Team-BHP - Maruti WagonR : Official Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knightrider (Post 5693701)

Cars considered:

Ignis: We couldn't convince ourselves about the looks of it. Otherwise is a very competent car. Also the colour we liked (Turquoise Blue) has been discontinued now.

Swift: We were almost ready to book Red Swift VXI. But felt it was too common on the roads and was going slightly over budget.

Grand i10 Nios: The seating was too low for my parents. That was a deal breaker.

Tiago: It is a good car, but looked small on the road. Plus, wanted to stay away from infamous niggles in a Tata car and the ASS.

WagonR: I always liked the big new WagonR. I feel it looks like a baby Bolero Neo or ScorpioN. Family members too liked it but were concerned with the Cab image it carries.

Likes:
- Head turner due to the unique colour.

- AMT is not so bad as I expected earlier. It is livable.

Dislikes:

- No rear-washer, wiper, defogger even in ZXI variant.

Congrats!

Ignis charges a premium for features. Glad you skipped it. It would have been maintainence mayhem. They have shifted to bigger cars, and for them Ignis is no more a special product. What once used to be pick-and-drop service for Ignis has now deteriorated to them asking customers why they even called the dealership/workshop when they should visit physically for service with the car.

Swift has been relying on past repute of cheap and reliable, while its top spec variants seem to be an overkill.

Grand i10 does carry some class leading features, but I doubt they offer the substance. It feels premium for some features though, but it ends there. No one gets converted just because a particular feature-combo is getting offered, without looking at the whole package. At the showrooms, they seem discouraged at anything except selling-off the CNG models.

Tiago, better avoided. It would be a chota-recharge (Pandora's Box) of nervous-breakdown during Authorised-SS visits to get small niggles fixed. Even their class leading vehicles do get simple problems like door locks randomly refusing to work! Yet they won't recall the batches or rectify them. A month older Tata car, and the service advisors would simply blame you for driving on rough roads or worse, blame you for getting into some small accident and causing problems in their otherwise great cars which are everywhere. Get an MTech in Automotive Engineering and intern at a local mechanic to correctly name the parts which will rectify your issue and then get back to Tata. Before the model is discontinued. As if their cars are good for only 15 days post delivery.

Glad that you didn't overdo your budget. Have a lot of respect for this family car. Also, it gets the praise for doing triple digits on the expressways.

Any Auto-Transmission is better than a manual these days. Petrol Automatic is really a blessing for many years.

IMHO, a rear defogger is a safety feature and must have been available in the top 2 variants. Rather keep some of those microfiber mops available these days to defog/de-mist/wipe the rear glass from inside. Manual defogging along with some antifog spray could come handy during the rainy days.

Btw, are the tires on the WagonR good?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knightrider (Post 5693701)

Dislikes:
- Those stupid seat-belt warning beeps for vacant rear seats.
- Idle auto-on/off function which is enabled by default each time the engine is started.
- No rear-washer, wiper, defogger even in ZXI variant.
- No driver seat height adjustments. (although the seats are little higher than other cars)
- Maruti-800 like air circulation knob.
- No adjustable head rests.

Added a red strip in the front bumper extender. Planning of few more accessories and mods. Will hopefully post it in the 'tastefully modified cars' thread then.

That red strip looks really cool on that color! Was also wondering why you didn't mention the weird steering of Wagon R as a sore point. For me it's a pain. Doesn't even feel like it is power assisted.:crying

Quote:

Originally Posted by kinkate18nic (Post 5737480)

Is there a way to install the SmartPlay Studio HU in Vxi, I meant the OEM one which comes in Zxi variants. Tried writing to Maruti, but got a reply from local dealer that such provision is not available. Also, I do not think its also available for sale as part of MGA.

Any leads for this?

I thnk you would be better off with a good aftermarket Android HU like the one from Blaupunkt. If you really want to stick to stock, best would be to personally reach out to the accessories division of the the dealer from whom you purchased your car. Else reach out to any good and reputed car accessories shop.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ggkg (Post 5739131)

Was most impressed with Wagon R (cabs) in my recent trip to NE. It seems to survive the hills and non-existent roads like a mountain goat. For mostly longer drive use is this a good fit? I dont drive in city as I am not working. I am not looking for speed or ease of overtaking etc., just a steady safe car with decent space. Advise on alternatives would be great! Is 1.2 worth the extra cost?

I would say Wagon R is a good city car with great space but certainly not a "steady safe car". Its build is pretty much basic and hence comparatively safer to use in cities such as Delhi where average speed limit is 50kmph with average speeds of not more than 25kmph. It has got a soft suspension setup which is comfortable on most occasions but on highways if you are doing good speeds and encounter an odd deep pothole the car just crashes into it sending shivers down the spine. I bought 1.2 because of AMT. Had read and heard that Maruti AMT is better tuned with the 1.2 engine. Personally don't find much difference so you can safely opt for 1.0 and save some bucks.

