Oct 07, 2006 05:32 PM
7048 Views
Having bought the WagonR Vxi newer model, already 15 odd days now, it looks like a good choice I've picked and good time to write a review (having run almost 1000Kms).
Being gifted an superlative height :) (6 ft 3in), there were limited choices for me in the small car segment. Indica and Zen being out of contention because of their lower height and resulting difficulty of ingress and egress. Alto was out of question due to being under-powered. So the only 2 choices I was left with were the tall boys Santro and WagonR. After a lot of "R&D" on mouthshut, surfing through user reviews and auto magazine car comparisons, I called in for the WagonR.
The choice was based on better service network and quality offered by Maruti, relatively cheaper spares, better mileage, better shock absorbers and lotsaa headroom in the front as well as rear for me to not to bend forward inorder to see through the windscreen (as I did in our older Omni :) ).
Then came the D-Day1, when I booked the car. The dealer rep promised to deliver in 20-25 days (which I doubted from the very first day). The Dealer (Navnit Motors, Mumbai) had no car to display since the car was just put up in production and not even the ads were out. No worries, Maruti can be relied on and I promptly booked one with a silver color after they bought back my older Omni (7 years old) for 70K INR. So had to pay no booking amount and dint have to go through the unnecessary and obscure paperwork which has to be encountered if one sells off a car to an second-hand car agent. The reps even agreed to let me change the color choice once the car comes in to them for display. Nice work here Maruti !
Then came D-Day2 when MY car landed with them from Maruti and I'd pay the remainder of the amount. This was about 40 days after I booked the car. Paid the remaining amount and on some bargaining managed to get 10K worth of accessories free from the list of MGA. Here, the dealer could have given me a better estimate of the delivery date I think.
D-Day3 :- End of all the wait (had to wait another 15 days after D-Day2 due to "Pitrapaksh" .. me being the reason of delay now). All excited and pumped up to get HER home. The dealer rep was very prompt in giving us the delivery at the time we demanded without any delay. All the papers were ready and we were explained the warranty and maintenance schedule perfectly. Got into the car and bingo ! There was soooo much of headroom and legroom for me even with the seat slidden only about 70% back on the railing.
The drive is certainly a very comfortable one with lotsa legroom up front and also good shock absorbers which filter out most of the potholes on Mumbai roads. The interiors are neat but don't look too rich (but this isn't supposed to be one of the most luxurious cars around too right ? ). Again the speedo and tacho could have donned a more sportier look as in the Indica I would say .
As for the looks, they have certainly improved (however I agree this is an individual perception) and the wider-grille front end looks more appealing and manly. The rear now looks cute with bigger tail-lamps and external high mounted stop lamp as well as rear fog lights (in the vxi). The front foglamps though throw some powerful light, but the spread isn't enough for highway driving. But then there are the headlamps which have a pretty nice spread on the high-beam.
Having bought the Vxi, I've gotten the Tachometer as well as dual Trip-meters which I feel is useful. One can be used for mileage calculation(tankfull-to-tankfull) at all times and the other can be used for actual trip distances. The other useful feature I found was the remote locking and intelligent cabin lights getting on, once I unlock the car and going off only after the key is inserted in the ignition slot. Started the car and found the drive to be pretty smooth except for the change to the 5th gear which is quite hard (but I was ready for this psychologically, having read about it on user reviews). The pickup is decent and the car pulls well and without jerks even on 3rd gear @ 10kmph (though this could be injurious to the engine). Another useful feature was the central locking which now comes with a auto-lock for all the doors, once the car exceeds 20Kmph speed. Isn't that smarter than being dependent on the time-factor as on most cars ? The outside rear view mirrors are now the best in class which give all round view. I remember having driven an older model WagonR and had to literally put my head out to have a clear view of the traffic behind in the rear-view mirror. They are electronically adjustable (fine-adjustment only) for the Vxi, which is helpful when the AC is ON.
The AC is very powerful and cools the cabin within a minute even with the blower speed being just on 2 ( the fan has total of 4 speeds as opposed to the 3 earlier) but it makes lot of noise when put on 3 and 4 speed. However, that speed won't be needed for long anytime, since it becomes chilly in the cabin even with the blower on 2 speed for 10 mins..
The electronic Power steering is quite responsive and nice to steer. But on bad-roads the steering seemed disconnected from the wheels and has a slight of free play. Also bad is the tyre sound filtering in on bad-roads even with the windows rolled up.
Getting in and out of the car for me is a breeze and lot better than getting out of an indica or Zen. Talking of egress, comes to my mind, the key-not-removed buzzer and lights-on buzzer which have been articulated smartly again to warn absent-minded people like me :)
The average returned till now, with AC on 70% of the times and mixed city and highway driving is 16kmpl, which am told will increase once the engine "breaks in" fully around 1500Kms.
Overall a very good package with value for money in all those small but practical features. Except for the 5th gear hardness, absence of rear wash-n-wipe system, there is nothing much to complain about.
I would definitely recomment this to people of heights above 6ft and those ain't game just for looks. Am bugged now answering "Why NOT Santro?" from a mammoth of friends, who are impresed by simply the looks of a black Santro !
But for me, better technology and peace of mind at reasonable rates makes more sense than looks anyday !
Will write more once I encounter more nicities or pitfalls.
Hope this helps !
Cheers!
