[harpreetkanwar]

to me the highlight of this review was :
dropped the kwid since it was a 800cc. (in favor of the V6 ?)

just kidding. of course the 200cc matters. very well written review of a tried and tested car us indians adore.

[Viju]

Originally Posted by NPV

Read up @Rajeevraj's thread on the Maruti dealerships not encouraging potential customers to go with the (O) variants.

I did. This was my response - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post3931091

Anyway, please enjoy your car and drive safely. My intention was not to rain on your parade. But the fact is, unless more people are willing to order and wait for the (O) variants, there is no reason for MSIL to increase their production.

When I wanted to buy my first car way back in 2010, I was still working with MSIL R&D. I placed an order with Pasco Motors, Gurgaon for a car which me and my fiancee chose - a Ritz ZXi (of course with ABS and dual airbags as standard) in Pearl Blue Blaze colour. We were not willing to compromise on colour or variant. The dealer did not have the car in stock, and neither did the company. Obviously, I did not get a commitment on the delivery date.

Surprisingly enough, two days later, while walking to office, I saw a Ritz ZXi in Pearl Blue Blaze colour roll off the assembly line, and on Day 4, I got a call from Pasco to take delivery of the car. I did not push the dealer or pull any strings at the company. Sometimes, we just need to order the exact thing we require and try our luck.

Thank you for a detailed ownership thread. Hope you will continue it for many years to come.

[an_and]

Hi NPV,

Congratulations on getting the Wagon R. It is indeed a wonderful car, and kudos to your detailed overview. Rating it a well deserved 5 stars.

I was also in a similar search from about the same time that you were, the only difference was that I was strictly looking for an automatic/AMT for the wife - and she was also comfortable with one. At that time I must have scoured the internet for a review on the WagonRas detailed - but could not find it.

We had at that time evaluated almost every auto hatchback and even booked and cancelled a figo and a grand i10. Somehow the WagonR appealed more to the head actually and for a change I listened to the head and not the heart and purchased a WagonR AMT in Jan 16. The WagonR, I feel, is a car that grows on you, and we are now in love with its simplicity, especially the ease of ingress and egress - which is unmatched with any other car in this segment. This was one of the major factors that steered my decision towards this car, as this would be used by us for a lot of local city runs - especially ferrying my parents as well, and this comfort ensures that they dont have to test their knees too much.

I had always thought that I would post a decent review for the Wagon-R, so that it could be useful for other potential buyers, but now that you have done the job, it saves me of trying to make myself fulfil that promise.

Wish you many wonderful miles of happiness with your car.

Originally Posted by NPV

The Maruti Suzuki Optional Safety Pack (O) Variant Dream/Drama (March 2016):
It was now almost 3 months since Maruti had announced the (O) variants on the WagonR but the dealers did not have them available in stock and said that wait times could be as long as 6 months!
In the search for the elusive Vxi (O) we visited the stockyard of Pratham Motors. We found Vxi AMTs and Vxis, but not a single (O) variant, so we were quite sure one of those Vxis would be offered to us.

This is actually a sham, even I wanted one, and was always told that it will take time - and was discouraged from buying it. I think it is not the dealers, maybe it is Maruti who is not encouraging its dealers to sell the (O) models.

Real Shame nonetheless.

Originally Posted by NPV

Steering feels extremely light. When driving, one will surely get the feeling that the car itself is very light (which in fact it is!) but it's also very manoeuvrable.

It is extremely comfortable in the city, I am yet to take it on the highway though.One quirk that I am not yet comfortable with is that the steering does not auto correct.

[arun_josie]

Congratulations on your new car!

So, now you own two cars which consistently hit the top 3 in the sales chart month after month. And I have owned both of them before

A very detailed review . Happy driving!

[longhorn]

Lovely review and congrats on your new ride! The WagonR is a practical city runabout with oodles of space in a small footprint. Get into an Alto after spending a month in the Waggy and you'll know what I'm talking about. Few things mentioned in your review can be found in mine too. Guess we bhpians think alike ! Glistening Grey was on my shortlist before I finalized Ecru Beige. Maruti's colour palette is really bland. They need to learn from Tata on this. Just look at the beautiful shades available on the Tiago.

The Celerio's engine is called K10C. The K10B is common to the Alto, AStar, Estilo K series and the WagonR. I'd suggest relocating the tissue box to the rear parcel tray or the glove box. The reverse park assist might not last more than 2 years. Most of what we get here are cheap Chinese stuff. Do factor this too in case you plan to get one.

