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-   -   Maruti WagonR : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/209662-maruti-wagonr-official-review-6.html)

You could check out the Dzire CNG (tour) but get private registration done. It lacks things like music system and reverse camera, but easily doable from aftermarket or even from showroom itself. It will have an 80 km/h limiter, but it can be removed if you register it as private (from what I heard at a dealership).

My aunt has the same car, and I have driven it. Let me tell you, it is much much better than the 1.0 + CNG combo offered in WagonR and Celerio. Your other option is the Xcent from Hyundai, but I have no experience of the car - neither driving non anyone I know who owns one.

Yep, Dzire CNG is the only good option with a nice engine + CNG combination. Xcent can only dream. Especially the rear seat back angle & overall ergonomics of the XCent are terrible compared to the DZire. Its too reclined & makes most people I know uneasy after 15 minutes. DZire feels far better & balanced for drives in any seat.

Don't know if the following falls in the "Major" category, you be the judge, but I've had my share of maintenance issues. After the first major paid service at the "Stealership" I decided to get the work done by local mechanics, which as we know comes with its share of hits and misses.

Nov 2017 @ 25k kms had the clutch plate & bearing changed (it's a whole days job and the a**hole mechanic got it wrong the first time) so the whole exercise had to be repeated the next day to make it right :( damn what a nightmare.

Feb 2018 CNG cylinder cleaned, some government policy I was told.

April 2018 AC filter cutout and service (again a major exercise gone wrong)

April 2018 All 4 tyres changed @ 30k kms

October 2018 the AC had to be serviced again as it stopped cooling, AC gas topped up & front condenser was washed.

Jan 11 2019 Remember I said another major exercise gone wrong, the AC Ghosts had come to haunt me again and no matter what exorcism I performed they just wouldn't go away :). So finally a new AC cooling coil was installed as there was a pinhole puncture in the existing coil (I strongly suspect it was done the first time I took it for the cutout job).

March 2019 @ 46,935kms Major overhaul, started with, the Rad fan conking off, Clutch, flywheel assembly + FW bearing, clutch bearing, all 3 engine mounting rubbers, front wheel bearings. All this was taken care of and we are so far so good (fingers crossed). Btw, you must be wondering why the Clutch and FW assembly was changed again within 16months, well it was never done correctly the first time even after stripping the car twice :( shit happens.

I was fed up of these frequent complaints and hence decided to just sell it off. Fwiw, my other car is an Audi A4 so I get a taste of both the worlds :) the good and the bad, sooo diametrically opposite you'd say.

It sure does most things right but the pickup and shifts are sooo bad..:deadhorse:deadhorse

Thanks for hearing me out.

Argh. Yeah that's a lot of headache. Not much of it is car's fault but indeed the frustration these many repairs would cause is imaginable. I'd have lost heart & replaced the car too I think. Tough one.
Most people won't feel it. Its the other car in your garage that's amplifying this feeling. lol:

Other than the DZire if you specifically want a tiny city-car like WagonR, I think the new Santro Sportz is available in factory fit CNG avatar from Hyundai. The 1.1L engine is far better on refinement and drive-ability than the K10 in WagonR & gear-shifts are slick. I think this makes sense since with an A4 already available, adding another compact sedan doesn't add more practicality in options.

By the way - welcome to TBHP! See you around.

My new wagon R vxi(o) with 1.2 AMT arrived at the dealership. Expected delivery is on Thursday. Planning the usual upgrades. 1. Pricol Xenos DVR and rear camera 2. HID projector fog lamps 3. Art leather seat cover. 4. Full floormat. 5. Wurth 80% visibility basic sunfilm . I chose the vxi(o) over the zxi because I did not want a touchscreen system or rear defogger or wiper or useless foglamps. The only thing I will miss is the power folding mirrors.

Congratulations. I hope an ownership report would be there.

These are nice upgrades. And practical too.


Well, this is interesting. There are multiple aftermarket systems which are better than the Maruti OEM type. So that reason is acceptable. But why would one not pick up a car with a rear defogger or a rear wiper? This could be a deal breaker for many. Although I'm looking at SPresso which hasn't got a rear wash/wipe in any variant, as my Wagon R replacement. If it was I would have gone for that variant. If we plan for the new Wagon R, it has to be one with rear wash/wipe. It's a very useful feature to have especially in hatchbacks and SUVs, the importance one feels after driving in rain. Venue automatic hasn't got it so there were many people not happy with it. I feel it's a must have feature.


There is no legislation as such for need of a rear wiper but it's in optional list as per ARAI.

Thank you!!

One more thing I will miss from the zxi is the small storage tray under the front passenger seat.

I live in south India and never once have I had the need for the defogger. I have used it a few times when living in upstate NY to melt a thin under layer and quickly slide off sheets of snow from my rear glass. Never encountered such weather in TN.

The only time it was used effectively was by my little nephew who inadvertently pushed the defogger button and caused my sunfilm to separate from the rear glass.

Honestly I find it useless and irrelevant , like french windows in Indian homes or South Indians wearing coat, suit and boots in Tamil weather.

Now coming to the rear wiper. Never felt the need for it or used it ever even in the cars that had them ( my innova my swift etc). The only times I have used them is to check if they are still working. The rear glass of the wagon R is near vertical and all the water drips off. The real issue is the road grime that gets sprayed on and caked on the rear glass. The rear wipers seem to run over this caked up grime and not clean it. For this I carry a squeegie and windex in my car when I go out of station.

On top of that I will be installing an ON DEMAND rear camera.

