[aniketi]

As we know, Wagon R is a very popular car here in India for last more than 20 years now. It has done so many records of the sales, and doing more and more every year with its blockbuster sales. It's tallboy design is very user friendly and it makes it a perfect city car backed up by Maruti A.S.S. Current model is spacious too and has good boot space. Being sold in numbers, Maruti takes advantage of it and it's price has increased considerably in last few years.

Recently my friend (neighbor actually) in society purchased Wagon R AMT for his wife. I was surprised to know that he paid 7.75 Lakhs for it (not top end). Recently I purchased My Ignis Zeta for 7.9 Lakhs. I keenly inspected his car and found below things -

Advantage Wagon R -

1. It has little more space than Ignis inside. It's little taller than Ignis.
2. It has little more boot space.

Advantages Ignis -

1. It has OEM Infotainment system which is really good, supports Android Auto and Apple Carplay. You can play wireless music & do other things. Only for maps you have to connect to Phone with wire which is ok.
2. True keyless entry and Engine start stop button. Really good to have feature for sure, feels premium. It comes with 2 remote keys.
3. It comes with black sporty Alloy wheels which costs 25-30 K if you want to get from outside.
4. Electric OVRM's which is again a very good to have feature.
5. It comes with rear wiper and washer too.
6. IMHO Ignis is little better built than Wagon R. All panel feel sturdy when pressed with hand.
7. Ignis has family car image whereas Wagon R has typical cab image now. IMO Ignis looks better than Wagon R, it has some sporty looks and has small SUV feel.
8. Though interiors are more or less same quality, due to some metal parts and Infotainment system, Ignis certainly looks more premium.
9. I have driven both and found Ignis has better highway manners. In fact it surprises you on highway with its peppiness and tight handling.
10. Though Wagon R has some more space, ignis isn't short on space too. Its a quite spacious car in its category.

Considering above points, I personally feel Ignis makes more sense over Wagon R for personal use. Both uses same 1.2 K series engine and both gets good, trusted Maruti A.S.S.

If anyone is interested in buying small car like Wagon R, please have a look at Ignis please. Also Maruti offers good exchange bonus and free accessories which makes deal more sweeter. Currently they are offering good discounts too and mostly its readily available too.

[for_cars1]

There is a 2010 Wagon R in the family, the original 'blue eyed boy' as it was marketed then.

Have seen it run closely for 14 years and flawlessly like a typical Japanese car does, guess that makes me eligible to comment on a Wagon R

This compact boxy design gives great visibility and that makes it especially elderly driver/occupant friendly.

Also it requires the occupants to neither slouch (like in a sedan) nor clamber up (like in an SUV) to get in and out, its like walking in or out of the car. Thats another brownie point for elderly friendly design.

Also the boxy shape gives it an extremely roomy feel for its small footprint. Its not a wide car and makes driving in tight spaces and parking easy. The compact size makes it light and very fuel efficient.

I remember being a critic of the Wagon R (not vocal but in my own mind) prior to observing the actual ownership from close. It's an absolutely no-nonsense and zero flab design and the positives mentioned above makes it easily a run away success that it has come to be. Kudos to Suzuki for designing such a practical city for city/local use.

Would I recommend this car to non elderly folks? Perhaps not. Better get a lower slung hatchback or long wide sedan or opt for an in-vogue pseudo SUV (or a real SUV if you want to )and make life a bit more interesting.

One aspect I'd like to highlight is that the current gen Wagon R has a significantly perceptible lower build strength than the 2010 model.
Agreed that both models wouldn't get any stars in the crash ratings and these are not highway use cars, however there is a good heft to the doors and panels of the previous model. The new Wagon R feels extremely tinny in comparison.

[tharian]

Both cars have their own segment they cater to I feel.
Although one can look at both because of the pricing, the cars at the end are different. When I was looking to replace my father's first gen Swift in 2022 and had short listed the Ignis and WagonR, the WagonR was a no brainer since he drives himself and is 75. If the buying was for me, I would have gone for the Ignis.

From a driving point, both cars would fare similar in city, but I would never take the WagonR out on a highway regardless of it being a 1.0 or 1.2 engine. The one thing I hate about the WagonR is how thin the metal is and how bad the noise insulation is. It actually goes back to the 800 days.
So it really depends on the use of the car at the end.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by aniketi

It's tallboy design is very user friendly and it makes it a perfect city car backed up by Maruti A.S.S. Current model is spacious too and has good boot space. Being sold in numbers, Maruti takes advantage of it and it's price has increased considerably in last few years.

