushed my dad for this car, but he disliked the diesel noise. Also, one of his friends had an Indica, and he had strongly advised against it.

Hyundai Santro: Nothing really wrong with the car, but the fact that we already had one in the family, did not take matters further in favour of the Korean tall boy.

Maruti Alto: We almost went for this car.. but destiny had another thing in store for us. I test drove the car at the dealership nearest to my house, and found it OK. But the dealer was not ready to offer too many discounts, and someone suggested us another dealer. We went to the other one, but test driving the car was the turning point. The car had actually a defective gearshift. So we couldnot do much with it. The salesman told us that he will get the new car, in the meanwhile he offered us to test drive a WagonR vxi. And upon the very first drive, I was game for it. The front legroom and comfort that it offered for a 5,11 guy like me was impressive. The pickup and acceleration of the car was adequate as well. And after that, we didn’t feel the need to test drive any other car. We knew that this is the most suitable of all. And we went ahead.

Model: Lxi Euro II (new model clear lens headlamp, roof rails)

Colour: Pearl Silver

Accessories:

Sony CDX R5610 MP3 with normal 3 way coaxial speakers (4)
Maruti Nippon Central locking system
AutoCop gear lock
Leather steering wheel cover(stitch type)
Underbody coating
Rust protection coating
Engine coating
Seat covers, carpet mats, and other usual stuff.

On the road:
Well a lot of on the road reviews of this car already exists, I wont add much here. The engine is torquey , it can run in 5th gear at 30-40kmph without balking. 2nd gear can take this car to 85+ (speedo), SLK has done it a couple of times with his wagonR. Driving pleasure is more than adequate for city, and the Electric power steering is effortless. Ride is better than Santro/Zen/Alto, handling not too great, but adequate for city. One notable thing is that the engine is not refined when revved, makes a roaring aeroplane like sound when going above 80 in 4th gear. Once idle, it’s opposite story. The car is rock solid and stable at 120+ speeds as long as you are going in a straight line (this is contrary to some rumours about its high speed stability)

Fuel Efficiency: 11-12kmpl @ 40kmph average speed.
13-14kmpl @ 60kmph average speed.
(All figures city only w/o AC)


Likes:
1. Tall seating, plenty of front legroom.
2. Completely effortless Electric power steering.
3. Performance specially at the top end is better than competition.
4. Reclining rear seats enabled us to transport 29 inch TV.
5. A/C and heater are powerful.


Dislikes:
1. 2 km distance between first and second gear (well, almost )
2. Gearshift Clunky and hard. Reverse gear refuses to be engaged at times.
3. Rear visibility is poor, The Flat side RVMs don’t help either.
4. Engine refinement not upto the mark
5. Rear legroom not good for tall people
6. Seats lack underthigh support.



Issues/Problems faced till now:

The car started giving abysmal mileage a few months back. Found out that adulterated fuel was the culprit. Changed the gas station, now FE is ok. Other than that, nothing at all, except money spent on rear quarter and front quarter windows which were broken by thieves (thank god gear lock again).

Pics: Click here


If I missed some aspect, do let me know.

[SLK]

Hey, neat writeup.. covered almost everything.. but the experience with MASS over the 4 services....

Also after driving 20k kms has the engine started revving more freely now...

Even mine felt like a unsmooth engine initially... but now its free as anything... (GTX Magnetec + IOC Xtra premium for over 25k kms)

[kpzen]

Nice review..well sorted out...!!

[kgc_cool]

Nice review dceite..

One question:

Do you hear any body noise in your car?

Right from the point my Wagon R (LXi) completed 25K, I have been hearing a distinct noise from the passenger door every time I drive the car on even a minimally rough road. Sound like a piece of plastic being bent to the point of snapping.

Service guys say they cannot hear the sound :P

I think it is more like they did not try locating it in the first place. I have been finding it a little annoying since I just completed the 30K service and the sound still hasn't gone.

I've seen a post about "rattle eliminators". I'm betting on finding someone in Bangalore who can fix such stuff.. I guess I'm too clumsy to DIY and don't want to break anything that ain't already broken!

[dodge3p]

I touched 140km/hr with my Wagon R and it is quite ready to go further.
But the feedback from the steering is so bad that I opted out of it.

[SLK]

Originally Posted by dodge3p

But the feedback from the steering is so bad that I opted out of it.

Yeah.. I've heard that from a few people now!... but what exactly happens?... mine felt quite ok, I have 155 tubeless maybe that helped?