I have a round ring like thing to lift the cardboard in the boot above the spare wheel. Also there is no hole in the cardboard in my vehicle. Please cross check this with other WagonR's when you go in for service. Also, the OVRM setting mentioned in the owner's manual is useless. You should be setting it in such a way that your vehicle's side is not visible in the mirror. You may find it difficult at first, but will get used to it soon. It will provide you a wider field of vision. I'm comfortable with this setting, the only problem being the mirror shakes about a bit too much at highway speeds.(not related to mirror settting)

[audioholic]

With the introduction of the AMT, has the accelerator become electronic or is it the manual type for the non AMT versions? I guess they should have tweaked the engine like in the Celerio to offer better low end response. And drive by wire should be offered in the AMT. So asking.

[YoungSaint]

I am simply amazed at the lengths you have gone to give us every small detail! This is what the community is all about. Passionate individuals!

WagonR is one of the most reliable cars in India with Ingress/ Egress a breeze. The mileage is going to increase when the run-in period ends and the engine smooths itself. I have knows couple of my friends who have run their WagonRs over a lakh km without any issues - just with regular servicing.

One question I had in my mind is - why did your wife not like the auto gear shift? My wife has never driven an auto shift car but I plan to introduce it to her for ease of driving. Any pointers from you would help me in convincing wife to buy an auto-shift for herself.

And in the end, what a lovely painting and such a great expression of love. Loved it a lot.

Keep driving.

[WhiteHorse]

Lovely detailed review NPV and congratulations to on your new car.

I bought my 1st Waggie (WagonR LXI) in 2004 and it's still going strong at my parents place, I bought my 2nd Waggie (WagonR LXI Duo LPG) in 2012 and it's just hitting the 50k on the odo.

Wagon R is a compact, city-friendly design with generous passenger space, low maintenance costs, and amazingly reliable. Hope you will have a great time with this city rider!

[NPV]

Originally Posted by satrikon_454

Just a heads-up on the rear parcel tray; Be careful with it. The thing slams onto your arm pretty hard

Thanks.
Didn't quite understand this, when does this usually happen, when lifting up the parcel tray ?

Secondly, when holding the steering wheel, the left hand goes numb because of the air-flow from the vent.

Yes, agree with you, I have mentioned this in my review in the small yet significant things section.

Originally Posted by unk9ja

Congratulations on your new ride, NPV.

Thanks @unk Sir!

Originally Posted by a4anurag

I have used the Auto Dimming IRVM for a while (6 months and 20,000 kms), I am sure of it's working and reliability. Hence suggest you to look at that. That seller has reverse cam included in the IRVM too. Do check the store.

Thanks Anurag, will check that out.

Originally Posted by anuragbagur

Many congratulations on owning this car. ...
I am also considering this for my wifey and should also serve as my second ride.

Thanks.
You cannot go wrong with this car, especially as a second car for the city runabouts.

Originally Posted by autorahul

A couple of questions though. Eon 1.0 Magna+ got Driver Airbags in March. I am not sure if it was announced before your purchase decision. Also, did Tiago feature anywhere during your purchase decision?

Thanks.
Eon announced the driver airbags too late, our decision was made by then.
The Tiago - pricing wasn't announced when we were almost finalizing the WagonR, moreover it was too late and I didn't want to put a spoke in the wheel at that stage of our buying process.

Originally Posted by Rajain

This is an excellent review. Almost made me feel like I was reading the official review.

Thanks.
Yes, as you would seen the experience your brother had with this car, it is a good car to have. We have a 2005 model in the extended family and it still feels nice to drive.

Originally Posted by shekatkar31

Nice review and highlights a lot of practical issues from an ownership perspective.

Thanks.
Yes, you have had a lot of experience with this car and know about it's reliability.

Originally Posted by ashis89

BTW, the k10 engine loves to be revved and sounds almost like a jet engine around the 4k rpm onwards. Just be careful around the corners and under hard braking. The brakes feel inadequate and tend to lock up.

Thanks.
Haven't had any nervous/emergency braking experiences yet. Also haven't revved beyond the 2.5k rpm since it's still in the running-in period.
With the 2016 models and the introduction of the (O) variants, it's now all or nothing when it comes to the safety package. You get Dual Airbags + ABS or nothing Earlier, at least one had the option of going in for ABS alone, I wish they bring that back, I can only wish!

Originally Posted by harpreetkanwar

just kidding. of course the 200cc matters. very well written review of a tried and tested car us indians adore.

Thanks.
Well, we'd shortlisted the Alto K10 at the time I (wifey wasn't so interested anyways) saw the Kwid and the engines of these cars did not match up so I felt it would be apples vs oranges and hence the thought was to consider the 1000cc variant if it is launched soon which wasn't the case.
And the WagonR is our city runabout V6 for now, just kidding.

