New Maruti WagonR gets Swift & Baleno’s HEARTECT platform: What this means for you

The all-new Maruti Suzuki WagonR will be launched in the Indian market on 23rd January. Maruti has officially revealed that the all-new WagonR will be based on the HEARTECT platform that also underpins models like Maruti Suzuki Swift, Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Maruti Suzuki Ignis. What does the new platform mean and how will it change the dynamics of the WagonR? Let’s find out.

Much lighter than before

The fifth-generation HEARTECT platform is much lighter in weight. When the all-new Swift was launched in the Indian market last year on the same platform, it lost up to 100 kg depending on the variant and engine. The HEARTECT platform is made up high-tensile steel that lowers the weight of the vehicle by a good amount leading to better output.

Safer than before

The current WagonR available in the Indian market would not be able to meet the upcoming Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assesment Program (BNVSAP) regulations. This is one of the main reasons for the launch of the all-new Swift. The high-tensile steel in the HEARTECT platform makes the vehicle much more rigid and will enable it to pass the upcoming safety test in India. Maruti Suzuki is also offering driver side airbag, seatbelt reminder, rear parking sensor, speed warning alert and ABS+EBD as standard features across the variants. These are the mandatory features that every car should get after 1st April 2019.

More mileage than before

With the HEARTECT platform, the upcoming Maruti Suzuki WagonR is expected to lose over 50-60 kg. This would ensure that the hatchback returns more mileage than before. Currently, the Maruti Suzuki WagonR is powered by a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine. The all-new WagonR will get both 1.0-litre and the 1.2-litre petrol engine options. While the performance of the 1.2-litre engine cannot be compared, the 1.0-litre engine is expected to offer 5-10% more fuel efficiency due to the lower weight of the car.

Better performance

Weight reduction is important for better performance. Race car drivers focus greatly on weight reduction to improve performance. With the new platform in place, the weight will be reduced significantly, which will automatically increase the performance of the upcoming WagonR. The all-new WagonR is expected to be quicker, faster and agiler when compared to the current version of the car. The lightweight platform brings in a lot of good parts and performance is one of them.

Better handling

The all-new platform will improve the handling greatly of the all-new WagonR. The HEARTECT platform made of high tensile steel ensures better flexibility and makes the vehicle much more fun to drive. We have already seen how greatly the all-new Swift and the all-new Dzire have improved when it comes to handling. The all-new WagonR will go through the same transformation and will become a much better handling hatchback than it is now.