In a small city like Nagpur, a car is a necessity. (The auto rickshaw-walas assume we are all millionaires, going by the way they quote their rates for even small distances. Yeah, no meters like Mumbai.).
So, as soon as we came here, we started off with our car shopping. Began with Maruti 800, then we thought of Alto, then we felt maybe a Maruti Zen would be better but then we realized we preferred a Hyundai Santro Zing to it. But, after looking at the new Maruti Suzuki Wagon R, we zeroed in on it.
The ’new look’ Wagon R is the perfect family car.The old model of Wagon R is quite unattractive compared to its younger and more chic sibling. The headlights, tail lights, boot space etc have been completely revamped to give this car a better and more striking look. I think the most popular colour is the Passion Red. When we bought it, ours was the only one here or so it seemed, now, however, we have spotted at least fifty more of the same shade on the city streets. It has apparently sold extremely well.
We bought this car quite a few months back and till date have not had a single complaint. (Touchwood!)
This car feels sturdier than your standard ‘small’ family cars. Driving it is easy, effortless and an absolute pleasure (electronic power steering, power brake etc.) It has a powerful MPFI engine that responds to your maneuvers promptly and makes driving safe. The air conditioning is very good and hence the cooling is more effective and faster than in other Maruti cars.
Wagon R has a tall boy design with high seating (so does Hyundai Santro) and that makes it comfortable for tall people to drive and also makes getting in and out of the car much easier. (Maruti Zen and 800 models make you feel like you are sitting down at the same level as the road itself! A truck or bus alongside intimidates you completely).
Leg space in this car is much more than its contemporaries and make for a relaxed driving posture and helps to boost passenger comfort too.
Most Indian small cars do not provide seat belts for passengers but Wagon R has four. (Not that anyone checks.) The safety part has been dealt with quite seriously here and there is an option of Airbags (This is an exclusive feature in some Wagon R models, not provided even by its competitor Hyundai Santro).
I quite like the car’s ability to adjust the side view mirrors from inside. I do not think that this facility was available in any of the earlier models of Maruti. Fuel efficiency is another of its plus points and matters a lot here because in our country, petrol is most expensive in Nagpur. (Yes, even more than Mumbai. FYI, in Delhi it is the cheapest.)
The passenger seats of the Wagon R can be dropped completely to create a large bed-like space and can be used by kids maybe elders even, for sleeping, while driving long distances. (we’ve yet to try it, though)
Among hatchbacks, this car is giving Hyundai Santro a run for its money. It’s a little cheaper than Santro but has a higher resale value. Being a Maruti Suzuki car, spare parts are easily available and affordable. And the service network of Maruti is legendary, so there is little to lose. Go for it, if you have a small, family car with adequate comforts, in mind.