2004 Suzuki Wagon R+ 1.3 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Suzuki shows how to make an affordable car reliable

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Economical between 43 to 49 mpg.

Have covered over 600 miles in 1 day, and got out without a ache.

5th gear very flexible, will pull from 20 mph.

Have done a airport run, with 4 adults+luggage, cruises at 70mph no problem.

Excellent service from my Suzuki dealer, but they tend to go over the top; 2nd year service with 12,000 miles cost £210, serviced to the book, changed brake fluids etc, don't think that was necessary at 12,000 miles.

Never had a rattle or something working loose.

Only criticism, paint tends to chip easy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd June, 2007

2002 Suzuki Wagon R+ GL 1.3 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A very good value buy - reliable and good to drive

Faults:

Tracking problems led to uneven tyre wear. I advise checking soon after purchase.

Persistent problem at c 47,000 miles of the "F1" fuse that covers the ignition, blowing. This caused me to consider a trade in. Electrical faults are difficult and expensive to find/cure. I decided to seek the protection of a warranty.

Minor problems with seat covers/pockets.

Rear door needs to be slammed or you may come down to a dead battery in the morning due to the interior light having been left on.

Tyres are a little unusual and therefore a little more expensive.

Irritating that Suzuki do not fit a set of rear speakers as standard (This is still true).

General Comments:

An excellent buy. The specifications are good and all the claims about access for the elderly, comfort for the tall, economy and overall practicality are true.

I have spent a number of years renovating my house and this vehicle has carried all sorts of stuff with equanimity. The space inside with the seats down compensates for the boot size which is small.

I have driven 47,000 miles and never had to top up the oil- a novel experience for me.

I have decided to renew this car with the new 1.2 version. I shall see if this lives up to other reviewer's positive comment.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd May, 2006

6th May 2006, 04:22

The new 1.2GL is a good choice, but choose dealers carefully-the £7995 list is often discounted to £6995 after a dealer bonus of £1000, but this varies month to month. If your local dealer is not offering this- shop around- we were offered a new 1.2 for £6650 in London, but this is too far away, and we like our Ludlow dealers.

We had endless tracking issues on our 2001 Y Wagon R 1.3, and found the (expensive due to odd size but use internet to source for cheaper deals) tyres lasted only 15,000 miles at best. Some other reports have cited warranty claims after using the reports on here as evidence of a fault. No issues with new model- showing 4mm tread after 15,000 miles.

Sorry to hear of your fuse issue- in 80,000 miles this never happened to ours. Avoid the main dealer and visit a competent auto electrician who will rectify this for less money!

Our family has experience of numerous small cars available-both through ownership and use of company/hire cars- see our family reports on cars we own(ed)- 2006 Jimny, 2005 Ignis 4Grip, 2006 Citroen C1 to follow) as we all do 25,000 miles per year in small cars.

We do find this new 1.2 GL hard to beat. The bias of the press to cars aimed at 20 year olds is ludicrous:- for older drivers this car is peerless.

We have now covered a pleasurable 15,000 miles in 7 months, like you using the cars both as a van and a car.

NB- don't buy an Ignis as an alternative to a Wagon R, they are hopeless in either 2wd or 4wd, and are tinny and appalling to drive in comparison. We wanted a 4wd Wagon R as available on the continent as we live in a rural area, our son bought an Ignis 4Grip as an alternative- read the report!!

Before you buy- consider that the all new model is due in 2007, and will feature improvements to safety. The old model may well be substantially discounted at this time.

This model is showing its age in relation to safety features, styling and fittings such as the old fashioned face-off stereo.

If you want to buy now, take comfort that this model is thoroughly "shaken down" with years of production and improvements, all the early niggles (like the silly fabric shelf) have been resolved. It now uses the well proven Corsa engine, with good reliability history. It should be reliable getting serviced every 9,000 miles, instead of 20,000 miles as in the similar Agila!

It is shown as having very low warranty claims, and Auto Express Driver Power survey listed Suzuki as better than many prestige brands for service, value and customer satisfaction.

Good luck with your new purchase!

Happy Wagoneering!