Just by the sheer number of them you see on our roads, it should be evident that the Maruti WagonR is one of the highest selling cars in India. In fact, nearly 15,000 units roll off showroom floors every month, as of February 2017, and the only cars to sell more are the company’s very own Alto and Swift Dzire. It isn’t simply that the WagonR is called Maruti’s ‘blue-eyed boy’.
On the outside
The outgoing model has been around since 2010, but has been given timely cosmetic updates. It still retains its boxy silhouette and a big bonnet; the latter being a departure from the earlier WagonR (launched in 2000) which featured a short and stubby front end. This change in design, however, helps balance the car’s 1,700mm height and gives it a more proportional look.
On the inside
Besides the tall-boy stance, which is great for headroom, the WagonR’s 2,400mm wheelbase is the longest in its class. What these big dimensions translate into is a really spacious cabin, which is WagonR’s trump card against rivals like the Tata Tiago, the Chevrolet Beat and the Hyundai i10. No matter where you sit in it, the legroom is astounding for a car this size, and so is the headroom. The cabin, however, isn’t very wide, so the rear bench is best suited to seat two passengers in comfort. The front seats too are really comfortable, but the high seating position is somewhat negated by the tall dashboard. Also, there’s no height-adjust for the seats.
The dashboard features silver accents around the air vents and there are two vertical stripes on either side of the centre console, which break the monotony of the all-black plastic dashboard. The top-spec model gets airbags as standard and ABS as an option, while the rest of the variants get both the safety features as options. There’s a stereo system (on the VXi), a legible instrument cluster, and it also carries over lots of bits and pieces from the costlier Swift.
That said, the plastic quality inside feels quite low-rent when compared with cars like the Tata Tiago and Hyundai i10. The glovebox is pretty small and the dash itself doesn’t get a recess for knick-knacks. There’s a nifty, detachable shopping tray below the front seat, however, the boot can hold just 180 litres of luggage.
From behind the wheel
The WagonR uses Maruti’s trusty 1.0-litre three-cylinder K10 petrol motor which develops a nifty 68hp; it’s the same engine that does duty on the Alto K10 and the Celerio. This isn’t the most silent motor around at idle, but it certainly smoothens out as you get moving. Performance is strong for a motor this size too, so much so that it almost feels sporty when you drive enthusiastically. The sprightly manners are also because of the car’s low weight.
The cable-operated gear shifter on the manual variant feels quite slick to use. It slots in with a positive feel and the gear knob feels nice to hold as well.
Clutchless comfort
Maruti offers the option of an AMT gearbox on the VXi and VXi+ variants of the WagonR. These versions of the car get the same 68hp 1.0-litre engine like the manual variants, but what’s nice is, unlike conventional automatics, the AMTs won’t see a dip in efficiency from the motor. Also, while the manual car needs a few revs to get into its stride, the AMT sets off as soon as you tap the accelerator, which makes it easy to drive in city traffic; it’s just that the drive feels jerky if you aren’t smooth with the accelerator pedal. You can even take manual control of the gear shifts by tipping the gear lever, and this automatic also gets a 'Creep' function wherein the car crawls forward in slow-moving traffic. This helps in keeping the car from rolling back when starting off on inclines.
Since the AMT unit is only offered on the top variants, they come with conveniences like front fog lamps, air conditioning, power steering, audio system, keyless entry, power windows, electrically adjustable mirrors, tilt-adjustable steering and rear wiper and washer.
How’s the ride?
Although the WagonR leans a bit when driving around corners – courtesy, its tall body – it feels quite stable and planted, and you don’t feel like you’re going to roll over. The electric power steering feels a bit too light but it’s easy to twirl, which in turn makes the hatchback easy to manoeuvre in tight city areas. The soft suspension results in an incredibly comfortable ride, especially for a car this size, but that is also the reason why the car pitches on uneven and broken roads.
This is also an easy car to drive because the massive glass area and high stance allow for a good view out. Also, given the compact dimensions, you’ll feel confident putting it into gaps that you would hesitate when driving other cars.
This Maruti doesn’t come without its shortcomings though. It doesn’t feel as nicely put together as its rivals like the Hyundai i10 and the Chevrolet Beat, there’s a lot of wind and engine noise that creeps into the cabin, and of course, the slab-sided looks may not be to everyone’s liking.
Is it worth the money?
The WagonR’s niggles are easily worth overlooking if you are out for a practical little hatchbacks for putting around city spaces. That’s because the WagonR’s compact dimensions, light controls, peppy and frugal engine, along with its spacious and comfortable interior, make it a practical runabout for your daily office commutes and short shopping trips. To top it all off, at ₹4.11-5.32 lakh, it’s competitively priced, plus it comes with the ease of owning a Maruti.
