[beast_within]

Disclaimer:

My initial ownership review is based on my previous experience with the cars that I have driven. I have extensively driven carbureted M800, previous generation WagonR, Accent Petrol, Chevy Spark, Indica Diesel, Bolero and Marshal DI. I have no experiences with turbo charged engines. Hence my review of new WagonR shall be benchmarked against these similar type vehicles which I have used earlier.



Bringing home the new Car

Our previous car: We had a 1999 Model Carb Maruti 800 which had been faithfully doing its duty all these years. It did not give us any problems whatsoever.

Budget for new car: 0.00 INR (more on this later)

Why WagonR: We were not actually looking for changing our old M800. But some of the shortcomings like poor AC, Rear Legroom, inadequate braking were some of the reasons which I felt that it’s time to bid her farewell. I really had tough time convincing my dad to change the car, he was happy with his old sultanate. My dad is working with State Government so we already have a chauffeur driven car at all times so this car like our previous M800 would sparsely be used. Primarily this new car would be used by my sister for city use only and very rare highway use.

So finally got a nod from my dad and I promptly filled up the online enquiry forms on the websites of Hyundai, GM and Maruti just to explore exchange offers against our good old M800.Only Maruti dealers were prompt enough to follow up on the same day itself. Others did’t bother to call. We didn’t want a Tata car because the car provided by the office is Tata Indigo, and did't wanted another TATA. Also depending upon the usage we were sure that we need a Petrol Hatch. For selling of our old M800 I posted adds on couple of online classifieds including TeamBhp but did not get any responses for 1 month. It was very clear that except the Maruti TruValue guys there are no takers for carb M800.So before my dad could change his mind it was decided that our next car would also be a Maruti, reason being hassle free ownership experience, discounts and exchange bonus etc.

As in a typical middle class family a new car is not something that is just thought and bought off the shelf. There goes inside a lot of thought process on the budget, finance options, down payment etc. As stated earlier the thought of buying a new car was just recent development and we had absolutely no budget provisions to get the new car and it was decided to go for financing. Some part of the down payment would come under exchange price and little bit through cash. Rest would have to be financed.

The models shortlisted were:

• Alto K10 Vxi
• WagonR Vxi
• Ritz Lxi/Vxi

Discarded Alto K10 because interior space is similar to our old car my said my mother and she being a casual observer said that looks are also similar to our old car.

Ritz is an all rounder, but the new car would be primarily be used by my sister and Ritz is bugged with lot of blind spots so driving and parking in the city would be a problem for her. Also she would be underutilizing the fantastic 1.2 KSeries engine.

So finally the WagonR Vxi was the winner with all the basic features and VFM price tag.

Booking & Dealership experience

I forgot to mention that I work in a different city and was not present during the test drives and booking sessions with the dealer. Dealer offered a discount of 80k on a new WagonR Vxi after exchange against the old M800 combined with all other bonuses and discounts. The deal seemed fair enough and we went ahead.

Before formal bookings were made I advised my Sister to take a test drive of the new generation of Wagon R. Here comes the not so good part of my experience with the dealership. The Sales Executive bought a new Silky Silver WagonR Vxi at our residence for a test drive. My sister informed me that there was no Demo Vehicle badge on the car and it had a disconnected odometer. Also the sales executive told to my family members that this is the same car that would be sold to us. I was not amused at this, made frantic calls to the dealership and asked them to cancel the deal. The silly excuse given to me by the Sales Executive was that he wanted us to actually feel and experience our own car. The executive even told me that the Odo comes disconnected from the factory . Silence prevailed over the phone after this for some time and then he called back and requested not to cancel the deal as this would hit his targets. I was in no mood to go ahead with this dealer but my mom-dad were kind enough and finally it was decided that no cars from his existing stock would be picked up, as we were unsure if they were used for test drives or any other purpose. The cars that were yet to be shipped or in transit would only be considered for purchase, the dealer agreed finally the deal was closed.Thanks to TeamBhp's PDI Checklist which was by-hearted and religiously followed.

