[JigarKansagara]

I would suggest to go for the 1.0 CNG. It has ample output figures still underpowered but in city driving, it won't he much of a problem. Plus if you opt for the 1.2 L option then there's the increase in price plus the fitting of an aftermarket sequential kit.

[AVL500]

Factory fitted CNG any given day, it is simply better integrated and tuned right from factory. But is it really worth it to accept the following cons for a mere 500 Km monthly running:
1. Straight upfront additional cost of 1Lac over petrol model.
2. Performance over CNG is noticeably lower than petrol
3. Increased maintenance overhead
4. CNG filling station almost always have long queues.

[Aakash118]

A wild card option- though your friend will never agree to it. He already has an Ertiga with 1.5 NA (assuming), so his small car should be a turbo diesel for some real fun and also better economy. For the amount of WagonR, he can easily get a 2019 diesel powered Swift/Figo/i20. This is what I would do if I was in the given condition.

[aneesh2M]

Hi, looking at the requirement and running of the car I would say that CNG is not required for your friend. For just a running of 500Kms a month he can live with petrol prices comfortably. Suggest him to go for a 1.2 engine as it is better of two.
If in case CNG is top most priority in-spite of running, then go for a factory fitted CNG only. Don’t even think of aftermarket CNG as it will affect below points in the car.

• Engine and wiring warranty will be immediately void. Though he can get warranty for other spares if required but that too will have to be on the mercy of the company (they can outright deny the entire warranty)

• Should any issue crops up in the engine, he may be treated as a football between CNG installer and MSIL Dealer as both will try to wash off the responsibility in case of critical issue.

• New cars with latest tech in them are more susceptible to have issues with the engine running when retrofitted with external CNG as car's ECU/ Sensors may and will give error codes sooner or later and diagnosis of the same may be a headache.

• Sooner or later engine will show issues like missing/jerking etc. which will be a constant trouble for the owner.

• Endorsing the retrofitted part in RC can cause problems.

• Major part is the safety of the CNG system as retrofitted system will never be as safe and reliable as factory system.

[Sach_511]

Believe me when I say (I am using CNG (after market kit ) car from past seven years ) - there is no worth in so much effort spend on after market installation of kit , from very small things like opening up bonnet every time to fill up the gas to any issue in the car post installation , which no one ever take responsibility and your friend become football between CNG installer and Maruti . Too much hassle my friend , too much hassle . Avoid it any cost , Period ! !

[aashishnb]

Originally Posted by jigar1791@gmail

His requirements-
1. Should be a hatchback. To be used as a beater car, with Ertiga Petrol as a primary option.
2. Monthly running will be around 500 kms - mostly within Mumbai
3. Has to be a Maruti.

Here is something that would save him a lot of money - just get the Ertiga CNGed at a good vendor. Saves the entire capex of a new car & gets CNG for low running. Could not get more bang for his buck!!

[SulemanP]

Hi,
If CNG is something he cannot let go, then as GTO has said above plz consider factory fit option. No amount of finesse in after market will match factory fit & finish. Alternatively he may also consider the newly launched Celerio its quite fuel efficient.

[Herschey]

With that kind of low running, your friend would take ~60 months with a factory fitted CNG or ~48 months with an aftermarket kit to recover the initial additional costs (taken at 70k and 55k respectively). CNG thus would make sense only if your friend likes to keep his cars for long or foresees a bump in his monthly usage in future.

As for the performance, there is a certain drop in power figures while the car is running on CNG and this drop in power is clearly highlighted by the OEMs as well. As for the figures, the same WagonR's peak power is 59 ps and 77 nm in CNG as against 68 ps with 90 nm torque in petrol. The Grand i10 NIOS's peak power figures stand at 69 ps with 95 nm of torque when running on CNG as against 83 ps with 108 nm of torque on petrol. A compact hatch would certainly be drivable with 95 nm of torque but would become a drag under even medium loads with only 77 nm of torque, something to keep in mind. A slightly short gearing can help but then one ends up using a lot of the gear-shifter making the drive busy and cumbersome. This basically means that while some cars are able to hide their loss in performance to a great extent, others simply struggle and make their owner's suffer.