Originally Posted by Viju

Anyway, please enjoy your car and drive safely. My intention was not to rain on your parade. But the fact is, unless more people are willing to order and wait for the (O) variants, there is no reason for MSIL to increase their production.

Thanks.
I had an interesting conversation with a friend (who is a senior person in the automobile industry) regarding our (O) pack quandary. He said step 0 is to improve structural strength of all the cars before mandating airbags. * Again, not trying to justify the decision of not waiting for the (O) variant!

Since we weren't in a hurry when we started out on this journey, we spent a lot of time deciding on what car to buy and a for a few months in between we just hibernated but in the end it was too close for comfort and the decision to drop (O) variant. It is what it is now, life must go on.

Originally Posted by an_and

Rating it a well deserved 5 stars.

Thanks.

At that time I must have scoured the internet for a review on the WagonRas detailed - but could not find it.
...
One quirk that I am not yet comfortable with is that the steering does not auto correct.

During my online research on the WagonR I had to read multiple reviews to understand various aspects, some were dated as well and there wasn't a single consolidated review. I just hoped I'll be able to pen down a comprehensive review and luckily found myself at home during a long weekend to actually do it.
I haven't felt that quirkiness with the steering so much, probably need to drive some more. But yes, the power steering does not feel as slick as the one on our Dzire.

Originally Posted by arun_josie

Congratulations on your new car!

So, now you own two cars which consistently hit the top 3 in the sales chart month after month. And I have owned both of them before

Thanks.
You've been there, done that!

Originally Posted by longhorn

Lovely review and congrats on your new ride!

Thanks. Your review helped me a lot in finalizing the WagonR as our replacement for the Maruti 800.

The Celerio's engine is called K10C. The K10B is common to the Alto, AStar, Estilo K series and the WagonR. I'd suggest relocating the tissue box to the rear parcel tray or the glove box. The reverse park assist might not last more than 2 years. Most of what we get here are cheap Chinese stuff. Do factor this too in case you plan to get one.

I have a round ring like thing to lift the cardboard in the boot above the spare wheel. Also there is no hole in the cardboard in my vehicle. Please cross check this with other WagonR's when you go in for service. Also, the OVRM setting mentioned in the owner's manual is useless. You should be setting it in such a way that your vehicle's side is not visible in the mirror. You may find it difficult at first, but will get used to it soon. It will provide you a wider field of vision.

If you look at the Spec sheet of the Celerio, it does use the K10B engine, albeit in a different level of tune. The Team-BHP official review of the Celerio refers to it as the "K-next" engine.

Thanks again for some great suggestions!
Haven't decided on reverse parking sensor yet.

The facial tissues box is on the rear parcel tray and in some pictures was on the dashboard as we had stopped the vehicle for a break.
Sample this - while the WagonR brochure has a picture with the caption "Rear parcel tray for convenient storage", the Owners manual discourages it's use to keep anything with a note saying it could be dangerous in case of an accident.

On the ORVM - we've found a setting that seems comfortable now. Haven't yet noticed any vibrations in the ORVMs.

Originally Posted by audioholic

With the introduction of the AMT, has the accelerator become electronic or is it the manual type for the non AMT versions? I guess they should have tweaked the engine like in the Celerio to offer better low end response. And drive by wire should be offered in the AMT. So asking.

Not sure about the AMT.

Originally Posted by YoungSaint

I am simply amazed at the lengths you have gone to give us every small detail! This is what the community is all about. Passionate individuals!

Thanks.

One question I had in my mind is - why did your wife not like the auto gear shift? My wife has never driven an auto shift car but I plan to introduce it to her for ease of driving. Any pointers from you would help me in convincing wife to buy an auto-shift for herself.

She found the AMT really easy to drive but then she had some trouble/fear regarding the braking and couldn't unlearn the manual shift driving habits. I'm sure with some extended time she would have gotten it, but it was kind of a mental block. In the end, the car is for her primary use and I simply let it be her choice, did not push her any further on the AMT front.
See some of my earlier posts on this - here and here.

And in the end, what a lovely painting and such a great expression of love. Loved it a lot.

The little artist is a genius, thanks!

Originally Posted by WhiteHorse

Lovely detailed review NPV and congratulations to on your new car.

Thanks.
Would be great to get some in-depth feedback about the Waggie, now that you are with the second one, please do share your experiences.

[satrikon_454]

Originally Posted by NPV

Thanks.
Didn't quite understand this, when does this usually happen, when lifting up the parcel tray ?

Yes, agree with you, I have mentioned this in my review in the small yet significant things section.

