Oct 25, 2006 08:10 PM
6249 Views
It's been a month since I upgraded to WagonR Lxi from my 2001 model Maruti 800Ex (5-speed) and I am enjoying every bit of its driving. I am not too sure about the mileage part since I have recently completed 1000 kilometres and never actually bothered to check mileage during the first 1000 kilometres. Now I will focus on the mileage the car returns.
One of the reasons why I opted for WagonR is the Maruti's brand. Low maintenance, cheaper spare parts and economical servicing make this car very easy on pocket. The maximum amount I paid to the service station on my Maruti 800 was Rs 3,000 when I got my car serviced after it completed 40,000 kilometres.
Now I come to why I liked this car.
In comparison to Santro, Alto, Zen and 800, the new Wagon R is quite spacious.
Sitting comfort. Unlike Santro or the older version of WagonR, rear seat is more comfortable.
Good pick-up. Though I am not a speed freak, neither do I prefer to take sudden take-offs, this car takes off quite smoothly even with the AC running.
Looks. I agree that it is very subjective and it varies from person to person, I still found this car very cute... very smart. However, the people at the service station say scratches on Passion Red colour (the one I own) and black show more than in any other colour, say in white or silky silver.
But there are some concerns as well.
Gear shifting is not very smooth and as other owners have mentioned on this site, the shift from 4th to 5th gear is definitely not the best.
People talk very high about its air-conditioning. It is good, definitely beter than the 800's airconditioning, but I had greater expectations.
There are lot of people who ask me why I did not opt for the DUO version, that is, the one which has LPG option as well. This is because of a few reasons, which I realise are very genuine.
Dearth of LPG stations in Delhi. The one closest to my home is about 12 kilometres and a little off the way (I stay in Sahibabad and my office is in CP while the gas station I have been told is in Geeta Colony). To get a fill I would have to take a detour of 5-6 kilomtres. Would have been very painful especialy during the peak hours when traffic on this stretch is very heavy.
The dealer told me LPG option would make a sense if I am to do at least 2500 kilometres every month. At 1000 to 1200 kilometre a month, I would never reach the break-even, he said.
Had it been the CNG variant, it would still have made some sense. But LPG prices are also increasing day by day.
People say the life of an automobile engine running on alternative fuel is about 20 per cent less than the engine running solely on petrol. Well, I was not very sure on this but seen with the other reasons which I listed above, I thought not to buy the DUO version.
Those who are using the DUO variant may please enlighten me on these issues so that I could give better advice to people planning to buy WagonR.
Last, but not the least, LXi Petrol cost me Rs 3.62 lakh on road (without accesories) while the DUO variant would have cost about Rs 4.10 lakh. A difference was a little too much, almost Rs 50,000.
Also, petrol variant was readily available with the dealer, while there was a waiting of 45 days on DUO variant.
