Wagon R

Launched in India by Osamu Suzuki himself on the last Christmas of the last millennium, Maruti hopes the Wagon R will repat the success it has enjoyed back home. The Wagon R was originally conceived by Suzuki in 1993 for Japan’s small car segment. The Wagon R, as its oddball name (and design) suggests, combines the benefits of a Multi-Purpose-Vehicle (MPV) and a passenger car. The ‘R’ is for ‘Recreation’ as the Wagon R is part of the booming breed of ‘recreational vehicles’ or RVs, which combine phenomenal versatility in their limited footprint.The feeling of space as you step in through those huge doors is tremendous. The cabin is airy and you get an overwhelming sense of height.There’s loads of headroom as well but not much you can do with it. The front seats are reasonably supportive but some additional bolstering in the sides would have been better. The driving position from this height is very commanding with a panoramic view through the large windscreen.The pedal placement are not very appropriate. The accelerator pedal was set far too low which hurts your ankle after a long drive. The instrument panel is the most comprehensive of all small cars. The Wagon R is the only car in its class to provide a rev counter and an electronic odometer with two tripmeters.
The versatility of the interiors, which are full of neat touches, is one of the Wagon R’s strongest selling points. The dashboard is extremely functional and has lots of space for storage.Functional dashboard is typical of Wagon R’s user-friendly character.  Apart from the glovebox, you get generous shelves under the dashboard and lots of cubbyholes. A nice touch is a moulded hook on the left-side shelf which lets you hang a small bag. A cute shelf on top of the dashboard is useful for holding loose stuff. However, the designers seem to have run out of ideas for the door pockets which are too small to be of much use and the sliding controls of the air conditioner and vents look out of date.The split rear is best for two people and could do with more support in the underthigh area. Legroom is not the best and nowhere near as much as in the Matiz. But with the front pulled forward, there is enough space to stretch your legs. The rear seat position is nice and high, but not as tall as in the Hyundai's Santro.

ENGINE, PERFORMANCE, GEARBOX

Suzuki’s long-time experience in motorcycle manufacture has given it expertise in small petrol engines that few manufacturers in the world can match. The powertrain has been the strongest asset of every Maruti. The Wagon R is no exception. The 1061cc, 4-cylinder engine has been specially developed for India. Developing a rippling 62bhp at 6000rpm and bristling with hi-tech hardware like MPFI, four valves per head and distributor-less ignition, the Wagon R gives scintillating performance. It not only chews up all the other small cars (Zen included), spitting them out of its exhaust but will also embarrass a day-dreaming Esteem! On the VRDE test track, the Wagon R clocked 151kph, without any help from its brick-like aerodynamics. Acceleration is superb as well. The Wagon R sprints to 100kph in 14.5sec, which is 1.8sec quicker than a Zen and 6sec quicker than a Matiz!
But it’s not just the figures that speak for the Wagon R. It’s the linear power delivery that is this engine’s best talent. It feels so responsive and eager that it lunges the instant you flex your right foot. The mid-range is terrific too, giving you more grunt than many mid-size cars. This engine has that wonderful perky throttle response of the 800. It’s only when you get into the higher regions of the rev band that the engine starts crying "enough". The Zen’s short-stroke all-aluminium engine, in contrast, is more rev-happy but has very little bottom-end grunt. However, the Wagon R’s power characteristics are better suited for everyday driving. The good thing is that even with the a/c on, there is not much of a drop in performance.
The user-friendly nature of the Wagon R’s engine is what makes it a terrific car to drive. The performance is so superior that the Wagon R’s competition will have to raise their game (and horsepower) to keep up.
You can cruise comfortably at 140kph (if you have the guts)on the highway and in town potter around without having to change gears all the time. Which is just as well. The gearshift, however, is singularly the worst part of an otherwise entertaining driving experience. The long and spindly gear lever feels rubbery and imprecise, like shifting a plastic ruler in a pot of clay. The shift is not even as good as the 800’s, let alone the Zen. Though the gear ratios are identical to the Zen’s, the transmission casing and shifting mechanism are different.

FUEL EFFICIENCY

Once again, Maruti has proved that good performance does not have to come at the expense of fuel economy. The Wagon R is the most fuel-efficient car of the small car lot, on par with the hitherto best-in-class Matiz. 13.0kpl in   tough city cycle and on the highway the Wagon R sipped a litre for every 17.8 kilometres. The good fuel efficiency is possibly thanks to the inherent volumetric efficiency of the engine which has the same architecture as the 800 that has been further optimised by MPFI and other electronic grey matter.

Specifications:

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