The drop in engine performance in CNG is primarily inversely proportional to the engine's compression ratio but other factors like gearing, tyre dimension etc. also come into play. This drop in power becomes less evident in a car with an engine delivering already healthy power figures and is more pronounced in small capacity and low power engines. Three cylinder engines may additionally also face a problem of developing engine knock over time which may relatively increase their maintenance cost.

Coming to the legality of CNG kits in new BS6 cars, be aware that BS6 cars are currently not getting endorsed for bi-fuel systems including CNG which means that such vehicles can be denied insurance claims too in case required. To sum it, it's currently illegal to ply a BS6 car with a retrofit CNG kit installed, not to mention the vehicle warranty which goes out of the window.

The additional 15-20k spent on a factory fitted CNG car is so totally worth it. One retains the factory warranty, the vehicle is completely insured, the workmanship of the installation is tested & guaranteed, and the repair and maintenance too can be taken care of at a single place i.e. the ASS instead of going to two different workshops.

As for which car to go for, I would suggest your friend to at least test drive the Grand i10 NIOS Sports CNG and the reasons going for it are aplenty. Firstly, you'd get a 1.2 litre 4 pot mill as against the 1 litre 3 cylinder engine on the WagonR. The NIOS would also deliver more power and a much smoother and effortless performance even under moderate to heavy loads. The WagonR CNG only comes in the base LXi variant which is too bare-bones while the NIOS Sports CNG comes packed to the hilt with features providing a much nicer and premium experience and is well worth the approx. extra 1.5 lacs one would be spending on it.

To sum it all up, get only a factory fitted CNG vehicle in case you're going for a new car, or go for a an old BS4 car and get it retrofotted with a sequential CNG kit (this option too makes a lot of sense for your friend's average monthly usage). In case your friend decides to go in for a new car, try and convince him to test drive both the WagonR and the NIOS CNG back to back before making the final decision.

[AZT]

Have owned 2 after market CNG cars in the past, a Swift and a Dzire. Definitely go for factory fitted, after market comes with it's own share of issues and the whole BS6 warranty void point is also not worth it.

[bhandari.ashish]

Wagon R 1.0 is really a bad engine in terms of refinement you always have to be on your heel and tow to drive the same in traffic owns one so can say if 1.2 is possible its better to go with the same as the same engine is available in Old swift, Baleno and other alike which are successfully running on CNG in NCR region so after market with good installation will works well with the combination.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by jigar1791@gmail

Is it fine to go ahead with WagonR 1.2 and get an external CNG kit fitted in the car? There will be a difference in power from CNG and Petrol, yet, we’re hopeful that the 1.2 CNG option will be better, refined and more fun to own and to live with, than the factory fitted 1.0. CNG.

Will the owner care about the warranty of the car? If that matters - I believe after market CNG fitment is out of the door. That immediately voids the warranty of pretty much all critical components including electricals, engine and so on. So buying a brand new car, and giving up on the warranty is what the prospect looks like. Instead then - why not buy a 1.2K engine good car from pre-owned market, and then install a good CNG kit in it? will turn out to be a far better deal - you might get a larger car for the money too.

Also - the peace of mind of a factory fit CNG kit, cannot be matched by an after-market fitment. I have seen quite a few family/friends with aftermarket CNG fitments having to do repeated visits in recent few years due to malfunctions / tuning issues and so on. If I were in this place - I'd not want to ask some third party install a kit that specifically handles a flammable substance and is stored under pressure. But hey - that's just me. Of course there are millions of users out there happily running their after-market CNG kits since decades without much issues.

[jigar1791@gmail]

Finally, sanity prevails over everything else - WagonR 1.0L CNG it is.

My friend has booked the car in the last week, delivery should be somewhere in around last week of January '22. Got a sweet deal as part of year-end inventory clean up (Nov '21 manufactured vehicle to be delivered in Jan '22).

Appreciate all to provide their inputs, which I made my friend read before concluding the purchase decision!