Published
on 13
Oct 2021
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All rights reserved.
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Suzuki
follows Daihatsu to launch an extra-tall K-car with sliding doors.
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Last year,
more than half the K-cars sold in Japan came with sliding doors. This
might be attributed to the domination of MPV-style super-tall K-cars,
but it also implies Japanese motorists, especially younger ones, prefer
sliding doors. It might sound strange to us that the type of doors
could have a significant impact to sales results, but Japan is a
special place where streets in urban area could be very tight, so
sliding doors have an advantage of allowing access when parking space
is limited. Perception is another reason. Some said the young car
buyers today were grown up in the 1990s when MPVs with sliding doors,
such as Honda Stepwgn and Nissan Serena, were popular. They got used to
sliding doors in their childhood. For those with small children,
sliding doors are also safer and more convenient to use.
Under this background, Suzuki introduced Wagon R Smile. Make no
mistake, it is not a derivative of Wagon R in any sense, but an all-new
car which happens to wear the same badge to help adding up the numbers.
In fact, Daihatsu did the same with Move Canbus, which helped the sales
numbers of Move surged pass Wagon R. The Smile is just a
counter-attack. It is funny that Japanese car makers keep doing silly
things in their intense competition.
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Interesting
packaging, uninteresting driving dynamics.
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There is nothing innovative in the Smile. It follows Move Canbus in
many ways: the sliding doors, the extra-tall body which is 45mm taller
than that of Move but 90mm lower than Spacia. Even the exterior design
has some similarities – a flat bonnet, upright windscreen and a
glasshouse covered with 4 windows at each side. However, the Suzuki
appears squarer, and it roof is not completely “floating”, as the last
pillar is not blackened. Both cars have their exterior styling inspired
by Western classics: VW Microbus for Daihatsu, Mini for the oval and
heavily chromed headlamps of Suzuki. The Smile offers many choices of
paint, including 4 mono colors and 8 two-tone paint schemes. It looks
youthful, because its target audiences are young unmarried females.
Inside, you can easily tell which car provides inspiration for its
interior design: Fiat 500. Its retro single-dial instrument and the
light-color lacquered dashboard panel look so familiar. Not only
pretty, it also delivers a strong sense of quality and attention to
details, such as the copper-color vents and door lock surrounds, the
quilted roof trims, the quality seat fabrics, the stitched pattern on
dash top trims, the soft padded door panels… Although plenty of cheaper
hard plastics can be seen lower down, this is still the best K-car
interior we have seen.
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Interior
obviously inspired by Fiat 500.
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Space is also aplenty, thanks to the extra-tall roof. You get into the
rear cabin through a tall and quite wide aperture. Even six-footers
will find plenty of head and legroom, although the higher mounted front
seats could make the rear passengers feel a bit claustrophobic. That
higher front seat gives the driver MPV-style commanding view on the
road. The slim pillars help visibility, too. Optional head-up display
keeps your eyes on the road. Predictably, the rear seat is highly
versatile. It splits, slides and folds flat. A lot of luggage can be
loaded. Safety features are also up to date, with adaptive cruise
control, collision prevention and road sign identification capability.
Mechanical aspect is a bit weak. It is built on the existing Suzuki
K-car platform but only naturally aspirated engine is offered. The
latest R06D unit might be cleaner and more efficient, but it produces
less power thus struggles at faster paces. Although Suzuki has applied
more sound-deadening measures, keep revving the engine at close to 4000
rpm in cruising remains an uncomfortable experience on any K-cars.
Because the Smile is designed for women, it is made for comfort and
ease of driving in the first place. This means soft suspension, lots of
roll and plenty of understeer. The steering is very light, dead and
slow. A very interesting package, but not very interesting to drive.
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Verdict:  |
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