Maruti Suzuki Wagon R 1.0 [2014-2019]

Summary

The Maruti Suzuki Wagon R is one of the most practical hatchback that is highly affordable. After the success of the first-gem for India, Maruti didn’t waste any time and got the new-gen. This one is a lot bigger, powerful, stylish and spacious than the older Wagon R. The result was even better sales. Maruti is offering the Wagon R with a new 1.0-litre engine and now even with CNG. The Wagon R’s spacious interiors and large boot means that there is sufficient space in the boot to fit a CNG tank. This makes the Wagon R a great value for money product.

Further to this, read Maruti Suzuki Wagon R 1.0 Road Test details by our expert.

Exterior

The Maruti Suzuki Wagon R comes with a new front grille, large rectangular headlamps, stylish fog lamps and blue tints on the parking lamps. The Wagon R’s new-generation popularly known as the blue-eyed boy for this reason. The side profile is very tall boy like and the are body coloured roof rails too. The rear has crystal clear tail lamps and then the Wagon R badging is embossed in the centre. The top variant Vxi comes with 155/65R14 tyres and a ground clearance of 162mm. The Wagon R is available in seven colours, Bakers Chocolate, Breeze Blue, Ecru Beige, Glistening Grey, Passion Red, Silky Silver, Superior White.

Interior

The interiors of the Wagon R are basic and spacious. There is a lot of knee room and head room even in the second row, making the Wagon R a good affordable option for those who are chauffeur driven. The Wagon R’s Vxi model comes with a music system with mp3, USB and aux. There is an air-con with three knobs to control it. Then the instrument cluster has this orange and black  colour background with easy to read dials.

Engine Transmission

The Wagon R is made available with a 1.0-litre engine that comes with petrol and CNG options. The petrol one churns about 67bhp of power and 90Nm of peak torque. The CNG version is of course detuned as it returns about 58bhp of power and 77Nm of peak torque. Both these engines come with to a five-speed manual transmission and there is even AMT available on the Wagon R petrol version.

Performance and Handling

The Wagon R has been designed for city use and it is a highly practical hatchback. The performance is good enough for city use and on the highway it feels running out of steam. The handling within city is good and the car is stable up to 120km/hr on a straight open road.

Braking System

The Wagon R front wheels have disc brakes, while the rear are drums. There is an optional feature of ABS on the Vxi variant. Its a shame that it isn’t offered a standard at least on the higher variants.

Mileage

The 998 cc CNG - powered variant delivers a fuel economy of 24 kmpl in city and 26 kmpl on highways, while the Petrol variant offers a mileage of 18 kmpl on urban roads and 20 kmpl and freeways, respectively.

Safety Features

The Wagon R comes optional dual SRS airbags and ABS, but only on the top variant. The other safety feature son the Wagon R include front and rear fog lamps, ELR seat belts for all the passengers, child door lock, high mounted stop lamp and rear de-fogger.  

Verdict

The Maruti Suzuki Wagon R is one of the most practical hatchbacks to buy. It is spacious, easy to drive, low on maintenance and has a good resale value too. The Wagon R is also available in CNG, which reduces the cost of running drastically and is a lot more fuel efficient too. 

Competition

The Maruti Wagon R’s direct competition is the Maruti Celerio and the Hyundai i10. The Chevrolet Beat can also be considered as competition to the Wagon R when it comes to pricing. 

Pros

1. Space
2. Fuel-efficiency
3. Ownership cost
4. After sales service and resale

Cons

1. Boxy design
2. Limited features
3. Aged styling