Feb 15, 2014 04:20 PM
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The Wagon-R has been around for more than two decades now since its conception in 1993. The first generation Wagon-R was showcased in the 1993 Tokyo Motor Show. The year was 1999 and a Korean company(Hyundai) had emerged and was trying to eat into Maruti’s market share with the launch of the Santro. Now, Santro was unique with its tall boy design promising ample leg room, head room, and more space inside when compared to other small hatches around then. Maruti for the first time was facing some stiff competition and had to take the competition head on to maintain its lead in the market – enter the Wagon-R.
The Wagon-R that was launched in India in December 1999 was actually the second generation Wagon-R. The ploy did work, which is why we see the Wagon-R still appearing on roads and on the Maruti portfolio even after a decade-and-a-half since its Indian debut. Though the Wagon-R did keep getting refreshes, upgrades, and facelifts, there has never been a significant makeover. Now, the stage has changed and with every manufacturer upping the ante and with a variety of options being available across the ever so crowded hatchback segment, the Wagon-R needed something that would help it survive and weather the storms raised by the competition it is up against.
The Stingray is the sportier avatar of the third generation Wagon-R and has been available abroad since 2007. What has emerged now however is the fourth generation Wagon-R Stingray model that was launched in Japan in 2008. With the competition being more intense than ever before, let’s see whether the new Stingray can help the Wagon-R stay afloat amidst the turbulence caused by rest of the competition.
IS THE OVERALL OVERHAUL EYE-CANDY?
Personally, I am not a great fan of boxy designs. With the average Indian car buyer evolving day by day, the demands and expectations are also on a whole new level – thanks to other manufacturers who have really gotten aggressive in the hatchback segment with the likes of Figo and Beat. Design was never the Wagon-R’s strong point. It has been a city-oriented, versatile, sincere, and honest car that goes about its family hatch duties judiciously. However, the Stingray, going by its name is a lot more sleeker, meaner, and radical looking Wagon-R that now with its new age design concept demands a lot more attention when compared to its rather bland looking twin. It is more like what we see in movies where the hero is playing a double role and one is sassy, street smart, and macho while the other is more of a book worm, geeky, and simple. I kind of like this makeover, in fact I liked it when I first saw the Stingray’s pics on the net maybe last year or so and was wondering why it hasn’t made it to India. Anyway, what we have here is a brand new front, which kind of reminded me of the Tata Safari Storme. There is the new headlamp cluster that features projectors, which I guess is a segment first; then you have the bolder reflector grill, redesigned front and rear bumpers, flared wheel arches, chrome garnished tail lamps, and a sporty rear spoiler with stop lamp. Surprisingly, the roof rails are missing. The gunmetal grey colored alloy wheels also make their presence felt and add a touch of panache to the overall sporty overhaul of the vehicle. On the inside, the dual-tone beige and black interiors found on the Wagon-R make way for an all black color scheme with piano black finish on door handles, the dash, and even on the steering wheel. Yes, the Stingray does carry the sting in its design to guarantee you adequate attention on the roads simply because Maruti have tried something different. They are clearly targeting the younger audience with the Stingray and it clearly shows with its aggressive avatar that the Indians have now moved over conservative and simplistic design forms and are now preferring sharper, futuristic, and new age designs.
IS IT NICE AND COMFY?
Comfort and practicality have been some strong points going in favor of the Wagon-R ever since its debut. That pretty much remains the same with the Stingray. First of all, thanks to its wagon like design, ingress and egress is as easy as it can get. I mean you can just simply walk into the cabin, that’s how easy it is. In fact, a friend of mine purchased the Wagon-R for this very reason; his parents who are well advanced in their age could easily get in and get out of the car cabin. Also once you are in, the cabin is so spacious. No matter how tall you are, I am pretty sure you’ll have ample leg room and head room wherever you choose to sit, front or back. The seats are plush with black upholstery and well bolstered. All round cabin visibility is as clear as it can get. You can just find your way out of the most cramped up situations with absolute ease. Yes, I am coming to the USP(unique selling proposition) of this vehicle, the suspension.
I own a Chevy Beat and every time I encounter a rough patch, things are not all that pleasant; I mean you feel the bumps on the road; not with the Stingray though. I was driving through a rough patch during the test drive and I didn’t feel a thing. The frame type front suspension with McPherson strut with coil spring and isolated trailing link with coil spring rear setup guarantee you one of the best rides you can find in this segment. If I could recall, the last time I drove the Wagon-R, I don’t think the suspension setup was this good. The day/night internal rear view mirror(IRVM) is of great help, especially if you find yourself in front of some lunatics who like to play with the high beam flasher. The one thing I was really disappointed with though was the EPS. I have driven all the cars in the Maruti line-up so far and usually the experience has been for the steering to be light and easy. This one felt a bit too heavy and the feedback from the steering was not great. Another thing that left me disappointed was that there are no door pockets up front.
