This car’s main appeal is its tall boy design (not tall boy looks, the practicality). it was actually suzuki which developed this idea, but in indian hyundai started it with its santro. the wagon r is priced less than the zen (i can’t see the reason why zen is costlier). it is priced level with the santro xing. it has a good engine, performance and fuel efficiency. but some setbacks like the not so attractive looks and bad handling are also present. so is it the best deal available?
the wagon r was facelifted recently to spruce up the looks. the old wagon r was ugly. but the car was good. the new wagon r is much better in looks. the headlamps are huge rectangular ones, but they are multi reflector unlike the old model. the integrated turn indicators in the headlamp look good. the bumper has slots for fog lamps. it should look very good with fog lamps. from the front, the tall boy design is not revealed too much. but move over to the side, and it is very evident. there are grab rails for loading luggage on top which is a good idea, both as a style element and as a practical add on. the side mirror does not look too good. the car is boxy. the rear also has multi reflector tail lamps which are good looking. the santro is much better in looks. it is tall as well as stylish. the wagon r is good looking to an extent. the build quality of the wagon r is not too good, but it is on par with hyundai and better than tata.
the engine is a modified version of the maruti 800’s. it can displace 1061 cc or so. even the santro is a 1.1 liter. like all maruti engines, this engine is refined. it runs on petrol and so nvh is not at all a problem. the power output is 62 bhp I think. this is also as good as its competitors. the santro’s engine is peppy. the wagon r’s is as good or even better. the engine is zippy and is ready to have some fun. it is fun driving the car around. it has sufficient power at all rev ranges. press the accelerator pedal and it accelerates with enthusiasm. 0-60 comes in around 6 seconds. it hits the 100 km/h mark in a very good 15 seconds. there is tremendous body role and it feels like it will turn over if you make it challenge a hairpin bend at high speeds. as the speed increases and goes above 115 km/h, vibrations start to creep in. it becomes a little noisy too. the top speed is above 135 km/h for sure. so it is a very good engine which can perform well. better than the santro I should say.
the wagonrs ride is bumpy to say the least. the suspension is not very well sorted out, and so the ride comfort is not good. the same problem is there with the santro too. I feel this may be because of the tall boy design. the handling is not good. the wagonr inherits tremendous body roll from its tall design. it feels dangerous to take steep turns. in the city everythinmg is just manageable. but go to the highway at high speeds and handling feels utterly useless.
the interior gives you a feeling of spaciousness when you look at it itself. ingress and egress is very easy. no need to crouch, you can almost walk in! sit on the seats and you will be surprised by the tremendous amount of legroom it offers. even for such a design. there is a lot of space for the head, legs and shoulder. the front is spacious for sure. the seats could be a little more comfortable. the dash is okay to look at, the santro’s dashboard has much more visual appeal. the plastics are not of very good quality. even when compared to the santro. the steering is placed ergonomically. the air cons are effective. in the rear also there is a lot of legroom and headroom. even more than the santro. the interior is very practical. not only the space. you can fold down the seats at the rear to clear space to keep any luggage or even for sleeping! practicality, space, sense and practicality sum up the wagon r’s interior.
the fuel efficiency of the santro has not been appreciated. the wagon r runs on petrol, but is surrisingly frugal. on the highway it can make 17 km/l, in the city around 11 and in mixed conditions it manages a good 15 km/l. now these figures are not as good as the indica diesel but are better than the petrol. so the wagon r is one of the most frugal hatches.
summing it up, I say that the wagon r is as good as the santro. it has okay looks, good performance, spacious interior and low running costs. the only setbacks are the ride and handling, and the looks. the wagon r is a better option than the zen definitely. there isn’t any diesel option, but the petrol will do. the real competitor to the wagonr is the santro. the santro offers almost whatever the wagonr does, with better looks. but by itself, the wagonr is practicality with a capital P. if you overcome the rather quirky looks and bad ride and handling, the wagon r is an ideal practical city car.
looks-7.5/10
build-8/10
fit and finish-9/10
engine-9.5/10
performance-9.5/10
ride-8/10
handling-7.5/10
interior-9/10
fuel efficiency-9/10
value for money-9/10
GRAND TOTAL-86/100
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