New Maruti WagonR to be as POWERFUL as the Maruti Swift?

Earlier today, we brought you leaked pictures of the all-new Maruti WagonR, a car that will make its Indian debut on  the 23rd of January, 2019. Here’s another juicy detail about the brand new car. The all-new, 3rd generation (For  India) WagonR will be the most powerful iteration of the car. A report on Team-BHP, attributing an anonymous source, states that the ZXi (top-end) variant of the new WagonR will pack in a 1.2 liter petrol engine.

The engine in question is likely to be the 1.2 liter K-Series unit that’s found on a range of Maruti Suzuki cars – from the Swift and Ignis to the Dzire and Baleno. The 1.2 lite K-Series engine is a rev happy, super refined unit. On  the likes of the Maruti Swift and Ignis, it pushes out 82 Bhp of peak power and 113 Nm of peak torque. It remains to  be seen whether the same state of tune will be offered on the new WagonR.

If Maruti chooses to go with the 82 Bhp-113 Nm state of tune on the new Maruti WagonR’s top-end ZXI trim, it will be the most powerful guise of the WagonR, not just in India, but across the world. In other parts of the world where the WagonR is sold, the car is available with either the 1 liter K-Series petrol engine or the 660cc turbocharged petrol engine combined with a electric hybrid powertrain.

The 1.2 liter K-Series engines gets a 5 speed manual gearbox as standard, and is also available with a 5 speed  automated manual transmission. The mainstay of the new WagonR will not be the 1.2 liter K-Series engine though. Most variants of the car will be powered by the 1 liter K-Series motor capable of pushing out 67 Bhp-90 Nm. This is the same engine that’s been offered on the outgoing WagonR for years, and is a proven performer.

While not as powerful or refined as the 1.2 liter K-Series unit, the smaller 3 cylinder motor is equally reliable,  and highly fuel efficient. It’s also available in dual fuel trims – LPG-Petrol and CNG-Petrol. These attributes make the 1 liter K-Series motor highly suitable for the Maruti WagonR – a car that’s aimed squarely at cost conscious
buyers who value fuel efficiency, low maintenance costs and bomb proof reliability over all else.

Maruti is expected to position the all-new WagonR as a fuss free, practical car – a trait that the two preceding  generations of the car have been known for. The car will continue to retain the tall-boy form factor, which allows  for airy interiors. The new WagonR is also expected to get larger overall, making it a more spacious car on the  inside. Also, the car will be engineered to meet the upcoming Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program (BNVSAP)  norms. What this means is, airbags, ABS, speed alert, speed sensing door lock, ISOFIX child seat mounting points,  seat belt reminder and reverse parking sensors will be standard across variants.