You’ve seen the ads, taken part in the contest, so chances are that you know the Suzuki Wagon R is Japan’s best-selling car, having dethroned the Toyota Corolla after a reign of 21 years.
Launched in India by Osamu Suzuki himself on the last Christmas of the last millennium, Maruti hopes the Wagon R will repat the success it has enjoyed back home. Maruti plans to start sales in January itself, around the time of the Auto Expo.

The Wagon R was originally conceived by Suzuki in 1993 for Japan’s Kei-Jidosha (small car) or K-car segment. What’s that? A K-car is the answer to Japan’s most scarce resource — road space. In Tokyo, there isn’t enough room to take a walk, let alone park a car. In fact, you can’t own a car in Japan unless you prove you have the space to park it. And to rent that space can cost upto Rs 30,000 a month! But if you have a Kei-Jidosha, you’re off the hook. Another added benefit is that you pay substantially lower tax. That’s why K-cars sell by the million in Japan.

The K-car rules have been around for more than 40 years and for decades K-cars were little more than utilitarian runabouts, most often purchased by rural dwellers. But, in the mid-’80s, K-car sales really took off as manufacturers developed zippy engines and greatly improved ride and refinement.
The K-car rules are pretty straightforward. The maximum length must be not more than 3.5 metres, the width 1.48 metres and the engine not bigger than 660cc. That’s it. Within those parameters, it’s a free for all.
The Wagon R, as its oddball name (and design) suggests, combines the benefits of a Multi-Purpose-Vehicle (MPV) and a passenger car. The ‘R’ is for ‘Recreation’ as the Wagon R is part of the booming breed of ‘recreational vehicles’ or RVs, which combine phenomenal versatility in their limited footprint.
In 1997, the Kei-Jidosha rules changed to meet new safety standards. As a result, the cars became slightly wider and longer. The new Wagon R, which will be manufactured by Maruti, was launched at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1997 and will incorporate Japan’s latest K-car safety standards.
The Wagon R is Maruti’s most important launch since the Zen in 1993. Unlike the premium mid-size Baleno, which will clearly have limited demand, the Wagon R, slotted in the small car segment, promises to sell by the thousands.

If the Wagon R really takes off in India, it is also likely to hurt its own stablemate — the Zen. The ideal situation for Maruti would be to hammer the competition without affecting its sibling. According to Maruti, both the Zen and Wagon R are ‘different’. After an exclusive full test, we find out how different the Wagon R actually is.

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING

If you thought the Santro was tall, you’ll change your mind when you first see the Wagon R. If the Santro is ‘tall boy’, then the Wagon R which is 70mm higher is ‘tall man’. Why the double-decker proportions? Built to K-car regulated dimensions, the Wagon R comes with the same philosophy as one of Tokyo’s many skyscrapers. If you have a limited area, the only way to increase space is to go up. The tall stance has meant that more flexibility can be given to the packaging of the car. In fact, it is the super-efficient use of space that characterises the Wagon R’s design. Firstly, the very short front ‘box’ or engine bay has liberated more passenger room. The upright stance accommodates substantial boot space which is the most useful in its class.

The quirky styling, which looks as if it was penned by R K Laxman after he had one too many, may now be easier to digest after the Santro has made this skyscraper on wheels look pretty acceptable. The Wagon R looks like it was styled with just a ruler, with its minimalist lines and lack of curves or arcs. The huge vertical sides and tail-gate give it a square look with not much rounding of the edges.

The truncated nose is certainly distinctive with its very short bonnet and large square headlights give its face a lot of character. From the side, the short overhangs look very van or MPV-like. The Wagon R is not as pretty looking as the Zen which has aged so gracefully.

The Maruti-built Wagon R, which will come with 70 per cent local content from day one, has gone through an elaborate Indian-isation process. Firstly, the body structure, which underwent a simulation of 80,000km of the worst possible roads, has been beefed up in key areas like the suspension mounting points.

Unlike the earlier Marutis, the Wagon R comes with a very stiff and rigid bodyshell after the design was revamped to meet Japanese safety requirements. Hence, Maruti engineers found out that it could cope pretty well under all kinds of loads.

The Wagon R’s suspension layout is similar to the Zen and the Matiz; MacPherson struts and an anti-roll bar in front and a three-link dead axle at the rear. An important difference is that the top-heavy Wagon R comes with additional springs in the front dampers which further limits body roll.

The suspension has been fine-tuned by Maruti and Suzuki engineers who have optimised the damping forces for Indian conditions. The braking system has been modified as well, with brake bias adjusted for five passengers at the rear. Furthermore, there are bigger brakes and a large eight-inch booster.

Radical design may not find favour with al

BEHIND THE WHEEL

The feeling of space as you step in through those huge doors is tremendous. The cabin is airy, you almost expect to hear echoes, and you get an overwhelming sense of height. This is especially true when little brother Zen pulls up alongside you at the traffic lights. There’s loads of headroom as well but not much you can do with it, unless you want to wear a top hat whenever you drive. The front seats are reasonably supportive but some additional bolstering in the sides would have been welcome. The driving position from this height is very commanding with a panoramic view through the large windscreen. Santro owners will know exactly what we are talking about. We were not too happy with the pedal placement. The accelerator pedal was set far too low which hurts your ankle after a long drive. The instrument panel is the most comprehensive of all small cars. The Wagon R is the only car in its class to provide a rev counter and an electronic odometer with two tripmeters. The versatility of the interiors, which are full of neat touches, is one of the Wagon R’s strongest selling points. The dashboard is extremely functional and has lots of space for storage.

Functional dashboard is typical of Wagon R’s user-friendly character.   1 Power steering is not yet available, even on VX model. 2 Gear lever feels like the Maruti 800’s. 3 Front power windows standard on VX model. 4 VX and LX models get different grades of seat fabric. 5 Lots of storage space. 6 Air conditioner blower beefed up for better circulation to the rear seat. 7 Sliding controls look outdated. 8 Tape-deck standard on the VX. 9 Rev counter standard.

Apart from the glovebox, you get generous shelves under the dashboard and lots of cubbyholes. A nice touch is a moulded hook on the left-side shelf which lets you hang a small bag. A cute shelf on top of the dashboard is useful for holding loose stuff. However, the designers seem to have run out of ideas for the door pockets which are too small to be of much use and the sliding controls of the air conditioner and vents look out of date.

The split rear is best for two people and could do with more support in the underthigh area. Legroom is not the best and nowhere near as much as in the Matiz. But with the front pulled forward, there is enough space to stretch your legs. The rear seat position is nice and high, but not as tall as in the Santro.

The best part is the way the rear seats recline and the seat base slides forward to allow you to lie back and have a snooze. In fact, no other car has such a versatile rear seat as the Wagon R which allows you all sorts of rear bench gymnastics. Not only does it recline but the back seats can be flipped forward to produce a huge loading area. The best trick in the book is the way the front and rear seats recline completely to form a double-bed. Now there’s a niche nobody’s thought of! The only inconvenience is the location of the recline lever which is located at the back of the seat and hence difficult to reach

The combination of passenger and luggage space gives the Wagon R an element of utility no other car, not even the Uno, can match. The flexible interiors are extremely user-friendly and will be a strong attraction for single-car families.
In the base model, the flexible rear seat will be replaced by a single-piece bench. What is disappointing, however, is the feel of the insides which lack the quality of the Matiz or the Santro. Better plastics, lively upholstery and use of fabric in the door trim could have made the interiors more cheerful to match the Wagon R’s extroverted character.

Phenomenal flexibility, trim quality a letdown

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