Maruti Suzuki’s Wagon R has been making waves ever since its introduction in India. The first two generations of the car sold more than 2.2 million units, becoming one of India’s top-selling cars. Now, in its third-generation avatar, the model is India-specific. You do get WagonRs globally as well, but they all look different and have been engineered to meet those respective countries’ standards. For India, this WagonR has been tailored to meet our customer’s requirements, regulations and so on.

Like many other new Maruti Suzuki Cars, the current-generation Maruti Suzuki WagonR is based on the brand’s latest Heartect platform. The older versions of the Maruti Suzuki WagonR were built on the A platform that underpinned their kei compact cars made in Japan. The new platform proves to be beneficial when it comes to meeting crash test norms, better dynamics, more space and a lighter kerb weight.

The 1.0-litre three-cylinder K10 engine produces 67bhp and is the same unit from the older car, but has now been updated for better fuel efficiency. It is also offered with a bigger 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder K12 engine producing 81bhp, considered for customers who wanted a bit more pep. Both these engines come paired to a 5-speed manual and AMT gearboxes. The new WagonR has been priced competitively by Maruti Suzuki Cars.
The tall boy
The Maruti Suzuki WagonR retains its tall-boy look, but it now looks more proportionate, because it is longer, wider and the wheelbase is longer too. The new car is lighter than before. We also think it’s the most stylish of all the generations so far; it looks bigger with a rounded front-end and those large cubical headlamps. From the sides, it isn’t as slab-sided as the earlier models. The character line gets a sculpted look and wheel arches are flared nicely. This car also gets the floating-roof effect and its vertical tail lights look nice too. Alloy wheels can only be had as an option.
Practicality above all else
Stepping in and out of the car is easy and view out the cabin is good. The cabin is better built and gets a black and beige theme. The instrument cluster is new and features an integrated digital tachometer. The steering is from the Ignis, and we’re not complaining. Soft touch plastics are absent but the upper half of the dashboard has a premium feel to it, however, we don’t like the design very much because of its slab-like look. And then of course, you’ll see that there are lots of bits used from the Maruti parts bins. The front seats are bigger but don’t get any features. The front headrests are fixed too. The cabin is wider than before and that means three occupants will be comfy at the back. There’s plenty of headroom and legroom, but disappointingly, the rear headrests are fixed too. Practicality has always been the WagonR’s forte; you get 341 litres of boot space, a bigger glovebox, well sized door pockets and a few other cubby holes. Features-wise, the new Wagon R comes with Maruti’s new SmartPlay Studio infotainment system, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, steering-mounted buttons for the infotainment system, dual airbags, ABS and rear parking sensors.
Peppy performer
We drove the WagonR with its 1.2-litre motor, which is known for its refinement. The new engine is more enthusiastic, picks up pace with ease and makes for a nice drive thanks to the peppy mid-range. It pulls well at any gear and any speed. It does, to an extent, feel sporty. The engine enjoys being revved and performance begins to feel brisk once you climb up the powerband. Put your foot down and the car happily zips away, but when you reach the limit, the engine gets vocal. Sound insulation needs to improve, but the manual ‘box is light and user-friendly. For a lot of you driving in the city, the AMT model makes a lot of sense, but isn’t as smooth as a torque-converter ‘box. However, once you reach the higher gears, it smoothens out, and when used in manual mode, it responds rather well. Stability at high speeds has improved; however, direction changes at high speeds result in the body moving around The steering doesn’t inspire confidence at high speeds, which brings it down to one thing: this is best used in the city. Ride quality is good and the suspension work quietly, but because of the lightweight build, noise from outside finds its way inside.  Also, grab the latest info on the upcoming cars, only at autoX.