There are retractable cup holders, which look trendy and one bottle holder behind the handbrake, but I really feel including door pockets would have been quite a handful. You do have an under-seat tray up front and a push open storage compartment above the glove box, which can come in handy though. Then you have the regular stuff like AC with heater, front and rear power windows, steering mounted audio controls, electrchandru021y adjustable outside rear view mirrors(ORVMs), tilt adjustable steering, keyless entry, etc. Another striking and useful feature is the 60:40 split seats that can be folded flat. The boot space otherwise is decent as well. The music system sounds pretty good and comes with USB and AUX input. The instrument cluster has multi information display(MID) showing average fuel efficiency, distance to empty, etc.
DOES THE STING CARRY A ZING?
The Stingray comes powered with the same three-cylinder four-valve all aluminum light weight 998 cc K10B engine that you can find on the Wagon-R as well. It puts out a max power of 68 ps @ 6200 rpm and max torque of 90 Nm @ 3500 rpm. Now, the one thing I just loved about this car was its ability to maneuver through clogged city streets. I mean once you get over the heavier steering wheel setup, you can simply play with it even in some of the most cramped up situations. We almost found ourselves in such a situation while testing the vehicle and man was it easy to get out. While the EPS feels a little odd within city limits, I believe it will be really useful on the highways providing better stability and confidence levels at higher speeds. Also I wasn’t very impressed with the gear box when I had driven the Wagon-R last year and same is the case with the Stingray. It is notchy and gets stuck especially when shifting from second to third gear. Since this was just a test drive vehicle, one can give it the benefit of doubt and expect somewhat smoother shifts from a brand new one. The seating position is just about perfect.
You get a superb view of what lies ahead and not only that, the all round visibility just couldn’t get better for Indian conditions because the angles from which people tend to surprise you on the road are more crazier than Bingo Mad Angles. I must say I absolutely loved the clutch feel; it is nice and light and requires minimal effort to get you going. The engine is nice and peppy. You never really feel the need for more power. You get adequate thrust whenever you need it, be it overtaking or even when cruising. All in all, while this may not be a performance hatch that makes your hair stand tall or gets your adrenaline pumping, it is however a fun to drive car with practicality and versatility written all over it.
IS SAFETY THE STING’S THING?
Nowadays, air bags and ABS have become a regular safety feature found on cars across all segments, which is good, and that is what you get with the Stingray as well – a driver SRS airbag and ABS. You also have i-CATS anti-theft system on board as is the case with other Maruti cars. However, what I really miss with the Wagon-R’s tall boy boxy design is ESP(electronic stability program). You can read about ESP/ESC in our Knowledge Base section as to how that works. This feature makes sure that the vehicle does not lose control and overturn in case of the driver needing to make a sudden direction change to avoid an impending collision. I hope Maruti takes note of it and if at all it is feasible for the company to provide an additional safety feature, I hope they add the ESP in the future upgrades of the Stingray because it has been proven abroad to be a life saving safety feature. However, you do have other features like collapsible steering, energy absorbing body structure, etc.
IS IT FRUGAL ENOUGH?
Maruti is very well known for making frugal engines that guarantee optimum mileage without compromising on the fun factor. The K-series engine promises a figure of 20.51 kmpl, which is pretty decent given the constant rise in fuel prices. While the figure mentioned above may hold true for highway drives, but for city trips expecting a figure of about 16-18 kmpl would be more realistic. You can also check out our Knowledge Base to find out how you can extract maximum mileage from your vehicle.
DOES THE STING, STING YOUR POCKET?
Maruti boasts of having 2975 service centers spread among 1427 cities across the nation, which makes it easier for you to find a service station even in the remotest of places, should you need one. Also I feel the maintenance cost for a Maruti car is slightly lower when compared to that of other car manufacturers. The Stingray also comes with a 2-year warranty, which I believe is quite a handful.
VALUE FOR MONEY:
The Stingray is priced about 20k more than the Wagon-R. The base variant starts at Rs. 4, 23, 634(ex-showroom Hyderabad) whereas the top-end optional pack variant would cost you Rs. 4, 84, 855. This places the Stingray on par with the likes of Chevrolet Beat and Ford Figo, which are very good cars and have already found a place in the hearts and minds of the Indians. Only time will tell as to whether the Stingray with all its bling will be able to outsmart the competition.
CONCLUSION:
The Stingray with its bolder look does demand attention. It seems tailor made for a person who is city bound, making umpteen number of trips day in and day out and opting a quick getaway during the weekend with highway runs. While the Stingray like its sober twin does nothing extraordinary, it does nothing badly either. It is smart in its approach, carries the zing factor that will keep the youngsters interested, does not compromise on the comfort that the older generation is looking for, and offers something extra in just about every quarter, so I clearly see the existing Wagon-R crowd slowly but surely transitioning over to the Stingray for a mere 20k premium, which clearly makes sense. This is a car that highlights practicality over performance, versatility over velocity, and maneuverability over madness, and delivers just about everything for everyone and is indeed a true definition of a perfect family hatch.
DISCLAIMER: My reviews are meant for informative purposes only and not to invoke an opinion. Each one’s lifestyle is different from the other and ultimately a car needs to cater to one’s needs. It needs to blend into our daily routine. It is totally a personal choice and do think about each and every aspect of your life before zeroing in on a particular model. Please wear your seat belts, do not take your eyes off the road, do not use your cell phones while driving, and set the headlamps on low beam while driving within city limits. Drive responsibly, stay responsive. God bless and take care.
