[blue_pulsar]

Originally Posted by auto-one

Due to the VFM pricing and clever positioning, cars like the Beat and i10 ( esp. 1.2 kappa) ...

Errr.. was that meant to be sarcastic?

Or people have really accepted i10 as 'VFM'?

[auto-one]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

Errr.. was that meant to be sarcastic?

Or people have really accepted i10 as 'VFM'?

VFM was for the newer entrants like the Beat and the Figo. But Iam sure , soon the i10 would be forced to go the VFM way.

[xingamazon]

Wonderful review Eddy, you have made not of all aspects one would look for in the car.

I would have liked to see how the blue tinge looks when its on,

I have a doubt about the increase in wheel base guys, IMO this should have been a pretty big reengineering effort, or is it simple.

I know changing the trim of a car like interiors, seats etc is easier, but touching its physical character like wheel base is a huge PD exercise.

Having decided to that exercise the increase doesnt look significant, better should have not done than try it.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by xingamazon

I have a doubt about the increase in wheel base guys, IMO this should have been a pretty big reengineering effort, or is it simple.

I know changing the trim of a car like interiors, seats etc is easier, but touching its physical character like wheel base is a huge PD exercise.

Did you read Eddy's review? This is a brand new platform. It's NOT a modified WagonR.

Having decided to that exercise the increase doesnt look significant, better should have not done than try it.

Again, the review specifically mentions that rear space is a much improved area, and noticeably better than the old WagonR.

[-NUT-case]

During the press meet at the launch of the new WagonR , a journo asked why MSIL decided to give the 3 pot engine when most of the competition was offering the 4 pot engine to which one of the MSIL bigwigs answered "People do not buy cylinders, they buy the whole car" .


Coming to the driveability of the K10B , i feel the engine is much easier to drive than the Beat's 4 cyclinder. During the test drive of the beat i was never really relaxed . I had to constantly keep thinking what i have to do next to keep the car moving smoothly forward.


Almost everyone agrees on the poor performance in the 1st and 2nd gear of the beat. One owner even suggested his method of riding the clutch to get some power out of it.


The sign of a good engine is when you drive it instinctively without any effort. (Sigh my santro has spoiled me )


The visibility in the Beat is really bad . Doesn't give you confidence. The car as such is a very good car as far as fit, finish and looks are concerned.


The petrol Figo , very nice car . Beautiful handling and a pleasure to drive but again a litttle short of power although it is a 1.2, 4 cylinder engine.The biggest grouse for me is the FE, it is going to pinch you very bad in the long run. Looks are very ordinary especially when you see it on the road and i am seeing a lot of them here in chennai.


And i10 ,well u can get a fully loaded WagonR VXI cheaper than the mid range Magna i10 with a 1.1 engine . Yes the interior fit and quality is better in i10 but the Wagon r gives you more space and you dont have to squeeze yourself into the drivers seat like in the i10.


So which car you buy is upto what you consider is important.


Style+FE - BEAT
Driving pleasure +Space - FIGO
Status - i10
Practicality+FE+A*S*S - Wagon R

[rutvij]

I have been driving WagonR for close to 5 years now. I very much like its maneuverability in city, driving position, cooling of AC, lots of storage area for keeping things & versatility of back seat. Its a great city car.

My dis-satisfactions with WagonR were with regards to its gear shifting, ride quality, rattlings, and braking. In fact braking was one of my biggest grouse with WagonR. While traveling with 4 adults the braking felt very inadequate and never gave confidence to me.

From the review I can say they have addressed most of these issues and it seems to be a great improvement over the outgoing model. Can you please throw some light on braking.

Maruti has made many chages in exterior styling while adopting it for our country. Here I feel that they have missed a very good opportunity of making a small SUV out of WagonR. With number of small cars in its portfolio competing with each other they could have a created a whole new segment.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by sajo

Any idea how much this adapter thingy costs ?

No Sajo, the pricing was not available at the time of the press review.

[ravi@64bhp]

Maruti has offered a good package with the new Wagon-R. Some people may dislike it due to their love/fascination towards beat/i-10, but the current package definitely puts wide smiles on buyers.

I am sure, those who used Wagon-R, always choose it again over a beat or i-10. WagonR means 'box' and 'practical'. If somebody wants a difference, there are other good options. Ultimately, the sales would tell the story (as has been the case in the past).

With not much features, old Wagon-R used to sell 10k+ a month (even with stiff competition from I-10 and Beat). With the new Wagon-R that is leagues ahead of the old one, I do not see why a beat or i-10 scores much better now.

[rx2389]

Originally Posted by longhorn

Edit: Any info on whether the discounts available on the previous model are being made available to this one as well?

I can't imagine Maruti Suzuki continuing the discounts on Wagon R's previous model to the new one. The discounts were primarily to induce the prospective buyers to clear the old stock.

I don't forsee any discounts on new Wagon R atleast for first few months.

[altius]

Does the new Wagon R look the same in Japan and other countries where it is sold. In the picture of old and new Wagon R side by side, the rear side look almost the same and unless someone takes a closer look, it is difficult to believe it is a "all new" car. I am wondering why would Suzuki want the new model to be very similar to the "10 year" old version.

[san2]

thanks for the review
I think now it looks good from front
but the side view is as always bland
its a step up in the right direction and will maintain the sales for maruti

[better4worse]

Nice Review ... Eddy! Great job there, I believe its your first 'official' car review, guess that makes it even more special! I like the way the entire team compiles the car review in the chosen format on Team BHP, the layout is quite appealing (interspersed with photos), objective and exhaustive.

