Suzuki MR Wagon

The Suzuki MR Wagon is a kei car with a mini MPV body, seating four, manufactured by Suzuki for the Japanese market only, and also marketed in Japan by Nissan as the Nissan Moco under an OEM agreement. The model debuted in 2001, and since 2007 it has been in its second generation. It was launched in India by Maruti Suzuki as Maruti Zen Estilo in 2006, Maruti Zen Estilo was discontinued in 2009 and renamed as Maruti Estilo.

The vehicle's name is somewhat misleading, as it does not sport a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout (which is often abbreviated as RMR, or more commonly, MR).

First generation

The first generation model went on sale on December 4, 2001, featuring Suzuki's K6A kei car engine, in either naturally aspirated (40 kW / 54 hp) or turbocharged (44 kW / 60 hp) versions, available with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. In all versions, the transmission was a 4-speed transmission with column shift. A hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle based on the first-generation MR Wagon was presented in 2005, using technology co-developed with General Motors.

The Nissan Moco version was presented as a concept car on the 35th Tokyo Motor Show in 2001 and only went on sale on April 10, 2002. The basic engine, drive and transmission choices were the same as for the Suzuki. The major difference between the Nissan and Suzuki versions was the Nissan's "wing" grille resembling that of the contemporary Nissan Primera P12. The sales of the Nissan version stabilized at about 3,000-4,000 units a month, actually exceeding the MR Wagon's sales.

Zen Estilo/Estilo/Karimun Estilo

The first generation model went on sale in India in December 2006 as the "Maruti Zen Estilo". The Zen Estilo however, is powered by a larger F10D 1.1L MPFI engine that also powers the Wagon R in the Japanese market. A facelifted variant was released in August 2009 as the "Maruti Estilo", losing the Zen moniker entirely. This transition has brought about a steady decline in sales for this model though the facelift has brought significant improvement in performance and styling over the car's Japanese variants.

The first generation model is currently sold in Indonesia as the "Suzuki Karimun Estilo". Sales began in January 2008.

Second generation

The model's second generation was previewed at the 39th Tokyo Motor Show in 2005, where a concept called Mom's Personal Wagon was presented, with many features intended to be useful for a mother driving her children, including food trays, a front bench seat and pillarless suicide doors on the left side (which is the curb side in Japan). None of those would eventually make it to the actual MR Wagon, which went on sale on January 20 (Moco on February 1) the following year, while on the other hand the model features the new keyless entry and start system. The engine, drive and shifter choice remained the same, with the same availability in both Nissan and Suzuki versions, but the gear shifter is now located on the instrument panel. As with the first generation, the cars are almost identical in outside appearance, but have different front end designs.

2011 [Third generation] A new generation of the MR Wagon was launched in Japan in 2011

References

External links

• Suzuki MR Wagon at the official manufacturer's site (Japanese)
• Nissan Moco at the official manufacturer's site (Japanese)
• Maruti Zen Estilo Review

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