New Maruti WagonR 7 seater MPV imagined [Video]

India’s most popular tall boy hatch, the WagonR got a generation update last month. The new car is larger, more powerful and better equipped than the model it replaces. It is built upon the same Heartect platform that underpins under Maruti Suzuki cars like the Swift, Dzire and Ertiga among others. Sometime back, there were rumors of a 7-seater MPV version of the WagonR being prepared for India.

However, these speculations were put to a stop by CV Raman, Senior Executive Director (Engineering) of Maruti Suzuki. However, the concept of a 7 seater WagonR is not bad and it could be fairly popular if launched here. The video below by render artist SRK Designs gives us a good idea of how the WagonR MPV would look like.

As seen in the video, the design and look of the car is very similar to the WagonR hatchback. The only major change made seems to be done on the rear end. The chassis has been extended and the rear overhand too has grown in size. The sides now feature black rub strips along with lower body cladding in black. The black cladding runs across the length of the car and gives it a more tough look.

The roof features black metallic rails, which is a regular feature in most of the MPVs. With the wheelbase extended quite a bit, expect the WagonR MPV to have decent amount of space in the third row. The dimensions would be similar to the older generation Ertiga MPV sold in India.

As for the engine and gearbox option, the MPV would employ the same engines that are used on the hatchback. Speaking of which, the Maruti Suzuki WagonR gets two petrol engine options, a 1.0-litre engine and a 1.2 litre engine. The 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine produces 67 Bhp of power at 5,500 rpm along with 90 Nm of peak torque at 3,500 rpm. The 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, on the other hand, produces 82 Bhp of power at 6,000 rpm along with a peak torque of 113 Nm at 4,200 rpm. This is the same engine that also does duty on the likes of Ignis and the Swift among others. Both the engine come with a automatic (AMT) gearbox option apart from a 5 speed manual gearbox.

As for the question of why Maruti Suzuki won’t not bring the WagonR MPV to India, it is not feasible for the company to have two MPVs in its product portfolio which would challenge each other. The company already has a decent MPV on sale in India in the form of Ertiga and even if the WagonR MPV is sold at a lower price, it will hurt Ertiga’s sales directly. This is the reason why many other brands don’t bring some of their Asian models to India. Talking about MPVs, Renault is readying its Ertiga challenger which would be launched in India this year. Codenamed the RBC, it is based on an extended Kwid platform and will probably feature a similar design too.