[ravradha]

Parry’s sales analysis of Nov 2013 reads:

Alto (800+K10): 23024
Swift (Petrol + Diesel): 15734
Desire (Petrol + Diesel): 15286
WagonR: 12815

As a single model WagonR, in all likelihood, will be in the top 2 best sellers if not THE bestseller. Not without reason. I know what others think, through posts here and from other conversations. But here is what made me select WagonR VXI.

Guided by Why not What.

Refer to the classic from GTO on “How to buy a *NEW* car in India”. He has organized it as follows:

Step 1: Homework (Budgeting, new/used, petrol/diesel, manufacturer, options, time-to-buy)
Step 2: Test Drive (Test drive, second opinion)
Step 3: Sealing the deal (Shop around, finance, insurance, warranty..)
Step 4: Post-delivery (Upsizing, running-in)

I have gone through most of the steps he has said. The search was driven by the “purpose of buying a car”.

I was having a ‘purpose’ of buying a car. I guess understanding ‘that’ is primary for making a sound decision. What was the purpose of me buying a car?

1. I had changed job recently, and the new company was giving me a car on lease with value up to Rs 12.5 Lacs

2. I had an option of going for a new car lease or stay with my love (Santro class of ’03). This will be based on achieving the ‘purpose of buying a car’ within the break even cost. [Breakeven is cost of owning my santro for next 3 years = cost of lease for next 3 years = 5.5 Lacs (Catch is I will enjoy tax benefits if I lease and no tax benefit I retain my Santro and hence the high figure 5.5] calculations enclosed

3. My purpose is to go for the least cost car which will give:

a. Me

i. a comfortable drive
1. with comfortable (back, legs, eyes, mind) driving at speeds upto 60 Kmph
2. with easy go-stop-go behavior (Santro was good at this)
3. Easy to park car (Hit Santro twice)
a. In my house which has a sloping ramp and an immediate turning
b. Crowded parking in the office
4. Easy to reverse into a busy road in the morning and reverse in the varying slots at office without hitting in the front or back
5. Which shows where I’m driving – front, sides, back (Santro not good hit the adjacent vehicle twice)
6. Which entertains me during my half an hour drive in the morning and evening
7. Which keeps me cool in the sweltering Chennai heat
8. Keeps the front and back windshields clean in the dusty area I’m in
9. Keeps the sun away from my skin for I’m allergic to UV
10. Pleasing to the eyes – for about 1 hour I spend in the car daily

ii. Gives hassle free ownership
iii. Enough benefits for 3 years as I will not own it and will only be paying rental to use it for 3 years and return it after that

b. Wife

i. A good looking car

c. Mom

i. A good looking car

d. Father

i. A car which a tall person like him, having difficulty to walk and bend, can easily get in and out and sit in comfortably for rides to temple and hospital

e. Brother

i. Any new car

Based the breakeven cost analysis I had the luxury of choosing one amongst the following:

Alto 800, Alto K10, WagonR, Ritz, Swift, Eon, Santro, I10, I20, Spark, Beat, Figo

Most say how you can compare Alto with I20. But I’m comparing cars across segment because I can. So we have I20 getting compared on price and Alto on quality. I suspect most would have the luxury to compare across segments because of three reasons:

1. The budget has a plus / minus of about 20% (In my case more)
2. The (sub)segment jumps at a difference of just 20K-40K
3. Willingness to spend more if value is perceived

Based on my principle of choosing the lowest priced car which meets my purpose my search went like this.

Alto (Too low. Difficult for father to get in and out)
Eon (In contention but less score on visibility front, pickup, feel)
Santro (In contention but less score on visibility front)
Spark and Beat (Dropped, was not comfortable with Chevrolet as a brand, in retrospect I think I was not right on this)
Figo (Dropped, was not comfortable with Ford as a brand, in retrospect I think I was not right on this)
Tata cars were not considered as I percieve them to be unreliable and having poor driving experience (fact may be different)

Choice now was Eon, Santro, WagonR, Ritz, Swift, Eon, Santro, I10, I20
WagonR edged out both Eon and Santro after test drive – all round visibility was the main factor (May be subconsciously I was thinking about the hits I had with my Santro, but no doubt WagonR has better visibility)

Shortlist now was WagonR, Ritz, Swift, I10, I20

All the cars were good. Liked I20 the best and Swift next. Ritz was better than WagonR.

In terms of cost - WagonR Lxi < WagonR Vxi < Ritz Lxi < Swift Lxi < Ritz Vxi < …… the difference was always about 20 to 30 K. So I had to stop somewhere. I stopped at WagonR Vxi. The guiding principle was - choosing a car which satisfied my purpose at lowest cost. The gap between WagonR Vxi and Ritz Lxi in 3 year ownership cost was 55K, after adding interest cost and fuel cost. This made decision making easier.