Advantage Wagon R -

1. It has little more space than Ignis inside. It's little taller than Ignis.
2. It has little more boot space.

One major advantage that WagonR provides is all round visibility and ease of ingress/egress.

Flat doors with huge windows, near flat rear hatch and big ORVMs means the car is very easy to gauge and maneuver in tight spots. The tall cabin also gives a very airy feeling. My wife and my father used to love that car for the above reasons. I know a few senior citizens in our circle who migrated from good sedans to a WagonR when they retired as it was easy to get in/out and easy to drive.

These things are missing when I drive my friend's Ignis which is otherwise a good city car for the young crowd.

[Chetan_Rao]

The WagonR has compromises, most Maruti no-nos apply to it, but THE one area it's got most cars beat (including some costing a few times as much!), is 'old people' ergonomics.

When the ability to comfortably get in & out is the difference between whether a car will get used or gather dust parked, every other consideration takes a back seat.

A car's primary job is to enable mobility, and it takes restricted mobility to truly appreciate what a quality of life difference a simple, 'compromised' car makes.

[DicKy]

Forgot the biggest advantage of the WagonR- Brand strength.

The Ignis has been here for only one generation, and there is a high probabilty it won't have a second generation. Not in the case of WagonR which has been sold straight for almost 24 years across three generations.

That said, no doubt the Ignis is a superior model. I, myself had recommended the Ignis to people who looked at the WagonR, Spresso and other brands like Tiago. Unless one is going for the base manual models of Alto K10, Spresso or Celerio, one is better of buying an Ignis for a slight increase in EMI. Most buyers of WagonR won't budge since they are part of the Alto-WagonR-Swift-Ertiga-City-Innova gang.

The only redeeming feature of the present WagonR IMHO is they have offered the 1.2l engine in it. Other than that it is an exercise in cost cutting compared to previous WagonR generations. Bloated size, with the dashboard functioning as a glorified holder for the touchscreen and dome like interior space.

[h3mnzu]

Originally Posted by aniketi

6. IMHO Ignis is little better built than Wagon R. All panel feel sturdy when pressed with hand.

If they are different cars, definitely the feel will be different. I recall you have also mentioned doors somewhere in the post. But yes, Maruti Suzuki feels a certain way because of weight constraints in all manners of production. BHPians, has anyone had benefits of trying sound-dampening (music lovers, anyone!) and sound-proofing the floor, roof along with door dampening on these cars? How was the result?

Originally Posted by aniketi

7. Ignis has family car image whereas Wagon R has typical cab image now. IMO Ignis looks better than Wagon R, it has some sporty looks and has small SUV feel.

I guess it's all a matter of perspectives. Going to any CBD (central business district) of a metro where business hotels operate, we see all D-Sedans and luxe vehicles registered as cabs there. Should that damage the reputation of a class of vehicles? No, right! If someone has difficulty giving you respect because of using a certain vehicle of commute, I guess they should also be offering salutes to an odd aeroplane in the sky, as often as they can just because it is superior to them. In my opinion if your mode of commute is as clean inside as it is outside, operates with confidence and requires only yearly maintenance, it should be good for you and no one else. And yes, there are those who need to announce they have arrived, and I hold respect for their needs of establishing their presence, but not at the cost of denigrating the purposefulness of others in choosing a certain mode of transport.

Originally Posted by aniketi

9. I have driven both and found Ignis has better highway manners. In fact it surprises you on highway with its peppiness and tight handling.

Is there any real difference in the power steering types among the both? Or is the tire specs?

Originally Posted by aniketi

10. Though Wagon R has some more space, ignis isn't short on space too. Its a quite spacious car in its category.

I'm sorry to say, but this is confirmation bias. WagonR beats Ignis on bootspace and actual usable stowing areas including around the seats.

[omranga98]

I really do not see how it can be compared. Ignis being a hard core SUV while WagonR being a stretched (upwards) hatchback with a misleading name

Jokes aside, owning Ignis for the last 2 years as a daily, i can safely say that it is a better car. Better fit and finish, better noise insulation, better driving feel and looks better? (Ignis looks like a disoriented matchbox while WagonR looks more like a kitchen tumbler).

