Maruti Suzuki WagonR: Most Value for Money Variant Revealed

The Maruti Suzuki WagonR is a popular hatchback manufactured and marketed by Maruti Suzuki India Limited. The first-generation WagonR was launched in India in 1999 and since then, the car has undergone several upgrades and facelifts. The WagonR built in India is also exported to several neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, dropping the ‘Maruti’ moniker.

Maruti Suzuki WagonR: Top Competitors

The top rivals of the Maruti WagonR include the Tata Tiago, Hyundai Grand i10 Nios, and Renault Kwid.

Also read: New Renault cars will not cross 180 km/h: Here”s why

Maruti Suzuki WagonR Variants

The WagonR comes in 11 variants, which are listed below along with their prices (ex-showroom, Delhi):

Variant	Price
WagonR LXI	Rs 5.54 lakhs
WagonR VXI	Rs 6.00 lakhs
WagonR ZXI	Rs 6.28 lakhs
WagonR LXI CNG	Rs 6.45 lakhs
WagonR VXI AT	Rs 6.54 lakhs
WagonR ZXI Plus	Rs 6.75 lakhs
WagonR ZXI AT	Rs 6.83 lakhs
WagonR ZXI Plus Dual Tone	Rs 6.88 lakhs
WagonR VXI CNG	Rs 6.89 lakhs
WagonR ZXI Plus AT	Rs 7.30 lakhs
WagonR ZXI Plus AT Dual Tone	Rs 7.42 lakhs

Maruti Suzuki WagonR: Quick Review

Design and features: The Maruti Suzuki WagonR has a tall-boy design and boxy shape. The front grille of the car is rectangular with trapezoidal detailing and a dual chrome stripe. The headlights are large and placed high on the front. The rear of the car is simple and clean, with a wide rear windshield.

While the WagonR’s design may not be the most stylish or eye-catching, it serves its purpose well as a practical and functional city car. The latest generation WagonR features a more modern and sleek exterior design, with sharper lines and curves than its predecessors.

The latest generation WagonR features the SmartPlay Studio infotainment system, which includes a touchscreen display, Bluetooth connectivity, and smartphone integration.

The WagonR comes with a range of comfort and convenience features like power steering, power windows, central locking, keyless entry, adjustable ORVMs, and rear defogger. The car also has a tilt-adjustable steering wheel and a height-adjustable driver seat.

Engine and performance: The Maruti Suzuki WagonR is powered by 1.2L, 4-cylinder K12 petrol engine, or the K10 1.0L, 3-cylinder engine. While the former produces 88.5 BHP of power, and 113 Nm of torque, the 1.0L engine produces 65.71 BHP of power, and a torque of 89 Nm.

The WagonR’s petrol engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox or an optional AMT gearbox, which provides smooth and effortless gear shifts. The AMT gearbox is particularly convenient in city traffic. The clutch pedal is light and easy to operate, making the driving experience stress-free.

Ride and handling: The Maruti WagonR’s suspension system is well-tuned. The car comes with a McPherson strut suspension setup at the front and a torsion beam setup at the rear. The overall ride quality has been improved over its previous versions.

The car’s tall-boy design and light steering make it easy to manoeuvre in city traffic, while the brakes are relatively effective. The WagonR comes with disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear. The car stops in a straight line upon hard braking. The brake pedal has a short travel and the brakes bite early on.

In terms of handling, grip levels are fair and allow the car to change direction easily, but since it is a tall car, some body roll is present.

Comfort and space: The WagonR has a tall-boy design, which translates into ample headroom and legroom. The car’s wide and flat seats provide good support and comfort. The WagonR’s cabin is well-designed, with plenty of storage spaces and cup holders.

 

The WagonR’s air conditioning system is powerful and effective. The car also has front and rear AC vents.
The WagonR comes with a touchscreen infotainment system that supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The system is intuitive and easy to use, with good visibility even in bright sunlight.

The WagonR’s boot space has a capacity of 341 litres. The boot is well-designed, with a flat loading area and easy access.

Safety: The Maruti WagonR comes equipped with safety features like driver and passenger airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), and reverse parking sensors. The latest generation Wagon R also features the SmartPlay Studio infotainment system with a rear parking camera and steering mounted controls.

Mileage: The Maruti Suzuki Wagon R’s mileage ranges between 23.56 km/l to 34.05 km/l, depending upon the variant.

Concluding remarks: The Maruti Suzuki Wagon R is a reliable and practical car that offers excellent value for money. The car’s spacious and comfortable interiors, along with its efficient engine, make it an ideal car for families and city driving. The Wagon R’s high ground clearance and tall-boy design provide good visibility and ease of driving.

Maruti Suzuki WagonR: Most Value for Money Variant

The most value for money (VFM) variant of the Maruti WagonR is the WagonR VXI, which is priced at Rs 6 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Most VFM Variant in Comparison with Base Variant

The base variant of the WagonR is the WagonR LXI, which is priced at Rs 5.54 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). The most VFM variant, the WagonR VXI, has some additional features over the base variant, which include a tilt-adjustable steering wheel, and day/night IRVM as driver assistance features.

Among convenience features, the VFM variant has USB ports, and power windows in the front as well as rear.
The VFM variant also has 14-inch steel wheels as compared to 13-inch steel wheels in the base variant.

Besides, the VFM variant supports Bluetooth connectivity, and has an OEM audio system with 2 speakers.

Most VFM Variant in Comparison with Top-end Variant

The top-end variant of the Maruti Suzuki WagonR is the WagonR Plus AT Dual Tone, priced at Rs 7.42 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). Extra features in the top-end variant over the most VFM variant include steering mounted controls, automatic ORVM (the base and VFM variants have manual), fog lights, and hill hold assist.

The top-end variant has 14-inch alloy wheels as against steel wheels of the same size in the VFM variant.

Among gadgets, the top-end variant has a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, navigation support, and voice activated controls. Besides, its OEM audio system comes with 4 speakers.

Key Take-outs from Comparative Analysis of Base, VFM, and Top-end Variants

The base variant of the WagonR lacks some key features, which the most VFM variant has. However, the top-end variant comes with a few more extra features over the VFM variant.

To conclude, the most value for money variant, the WagonR VXI, costs a little more than the base variant, but is priced well within the budget-buy segment.

Also read: 10 DC Design cars & how they look in the REAL world: Maruti Swift to Mahindra XUV500