Maruti Suzuki WagonR on self drive hire

Who the WagonR suits

Anyone travelling with older parents or grandparents, anyone with a knee or a back that objects to a low seat, and temple visits where the parking is tight and the streets are narrow.

What it is like to drive here

You sit high and see over the traffic, which makes town driving less of a guess. It is narrow for its height, so it goes down streets a wider car has to back out of — worth knowing around Suchindram and the older parts of Nagercoil. In return it feels the wind on the open coastal stretch towards Colachel, so it is happier at an easy pace than a hurried one.

• The easiest car in the fleet to get in and out of
• You sit high, so you can see over traffic
• Narrow enough for the old temple streets, with a tall boot

Questions about the WagonR

Is the WagonR easier for elderly passengers?

That is the main reason to choose it. The seat is at about the height of a dining chair rather than down near the floor, and the doors open wide, so getting in and out does not involve lowering yourself into the car.

Will it fit down the streets around the temples?

Better than most. It is genuinely narrow for how roomy it feels inside, which is exactly what you want around Suchindram or the older parts of Nagercoil where the street was laid out long before cars.

Is it comfortable on the highway?

For district distances, yes. For a long highway run — Thiruvananthapuram airport and back, say — a lower, heavier car like the Innova is the more settled choice, particularly when it is windy on the coast.