At highway speeds, Ignis is better but then, what are you doing at highway speeds in these cars?

One thing i have noticed: Ignis has stiffer suspension and because the wheels are pushed to the edges, on hard braking at higher speeds, it almost feels like the rear tyres have very little grip. Almost feels weightless at the rear. Have only experienced this once and was not quite fun.

Oh and do not get Ignis Delta, it does not have rear speakers, only in the front door. I found out about it a couple of days into owning the car. Thought the setting was messed up but turns out the car never came with it lol!

[venukrithish]

Very biased towards your choice. Wagon R has spot on ergonomics and will hold much stronger than your Ignis in resale.

[SmartCat]

Definitely Ignis seems to be a better deal if on road price is comparable. Low sales of Ignis might be due to:

1) Sales limited to Nexa showrooms which are limited in number. Also, people who want to buy entry level Maruti cars typically walk into regular showrooms.

2) Perhaps customers do not like the rear profile of Ignis.

[DCEite]

I have owned two WagonR's in the past (first and second generation) and currently drive the Ignis as my city beater car.

To be frank, the Ignis is much ahead of the WagonR when it comes to the maturity of driving dynamics, gearbox and engine tuning. The Ignis, even though is tall, but its not a tall "boy" like the WagonR, so you can immediately feel that it drives more planted and stable at higher speeds than the WagonR, without much compromise on the interior space. Having said that, I would restrict my highway usage with both of these city oriented cars (notwithstanding the tempting engine on the Ignis which begs to be revved like a Suzuki Motorcycle of yesteryears).

But why does the WagonR sell more if Ignis is a superior (and yet similarly priced after discounts) product in the market ? It is because of the WagonR brand value that has taken two decades to instill a sense of trust in the market, as a no nonsense, go anywhere, abuse friendly, fill it forget it kind of a car. Not that Ignis doesn't have those characteristics, but Brand value does make a difference.

As an analogy, consider if you go to market to buy an adhesive at a stationary shop. 99 out of 100 times you would buy "Fevicol". Chances are, you are not even aware there might be a better (and even cheaper) product available at the same store.

That's what brand value does.

[Phantom 510]

Ignis all the way if I were you. It's certainly the sportier, sturdier and lot cooler looking (both inside out, if you ask me) of the two. Kindly get the variant with adjustable rear headrest. That K12M under it's bonnet is torquier and more responsive in the real world when compared to the K12N dualjet ones making it pleasurable to drive. However, these are my own observations and kindly take test drives of the cars back to back if possible before putting your hard earned money down. Regards!

[Sam800]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

2) Perhaps customers do not like the rear profile of Ignis.

This is one of major factor which deters people from ignis. I shortlisted ignis when i was planning to buy a car for 6 lacs but too many people commented it looks weird. Thankfully Baleno and swift also sold at 6.3 and 6.5 lacs for 2nd base variants.

Im talking about 2020 when prices were lower than today

[DivyanshuDiv]

WagonRs are mostly associated with OLAs and UBERs, while Ignis gets rejected because of it's weird rear half. However, MSIL has significantly improved the rear design, should say the rear bumper, with the last update, but, the cannibalization happens because of Baleno sitting under the same Nexa showroom, offering a better value for your money.
If MSIL could bring some improvements to this car, especially adjusting the elements of design, some differentiation, better automatic transmission, and of course, improved safety proposition, within this price, it could very well be the best urban city car. But I think, they are late, and it could be axed soon, in near future, with some pseudo electric or hybrid micro SUV.

But still, I would prefer Ignis over Wagon R, any day.

[anjan_c2007]

It's much like the Maruti 800 versus Premier Padmini circa, 1984-85 scenario. Though the 800 SS 80 had a huge waiting list, many buyers from the then 40 plus generation would swear by the age old and proven Premier Padmini. There was little or no dent in the reported sales figures of Padminis and Ambassadors. Only a decade later the dents became perceptible and glaring. The elderly and the average, uninformed car buyers take a little more time to changeover their mindsets from the age old, conventional choices. That becomes the Wagon R's USP today, to trigger sales.

The MSIL's age old models are manufactured in their age old Gurgaon plant. Manesar and Sanand plants are for their newbies.