gear kereta

Verdict

We'll have to wait for our road test car to arrive to let our readers know if the claimed numbers match up, but prima facie the new WagonR has everything needed to make for a great city car. Its chief concern was shaking off the budget car image that its predecessor had, and the new iteration does that with typical Maruti aplomb.

It must not be forgotten though that the space it is planning to function in has some formidable foes. The Hyundai i10 is the first that comes to mind - even if it does not offer the sort of space that the new WagonR does, it has already made a name and place for itself amongst urban buyers for its upmarket feel - the same thing that the WagonR is aiming for. And we're not even considering the Chevrolet Beat, that has all the goods including a larger and much more powerful engine and properly butch styling to set it apart from the crowd.

At the same time, we can also not ignore the fact that when the WagonR was first launched in India, one wouldn't have dreamt of the success it saw later in its tenure. Most of it lay on Maruti Suzuki's faith in the product, some very smart marketing tactics and the clout that the brand carries. With all that riding behind the new offering, we won't be surprised if Maruti's 'Blue-eyed Boy' manages to live up to the success of the WagonR name.

The Practicality

Carrying forth on the interiors, the boffins at Maruti Suzuki have not wasted an inch of the additional space that the new platform has liberated. Thanks to that, new WagonR can now claim to have the best in class leg-room at the rear - one that rivals even a few 'premium' hatchbacks. The front seats also have added travel for adjustment, which allows for the front seat occupants to move the seats further behind and make use of those massive amounts of space at the rear. The airiness of the cabin thanks to the high roof is enhanced even further thanks to the large windows and windscreen.

The car also comes with smartly integrated storage spaces and cubby holes. Be it the glass holders at the front or the shopping tray under the co-driver's seat, small bits of innovation on the inside add a whole lot to the car in the larger context. A 60:40 split rear seat and a massive boot also ensure that the new WagonR remains a properly usable, real-world family car. The performance of the HVAC unit has been enhanced as well, and the car's copious cabin space gets cooled very quickly which adds a big mental brownie point to the car in the days of heat when this article was written.