The
heart of any car, big or small, is its engine. Power and performance
play an important role, even if you can't find the space to use it.
The reason being that a more powerful car is easier to drive, you
have to change gears less, and overtaking is more a matter of fact
than a risky operation. And performance is what makes the Indica V2
petrol effortless to drive. It is the most powerful and quickest car
by far thanks to its 75bhp 1.4-litre MPFI engine which has been tweaked
and optimised in V2 guise. The reserves of power and good lugging
capability mean that all you
need is a slight flex of the right foot to make serious progress.
It makes cars like the Matiz and Santro feel anemic in comparison.
But the Indica's engine delivers its power in a crude sort of way.
The engine is noisy and has a coarse edge to it. Also disappointing
is the gearshift whose rubbery feel detracts from the driving experience.
The Palio 1.2 is a slowcoach in comparison, be it in the dash to 100kph
or in-gear flexibility. The Indica outclasses it in every area. However,
the Palio feels faster than its acceleration times suggest thanks
to its very responsive engine and generous torque spread. The truth
is that it rarely feels underpowered in the city, thanks to intelligent
gearing and a gearshift that's a joy to operate. On the highway, with
a full load and the AC on, is the only time when you crave for the
1.6 motor. Behind the Indica, it's a trio of Marutis that line up.
There's really not much too choose between the Alto VX, Wagon R and
Zen.
The Alto and Wagon R use the same 1.1-litre engine, derived from the
800's block and the Zen's buzzy all-aluminium unit. Performance is
a strong point of Suzuki engines and given their dimunitive engine
sizes they perform terrifically. The long-stroke 1.1-litre engine
in the Alto provides more usable power thanks to better response at
low revs that gives it an edge over the Zen. The Wagon R is in the
hunt as well but different engine mapping, larger frontal area (and
hence more wind resistance) and 80kg more weight, make it a touch
slower. These comparisons are more on paper though. For city use,
the Alto and Wagon R are better suited than the Zen thanks to the
torquier nature of its engines. The Zen's free-revving 1.0-litre unit
is more fun to wind up and that's what makes it special. Also, the
Zen's gearbox feels much nicer especially when compared to the Wagon
R.
The 800 in MPFI guise is quick but nowhere near as quick as its more
expensive rivals. The thing is that you don't expect the 800 to go
the way the MPFI does and it somehow never fails to bring a smile
on your face. In town, the perky throttle response and the slick 'box
will allow you to easily keep up with the flow. The Alto VX trails
its siblings by a margin. Heavier than the 800 and with the same engine,
performance is naturally blunted. Again, though fine in the city,
it's best to stay off the highway in the LX. The thing about this
generation of Suzuki engines is that they are noisy and less refined
than what you now expect. The additional valve gear has accentuated
the problem. The Santro comes across here as the most
refined performer. The 55bhp Epsilon engine feels smooth and well
balanced and somehow manages to disguise the lack of punch. Though
the Santro is amongst the slowest in its class, you don't get that
impression thanks to its decent low-end torque, excellent throttle
response and light body weight. The Santro's gearshift though not
ideally placed is the slickest around. On the highway the lack of
top-end whack and the unaerodynamic shape makes you wish you had another
10bhp.
The disappointment in the pack is the Matiz. It's not only underpowered
but the engine has a coarse edge to it. It needs to be wound up considerably
to get it to perform and it is a fact that you need to excessively
use the vague, cable-operated gearshift more often. The Uno in case
we forget has a simpler version of the Palio's 1242cc engine, producing
a mere 61bhp but being more than 150kg lighter, it ironically outperforms
its celebrated sibling. It also has a more linear torque curve. In
fact, the Uno surprised us with the understated way in which it performed.
The short fourth gear makes it easy to overtake on the highway without
too much gearshifting. The clunky gearbox is disappointing. |
December 2001