For the cashless insurance Maruti has tie-up with Royal Sundaram which is already infamous among us due to various reasons.My dad's M800's insurance policy had already accumulated 50% NCB ,after selling got the NCB certificate from the previous company.However due to some silly reasons Royal Sundaram people were unwilling to give me the benefit of NCB.Called their local office and head office at Chennai-No response. Filled Online inquiry form and now regularly receiving SPAM mails from them,they did't made a single follow up call till date.Did some research on the net and our Team Bhp and found that all companies are equally bad when it comes to honoring claims.So finally got the insurance from Future Generali and the staff was cordial enough to transfer our NCB to new policy.We decided to get our car financed through God’s own bank, State Bank of India.The Cost of various components is as below

1. Amount Financed:----------------- 2,75,000
2. Cash Payment:---------------------1,00,000
3. Exchange rate for old car:------------40,000
4. Exchange bonus:---------------------12,000
5. Discount:----------------------------25,000
6. Corporate discount:--------------------3000
7. Insurance(NCB 50%):------------------8,100
8. RTO: ------------------------------~25,000
9. OTR Price for WagonR Vxi:-------- ~4,55,000

The good things:

1. Ample leg room both at the front and rear.
2. Airy and roomy cabin.
3. Deep glove box.
4. Good all round visibility.
5. Good fog lights.
6. Better ride quality and handling than previous generation wagonR.
7. Optimized as a city hatch.
8. Improved gear shifts.
9. Good mid range torque delivery by segment standards.
10. Chiller Air Con.
11. Feedback from Electronic Power Steering.
12. Storage Tray under front passenger seat.
13. Electrically adjustable OVRMs.

Some NOT so good things:

1. Lack of low end torque.
2. Small boot.
3. Odd placement of Centre Aircon vent.
4. Subpar fit and finish, large panel gaps.
5. Poor quality roof rails.
6. Average sounding Music System which is a standard across segment.
7. No bottle holders on the doors. The one behind the hand brake lever is pretty useless and feels brittle.
8. Poorly built Key less entry remote control.
9. The grab handles above the windows are below average in quality and when pulled down the spring mechanism is visible which is a eye sore.
10. NVH levels highest among the petrol cars of the segment.
11. Orange backit Speedo console is reflected on the RHS window glass and impairs OVRM visibility at night.
12. 5th passenger is absolutely unwelcomed.
13. The Coke Can holders are merely cosmetic in nature.

Fit & Finish

Overall build quality is typical Maruti with inconsistent panel gaps near both the fenders. The same goes for interiors too.The upholstery is below average apart from the fabrics on the seats which is of a better quality. The Roof's metal sheet is paper thin with poor insulation. Even under moderate rains makes “pat-pat” sound,as if someone is pelting pebbles on the roof. I believe this has been done intentionally to reduce the weight on the upper part of the car’s body.

Interior Space and Comfort

Car is spacious enough for four with ample legroom. Luggage space is bare minimum at 180 liters and is best suited for shopping bags to say the least.Rear seats split 60:40 which can be folded if some extra luggage space is required.
Front seats are comfortable and one won't face any problem in locating a good driving position. Under thigh support could have been better.I did not sit at the rear so would not be able to comment on this at the moment.

Engine performance, Drivability & Gearshifts

Already lot had been discussed about this engine earlier on the forum and my opinion is also on similar lines. A gentle tap on the throttle will take you nowhere. Expect to depress the throttle to surge forward. Low end power is absolutely missing but once you cross 2500 RPM engine comes to life.I felt that mid range is quite good and is marginally better than Spark and Santro.

Since the engine was still running-in didn’t rev it beyond 3000 RPMs. Peak torque comes in post 3000 RPM. Power delivery with AC does suffer but not to the extent as in the 800cc M800/Alto. With AC ON and 4 onboard it’s mandatory to downshift to 1st to tackle speed breakers but surprisingly the engine recovers soon and its back to life quickly. The 3 cylinder unit is quite noisy at all RPMs and can be felt inside cabin too.