Have booked WagonR Vxi.

Both my wife and mom didn't like the looks of WagonR but are ok with my reasoning.


Will update on getting my hands on the steering wheel.

[ravradha]

Booking and delivery experience from the dealership

The delearship was Kapico, chennai. The booking process was pretty smooth. I had booked a silver VXI on 21 Dec 2013, and later changed it to Ecrue Beige. The delivery was made on 7th Jan 2014.

Delivery was quick and enjoyable. I arrived at the showroom to see my car gleaming and wearing a nice big garland. I had the TBHP checklist with me and went through the process. The registration had been done and car was sporting the newly painted number plate. The documentation process was done at the right pace and fully. Two things could have been better: 1) The air freshner was bad looking and decided to change it, 2) The reverse parking sensor was of LED make and was mounted on the side, they had promised
a better reverse parking sensor with display mounted on the IRVM.

Pooja was performed and with a 5 liter coupon my WagonR rolled out of the showroom, with the odometer showing 74 Kms! I had a big smile on my face.

On-road price, discounts.


The on-road price came to Rs.4,63,681. Accesories: Idol, Full biege seat cover - PU leather, reverse parking sensor, body cover, full flooring mat, biege leather steering cover, garware sunfilm (50 % VLT), bumber beeding, mud flaps, floor mats, perfume, 31.5 K cash discount, freebies sponsored together by dealer and lease company.

The good

1. The car is narrow enough to park at my house, which has limited parking
2. Easy Ingress and Egress for my father
3. Good all round visibility
4. Good FE
5. Good easy suspension
6. Looks
7. Electric operated ORVM
8. Reverse parking sensors
9. Others

1. The car is narrow enough to park at my house, which has limited parking
Occupies less space in the parking lot: As I have listed earlier I wanted a car to be parked easily and in limited space. The space left for taking two wheelers (four in number) after I have parked my WagonR – have a look, nothing can beat WagonR, its is small and spacious at the same time.




2. Easy Ingress and Egress for my father
I wanted my father to get and out of the car easily. Wide opening doors and tall seats, space between seat and the front (even in the back) will be of immense help.




3. Good all round visibility
The whole world is visible. Wow! what a view from the seat. Especially after changing from Santro, this is a big improvement. I felt as though I was sitting outside.







Even the rear view is not bad.




4. Good FE
Fourth reason is that my Santro was giving just 10 – 11 Kms of mileage per liter. I hope WagonR will give me 40% more mileage and there by save me more than Rs.2000 p.m.

I have now done my second 'tank-full'. The mileage is a healthy 16.3 Kmpl, after 750 kms. Good, given that the ride was in 100% city traffic conditions, with 80% AC on. I was driving mostly in first, second and third gears. I was able to go fifth only twice.





5. Good, easy suspension
Suspension (as compared with my previous car Santro) is great. It's soft and takes on the bumpy chennai roads easily. This was a sweet surprise.




6. Looks
To the majority who feels WagonR looks bad this may be a shocker, but I do think WagonR looks good.



Corporate stance





Cool relaxed evening look






Against the setting sun





Top rails: Good touch





Flying machine




Top view - Looks like a SUV





Inside - looks good




7. Electric operated ORVM
Electric operated ORVM. I believe this is a great safety feature. Joystick operation feature is a boon. The ORVM themselves are quite big, class leading and useful.




8. Reverse parking sensors
Reverse parking sensors - Again a great safety feature. So far it's working great. Already I have averted on bump with a lamp post.

Sensors





Sensor display - Red - be cautious (look at distance to obstruction - 0.8 meters only - and in which direction (right))






Sensor display - Green (Distance to obstruction 1.4 meters - both directions) - Good to go




9. Others

a. Luxurious space, even better than Santro. Right, left, front and top - space is available in plenty.
b. Seating is comfortable.
c. The gears slot nicely - gives an effortless feel, eventhough I need to change gears often. Reverse gear was a bit of an issue in Santro. No such issues, in Wagon R.
d. The audio set in my car is good. Sound quality is better than I expected. I was skeptical because of not so favourable comments by fellow tbhpians.


The bad

1. Poor low end torque
2. Poor noise insulation
3. Bad build quality


1. Poor low end torque

I had a Santro earlier, was in love with the car. Today when I started driving my brand new Wagon R, I realized how badly I missed my Santro. When I initially started driving the WagonR it was as if I had my hand brake on. I checked, rechecked and re rechecked. The low end torque is that bad compared to Santro. The car stopped 15 times before I came to my house. I used to come down to third gear with my Santro at signals, second at the least, never ever in first. First gear was only for initial push while starting. Santro used to zip (Xing!) when the accelerator was even slightly touched. In WagonR I had to stand on the accelerator.


