Maruti Wagon R Review

2015 Update: The 15 year old car is aged but the sales figure shows that Indian car buyers still love it. At 2014 auto expo Xrest was revealed and the car was spotted recently undergoing test. This new trim 2015 Wagon R Xrest is likely to get a similar peak power of 68PS and torque of 90Nm. The engine would be 1.0ltr K10B with same 5-speed manual transmission.

Idling-stop feature is going to be introduced in this car soon. This feature is already their in high priced hybrid cars and would increase the fuel efficiency of the car by another 2-3kmpl. Under this new system, the engine gets shut off when car comes to stand still position and starts again when clutch is changed. This helps in increase the mileage in the city drives where car often stops at signals. Wagon R would be the first hatchback in India to have this feature. Right now it is only available in Mahindra’s Micro Hybrid Moniker.

Design

Maruti Wagon R original tall boy design was launched in India to counter the inroads which Hyundai Santro had made in the Maruti Suzuki market share. The WagonR was designed to meet the new small car (Kei-jidosha) regulations in Japan. The car was boxy, tall boy design which was later copied by many manufacturers including Hyundai for Santro or Altos. Though WagonR was very popular in Japan but due to its late entry, two years after Santro, it took some time to impress Indian customer with its performance. Also looks were something where customers found it a bit lacking in spite of number of face lifts given by Maruti Suzuki.

Engine

Maruti Wagon R is powered by 1061 cc, 4 cylinder F10D engine 4 valve per cylinder Multi Point Fuel Injection engine with 32 bit computer. It delivers Maximum Power of 64 bhp@6200 rpm and Maximum Torque of 84 Nm @ 3500 rpm. Maurti WagonR Duo with petrol and LPG fuel is also finding acceptance from customers. The Maruti WagonR Duo comes with 22.4 liter LPG tank, as LPG is stored at 5to7 bar which is much lower than CNG. The car can be easily switched to LPG mode from Petrol. The maximum power drops to 54.5 bhp compared 64 bhp but there is not much difference in performance or drivability in LPG times.

Ride and Handling

Soft suspension in Wagon R does its job efficiently which could take up rough roads or potholes silently and without any problem. On city roads it gives a very smooth ride but once you ride on highways and hit bad roads at high speeds, it might be uncomfortable as the car gives up and down movement. Light steering works great on city roads but could be problematic on highways. At high speeds there is presence of body roll and taking up corners at top speed is not advisable.

The car comes in LX, Lxi, Vxi, Ax models. The Lxi and Vxi and Ax models come with electronic Power Steering. The car comes with 5 speed manual transmission , however AX model with Automatic transmission. Maruti Wagon R has McPherson Strut with torsion type roll control device in front suspension and rear uses coil spring and gar filled shock absorber linked with three link ride and isolated trailing arm. The stiffened suspension system is good on Indian Road even also on bad roads. The top end Maruti WagonR Vxi also comes with optional safety features like driver side SRS front airbags and Anti Lock Braking System (ABS). The light weight which is between 825 to 840 Kg of various models enable a top speed of 160 Kmph and good fuel efficiency of 13 to 14 km per liter in city driving and 18 to 20 Km per liter on highway.

Maruti Wagon R positioned as Multi Activity Vehicle (MAV) has found a good market among Indian urban youth. The boot space in the car help it to be used for multiple purposes, going out for picnic or just driving out of town. It is one of the largest selling car now in its segment. One problem it has the space in back seat is rather cramped for 3 passengers. The car because of narrow width and little front overhang is very easy to drive in narrow city lane, it has also very low turning radius . Maruti WagonR has been able to give its competitors a very good fight and has won customers approval in spite of customer not liking its looks.

2015 Specifications and Prices

Maruti Wagon R Prices(Metallic, Ex-Showroom)

Mileage Wagon R LX, LXi, Stingray LXi/VXi
City: 17.5kmpl
Highway: 23kmpl
Claimed: 18.9kmpl

Specifications
Length: 3495mm
Width: 1495mm
Height: 1660mm
Wheelbase: 2360mm
Front Track: 1295mm
Rear Track: 1290mm
Min. Ground Clearance: 165mm

Capacity
Seating Capacity: 4 persons
Fuel Tank Capacity: 35 litres

Engine
Swept Volume: 1061 cc
Engine Type: 4 cylinder in line, FC Engine, 4 Valvs per cylinder, MPFI
Max. Power: 68PS at 6200 rpm
Max. Torque: 90Nm at 3500 rpm