I would say its a great reliable city car with its own set of limitations that need to be considered while making the buying decision. If safety is your primary concern and you are mostly driving on highways then it should be avoided.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ggkg (Post 5739131)

Hi,
I was in the market for an automatic car (EV or basic model cars).
Liked the Comet but still lot of queries not answered for Safety standards.

Tried WagonR Swift and Baleno. I liked the WagonR 1.2 AMT variant which was very comfortable in response and you can easily feel the difference of 1.0 and 1.2 variant while driving in city roads, streets. Engine sound will change after 60kmph and you will feel more difference between these two engines.
Just 40000 difference and you will get added functions too in the ZXI 1.2 over the 1.0 VXI.

Most friends say its a taxi image car and forcing for Swift or Baleno.
Swift and Baleno are not bad too, but i felt more comfortable in WagonR 1.2 AMT Variant. Seating position and the space offered was very good.

Waiting for the April 2024 Offers. May be for Tamil new year there may be extra goodies may be provided.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmaheshkumar (Post 5746972)

Just 40000 difference and you will get added functions too in the ZXI 1.2 over the 1.0 VXI.

Most friends say its a taxi image car and forcing for Swift or Baleno.
Swift and Baleno are not bad too, but i felt more comfortable in WagonR 1.2 AMT Variant. Seating position and the space offered was very good.

For regular usage - long run or on especially poor condition roads - you'll find Swift / Baleno to be far more comfortable. WagonR and similar shape cars have slightly higher seating and somewhat lesser wheelbase. This results in relatively more rocking motions in all directions. In my personal experience - the fatigue at the end of a longish (1+ hr) drive is more in a WagonR (or in the Ignis that I'm about to suggest) than the other two you mentioned.

Also - I'd definitely strongly suggest you check out the Ignis. Its a much better "thought out" car inside out. Small yet significant things in this car make a world of difference in day to day usage. A very informative MID which has its own good dedicated buttons, rear wipe+defogging, alloy wheels, 3 request sensors for keyless entry (front both doors + rear hatch), adjustable head-restraints for 4 seats and the K12. Even at ZETA variant, the car really packs everything that one needs and some. The quality of plastics and the way its put together, is better than the WagonR in my opinion. Space packaging is extremely good. 4 Adults plus a child can easily travel in this car with some luggage. Ingress-Egress is also extremely easy especially for people with special abilities or very advanced age. Speaking from personal ownership experience. I miss my Ignis :D.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmaheshkumar (Post 5746972)

Most friends say its a taxi image car and forcing for Swift or Baleno.
Swift and Baleno are not bad too, but i felt more comfortable in WagonR 1.2 AMT Variant. Seating position and the space offered was very good.

We picked up WagonR ZXI AMT in December last year over the Swift. We too liked the seating position and ease of ingress/egress in WagonR more than other cars.

Regarding the taxi image point, we too were a bit concerned but we opted for the Black color which is very unique and won't be seen in cabs as it is available only in ZXI & ZXI+ variants, which the cabbies don't go for due to lack of CNG option. If you are fine with Black, you too can go for it. The images of my car are there in this thread few posts above. Till date I haven't seen any other Black WagonR in my city.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reinhard (Post 5747007)

Also - I'd definitely strongly suggest you check out the Ignis. Its a much better "thought out" car inside out. Small yet significant things in this car make a world of difference in day to day usage. A very informative MID which has its own good dedicated buttons, rear wipe+defogging, alloy wheels, 3 request sensors for keyless entry (front both doors + rear hatch), adjustable head-restraints for 4 seats and the K12. Even at ZETA variant, the car really packs everything that one needs and some.

I will check out the Ignis for sure.
I am looking for an Automatic just to use inside the city and daily school drop and pick up. It will not cross 25 kms radius, kind of beach horse, Occasionally may be taking it for highway drives. So only i felt WagonR was very comfortable as we often get down and get in more often in very short time (10kms once).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knightrider;

Regarding the taxi image point, we too were a bit concerned but we opted for the Black color which is very unique and won't be seen in cabs as it is available only in ZXI & ZXI+ variants, which the cabbies don't go for due to lack of CNG option. If you are fine with Black, you too can go for it. The images of my car are there in this thread few posts above. Till date I haven't seen any other Black WagonR in my city.

I am not bothering too much on the taxi image, but my friends were already on it suggesting to switch to other mentioned cars.
Black colors were very unique in my place and its not preferred color for cars here :unhappy.
What is the mileage you are getting if you drive sedately?