Now is my second day with my WagonR. I would have to accept that the low end torque is not that bad an issue, it is a matter of getting adjusted.

Is it? I ask myself.

Yes and No. No because I got adjusted to the WagonR character, and I do what I have to, unconsciously. Yes, because I DO change gears more often and I press the accelerator harder. Even today I checked if my handbrake was on!


2. Poor noise insulation

The worst of all, the noise insulation is nonexistent in WagonR. Pin drops will be heard inside. Especialy in Chennai traffic where people do not need a reason to honk their horn, its as though thenhorn is blowing in the ear. Just like if you would have been on a two wheeler. (If I would have been able to take a snap of this painful feature (or lack of one) I would have. The engine is silent but it appears noisy as there is no noise insulation. When I honk I hear it very loudly. I now try to avoid honking.


3. Bad build quality

Inside it 'looks' great. But the plastic quality - thinckness, the fit and firmness - is poor.The very first time I got into WagonR at shoWagonRoom (when I got delivery) my leg touched the door and the door plastic sank inside!




The ac vent has flimsy plastic covers; even Walls cassata cup seems to be sturdier!





Gapping hood.




Would have been happier with the following:

1. Bluetooth connectivity
2. Even better FE. WagonR in Japan, is able to give ~29 Kmpl. Why not WagonR or Santro in India? Eco-Cool, Ene-Charge are technologies which Suzuki should be able to easily replicate in Indian version of WagonR. Diesel WagonR may be an easier answer.
3. Slightly higher low end torque
4. Better build and noise insulation
All at the same price. I believe this is possible.

Time and competition will tell.


Overall impression:

Low pulling power at slow speeds and high noise level inside makes it a not-so-good city hatch. WagonR scores high in rest of the parameters.

If you want a spacious yet small hatch, with good fuel efficiency go for WagonR if do not mind the low end torque and high noise level inside. Please do test drive (preferably a friends' car) Ritz, Spark, Beat, Santro and i10 before deciding.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[bluevolt]

Congratulations ravradha for your new Maruti WagonR.

Nice crisp review there. Your car is looking great in that shade.

Please do keep the thread posted with service updates & more pictures.

Wishing you many miles of happy and safe driving.

[Dieseltuned]

Congrats!

Wagon R Vxi is a true value for money vehicle. We have a 2012 WagonR Vxi driven approx 12K kms and returning an FE of 15-16 kmpl in Bombay's bumper to bumper madness. Hope you have a great time in ypr wagon.

Wishing you a very happy and safe miles

[DragonHawk]

Heartly wishes ravradha!!

Very well written and crisp review. WagonR easily scores high for hassle free city driving and highway cruising. With on road price of 4.6lakhs and a Maruti tag makes it one of the best buy in its class. Anyways I wish you have a safe miles ahead.
Drive safe

[joybhowmik]

Congratulations on your purchase decision ravradha!
You can't go wrong with the WagonR. oodles of space, driving comfort, fantastic mileage - what more can one ask for?
Wishing you many years of driving fun in this car!!

[audioholic]

Congratulations on the WagonR. Welcome to the WagonR club

Surprised that you are getting that much FE. On the highways it reaches nearly 20kmpl, but in the city I rarely get above 14 with partial AC usage.

Low end response will get better. Without AC and under moderate load, it will pull well in second and third gear also. However since the engine is quite free revving and doesnt create a racket, I maintain it above 1500rpm most of the times. Get the B-Pillar blackened, I feel that will give a good continuity between the side windows. It will complete the side profile well.

[ravradha]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Surprised that you are getting that much FE. On the highways it reaches nearly 20kmpl, but in the city I rarely get above 14 with partial AC usage.

Me too.

I may have done some error in calculating. Even if I allow 1 or even 2 Kmpl for error, it still is 14+ which is good for a new vehicle. Touch wood, this should continue, may be even get better.

Originally Posted by audioholic

Low end response will get better. Without AC and under moderate load, it will pull well in second and third gear also. However since the engine is quite free revving and doesnt create a racket, I maintain it above 1500rpm most of the times. Get the B-Pillar blackened, I feel that will give a good continuity between the side windows. It will complete the side profile well.

Thanks. That's reassuring. Yes, engine is free revving. Yet another good part of WagonR. I hope the low pulling power in slow speeds will not be as big an issue, I initialy thought it would be. I'm already getting used to it. It doesn't stop abruptly in the signals now.

[girishglg]

Congrats there on a very sensible review of a very well rounded city car for the daily runabout. Nice to hear a decent bump in the fuel efficiency at around 16 kmpl which is very good.

