1995 Suzuki Alto Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Yes, this is not an Alto, but a Wagon R, which for some reason Car IQ does not recognize as a legitimate Suzuki model. My friend Sophie owned one of these during our year in Japan together. I laughed at it when she bought it, and I had the (dubious) pleasure of driving it a few times. This car should be a lesson to all bourgeois Westerners on how spoiled and decadent they have allowed themselves to become. The interior - minimal. Thin plastic, few comforts. It was cramped and noisy. The performance - anemic. A 660cc inline-three engine. Getting anywhere meant flooring it... and waiting. The steering was kind of indirect and, being tall and narrow, the car seemed to want to corner on only two of its four little wheels. The appearance - well, a box, really. Styling costs money, you know. The good thing about this car is that it is focused precisely on one thing, and excels at it: cost of ownership. I don't think I need to explain how it is cheap to operate this. And somehow, I decided I love this horrible little thing. An intercity drive that my Nissan would have devoured becomes an adventure in the Wagon R. A mission, perhaps, because you can feel the car struggling, and it becomes endearing. Thanks to this car motoring can be a challenge again; a story waiting to happen.Feb 21, 2009