Gearshift has improved a lot over the previous generation WagonR primarily due to the cable shift type mechanism. Even slotting the reverse gear is no more an issue. The gears are placed well especially the 3rd gear is quite useful for urban as well as highway overtaking stunts.

Kitna Deti Hai ?

Cannot comment on FE figures at the moment as I spent only 2 days with new car and family drove it around 500 odd Kms, and now I’m back to my work in a different city. My sister won’t take the job of calculating the FE either.

Suspension & Ride quality

Small potholes are absorbed well while the car is not too happy with the large ones and is a bit shaky. Over all ride quality is far better than the previous generation WagonR and feels planted at speeds around 85~90 kmph.Did not go higher as the engine is running-in. Car responds well to the lane changes and curves at the speeds of 70~75 kmph.The steering does not feel dead at any speeds as in Spark and Santro.

Stock shoes 155/65R14 (Apollo) are noisy but are adequate for a sedate driving.

If you drive with windows open there is a lot of wind noise above 50 kmph.I have similar experiences with Bolero and Marshall.

Some Pictures:

Flaunting TeamBhp Stickers:






Center console's intutive layout, easily accessible to driver and co-passenger



Driver side small storage spot:



Brittle Bottle holder. 500ml bottle is a loose fit while 1 liter bottle is difficult to fit.


Air con vent chills the left hand and wiper stalk.Placement not good.Centre air con vents have limited horizontal swing range.Had they been actually placed at the center ;would have blown air to the rear passengers from in between the front seats.


Deep Glove Box and a sub compartment


No place to rest you cell phone.Coin receptacle too big in diameter


Gear knob looks good but too small to fit the palm.



Un-concealed rear defogger connector. Eye sore.


This spot should have been recessed more.This won't hold any thing in place.Can be used only to stick perfume bottles or idols.


Cosmetic Coke Can holder



Door Pocket, No bottle holder.


Small boot, practical layout and wheel wells do not intrude inside.


Anti rattle foam container to hold things in place.Nice.


Panel gap


Stock rubber




Overall this is a excellent buy for anyone who is looking for:

• A first car( who has no prior experience with owning and driving cars)
• Upgrading from M800/Alto with limited budget
• As a secondary car for city use
• Gift for parents or wife.

[.anshuman]

Note from Support: Thread moved here from Assembly line. Thanks for sharing

[aaggoswami]

1) Congrats on the new car. The K10 waggie is much better than the car it replaces. We have one ( factory fitted CNG one ) and it has now done 14K kms. without any trouble.

2) Bottom end torque. After driving F8B, you will feel this. We have M800 and Baleno, both the cars are known for their good low end torque. This K10 Waggie is a different story. But cross 2000-2500 rpm and see what the Waggie can do. The mid range and top end are much better. Having driven our waggie for long drives on highway, the car can really maintain good speeds and reach even 120 without much effort.

3) There is a noticable surge in power at certain rpm. I think its near to 3K rpm. Ours is CNG i.e. LXi, so no tacho but that surge is a bit of fun.

4) As per company, K10B does not need running in, but we did make sure that for first 1000 kms. speeds were kept in limit.

5) I too feel that just for aesthetic sense, they have placed the A/C vents at wrong locations. The entire car is based on Function over form and its A/C vents where they have lost sense. Literally the left hand would be chilled if vents are placed at face level.
The solution to this is to keep the vent such that the blow goes to roof, i.e. set the direction of the vent such that the air goes up towards roof. This will also help a bit in cooling at the rear. I have tried this, and for further effectiveness of this, let the vent direction be a bit on left ( such that blow would be near the center of two front seats ).

[bluevolt]

Congratulations on your Maruti WagonR VXi. This version of WagonR is probably the best version ever. Very nice pictures and write up.

Keep the thread updated with more pictures and service updates.

Wishing you happy and safe driving.

[GTO]

Thanks for sharing a review of Maruti's most practical car! Nice also to see her proudly wearing Team-BHP stickers

Originally Posted by beast_within

Only Maruti dealers were prompt enough to follow up on the same day itself. Others did’t bother to call.

Is it any wonder why Maruti dominates the Indian car market? It's these li'l things that show commitment.

