Suzuki Wagon R 2000 test drive - 2003 hatchback

The shorter - the higher

The four-seater five-door Suzuki-Vegon R+ debuted at the Geneva Motor Show of this year. The front -wheel drive Mikrovenn is equipped with a 1.3 liter gasoline engine (76 hp) and a four -speed automatic or five -speed manual gearbox. Soon a single -liter power unit in atmospheric (70 hp) and turbocharged (100 liters) options, as well as all -wheel drive modification, will appear. Available in Hungary in the trim levels GA and GL. The same model, but with other power units, is collected in Poland as Opel Agila.
How to achieve an internal volume comparable to a full -sized sedan in a car of minimum dimensions? It took decades of evolution to come to a solution that, it would seem, lies on the surface: make a car higher. After all, the conditions of the city are required to be clamped along the length and the width from the designers - with its dense traffic flows and close parking. The deterioration of aerodynamics here will not hurt much, but a more vertical landing of the driver and passengers can save on the length of the cabin and also provides the best review. This is how Mikrovenov’s class was born: for normal mini -wenes, they are painfully compact, and in comparison with ordinary cars, they are unusually spacious.
Suzuki -Vegon R+ - from this breed. One of the first such cars that appeared in Russia in the GL configuration with a 1.3 liter engine and an automatic gearbox visited our test.
 
On the road, Mikarovo takes up a little more than the Oka. Small dimensions, flat vertical exterior panels and large windows contribute to a beautiful feeling of dimensions. Even under any conditions, the edge of the sloping hood almost does not spoil the picture - before resting at something with a bumper, you will have time to get scared and stop three times. The power amplifier is as hard as possible in parking lots and is practically disconnected on the highway. A small 1.3 -liter motor has a sufficient margin of horsepower - and decibel: even with a machine gun cheerfully disperses a loaded car, accompanying himself with a loud hoarse roar. Switching the automatic boxes are inconspicuous, and to save fuel in cruising modes, it blocks the hydrotransformer in the III and IV gears, reducing losses in the transmission. Another feature is noticeable on the highway - a high sensitivity to the side wind, requiring adjusting the course of the steering wheel.
European origin and city registration of Mikrovenu suggest that under the wheels there will be nothing more uneven than well -groomed paving stones and bedridden police. Therefore, the Suzuki was supplied with low -profile fourteen -inch tires and a hard short -flowing suspension. The reactions of the car turned out to be lively and sharp, and the buildup and the rolls, despite the greater height, are almost absent - a sort of muscular bait. On the other hand, even minor asphalt defects are felt quite clearly, and at large, and even with full load, you have to be careful - nothing remains of the suspension. Too intrusive, especially from behind, and road noises.
 
Despite his toy, Mikroven from Suzuki is a full -fledged car. What are huge doorways stand: you get into the car with your head proudly raised! From the floor to the ceiling of the passenger compartment as many as 1300 mm, so about 150 mm remains over the head of a medium -sized passenger - almost like in a London taxi, designed for gentlemen in the cylinders. In length, of course, not so free, but you can’t replace your knees. But with the width of the cabin, the incident turned out: from the door to the door 1330 mm, this is even a little more than that of the nine, and the car was declared four -seater - just a flagrant modesty. Moreover, the vertical struts of the body absolutely do not interfere with the heads of two sitting along the edges (if there is a third in the middle), as is the case in ordinary cars.
The salon is finished with inexpensive gray plastic with fabric inserts on the doors - without frills, but functionally. To be moderately, hard chairs are good and are high in the battleship high, which facilitates landing. However, the pillows are short, and lateral support is ineffective. In addition, they, like the helm, do not have an height adjustment, which will upset the small driver. But the rough, thick and seized bagel is good. As if in contrast - from a short, absolutely smooth handbrake, the hand slides, as washed. At first, the front stands of the body seem too wide, but they are attributed quite far ahead and, in general, do not interfere. It is more difficult to get used to the fact that massive headrests of the second row loom in the inner mirror - it is better to remove them.
Like any wagon, small Suzuki has many places for any little things: boxes under the front seats, shelves under the glove box and a steering column, pockets in the doors, substetings on a torpedo.
 
The creators of Wagon paid a lot of attention to security. Even in the minimum configuration of GA, it is equipped with an immobilizer breaking when hitting the bracket pedals, a driver’s airplane pillow, pretense and limiters of the front belt efforts, and side anti -jacket units. In a richest version of GL, only four -channel ABS is added.
 
Having started talking about the configuration, we note that the GL WaGon differs from GA bumpers painted in the color of the body, moldings, alloy wheels, front electric windows and some other trifles. Our car could also boast of a passenger’s safety pillow, mirror electric drives and air conditioning, in general, $ 14,500 came to the circle. So far ... And for the further dealers, the dealers should take another price: $ 9200 - about the same cost the most affordable Suzuki WaGon R+ in Europe ...
Suzuki -vagon r+ -
maximum comfort and useful
volume per square meter
urban asphalt.
The editors thanks the company Sim for the car provided for the test. Information about the sale in the section of dealers.
+ Compact dimensions, excellent maneuverability, large door and luggage openings, good review, high and spacious salon
- A noisy engine, hard suspension, lack of locks on the automatic transmission selector, a fairly high price.
Suzuki Wagon R ++
General data: number of places - 4; Equipped mass - 910-980 kg; full weight - 1355 kg; maximum speed - 145 (155*) km/h; Acceleration time from a place to 100 km/h - n. d. (12.8*) s; fuel consumption in conditional suburban and city cycles - 5.8; 8.9 (5.1; 7.8*) l/100 km; fuel supply - 41 l; Fuel is unhealthy gasoline AI-95, AI-91 is allowed. Dimensions, mm: length - 3500; width - 1600 (1620 - with moldings); Height - 1700; base - 2360; The track in front/back - 1420/1385; Road clearance - 155; trunk volume - 248/597/1250 l; The turning radius is 4.9 m. The engine: a gasoline with distributed fuel injection, four valves per cylinder, four -cylinder, in order, located in front; working volume - 1298 cm; cylinder diameter and piston stroke - 74.0x75.5 mm; compression degree - 9.5; Power - 56 kW/76 l. With. at 5500 rpm; The maximum torque is 115 N.M at 4250 rpm. Transmission: front wheel drive; gearbox - automatic four -speed; Transporting numbers: I - 2.96; II - 1.51; III - 1.00; IV - 0.74; h. X. - 2.81; The main program is 4.33. Suspension: in front - an independent type of mcesson with a reptile stability stabilizer, and a dependent on the back with two longitudinal levers and a traction of Panar. Brakes: hydraulic with a vacuum amplifier and ABS, in front - disk, behind - drum. Steering: rheck with an electric power. Tire size: 165/60R14.
*Manual Transmission.
 
Yuri Nechetov
 
 
 
 

 

A source: The magazine "Driving"

Suzuki Wagon R 2000 test drives - 2003