Why buy a Maruti Ignis instead of a Wagon R for a similar price

I have driven both cars and found that the Ignis has better highway manners. Also, it has a family car image whereas the Wagon R has a typical cab image now.

BHPian aniketi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

As we know, the Wagon R has been a very popular car here in India for more than 20 years now. It has done so many records of the sales, and doing more and more every year with its blockbuster sales. Its tallboy design is very user-friendly and it makes it a perfect city car backed up by Maruti A.S.S. Current model is spacious too and has good boot space. Being sold in numbers, Maruti takes advantage of it and its price has increased considerably in the last few years.

Recently my friend (neighbor actually) in the society purchased Wagon R AMT for his wife. I was surprised to know that he paid 7.75 Lakhs for it (not top-end). Recently I purchased an Ignis Zeta for 7.9 Lakhs. I keenly inspected his car and found the following things:

Wagon R advantages

• It has a little more space than Ignis inside. It's a little taller than Ignis.
• It has a little more boot space.

Ignis advantages

• It has an OEM Infotainment system which is really good and supports Android Auto and Apple Carplay. You can play wireless music & do other things. Only for maps you have to connect to the Phone with a wire which is ok.
• True keyless entry and Engine start stop button. Really good to have features for sure, feels premium. It comes with 2 remote keys.
• It comes with black sporty Alloy wheels which cost 25-30 K if you want to get them from outside.
• Electric OVRMs which is again a very good to have feature.
• It comes with a rear wiper and washer too.
• IMHO Ignis is a little better built than Wagon R. All panels feel sturdy when pressed with hand.
• Ignis has a family car image whereas Wagon R has a typical cab image now. IMO Ignis looks better than Wagon R, it has some sporty looks and has a small SUV feel.
• Though interiors are more or less the same quality, due to some metal parts and an Infotainment system, Ignis certainly looks more premium.
• I have driven both and found Ignis has better highway manners. In fact, it surprises you on the highway with its peppiness and tight handling.
• Though Wagon R has some more space, Ignis isn't short on space either. It's a quite spacious car in its category.

Considering the above points, I personally feel Ignis makes more sense over Wagon R for personal use. Both use the same 1.2 K series engine and both get good, trusted Maruti A.S.S.

If anyone is interested in buying a small car like Wagon R, please have a look at Ignis. Also, Maruti offers a good exchange bonus and free accessories which makes the deal more sweeter. Currently, they are offering good discounts too and mostly it's readily available too.

Here's what BHPian Chetan_Rao had to say about the matter:

The WagonR has compromises, most Maruti no-nos apply to it, but THE one area it's got most cars beat (including some costing a few times as much!), is 'old people' ergonomics.

When the ability to comfortably get in & out is the difference between whether a car will get used or gather dust parked, every other consideration takes a back seat.

A car's primary job is to enable mobility, and it takes restricted mobility to truly appreciate what quality of life difference a simple, 'compromised' car makes.

Here's what BHPian DCEite had to say about the matter:

I have owned two WagonRs in the past (first and second generation) and currently drive the Ignis as my city beater car.

To be frank, the Ignis is much ahead of the WagonR when it comes to the maturity of driving dynamics, gearbox and engine tuning. The Ignis, even though is tall, but it's not a tall "boy" like the WagonR, so you can immediately feel that it drives more planted and stable at higher speeds than the WagonR, without much compromise on the interior space. Having said that, I would restrict my highway usage with both of these city-oriented cars (notwithstanding the tempting engine on the Ignis which begs to be revved like a Suzuki motorcycle of yesteryears).

But why does the WagonR sell more if Ignis is a superior (and yet similarly priced after discounts) product in the market? It is because of the WagonR brand value that has taken two decades to instil a sense of trust in the market, as a no-nonsense, go-anywhere, abuse-friendly, fill-it-forget-it kind of car. Not that Ignis doesn't have those characteristics, but Brand value does make a difference.

As an analogy, consider if you go to the market to buy an adhesive at a stationary shop. 99 out of 100 times you would buy "Fevicol". Chances are, you are not even aware there might be a better (and even cheaper) product available at the same store.

That's what brand value does.

Here's what BHPian DicKy had to say about the matter:

Forgot the biggest advantage of the WagonR- Brand strength.

The Ignis has been here for only one generation, and there is a high probability it won't have a second generation. Not in the case of WagonR which has been sold straight for almost 24 years across three generations.

That said, no doubt the Ignis is a superior model. I, myself had recommended the Ignis to people who looked at the WagonR, S-Presso and other brands like Tiago. Unless one is going for the base manual models of Alto K10, S-Presso or Celerio, one is better off buying an Ignis for a slight increase in EMI. Most buyers of WagonR won't budge since they are part of the Alto-WagonR-Swift-Ertiga-City-Innova gang.

The only redeeming feature of the present WagonR IMHO is they have offered the 1.2l engine in it. Other than that it is an exercise in cost-cutting compared to previous WagonR generations. Bloated size, with the dashboard functioning as a glorified holder for the touchscreen and dome-like interior space.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.