Ritz is an all rounder, but the new car would be primarily be used by my sister and Ritz is bugged with lot of blind spots so driving and parking in the city would be a problem for her. Also she would be underutilizing the fantastic 1.2 KSeries engine.

Honestly, if you had the budget, the Ritz would have been a better choice. Thanks in no small part to that jewel of an engine, and superior build quality.

Thanks to TeamBhp's PDI Checklist which was by-hearted and religiously followed.

Ample leg room both at the front and rear.

Seriously! The first time I sat in the new Wagon, I was shocked at the amount of space for rear benchers. Sure, the boot is smaller, but I guess a typical family will use the rear seat more than the boot.

Better ride quality and handling than previous generation wagonR.

True. One of the biggest improvements.

Subpar fit and finish, large panel gaps.

When will Maruti learn that quality & VFM can go hand in hand? Just ask Chevy Beat!

Congratulations, and do drive safe!

[beast_within]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

1) Congrats on the new car. The K10 waggie is much better than the car it replaces. We have one ( factory fitted CNG one ) and it has now done 14K kms. without any trouble.

2) Bottom end torque. After driving F8B, you will feel this. We have M800 and Baleno, both the cars are known for their good low end torque. This K10 Waggie is a different story. But cross 2000-2500 rpm and see what the Waggie can do. The mid range and top end are much better. Having driven our waggie for long drives on highway, the car can really maintain good speeds and reach even 120 without much effort.

Yes, post 2500 RPM there is sufficient power and feels good to drive(as per my standards).I took Waggie to 85~90 kmph without any problems and the RPM needle was hovering around 2.5k RPM on top gear.Will try to stretch her legs post running-in.

3) There is a noticable surge in power at certain rpm. I think its near to 3K rpm. Ours is CNG i.e. LXi, so no tacho but that surge is a bit of fun.

According to specs peak torque comes at 3.5k RPM. Although Accent's Petrol engine is a decade older and cannot be compared with Kseries motor; it behaves similarly

4) As per company, K10B does not need running in, but we did make sure that for first 1000 kms. speeds were kept in limit.

Even Service Engineer told me that the car can be used in any manner,but User Manual says that Running-In Period is 960 Kms , states nothing on Speed/RPM limit. But it's better to follow the limits at least for 1000 kms.


5) I too feel that just for aesthetic sense, they have placed the A/C vents at wrong locations. The entire car is based on Function over form and its A/C vents where they have lost sense. Literally the left hand would be chilled if vents are placed at face level.
The solution to this is to keep the vent such that the blow goes to roof, i.e. set the direction of the vent such that the air goes up towards roof. This will also help a bit in cooling at the rear. I have tried this, and for further effectiveness of this, let the vent direction be a bit on left ( such that blow would be near the center of two front seats ).

I have also adjusted the vent similarly.Still the overall cooling does not seems to be uniform through the cabin.In this monsoon season front passengers are chilled even at blower position 2, while the rear seats are just moderately cool.Lets see how this works during summers.

The Air Flow Selector Knob feels like a electronic knob with no "Khad-Khad" sounds while adjusting it on various positions.Also the movement is smooth with no resistance(slotting sound) at the intended positions;feels as if its' disconnected from the HVAC system.Still works perfectly fine .

[CRtorquefan]

@beast_within;
Very Interesting buying experience indeed, somewhat similar to ours, dating back to year 2005. Parents were not interested in buying a new car while I insisted them to buy & bought Alto LXI then.
Anyways congratulations alot for buying a New Wagon-R VXI.
IMHO, its a best city car & is good enough to clock weekend Highway trips.
New Wagon-R reportedly delivers 15-16kmpl in City & 18-19kmpl on Highways. Hope you'll get the same from yours one.

[Speed.Demon]

Congrats on the purchase Beast!!!

I own the previous gen Waggie and I'm loving it!! I have driven the new gen Wagon and the handling HAS improved. That shows that MSIL has been listening to some customer feedback.

Anyway, keep her safe, Wish you many many happy miles of motoring!!!