Complete Guide on Buying: Maruti Wagon R

The Maruti Wagon R has remained a hot choice as a family car for over two decades. This iconic Indo-Japanese hatchback was launched in 1999 and is the longest-running Maruti car on sale today. Several updates over the years have evolved the Maruti Wagon R and as always, it is one of the best-selling cars in India. Across its long run, wherein it has already sold over 3 million units, the Maruti Wagon R has earned a special reputation that doesn’t let most buyers think twice before buying it. Today, the Maruti Wagon R is not only a favourite among the masses but also cab companies. While buying a car like the Maruti Wagon R doesn’t require much forethought given its tried and trusted status, it always pays to learn about the car you intend to buy before walking into the showroom. In this complete buying guide on the Wagon R, we list its advantages and limitations and figure out the best variant for your use case.

Maruti Wagon R Specifications

Maruti Wagon R Variants

Maruti sells four variants of the Maruti Wagon R, which are LXi, VXi, ZXi, and ZXi+. Of all the variants, only LXi and VXi trims are powered by a 1-litre petrol engine and optionally offered as CNG-powered models. Meanwhile, all variants are available with either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 5-speed AMT, except for the LXi variant, which is available with only a 5-speed manual gearbox. Here is a full list of Maruti Wagon R variants and their ex-showroom prices.

Best Maruti Wagon R Variant to Buy

The base LXi variant of the Maruti Wagon R offers basic features such as manual AC with heater, front power windows, 13-inch steel wheels with hubcaps, manual central locking, and more. This variant misses some key features like remote central locking, a music system, and wheel covers. While the base LXi variant is not a recommended variant, it can be suitable for a budget-conscious buyer.

The next variant, VXi adds some valuable features over the ones offered on LXi. These features include remote central locking, tilt adjustable steering, 60:40 rear seat split, hill assist with AMT, music system, parcel tray, 14-inch wheels, rear power windows, auto door locking, and powered wing mirrors. With these additions, the VXi variant very well justifies its price and makes it deliver great value. There is a reason VXi is the best-selling variant of the Maruti Wagon R’s lineup.

The next variant, ZXi, brings a larger 1.2-litre petrol engine along with steering-mounted controls. For someone looking for more power and refinement, the ZXi variant is a worthy choice given the premium it asks over the VXi variant.

The top variant, ZXi+, adds several good-to-have and some must-have features such as a rear defogger, rear washer wiper, front fog lamps, 7-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, tachometer, power-folding outside mirrors, white instrument cluster, alloy wheels, under-seat storage tray, and seat back pockets. As far as its price over the lower variant is concerned, the ZXi+ variant is quite a value-for-money offering.

Maruti Wagon R Warranty & Service Cost

The Maruti Wagon R comes with a standard warranty of 3 years/100,000 km. This warranty period can be extended up to 6 years at some additional cost. As far as service cost is concerned, the first and second services are done free of cost and post that the service charges for the 1.2-litre engine-powered Wagon R should be around Rs 2,317 at 1 year/ 10,000 km, Rs 2,317 at 2 year/20,000 km, Rs 4,356 at 3 year/30,000 km, Rs 6,248 at 4 year/40,000 km, and Rs 3,961 at 5 year/50,000 km. Whereas for the model with a 1-litre engine, the service charges should be around Rs 1,496 at 1 year/ 10,000 km, Rs 1,496 at 2 year/20,000 km, Rs 3,426 at 3 year/30,000 km, Rs 4,591 at 4 year/40,000 km, and Rs 3,426 at 5 year/50,000 km.

Why you should consider the Maruti Wagon R

In a world where show value is extremely prioritised, the Maruti Wagon R is all about simplicity. The popular hatchback offers a slew of advantages which make it a magnificent and practical urban ride. Here are some of the main reasons you would want to go with a Maruti Wagon R.

