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I bought a Maruti 8OO DX, MPFI, five gears version in April 2000, and am getting an average mileage of about 16 kmpl within Bangalore city and about 21 kmpl on highways with the air-conditioning on. This version of the 800 offers excellent engine response and the gearshift is really smooth.

Now, I am looking to upgrade to the B segment. However, I am in a dilemma trying to choose between the Zen and Wagon-R. With the changes Suzuki has brought to these two vehicles, both look equally good and attractive. Can you elaborate the pros and cons of these two vehicles?

Suzuki has discontinued the five gears version in the M800. Please also advice me whether I should consider selling this car in the first place.

Dayananda Babu Kora

As a part of its continuing efforts at offering more value to the M800 buyer, Maruti Udyog has been adding new features such as radial tyres and better suspension in a phased manner. The five-speed gearbox was one more such value offering that was a big move for this entry-level car. This is the same gearbox that is being offered with the Zen and the Esteem.

However, it looks like the company decided to pull out the five-speed M800 after Maruti launched the Suzuki Alto with the new reduced price tag. The Alto's LX and LXi variants sport the same 800cc, MPFI engine that goes into the M800. The price repositioning brought down the price of the base model Alto LX to about Rs 2.65 lakh. This would have meant that this model has no USP over the M800, except for the better design. As a result, Maruti seems to have stopped production of the five-speed M800 to give the extra edge to the Alto.

The five-speed M800 will continue to have special edition type demand from used car buyers. Resale will consequently be better than the earlier versions of the car. Servicing the car and spare parts will not be a problem going forward. With performance, including air-conditioner efficiency that is comparable to the Alto LX, and probably even better mileage, thanks to its lower weight, the five-speed M800 represents a unique value proposition. The decision to sell this three-year old M800 and opting for a new premium B segment car is completely understandable, if you can not afford a second car in the family and/or if you are desperately seeking a more powerful and more refined (in terms of fit and finish) small car. Once, the decision has been taken to sell the M800, expect to get a better resale price for your five-speed variant than the current four-speed M800.

Between the Zen and the Wagon-R, the major differences are, of course, in the engine and design departments. The Zen features a 996cc engine, has a squat, traditional two-box car design and offers better mileage of about 14 km per litre (kmpl) in city driving conditions. The Zen's engine can come up with a maximum power of about 50bhp. On the contrary, the Wagon-R features a 1,061cc engine that generates a maximum power of 64bhp. The Wagon-R sports the new tallboy design, that makes entry and exit from the car's driving position easy, especially for tall drivers and ladies.

Both the cars will rank on a par with each other, when it comes to fit and finish quality. However, the Zen has undergone a much bigger makeover compared to the Wagon-R. The Wagon-R's refurbishment has been minimal with only minor changes to the interiors and the new crystal type headlamp and tail-lamp clusters replacing the older ones. On the Zen, the changes are much more and have managed to make the car look more contemporary. Resale prices for the new Zen will tend to be better than that of the new Wagon-R.

Further, the mileage that the Zen will offer, though the engine is underpowered compared to the Wagon-R, will be better. The Wagon-R's engine is more powerful and it also adds about 8 to 10 per cent in terms of weight to the car compared to the Zen. The Wagon-R's boot space may also be only marginally higher than that of the Zen. Overall, the Zen maybe a better choice.

I would like to buy a car for my daily commute to office, a distance of about 30 km. My choice would be in the top-end of the B segment. I am looking for a comfortable car that also offers low running costs and has climate control. I have shortlisted the Tata Indica V2 diesel or Indigo. Please advise.

Premji Bhanushali

For a daily commute of about 30-60 km, a diesel car maybe the best option considering that, at least for the time being, running costs will be low with this fuel option. But before we go on to the cars that you have shortlisted, you may also want to consider the Fiat Palio diesel.

Between the Indica V2 and the Indigo, you are clearly going to face the dilemma of whether to pay nearly half a lakh more and upgrade to the C-segment or stick with the Indica V2 in the premium B-segment. What you will be losing is just the extra boot section and bit of the sheen in terms of fit and finish quality.

Unless you are looking to make social statement by buying a C-segment car, in addition to the frequent need for a larger boot, going for the Indigo will not be all that necessary. The Indigo, which only features an additional turbo-charger over the same 1,405cc diesel engine of the Indica, just adds about 10 per cent in terms of maximum power. The Indica V2 without the turbocharger gives about 53.5PS of maximum power. So, going by your requirements the Indica V2 will be the best option. Boot space is still more than adequate in the Indica and prices start from about Rs 3.40 lakh going up to Rs 4 lakh.

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