WagonR will not disappoint you and will service economically over the years. Ah also noticed a coconut tree in your parking area and wondered how you would protect your new baby from identified falling objects!

[ravradha]

Thanks for your whishes - bluevolt, Dieseltuned, DragonHawk, joybhowmik, audioholic and girishglg.

A small update on my WagonR.

Milestone: Completed first service @ 900 Kms, 31 days

It has been a progressively good experience with WagonR. The next tank full also gave me 16+ Kmpl. I had three incidents. All three incidents happened in the office parking lot. The parking has a low curb wall. The height of the curb wall varies at different places. While parking I hit (just touched) the curb wall twice. First time there was a minor scratch second time the bumper got cut. It just tore like a paper when the car touched the top of the curb wall. The tear is about 2 inches long below the fog lamp in the bumper. The bumper is flimsy. Usually bumper just gets dented and this can be set right easily. But because of the bumper got hit at the edge, it just tore. I wonder why they have not made the edges thicker, (say like a bucket). I shall update this post with a photo later. Third time some car has hit the back of my parked car and left a scar.

I left the car with these scars for the first service at Vishnu Cars, GST Road. There were no other issues with the car. The driver from the agency, came and picked the car at my office, at 11.00 a.m. and got it back serviced at 4.00 p.m.

The front bumper was set right to the extent possible. (Repaint / repair was not possible is what I was told, I turned down the suggestion to replace the bumper @ Rs.5000). The rear scar was completely removed by polishing.

Top up and adjustments were done. Guess what, post first service my WagonR is behaving very nicely. The lower end torque has significantly improved. The car feels right, earlier it felt extremely light to drive, I mean there was no feedback. It used to accelerate very slowly, and the pickup used to be slow. Now the pickup has improved and it revvs nicely. The idle RPM is same as before @ 1000. There is a difference though. Earlier, when I used to take my feet off accelerator the rpm used to quickly return to 1000. Now there is a lag, it take about 15 seconds more to come back to 1000. Wonder what was done. Can some one explain? The technician told he had adjusted the clutch and accelerator. What does ‘adjust’ mean?

I feel the engine sound has increased a bit. I’ve to check the FE now. Hope it remains at 16 kmpl or improves.

Vishnu Cars seems to be good. Service charge: ZERO. (0 Rs.). Convinience: 100% Service completeness: 80%. (Would have been happier if they had touched up the tear in the bumper with some paint, body shop person refused to do it)

Friends, I have a different view of WagonR now. The main grouse I had of WagonR – that of insufficient low end torque has just vanished. I’m eager to know how this was possible. Will I lose out on FE? Why the car was not calibrated like this in the first place?

The smile is still there on my face. WagonR I just love you.

Originally Posted by girishglg

.... Ah also noticed a coconut tree in your parking area and wondered how you would protect your new baby from identified falling objects!

Good observation girishglg. Fortunately, the tree is curved away, but still chances are that my car will be blessed with a coconut any time. Let me see what I can do. Any suggestions? I do not have a alternate place to park.

[PVS]

Originally Posted by ravradha

Booking and delivery experience from the dealership

Congratulations on your purchase ravradha, and welcome to the Wagon-R owners club! This is a wonderful car, and will give you many miles of stress-free ownership experience. It is cost-effective to maintain and drive. I have had one since August 2012 and [touch-wood], have had a hassle-free ownership experience so far.

There are owners in this forum like paragsachania and vnabhi, who have have clocked high mileage on their Wagon-Rs; you could benefit by reading up their ownership reports as well.

One of the niggles you would face, is engaging the reverse gear - sometimes it can be a real pain!
The back seat is good for intra-city drives, but long drives can get painful, as the Wagon-R does tend to get bouncy at higher speeds.

It will be good to get an underbody anti rust coating and a paint protection film done from your nearest 3M shop, in case you have not got it done already.

Congrats and wishing you many Kms of a blissfull ownership experience.

[ravradha]

2000 Kms up.

Avearge is 15.1 - 15.4 Kmpl

Lowend torque is ok. I had to buy that extra torque, by paying 1 kmpl.

I had repaired the tear in the bumper. Will upload the photos and the details, soon.

[CountMe91]

Since you are using Wagon R Vxi with factory fitted HU, I wanted to know what are the supported Pen Drives.

1. Will a 4GB or a 8GB work?
2. Does it support USB 3.0?

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by CountMe91

Since you are using Wagon R Vxi with factory fitted HU, I wanted to know what are the supported Pen Drives.

1. Will a 4GB or a 8GB work?
2. Does it support USB 3.0?

4 and 8GB do work and yes, a USB 3.0 also works in the stock HU, though mine is a pre-facelift model. It should also work in the new HU.