Yes. It happens when you're lifting the tray; especially when loading something pretty big in size. Talking from experience

And that was with reference to your point itself.

[NPV]

First Free Service..err Inspection Update:
Booked an appointment for 8:30am today at Pratham, Queens Road for the service.
I reached the place around 8:45am and the job card was done pretty quickly, only asked to:
1.Adjust Brake pedal play (this was also in the checklist for this service)
2.Fix the clip that had come loose from the front passenger side mud flap

Odometer was at 922Km, pretty good going I would say, the Dzire was at 500Km when it went in for its first service!

I decided to wait at their Customer lounge and pick up the car when ready, was promised a 1pm delivery.
There were several cars that came in after I gave the car in for service so it was quite a busy day.

The first free inspection is really that - a complete inspection with some adjustments if necessary and no oil change, filter replacement, etc.
I got delivery of the car at 1:30pm and no guesses for what took more than 2+ hours out of the total 4.5hours - yes, cleaning and water wash took away most of the time!

Total cost:Zero

[NPV]

Originally Posted by longhorn

I have a round ring like thing to lift the cardboard in the boot above the spare wheel. Also there is no hole in the cardboard in my vehicle. Please cross check this with other WagonR's when you go in for service.

I checked at the service centre and at the dealership - the current models have that hole in the board/boot floor lid. No ring/loop is provided. Thinking of a small DIY for this soon.

More updates..
Fuel Efficiency
On the second tank full of petrol, the fuel efficiency was 14.5Kmpl with almost 75% of highway driving.

Others:

• Plastic cladding for rear wheel wells of the WagonR - as per the service centre folks, this is not available in MGA/P (the Swift & Dzire have it though)
• Mirror (IRVM) upgrade - no decision yet, continuing on stock IRVM for now
• The manual of the stock Nippon Maruti music system mentions about the remote controller but it wasn't given with the car. I checked with the dealership again and they mentioned that the WagonR cars they receive from MSIL never have the remotes and this is one the most frequently asked questions by customers! However, they also mentioned that other cars like Swift, Dzire etc get the remote. Our 2009 Dzire came with a remote too, but we hardly use it so this is not something we really miss at the moment
• Noticed this quirk with the music system - when playing data CD's with music files (.mp3) in multiple folders, it plays songs in each folder in sequence so after the last song in a folder, it moves to first song in the next folder and so on. However, if you press the up button when playing the last song in the folder, it moves to first song in the same folder, likewise when playing the first song in the folder, pressing the down button will play the last song in the same folder

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by NPV

I checked at the service centre and at the dealership - the current models have that hole in the board/boot floor lid. No ring/loop is provided. Thinking of a small DIY for this soon.

Guess Maruti would manage to save around 25 paise per vehicle with this jugaad.

Originally Posted by NPV

[*]Plastic cladding for rear wheel wells of the WagonR - as per the service centre folks, this is not available in MGA/P (the Swift & Dzire have it though)

Do let me know if your are are able to get hold of one. Would like to get it for mine too if such a thing is available.

Originally Posted by NPV

[*]The manual of the stock Nippon Maruti music system mentions about the remote controller but it wasn't given with the car.

Ditto here. Guess the remote (if supplied) is reserved for the Stingray.

Originally Posted by NPV

[*]Noticed this quirk with the music system...

You can use the FLD +/- butttons to skip a folder entirely. I've segregated by music into folders based on language/ genre so I skip entire folders in one go when I want to listen to one genre in particular.

I forgot to mention this earlier. Do get a cabin air filter installed. Costs around 500 bucks. Would do a lot of good to the quality of in cabin air. I got mine done along with the free service. It's hardly a 15 minute job.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by longhorn

You can use the FLD +/- butttons to skip a folder entirely.

Yes, I'm aware of this but just wanted to highlight the fact that the way songs are played without intervention and when using the Up and Down buttons are different - seemed quirky!

I forgot to mention this earlier. Do get a cabin air filter installed. Costs around 500 bucks. Would do a lot of good to the quality of in cabin air. I got mine done along with the free service. It's hardly a 15 minute job.

Thanks!
Can you share the part number if you have it ? Hope it's available as an MGP. If yes, I will get this done during the second service @ 5000 Km (or 6 months).

Will let you know if I do find that plastic cladding for the rear wheel wells

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by NPV

Can you share the part number if you have it ? Hope it's available as an MGP. If yes, I will get this done during the second service @ 5000 Km (or 6 months).

I don't have the part no with me as I got it done at the A.S.S. itself during service. It's an MGP part. Any SA worth his salt should esily understand what it is when you mention cabin air filter.