In my opinion, The only cars that have any justification for such rain wipers are the skoda superb, toyota celica type cars that have very shallow angled rear glass. As for the caked up grime, nothing works better than pathanjali glass spray and a squeegie.

That could be true. Not even in monsoons?

I don't have a snap of my Wagon R after using the rear wiper (I'll try to find out.) but I must tell you, it clears the grime also if used with water spray and before the grime dries up. The previous gen Wagon R has a more vertical rear glass still the road grime sticks to it. Look at this S-Cross, all dirt and grime are gone. It clears up the IRVM area.


A sedan having a rear wiper is very rare. I remember seeing it on Accent Viva if we call it a sedan (it was sold as a notchback then!).

I agree with you that the rear wiper can be useful if the driver is diligent about starting the wiping as soon as the road spray sets in. But I am not so mindful. Usually it is too late when I start and I end up smearing it.

I have NEVER found any use for the rear defogger . It is just a nuisance when sticking and removing sunfilm.

Maybe if Maruti offered the wiper alone without the defogger I would have considered it. But it is an all or nothing deal.

When maruti said that their touchscreen information system cannot even accept a rear camera, I did not want the zxi. And to be honest, I find ALL THE touchscreen systems in all the cars unattractive. Maybe I am too old or too cynical, but I neither wish to be informed nor entertained while I am driving. Leave alone being double teamed by both at the same time.

Friends! What would be a decent ( not over the top) upsize for the Wagon R tires ?

I do not cross 100 kmph on the highway during day and 80 kmph after sunset.

I am an ultra conservative driver but would like to get better tires given that our TEAM BHP review says the stock tires on the vehicle are narrow.

Congratulations! Wish you a quick & good delivery process followed by many happy, safe years of companionship with one of the most trusted workhorses on our roads.

In case you are a fan of whiter light - IPHCar has just launched waterproof bi-LED projector fog lights in same dimensions as their usual renowned HID ones. You might want to check those out. They might be better to hook up directly into high beams as well since flashing action with LEDs is absolutely fine and not self-destructive like HIDs.

Yes, better to get wider tyres for sure. The stock ones are too thin for safe highway rides IMO.

• The simplest upsize with minimal speedometer & driving dynamics difference would be 165/75R13. There is virtually no difference in sidewall and wheel diameter specs.
• Next one would be 175/70R13. This would reduce the side-wall and diameter by about 1mm or so. So much more grip and a tiny bit stiffer ride (mostly unnoticeable).

You can pick either of these. I don't think up-sizing the rim to R14 is worth it or necessary.

Hello. Thank you for your input. However, I think my car comes with 165/70R14 as it is a 1.2 L model. Given this , what would be a better upsize?


With regards to the projector lights, could you please send me a Direct message. I can share my number and we can whatsapp or if you are on FB we can exchange messages. I have ZERO education on this topic and would like your advice.

Ah my bad! For this stock size, I suggest you go to 175/65R14. That should be good enough for the WagonR. But overall diameter will reduce a bit and you might feel the car looks under-tyred.
In that case, the next option would be 195/60R14. Really meaty ones. Will be a good upgrade & not a huge load to drive considering the K12 is anyway very powerful for the car.

I will PM you with some information about the projectors.

Taking this point from official review, I saw a yellow board new Wagon R in my apartment complex. While it was very much expected that people will end up buying them and change it to yellow board, I was surprised when I had a chat with him. He said that he bought it as a Yellow board from showroom itself. This means he got a car with 80km/hr speed limit setup done by MSIL itself. He went on to add that this ensured his warranty won't get void(MSIL is usually very adamant that owner loses warranty if speed limit is setup from outside). It was a VXI variant and he said it cost him 6.2 On road. Not bad!

Brought home my replacement Wagon R. It is a 1.2 vxi(o) AGS. Drove a total of 10 km back home.

Negatives

1. The car needs more attention compared to my old wagon R to drive due to it's increased size.

2. The steering feels WEIRD!! The steering has no resistance. It feels like it is not connected to the wheels. This is so different from my old Wagon R. It was made worse by the delivery team who had put some slippery oil on my dash and steering to make it look "new" !!! Makes no sense!!

3. There is perceptible dead spot between gear shifts if I put my foot down. Good news is that I seldom drive in a rush.

Positives

1. It is a Maruti Wagon R. I love the ethos behind this car.
"To hell with what others think of you. We will give you everything you need and nothing you don't need".

I am a loyalist of this model. A maruti product has never let me down in terms of reliability or service. It's smallness is it's brutal simplicity is it's strength. Those who understand it, understand it. I will keep buying the wagon R as long as they keep making it. No matter how boxy or how many ratings it gets in NCAP. Need I say more?

2. The AGS is so well mannered as long as I make polite requests to the car. The shifts are seamless. The good news is that I am a extremely sedate driver.

3. I love the NON touch screen audio system and the steering controls. The only thing I look forward to break the monotony of driving is calling family and friends. This system has good voice clarity and that is ALL I NEED. If truth be told I find the touchscreen systems a bit irritating. Unnecessary, gaudy and complicated. Give me a few physical buttons and I am happy.

4. The head light throw is surprisingly good. Much better than my old wagon R. (I plan to add projector beam fog lamps eventually)

5. Gainormous legroom for all seats.

Fitment of accessories is scheduled for tomorrow at the local car decor shop. I really hope I get used to the unacceptably weird steering feel and I hope the new wagon R fills the shoes of my older Wagon R. Time will tell.

Congratulations. clap:

Do get the tyre pressure checked. Dealers are known to overinflate the tyres. I see you've got the smart dock also. Can you share it's details?