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by SLK

Hey, neat writeup.. covered almost everything.. but the experience with MASS over the 4 services....

Also after driving 20k kms has the engine started revving more freely now...

Even mine felt like a unsmooth engine initially... but now its free as anything... (GTX Magnetec + IOC Xtra premium for over 25k kms)

Experience with MASS has been ok. Nothing really good, nothing really bad. I get my car services from Maruti Service Masters, Okhla. They seem a little better then the normal dealership guys.

About engine revving more freely, yes the improvement is there, but very minimal. That maybe due to the fact that i use normal 87 octane only or sometimes Power (which is 87octane + additives). I find Zen and Alto 1.1 to me much more rev happy.

Originally Posted by dodge3p

Right from the point my Wagon R (LXi) completed 25K, I have been hearing a distinct noise from the passenger door every time I drive the car on even a minimally rough road. Sound like a piece of plastic being bent to the point of snapping.

Even my front driver door has started rattling recently. But it sounds more like some nut or bolt loose, rather than plastic snapping. Gotto sort that out in the next service.

[SLK]

Originally Posted by kgc_cool

Right from the point my Wagon R (LXi) completed 25K, I have been hearing a distinct noise from the passenger door every time I drive the car on even a minimally rough road. Sound like a piece of plastic being bent to the point of snapping.

I oil my door hinges and locks every 15-20 days... so no rattles even now at almost 60k kms.

[devarshi84]

Nice writeup. I myself own a maruti WagonR.

I wanted a palio/zen but my dad decided on the WagonR(He is a car buff too). I swore I will never drive that Box on wheels ever. I was yearning for the key the next day itself.

The car grown on you as the time passes by. Ours was the 5th car. A vx model with tacho but without powerteering and kenwood stero built in. Runs on the road like a fish in Water even after doing duty for around 75k.

2 years before during Diwali we got a new dining table set. there were 6 wooden chairs. Guess what, I folded the seats and all the 6 wooden chairs were in

The Interiors I guess are the roomiest amond all hatches. Simple but practical

We also won the WagonR mileage challenge organized by Maruti. FE in the city with A/C has been a consistent 14.

My grudges for the car would be

1. the gearbox suckes bigtime
2. Doors are a bit weak(Maruti style. Bang then even a bit harder and they start squeaking)
3. The boot door gas shocks loose strength along with time.(Must have been the heavy Co-axials I got installed).Its hard to fit the boot without a plate, and a plate will corrupt the utility of the boot.

The line fits really well here.

" Dikhavo pe mat jao, Apni akal lagao."

[airfoil]

Nice write up.

Originally Posted by dceite

Fuel Efficiency: 11-12kmpl @ 40kmph average speed.
13-14kmpl @ 60kmph average speed.
(All figures city only w/o AC)

If I missed some aspect, do let me know.

Your FE is higher when your average speed is higher?

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by airfoil

Your FE is higher when your average speed is higher?

Thats because @40kmph, i hardly use 4th and 5th gears. Mostly its 3rd. Average speed of 60kmph is attained when i am travelling on the Ring road, which is mostly traffic junction free now (thanks to the flyovers), and using 5th gear most of the times. Never been to highway though :(

[DCEite]

Ok forgot a very important point in the Dislikes.

The ground clearance. Its just 165mm, and it shows when you go over speedbreakers at decent speed. With 5 people onboard, only god can save the bottom from scraping..

[SLK]

Hey, don't go by numbers - the number 165mm is misleading!....
My WagonR never touches speedbrakers (unless one is an unusually big)

On the other hand the 800 has 170mm... and it easily touches with 5 people.

Its the suspension stiffness... of the WagonR which does not let it go down.

[devarshi84]

Originally Posted by SLK

Hey, don't go by numbers - the number 165mm is misleading!....
My WagonR never touches speedbrakers (unless one is an unusually big)

On the other hand the 800 has 170mm... and it easily touches with 5 people.

Its the suspension stiffness... of the WagonR which does not let it go down.

Only ground clearance doesnt play havoc with the undebody scraping of the car. wheelbase, suspension setup etc are also equally important.

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

Only ground clearance doesnt play havoc with the undebody scraping of the car. wheelbase, suspension setup etc are also equally important.

I dont know what it is, but all over my college campus and around my home, there are big speedbreakers...I have repeatedly touched many...maybe something wrong with my driving style.. One speadbreaker is such that i just dont go over it.. i take a U turn and find other way..