It has been a year since the baby with beautiful blue eyes was delivered by Fortpoint Thane, all decked with Chinese Ribbons.
The initial ownership report can be checked at the below link:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...omes-home.html
The dealership experience was fantastic.
And I continue to stay a satisfied customer of MSIL. Their after sales and follow up has been exemplary and I was pleasantly surprised that the MSIL team followed up at all important junctures- Service points at 1K Kms, 5K Kms and hence forth was absolutely spot on.
In fact, even the insurance renewal process was a hasslefree one.
On top of that, after negotiating, got two service vouchers, a Rs. 500 labour discount voucher and a Holiday Voucher for 2 nights/three days from Travelport complimentary.
Now, back to the ownership report.
Features:
The Wagon R CNG is only available in the base LXi model. I sincerely wished that the CNG was also available in the top and loaded VXi.
The features available in the LXi model are enlisted below:
- Power Steering(Electronic PS)
- Front Two power windows.
- Manual HVAC
- Roof top antenna(the old and drab pull type ones)
- Rear Parcel Tray
- 60:40 rear seat
- Central locking
- Remote Boot Lock/unlock switch
- Remote Fuel Open Lid
- Can Holder in the front(near side AC vents)
- Bottle Holder behind hand brake
- Illumination controlled centre panel
List of main features I wished was also there and available in the VXi
- Tachometer
- Electric Mirrors
- Rear Wiper with Defogger
- Inbuilt Music system
- Key less entry
The Year with the Waggie:
During the course of the year, there has been several long distance tours:
1) Dahanu
Mumbai to Dahanu is close to 135 kms.
This scenic location, though close by is a nice peaceful and relaxing location.
We normally go to the SEawoods Dahanu to spend a quiet peaceful weekend.
Good food, good location and a beautiful drive from Dahanu to Bordi makes the day.
Road Condition: Good to Very Good
CNG AVailability- Last Tank Up at Thane
Average- 25+ Kms/Kg(CNG)
Average- 18 kmpl(Petrol)
Dahanu is an idyllic location. very close from Mumbai yet the peace and serenity is unmatched.
The Picture perfect sea beach. It gives a sense of peace and serenity.
The setting Sun at Dahanu, with the promise that another brighter day is just the other side of the night.
A Tree standing like a solitary soldier-Dahanu Beach.
Anand 2) Anand
My hometown. 450 kms from Mumbai.
Two trips home. The first was a surprise visit and parents were on Cloud 9.lol:
And, with my then 5 month old, it was a journey worth remembering. My little one had a whale of a time with wide eyes, absorbing the new roads and every thing that is passing by.
Second trip was for my little ones Annaprashan, i.e Rice Eating Ceremony.
The trip was undertaken via Thane, Virar, Dahanu, Vapi, Surat, Bharuch, Baroda and Anand.
Road condition- Excellent
Toll- Rs. 400+(Single Way)
Average- 26+ kms/kg
CNG Availability- Vapi/Surat/Baroda/Anand
The First Diwali with our Wagon R.
Diwali always brings a cheer...
3) Pune
Mumbai-Pune-160 kms
Trips-Innumerable.
Very Frequent trips from the office to Pune.
Nothing to crave upon. Take the Waggie more out of convenience and the love to drive.
Road Condition: Worse(The express highway-cement is injurious to the health of the tyres)
Mileage: 24+ kms/kg
CNG Availability- Thane and Pune
(However, in Pune, the average wait time is not less than 50 mins)
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The last one year has been a happy outing with the Wagon R.
I will try and list out the
positives first:
1)
Mileage:
Fantastic. On any given day, under city conditions and 100% AC usage, the average has never dipped below 22 kms/kg.
On the highway, I have attained a mileage of upto 29 kms/kg.
If I calculate an average efficiency, the stats will be similar to the below figures:
City- 22 kms/kg
Highway-25+ kms/kg
2)
Car feel:
After driving the fun to drive Ikon, I was taken aback by the drive feel of the Wagon R. To be honest, I still miss the handling prowness of the Ikon.
However, Wagon R, to its credit, does not give the rush in feeling that other MSIL vehicles(like old Zen/ M800) used to give.
Even at high speeds, the feeling of speed is absent.
3)
Space:
For a hatch, the space is great. It gives the feel of driving a bigger car.
The car has oodles of space and a large glass area making it feel a lot bigger.
4)
A.S.S responsiveness
The Service station is a pleasure to be in. They are responsive and till now, all the services have been done as per my expectation. Infact, there was a small scratch on the bumper. In the last service, I requested that they do the touch up. After a little hesitation, that was done.
They painted the whole panel and that was sweet.
Now, for the few negative points:
1)
Rattles:
Even for a new car, the rattles are someting that keeps cropping up.
I have fixed them in all the service schedules but after a while they just crop up. Guess, I need to live with it.:Frustrati
2)
High Speed Stability
At speeds of over 100 kmph, the car does not give a planted feel. Also, at these speeds, a heavy gust of wind can sway the car substantially.
Having driven a lot on highways, I feel that Wagon R is best suited for speeds this side of 100 kmph.
It feels fine till 90 kmph.
3)
A.S.S Service Costs
I was surprised when I was quoted an almost 10K service charge estimate in my last outing at A.S.S.
The deatils of the service charge for my 4th Paid Service can be read at the below link:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post3062796
(Post #145)
Having been at Team Bhp and studying various threads related to the fleecing tactics at A.S.S, I could cut short that bill by 40%.
4)
Absolutely no storage:
Well, this was a given at the time of buying the CNG. However, some space allocation from some where would have been welcome.
5)
No Tacho and rear wiper:
Would have loved to see the Tacho in the CNG version. Alas, that is missing and honestly sorely missed. The tell tale lights at the speedo console. I miss the good old days analogue fuel and temperature clocks!!
The basic speedo console. The lack of tacho is sorely missed. The sun inspired meters looks beautiful at night with an amber back light.
The console with the tell tale lights
6)
Getting the right seating position is tough.
Ikon's knob was a lot more convenient with multiple seating options available unlike Waggies only 04 pre fixed options.
7)
The steering feels vague a high speeds-on the other side of 100 kmph. 
8)
No internally adjustable mirror.You have to manually adjust it.
VXi on the other hand gets electrically adjustable mirrors.
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The small car has a big car feel.
It has been a exactly a year with the Wagon R.
Initially, both of us were very skeptical if we should infact go for a small car. Then, practicality and the impetus on savings post our baby boy was delivered took a pivotal role in the decision.
And, it certainly seems that we have taken a logical step with the practical, no nonsense Wagon R.
Though it lacks the panache of a Ford Ikon or its handling skills, it does its job perfectly well to commute from Point A to Point B with the least impact on your wallet.
As for today, the speedo reads at 22017, indicating almost 1750 kms a month of travel.
This, considering that I have a high touring job and on many occasions, I am traveling almost 10-15 days a month.
To sign off, Wagon R CNG is
- Practical
- Easy to maintain
- Cheap to run
- Not for some one who is into the thrill of driving. Try the Fiesta Classic/Linea/Swift for the thrill.
- Big spacious car.
Nice review with good pictures to go with it. I always drive a Wagon R in and around Goa for a week during my yearly visits there and it is a zippy fun car to drive with good mileage figures and a reasonable A/C. Also drive a friend's Wagon R here once in a while and the A/C unit works much better here in Bangalore than it does out there in Goa purely due to the vast difference in climatic conditions of the two places I guess.
