It seems like there is a never-ending stream of niche vehicles that find their way to Australia hoping they will catch on, such as this over-engined (a whopping 1000 cc compared to its native 660 cc!), over-sized Kei car. And what better colour for such an odd-ball car than purple?
Photo from Wikipedia
Suzuki has been responsible for quite a few of these from the X-90 targa SUV to the SX4 AWD hatchback. The Wagon R was one of a wave of tall-hatch or mini-MPV vehicles that proliferated in the 1990s, debuting at the 1993 Tokyo Motor Show initially with an asymmetric 4-door layout. For comparison, the 1996 Renault Scenic was the first similar vehicle in Europe. I expect they served the same purpose; more space and a little extra pizzaz than a standard family hatchback.
Photo from Wikipedia
It was 255 mm/10” taller than the conventional Alto Kei hatch (above). Interestingly the height of 1.7m (67”) is exactly half of the 3.4m (134”) length and not only does this give extra head room, but also more leg room thanks to the higher seating position. On top of this the Wagon R+ (known as the Wagon R Wide in Japan) also had 180 mm (7″) additional width compared to the non-plus Wagon R, pushing width past the Kei-car limit of 1.4 m (55″).
Photo from www.goo-net-exchange.com
The 1-litre engine had a ‘full’ four cylinders, and made 48 kW (64 hp). With a weight of just 850 kg (1873 lb), performance was really only adequate for use in the city although of course highway driving was not out of the question, provided you make full use of the 5-speed gearbox but perhaps not the 165/65R13 tyres. This could be illustrated by the R+ needing 10.2 seconds to reach 80 km/h, but another 7.2 sec to hit 100 km/h. The pay-off was combined fuel economy of just 5.2 L/100km (45 mpg).
Photo from www.goo-net-exchange.com
The Wagon R+ was sold for just two years in Australia, as even second-year price cuts if a whopping $3,000 to $10,990, making it the cheapest car on sale at the time, didn’t help and just 602 were sold here. The Wagon R+ was a long way from being able to serve as family transport although 4 adults would fit, so they would have been bought mostly by people wanting a city or inner suburbs runabout.
Photo from Wikipedia
The Wagon R+ continued into a second generation that was sold in Europe (built in Hungary and also sold as the Opel/Vauxhall Agila) and India (until 2010), but the third-generation of Wagon R, introduced in Japan in 2003, no longer had a wide-body sibling.
Photo from www.caradvice.com.au
When looking for information on the Wagon R+, I came across the story of Graham Hayton who has done extensive touring through outback Queensland, in what www.caradvice.com.au described as distinctly not your typical offroad touring vehicle!
The locals were probably still getting over the shock when the 2012 Shitbox Rally (which raises money for cancer research using $1,000 cars) ran through the area, complete with Daihatsu Move, the Wagon R+’s chief competitor. I think it is likely the Move sold in even smaller numbers than the R+.
Further Reading:
Cohort Outtake: Suzuki Wagon R – The Xb’s Little Brother (another, different purple Wagon R+)
Vintage Article: 1971 Japanese Minicars – Road Test Gives An Overview Of Kei Cars
Cool vehicle. If Australia could get this, why not Canada?
Because it didn’t, wouldn’t, and doesn’t come anywhere close to meeting North American safety standards, and North Americans don’t buy things like this in anything like the the volumes required to pay for the re-engineering to make it comply. Same with emissions.
Excluding the smart, has there has been anything sold in the US or Canada smaller than the Suzuki Cultus aka Geo Metro etc, or Daihatsu Charade?
Innocenti De Tomaso were pretty small. Sold in Canada as well as the earlier Mini based models.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-european/curbside-classic-innocenti-turbo-de-tomaso-an-exotic-baby-turchia/
The original Mini would qualify as smaller than just about anything! The Kei cars were the same length but 100 mm narrower (until 1976).
Also the Scion iQ is shorter than a modern Kei car as well as the original Mini.
Oh, man… This thing, a.k.a. Opel Agila in our parts, is -without exception- always the first of a looooong line of slow moving vehicles. Usually the occupants are an elderly couple who drive well below the speed limit. If you spot a Wagon R+/Agila in front of you on a busy two-lane road you better start making some phone calls, as you’re going to be late…
And don’t forget entering a freeway with 75 km/h, or somewhere around that. Or the completely wrong reaction when there’s a lot of traffic on said freeway: hitting the brakes instead of flooring the gas pedal to increase the speed and trying to gow with the flow (the 50 ton trucks in that flow included) when entering the freeway.
My advice when spotting an Opel Agila / Suzuki Wagon R+ / Honda Jazz / Toyota Yaris Verso is to get ahead of them ASAP.
It’s actually the model prior to the Agila. I suspect the owner profile is similar here, also similar to the Scion xB or Nissan Cube in the States, I was trying to be kind, and not stereotype, in my comments above; with so few of them sold I don’t think the ownership profile is large enough to form a stereotype!
I always had a soft spot for these; like a smaller version of my xB. 🙂
The crosshair grille looks straight off a late-’80s Dodge.
Saw someone really hustling a wagon R along going to Cape Reinga at Xmas obviously a far North local, but I was impressed with how that little city runabout held the road for a Jappa, they are usually driven very timidly, plenty of these kei cars over here of all types
I’ve never forgotten Wheels’ comment on this one: “Thank God there’s no R Minus!”
It’s been a long time since I last saw one of these, similar to the car in the first picture but with a Chevy grille and bow tie. Didn’t know they also were sold down here.
What I have seen is the Suzuki based Holden Cruze, complete with 4WD and live rear axle/
I was talking to a lady who nearly bought one a few days ago, when one drove past just at the right time to provide an example for all in the conversation. Apparently the awd system has issues, not if but when, and the best solution is to put a Suzuki Ignis fwd transaxle in.
We have those in NZ as Chevy Cruz ex Japan.
Daihatsu Move I saw in Nagasaki –
These horrid things, badged as Maruti-Suzuki, were all over the place in Delhi when I was there in ’07.
Cars can get too basic. There are, by the way, plenty of these in Denmark, and it seems to me like purple is the most popular color.
It is called Suzuki Karimun in Indonesia. A very popular car here because of its frugal fuel consumption and easy to procure spareparts
cool car! i rarely seen this car