I just sold mine after running 70k kms. I was satisfied with the overall build and quality of the car, given the price tag. I sold it only because I wanted a Hybrid and an automatic, so bought an Aqua. The car has the following positive points:
1. Very spacious in its category:
It has tons of space, both in the cabin area, as well as the boot. Even more space than the Aqua I bought for almost double the price.
2. Fuel efficiency is good:
People claim insane numbers for other vehicles in the same price bracket, I have my doubts on them. However, the V2 will give you realistic fuel economy numbers of 13 with AC in city, and around 16 on highway. I think this is better than Swift, and around similar to the numbers that WagonR gets. Cultus, however, has better economy apparently.
3. Safety and sturdiness:
I have seen V2s' accidents (there have been a few videos and pictures circulating), it fares really well. There are crash beams in the doors, the body structure is well reinforced where required. There are safety features like ABS, EBD and airbags, which are missing in similarly priced cars. I have been in a major accident in the past, I appreciate safety features a lot.
4. Practical:
It is a very practical car for small or medium sized families. There is ample leg room at the back and very good space in the trunk (320L boot space, compared to 284L in latest gen Vitz, 210L in Swift, 250L in Cultus, 180L in WagonR), the seats are comfortable, 5 people can be seated comfortably, even 6 with some hassle are not an issue, it doesn't have any ground clearance issues, fuel economy is good, power is good, acceleration is good, foglights at the front and back and headlight adjusters make life easier in fog etc, and immobilizer means it doesn't get stolen. It is simply what anyone would want in a car if they were not looking for resale.
5. Value for money:
In the amount of money you spend, this is the best option in my opinion. You get a lot of features and a lot of space for lesser amount of money. Power Windows, Steering, foglights, ABS, EBD, airbags, crash beams etc. All is good.
6. Easy to maintain:
During its time with me, the car got the regular maintenance, like brake pads, oils and suspension bushes once, that too due to my negligence. Overall, there was no extraordinary issue that I faced with this car. Steering rack issue was there in the start, but fixed in warranty. Most parts can be replaced with Toyota's, like the brake pads of Charade are the same, similar with clutch cylinders and other stuff. This is because it is very similar to Toyota's engine, which brings us to the next point.
7. Durable engine:
The engine is good. I know of cars that have run upto 175k kms without any engine issues. Again, the Toyota JV that they have in China has been made good use of.
8. Good suspension:
The suspension of the car is really good if we compare it with the competition in the same price league. WagonR, Cultus and Swift don't have as good a suspension. This is simply due to the longer wheelbase design of the car. The suspension is also softer as compared to City and Swift. Cultus is the closest among all the cars I mentioned here. But one can't compare the suspension with that of Toyota (Vitz or Passo etc)
Now the negatives:
1. Poor sound insulation:
There is poor sound insulation. People talk about wind noise, but I think that is a non-issue. There is wind noise in almost all hatchbacks, even in my Aqua and the new Cultus. People won't even notice it if not told about it. The real issue is the sound insulation of the under-body and the doors. It makes driving consistently at higher speeds very tiring. For people who want it though, can get it insulated in a better way by spending somewhere around 20-30k. I think this is the biggest problem in the car in the sense that if this is resolved, the drive experience will increase many folds at not a very high cost.
2. Less than ideal support services:
FAW's dealerships are not Toyota or Honda. The people are mostly those who were earlier handling Mitsubishi or Kia or Hyundai, so they are not laymen either, but the level of equipment, training and expertise you see in a Toyota dealership will not be available at FAW dealerships.
3. Ergonomics:
For the driver, the ergonomics of the car are not very good. There is no steering adjustment and no seat height adjustment (May be I have very high expectations of the car). The steering sits a little higher than I would expect it to be.
4. Squeaking noises:
Yes they will appear after some time, but they are mostly either ignorable or fixable without any significant cost. I am talking about taping a few locks here. These noises are, however, also present in the competition. My 70k driven car didn't have any significant squeaking noises though, because all locks were already taped.
5. Low resale:
The resale value is not very good. You will definitely bear a loss. There will be a lot of chaska people offering you price less than Mehran and stuff. I think AHFM should also start a buy back program and sell certified used vehicles to improve buyer confidence. It won't have much cost, but can boost the resale value very easily.
Would I buy it again?
Actually, I sort of did. I mentioned it earlier too I guess. My brother had a choice in this price range, of a new car, or a JDM, which his company had to give him, and he chose V2. The reason is simple, you get more of a car in this price range when you opt for V2. The JDMs he was getting were mostly 660cc, which I think are not practical for being primary cars. He might have opted for Mirage or Passo, but they were out of the range, and WagonR and Cultus were not good enough in comparison. I think these are good cars too, but they are overpriced when compared to the V2. So, well, he bought a V2 this May, and is a happy user ever since. The few issues mentioned by @ipkiji are mostly resolved by now. The clutch cylinder issue was resolved at the end of 2017, and the steering rack issue has been resolved in the cars with the newer dark interior. I think similar problems also existed in Cultus and WagonR etc, but they are not as well publicized because Suzuki is an established brand. The control arm of Cultus and the valve seals of WagonR are quite notorious for giving problems.
Why the polarization, then?
Well, that is the deal with the society. Negativity takes a lot of attention, positivity doesn't. Similarly, confirmation bias makes people who have bought the car only look at the positives, and those who have opted for some other option, look at only the negatives. Simply how the human mind works. Overall, in my opinion, this car is a good choice and has been gaining the market rapidly, especially since the local assembly began, due to this very reason.
Test drive
There might not be a test drive vehicle at the dealerships solely for this purpose, but I know that the owner of FAW momentum uses one himself, which is often used for test drives. You can check with them and schedule a test drive. Or, when my brother visits Lahore from Islamabad, you can come check the car out.