Spacious

One look at the Maruti Wagon R and you know it’s a spacious hatchback. A roomy cabin has always been one of the major advantages of the Wagon R. When Maruti launched the Wagon R in 1999, it was there to take on the iconic Hyundai Santro, which was known for its space. As a result, Maruti built the Wagon R even more spacious and this was one of the greatest driving forces in its grand success. To offer more space, Maruti has given the Wagon R a unique and practical-looking tall-boy design. As a matter of fact, the Maruti Wagon R is one of the few cars which have their heights longer than their widths. Therefore, it offers ample headroom and even tall passengers who usually struggle to sit in hatchbacks, can sit comfortably in the Wagon R. In addition to that, due to extra height, the Wagon R offers easy ingress and egress and this is a huge benefit for senior citizens and large-framed individuals as they don’t need to bend much to get in or strain to pull themselves out.

Economical

For a car of its size and the amount of space it offers, the Wagon R is an immensely economical car. This is what makes it a favourite not only among the individuals who cover long distances on a daily basis, but also the cab companies. The first thing which makes the Wagon R economical is its mileage. The popular hatchback delivers 23.56 – 25.19 km/l from petrol and 33.48 km/kg from CNG. It’s one of the most fuel-efficient cars in India. In addition to that, with the extensive Maruti network of service centres and dealerships, the Wagon R’s spare parts, which are quite affordable, are easily available even in remote areas. Meanwhile, since the car has sold in huge numbers, almost every mechanic is aware of its nuts and bolts, and can easily fix it should any defect arise.

Reliability & Resale Value

Along with economic character, reliability is something which has made the Wagon R an overwhelming choice of cab companies. Such is the potent setting of its components that hardly ever this popular Indo-Japanese hatchback asks for any repairs. Moreover, with a long-lasting lifespan, the Wagon R has a phenomenal resale value, while the brand name of the Maruti Suzuki further adds to it.

Why you should not consider the Maruti Wagon R

While the Maruti Wagon R has many appealing traits which make it an ideal car for most requirements, some of its characteristics might not suit your use case. Here are a few reasons why the Maruti Wagon R might not be a good car for you.

Poor high-speed stability and Low ground clearance

The tall boy attire of the Maruti Wagon R comes with its own trade-offs. While this design makes it offers appreciable space, especially headroom, it’s not good for driving at high speeds. High-speed overtaking and cornering in a Wagon R can lead to sudden swerves, which may cause you to lose control. The Maruti Wagon R is best suited as a city car where its size, low kerb weight, and light steering give the best possible driving experience. All the same, even in city driving, the 165 mm ground clearance doesn’t agree with a car as tall as the Wagon R.

Missing features

As popular as the Wagon R is, it misses some features which enhance the overall passenger experience. For example, it misses rear AC vents and reverse parking cameras, which are available on the almost similar-priced Maruti Ignis and Tata Tiago. Moreover, most of the premium features of Wagon R’s package are limited to its top variant, which is only available with a 1.2-litre petrol engine. So, the consumers owning the model with the smaller engine can’t avail themselves of the best of Wagon R’s features.

Slightly expensive

The Maruti Wagon R has become significantly expensive over the years and today, it has multiple capable rivals which offer more value. The Tata Tiago offers stylish looks, better safety, and more features. Whereas, the Maruti Celerio, which is relatively affordable, delivers better mileage and brings the same Maruti credentials such as cheap maintenance cost, reliability, and brand reputation. All the same, a somewhat underrated rival of the Maruti Wagon R is the Maruti Ignis, which is sold by Maruti’s premium subsidiary, NEXA. As mentioned, the Ignis is more feature-laden than the Wagon R and offers more space.

Summary

The Maruti Wagon R has written an epic success story and the glory it has earned is still a dream for many carmakers. As a practical and economical hatchback, the Maruti Wagon R has proven itself an appealing family car and if you are looking for it as your next car, this buying guide will help you in the process by explaining its key specifications, merits, limitations, and the best variant for your use case. The main advantages of the Maruti Wagon R are its spaciousness – especially the headroom, economical character – great mileage and cheap maintenance cost, reliability, and fantastic resale value. However, over the years, it has become slightly pricey as compared to its rivals and it misses some necessary features like rear AC vents and rear camera. Another one of its demerits is its poor high-speed stability, which is due to its tall-boy design.

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