I bought my first car WagonR Duo. This is the first car i have driven in my life, I learnt driving in a driving school on a maruti 800. Pardon me if I say anything incorrect, since I can write based on my drving in wagonR and maruti 800 only.
I chose this 'Duo' after a lot calculations that i did myself, I could do a max down payment of 1,50,000 wanted a car that is comfortable, cheaper maintenance and cheaper running cost considering i might do 1000 kms more or less in a month. If I was to do a full down payment and buy a car, i surely would have gone for a diesel car, but if you are going to take a loan of above 2.5 lakhs, then you really need to calculate the 'Total Cost of ownership per month' which is EMI + Fuel Cost + Maintenance + Insurance. I can give the calculation spread sheet on request, but without going much deeper into the calculation and considering depreciation, resale value etc.. here are my conclusions
In a scenario, where you are earning, 20,000 per month on hand and not yet married, and
Making a down payment of 1,50,000
and taking a loan of approx 2,82,000 or more @ 12 %
and want a car that seat minimum 4 people of 5'9" comfortably
and want a car in which you do 70% city driving and 30% highway driving
- You should go for a Diesel car (I am referring to Indica v2 turbo) only if you are sure to cover 1500+ kms per month (Diesel Car = Expensive EMI + Lower fuel cost + Slightly higher maintenance + Expensive insurance + greater depreciation + lesser resale value)
- You should go for a Petrol Car (I am closely referring to Wagon R petrol) if you are going to always drive less than 800 - 1000 kms per month. (Petrol Car = Lesser EMI + Higher fuel cost + Lower maintenance + Average insurance + less depreciation + greater resale value)
- You should go for a Duo if you are going to cover between 1000 to 1500 kms per month, mostly in city and less on highway since WagonR Duo has a 22.5 ltr lpg tank only. (Duo = More EMI than Petrol + much Lower fuel cost than petrol + Slightly higher maintenance the petrol but less than diesel + Expensive insurance compared to petrol + slightly more depreciation than petrol + resale value same as petrol)
After learning driving in a maruti 800 and then driving this car, I felt that it is much much easier to drive than the 800, the steering feels silk smooth (I know 800 doesn't have power steering) and engine responds very well. I have done 275 kms in two days, I felt everything except the gear shifting feels great (wagonR's bad gear shifting has been written about all over the internet, so i knew it very well before buying).
The engines surely feels more peppy and responsive in petrol mode than lpg mode, but since I wont rev up my hard earned 4 lakh red beauty, lpg has enough to get off the mark decently, although not with A/C on and 4 passengers.
The steering height is perfect for my height 5'8" and can rest my hands on the door while still keeping a hand on steering, so hand doesnt get tired so fast, I have also pushed back the driver seat a bit and put it on a little lean back position, so i feel very comfortable inside now.
The visibility from inside the car is good, especially while taking the reverse and tight turns because of the large sized windows.
Overall I am in love with my car and will surely recommend a wagonR to others (Just hope it doesn't give many problems in future, although I ave read rare cases of engine knocking, gear slipping etc.)