This review is not only about Wagon-R but a comparison of all small cars available.
My house is like a service station for small cars. My bro drives Alto, My Sis Santro XP, I drive Wagon R and dad drives Maruti 800. So you can expect a very honest review and comparison from a normal user who does not see and compares details like an auto car magazine service engineer, but gives feed back depending on his daily experiences.
Maruti 800 and Alto
The only positive point in Alto and Maruti 800 is the visibility from inside and marginal better fuel efficiency. Sitting inside these cars you can even see, what your neighbour’s wife is cooking in her kitchen (or may be something more(lol)). Excellent four sided view, no hindrance from C-pillers, no view blockage while turning or backing-up.
Otherwise these are low seating cars with underpowered engines. Even Alto gasps for breath with four persons sitting inside and moreover it is not very cheap and only slightly lesser than the much better cars of its category. That makes Maruti 800 even more sensible buy which is available at a decent price. Only positive point Alto has is its AC, which is much more powerful than that of Maruti 800. Both cars have similar knocking problem (khat khat khat) which occurs when you slow down without changing to lower gear.
Santro
Santro is a nice car, great gear shift, nice suspension and very solidly built. No knocking problem in this car. But sways at high speed. At 120 kms/hr, it sways so much that you feel that you are sailing, not driving. Engine is okay, not very swift. The visibility while turning or backing up is very poor and you need to be very careful. One day I almost knocked down one poor fellow, who was standing at the rear side corner of the car. After that, I always get out of the car, make sure that nobody is standing in rear, and then backs up (lol). Mileage I am getting in city (Chandigarh, where traffic is not much) with AC ON is approx 14.4 Kms.
Wagon R
First of all, the people who think that it is a boxy shaped car, let me make clear that there is yet no car made of heart shape. After the recent facelift, with clear lense and body coloured bumpers even in Lxi version, it has become the smartest of its category.
Wagon R I feel is the best of the lot and true value for money. Engine is very silent and responsive. It is so silent that many times, I try to get ignition ON when the engine is already running. The pick-up and power is so great that if somehow, we can defy the gravity, I am sure that it will climb the wall. It can give all SUVs a bad day, on any good day. It is a cult car, like the bike YAMAHA 350 which transformed the definition of motor biking, 15 years back. Huge boot space and split seat (in older versions) make it more unique. When we have to travel three people, we put one rear seat down and get ample of boot space. Also the space inside the car has been vey well optimized for the maximum usage. Enough space for diaries, magazines, books, CDs and even a hook which can carry your child’s water bottle or eggs polythene safely back to your home in a perfect hanging position. In other cars, normally I break one or two eggs whenever I apply brakes (lol). That hook idea is a genius stroke.
Visibilty from inside is definitely better than Santro, but always drive after taking off head rests from back seats for clear view. The only thing I don’t like much is its rubbery gear shift. Sometimes even the first gear stucks. But once you get used to it, the gear shifting will not be a problem.
Old Wagon-R Vs Wagon-R Duo
In Wagon R Duo version, Maruti has done away with split seat system to make it five seater. And also the spare wheel occupies lot of luggage space at the back. So the uniqueness of the car has been killed because its main advantage and brand value was its split seats and so much boot space in a small car. Anyhow, the low fuel cost because of LPG kit is definitely a positive thing.
The Mileage I am getting in city with AC on is 14 kms and even third service is due. I believe this is very decent.
So from my point of view, Wagon R wins the race....
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