Could we have more specifics around the extra leg room from the previous version to this one? especially with the front seat completely pushed back, how much space does the New Wagon R offer? The pic vis-a-vis the leg room, in your first post (with the person seated in the rear), doesnt really show the improvement.

My take on the car: .....Two steps forward and two steps back !

Contrary to the some of the views here on the thread, for me the new version of the car has been disappointing on the whole ! Its almost like the MS has fixed the pain areas but then gone a step ahead and introduced some new ones, which for me nearly wipes out all the good work done on the car. It leaves you wondering if the inner jazzup (read new front dash and the dials) would cover for the terrible front face and the engine (which in my books usually count for a whole lot in the minds of an average Indian buyer). Wagon R may still overcome the looks bias (has successfully done that in the past), but the engine discomfort..I am not too sure!

WagonR is a great VFM product, the target audience loves it despite all the criticism about its looks and other known weaknesses. The main consideration behind all Wagon R buys usually is the effectiveness and practicality the car offers i.e. despite the boxy looks) coupled with a decent engine and best in class AC. If there were things that needed to fixed in the car, they were/are (in no specific order):

a. The gear shift - Rubbery, noisy, the stick has to pushed from one corner to the other, the reverse still poses problems.
b. Rear leg space - There is just not enough space in the first place
c. Dull interiors - Not so much of a trouble as the interiors and dash are fairly practical and not 'in your face' kinds. Any need for improvement in this department is more from a 'good to have' set of requirements
d. Outer Looks - Boxy but having grown used to it, not something one complains about considering the value the car offers.
e. Engine- 1.1Ltr struggles at times with the AC ON, if the engine needed an update it had to be 1.2 ltr engine as a must.

Interestingly MS has fixed some of those in the Wagon R,so While I appreciate the value the new Wagon R offers on the gear/front dash sophistication coupled with the rear leg room comfort on the 'inside' when compared to the previous versions, the engine department with 998 cc under the hood is just not good enough...Period! I say this after having experienced/driven a couple of Wagon R's (Personal car (78K / 2005 buy) and the extended family car ( done more than 50 k out of the 2.15 Lac kms/ possibly one of the first few all Japanese paces to have landed on the Indian soil). If the new one is noisy and rumbles even as a fresh buy, one can only imagine the way its going feel and sound(NVH) after 3-5 yrs of ownership or say 50-75Kms of running. While, I have had absolutely no trouble with the AC unit on both the Wagon Rs, I have always felt the load and effect it has on the 1.1Ltr engine. The pick up is severely affected with the AC's on and the engine too rumbles a bit more along with the increased noise levels. I have some serious doubts on the new 3 pot 998 cc doing well, with the AC on i.e. over a long term.

While it may have topped the ARAI FE benchmarks with 18.6 kms, the real world figures are just a different ball game altogeather. I dont expect it to deliver any more than 13-15 kms/ltr in hot delhi summers with full AC on (depending on terrain and driving style), which by the way is no different from any of the better spec-ed offerings like the new i10, new Swift. I have been driving around in the new Magna 1.2 Kappa off late (done 2K on it on the Delhi Noida stretch) and the car guzzles as much fuel as my old Wagon R's and is nearly the same if not slightly better in the FE department i.e. on a hot summer's day with AC On ( which is nearly the case for 8 months of the year in Delhi). Personally, for me the whole K series/ kappa - more FE thing is a feel good factor if nothing more. Additionally I wonder, how well would the 998 cc perform on FE front and overall with variables such as 4 adults in the car with full AC ON.

Over the years, I have found the cosmetic changes to be in the right direction (i.e. improving the looks with minimal effort) except for the last version (which had orange indicator lights and chrome overkill..Yuckk!) i.e.prior to this launch. As for this launch, all I can say is, I completely agree with sidindica's mom ! In my book they've got it wrong with the outer design, rather they still haven't got it right with the overall outer design its still boxy add to that some quirky cuts all over the front face, more cockroachy a.la Santro of the old. The front grill is also similar to the Zen estilo, which by the way is another confused product from MS).

Its another matter and discussion that the car will sell like hotcakes!!...not because this version is something brilliant in terms of a new offering, but all the more so because of the hard earned equity garnered over the years.


- B4W

[sidindica]

Wagon R LX and LXi pics

[gemithomas]

Maruti surely needs to sack its design team. Now What is This!!!!

- The dash looks like its come from an old 407 bin
- The headlights could look far better if the park lights and indicator lights positions were interchanged. But still i dont think it would go with the cars BOXY design.
- Did somebody say they tried to make it less boxy!!!?? It looks like a 42 inch widescreen TV with integrated tv stands from the rear!!!
- Those air damps. They look like the defective ones from the polo waste bin.
- Why is there a gap in the front chrome strips? Would an inch of missing chrome save money for maruti!!


Sorry to say this. One of the worst upgrades any manufacturer has brought in till date. But surely maruti would come up with some crap marketing jargons that majority would eat up and make such horrible looking cars a success!!

[SchumiFan]

I think some are over reacting to the design of the WagonR. It never was beautiful and will never be. What it was and will be is "functional". I quite like the tall design and is very convenient to ingress/egress the car.

The seats have been made comfortable by increasing the wheelbase and it has more equipments than i10 magna at a lesser price. What else do we need here? People who want nice looking cars can buy the Fiats and those who want dynamic ones, look at Ford and for those who want a simple, no-nonsense car; we have the WagonR(Maruti).

And can someone tell me what is that black thingy near the high mounted stop lamp on the rear of the car?
And Sid, please explain what are those in the first two pics of your post? Can u also show how the Vxi's bonnet looks like then? Or is it the same across the variants?