Hyundai i10 vs. Maruti Suzuki Wagon R: Which car is more practical?

As a buyer looking for a small car that is affordable, has good legroom and also has some practical features you would consider the Hyundai i10 and the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R. But, which one of these is more practical? After CarToq member Nikhil Laddha asked this very question. We posted a poll asking the same question to the CarToq community and the votes were in favour of the Hyundai i10. Read on to find out why.

First let’s see what the results of the poll look like: Which car do you think is more practical, Maruti Suzuki Wagon R or Hyundai i10?

 

 

The Hyundai i10 got 76 % votes while the Wagon R only got 24 % votes. What this poll reflects is that people believe that the i10 is more practical but sales figures clearly show that the Wagon R is selling in higher numbers. Over the past 6 months Maruti Suzuki has sold 76,764 units of the Wagon R while Hyundai has sold 57,277 units of the i10.

So the Wagon R has sold almost 20,000 units more than the i10 over the past six months. This clearly indicates that the i10 may be more popular and attractive but the Wagon R still remains the choice of most buyers in this segment. Now we will compare the two small cars on different criteria like price, looks, fit and finish etc.

Price

The i10 starts at Rs. 3.66 lakh and goes up to Rs. 6.12 lakh for the top of line variant. The Wagon R starts at Rs. 3.48 lakh and goes up to Rs. 4.35 lakh. So when it comes to price the Maruti Wagon R is slightly more affordable and this is also one of the main reasons that it sells so well.

Looks and space

The i10 is better looking than the Wagon R, which despite of a recent face lift still looks boxy and mundane. The i10 on the other hand has Hyundai’s fluidic design theme which gives it a more modern and lucrative appearance. When it comes to space however the Wagon R is ahead of the i10 and can accommodate tall individuals with ease. It also has a unique storage space under the front passengers seat which can be useful during long road trips.

Fit and finish

However, its design isn’t the only thing that makes it more popular. The i10 is also better on the inside, with more suave beige upholstery and a contemporary looking dashboard. Even the instrument cluster of the i10 is more vibrant than that of the Wagon R. The Wagon R has dull grey interiors and the little colour on the instrument panel fails to give it the sporty touch it so badly needs.

Variants

Hyundai offers the i10 in 9 different variants while the Wagon R only comes in 4 variants. This gives the buyer a lot of freedom and options. You can buy the i10 with exactly the kind of features and benefits you need. With the Wagon R you can either go the bare basic LX, the LXi, the VXi or the VXi ABS.

Engine

The i10 comes in two engine options; a 1,086 cc, 4 cylinder, engine that makes 68 Bhp of power and 99 Nm of torque & a 1,197 cc, 4 cylinder engine that makes 79 Bhp of power and 111 Nm of torque. The Maruti Suzuki Wagon R comes in only one engine option: A 998 cc, 3 cylinder, engine that makes 67 Bhp of power and 90 Nm of power. So the i10 1.1 litre is only ahead of the Wagon R by a minute margin but the i10 1.2 litre is much more powerful. Moreover since the Wagon R has a three-cylinder engine, it also is noisier, than the i10’s four pot motor which seems much more refined.

Features

Here let’s take into account the top of the line Wagon R VXi with ABS and the similarly priced Hyundai i10 Kappa 1.2 litre Magna. Both the cars have all four power windows, AC and power steering. The i10 also has a dual trip meter, digital fuel Indicator, a low fuel warning lamp while the Wagon R has safety features like ABS and two air bags. So both the cars offer a different set of features.