My review is purely based on the experience I’ve had with the vehicle. I dont own it, but have test driven and driven couple of times.
Design and Exterior
Someone had commented it was the milk van in Japan. It could be. Some of them say it is a tall toy, a box or a matchbox. I do agree with that as well. But I like the design of Wagon R. Its not that I liked it from day one it was launched. It is like AR Rehman’s music. Initially you wont like the song. But as you hear the song in TV, Cafe, Radio etc., you will start liking it and then fall in love with the song. I liked the wagon R’s design like that. It is true that it has flat or sharp corners in the body. But with that they have made the maximum space inside. I like the front grill and the face of the car overall. If the vehicle is fitted with a spoiler on top of the rear glass, the design looks better. Though there are few things to complain, the major drawback I found is the side mirrors. It is a horrible design. It looks as if the mirros are made for a SUV. Also, it is not internally adjustable. The mirrors look as if they are fitted to meet a requirement. It does not blend with the design at all.
Interior
Utility than any small size and the next segment cars. According to me Wagon R is the only car with so much of storage pockets. It is better than any of the maruti’s swift, zen alto and santro and Getz. I rate second as Getz in utility. Though in most of the reviews I have seen Wagon R has got plastic feel dashboards, I have only one thing to tell them. It is better than Swift, according to me. The heaight of seat is perfect, back seat ride very comfortable, either ways adjustable rear seats, lots of free boot space in that segment, even when compared with Swift, satisfactory leg room at the back, feel of driving a bigger vehicle untill you turn back and see the size of the vehicle, these are some of the good points of Wagon R according to me.
Performance
Driving is good. I may be wrong but felt the power steering is a bit tight while in slow speed. Engine makes a roaring noise when throttle is pushed down. Engine power is satisfactory, not that good. AC is not as powerful as Santro’s, but cooling is pretty good. I havent taken the vehicle to highways but I feel it should be doing good on highways. Mileage between 12-13 kmpl in city (with AC) and 15-16 kmpl on highways, provided you drive te way it has to be driven.
Should you go for it?
Ofcourse yes. Wagon R from its launch has undergone many refinements and now it is the best time to buy the vehicle as the refinement is not yet saturated, like whats happened with Zen. Our neighbour who was a financial advisor for an MNC bought a Wagon R when it launched. That vehicle had gear box problem and maruti replaced the gearbox. Still the problem existed. They then exchanged this car with another Wagon R. That ran very smooth. He has recently bought the third Wagon R recently as he says that is the best vehicle in that segment as of now. I have my friends who recently bought santro. Around 5 santros were bought in our office. All say the drive and ride is good, but only in the front seats. Rear seat jumps a bit too much. Also they said the seats are very hard.
Someone had commented badly on my review for Swift when I had mentioned that Wagon R is better than Swift according to me, utility wise. The comment also added that I should never compare Swift VXI with Getz GLS or with Wagon R. Swift and Wagon R almost falls in the same price range. And now also, I feel the same that Wagon R is better than Swift. Take every aspect of the car, read my review on swift and then compare both Wagon R and Swift. You will be able to decide which is better.
Wagon R VXI is value for money