The WagonR was the original tall-boy, though Maruti didn’t get to leverage its primacy. But, it has made up for the lost opportunities of the initial years and has sold over 22 lakh units during the 19 years of its existence. It is today a key part of Maruti’s portfolio with one out of every four customers staying loyal and replacing their older WagonR with a new one.

But, the problem has been that this Maruti hatch hasn’t changed that much over the years. Though the WagonR has seen two generations, it seems more like there have only been a few facelifts and limited editions. It’s over-boxy design has been the brand trademark, but clearly the design was looking tired and dated. So, the new third generation WagonR is a welcome change with its rounded edges and more contemporary profile, though it still manages to retain the original’s tall-boy advantages.

New platform

The new 2019 WagonR has been built on the 5th generation Heartect platform, which is inherently lighter, more rigid and capable of meeting the new safety regulations. The older generation’s compact, narrow footprint is history. And though the new one seems compact when viewed straight-on from the front and the rear, the side profile showcases the increase in length and wheelbase. The new Gen WagonR’s extra length at the rear significantly increases cabin room and luggage space in the boot.

It’s wheelbase is up 35mm and the front and rear tracks are 140mm and 150mm wider respectively. The car now clearly looks bigger and more squat, though the high-set roof line reminds you of its roots. The increase in dimensions outside has led to an increase in space in the cabin too. Front row space is said to be up 20mm and the tandem distance at the rear has also gone up marginally by 10mm. The big jump in space is in the boot, where a 170mm increase in depth has allowed storage space to jump to 341litres (more than even the Vitara Brezza). Despite the increase in dimensions, the overall weight of the new WagonR has dropped by about 65kgs thanks to the lighter Heartect platform and its higher use of high-strength steel.

Design

The WagonR’s design has always been focused on practicality, with an over-emphasis on square, boxy styling and rather straight lines. While the tall-boy character hasn’t lost its charm, design sensibilities amongst buyers have matured. So, the rounded edges and the more aggressive modern face of the new WagonR will be appreciated, as will be the retention of its tall-boy character. The larger, dual-split headlamps look square when viewed from the front, but from the front three-quarter angle it a mix of peeled-back edges and a unique kink on the side where the body panel cuts in. Though it borders on excess, it still works in giving the new WagonR a unique front design. The new broader front fender and the new bonnet grille also contribute to a completely fresh front design.

The nose of the WagonR is now curved forward, in line with the design and for pedestrian safety norms. It also gets wheel arches, which are more like carved out creases on the body panel. The door mirrors are short stalked and look similar in design to the ones in Maruti’s NEXA models. The roof is a flat panel, though it’s edges are now curved and prominently so where it meets the A-pillar and the C-pillar. The A-pillar itself is quite thin and helps improve visibility when one is behind the wheel. Door handles seem like they are a carry forward from the previous generation WagonR. The C-pillar panel is thicker in the new WagonR due to the increased length. The blacked out window graphic extends into the C-pillar and joins the top of the tail-lamps giving the WagonR a slightly vague floating roof concept.

The rear design is more cohesive and appropriate for the tall hatchback theme. Vertical tail-lamps that hint of being inspired by Volvo’s estates, a rather straight slab of a tailgate (reminds you of the previous WagonR) and some chunky chrome garnish gives the rear design some strength. Even the top trim doesn’t get alloy wheels as standard in the new WagonR; they are optional additions. The black steel rims and plastic hub caps manage to bring some elegance to the equation. But the rim options are 13-inchers in the 1.0L engine variants and 14-inchers in the K-Series 1.2 engine variants. Upsizing to 15-inchers and appropriate tyres should be possible without affecting the ride.

Cabin

The new WagonR’s cabin is roomier than the outgoing model. There is nearly 12cms of extra space thanks to the increased track and curved exterior design of the lower half. There is also more legroom in the new model, both at the front and the rear. The dashboard continues to be a fairly vertical layout and the instrument panel design has been given a X-shaped orientation. The layout is still pretty simplistic and straightforward with the most significant addition being the new 17.8cm floating ‘SmartPlay’ infotainment’s touchscreen. Offering Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and proprietary app-based connectivity, this system offers all the usual features and in addition can display vehicle information and cloud-based services.

The cabin has a pleasing combination of theme colours that runs across the panels and seat fabric. The material quality has also improved, though it is hard to ignore the feeling of being surrounded by acres of plastic. The seats are comfortable though the squabs are relatively thin. There is no height adjustment available even for the driver’s seat, though steering tilt adjustment helps get a good driving position. The rear seats in the new WagonR offer more legroom than the previous model; headroom continues to be generous and will be more than enough even for passengers who are over six feet tall.

Performance

The third generation WagonR is being offered with two petrol engine options and two transmission options - manual and auto gear shift (AGS). One of the engine options is the same one-litre, 3-cylinder petrol from the outgoing model and in the same state of tune. So, it produces 50kW of power and 90Nm of torque. This engine and its MT and AGS variants weren’t available for testing during the national media drive held in Udaipur earlier this week. The ones at hand were the MT and AGS versions of the 1.2-litre K12 engine.

This peppy petrol mill delivers 61kW of power and 113Nm of torque (same as in the Swift and the Ignis). Unlike the rough 1.0L 3-cylinder, the K12 engine is refined, and revs freely. Featuring vibration reducing pendulum engine mounts and much improved NVH packaging helps keep the the new WagonR’s cabin quieter and completely vibe-free. The manual transmission paired with the K12 has well spaced ratios that enables the WagonR to be driven with ease at slow speeds and sportily within gears. The clutch is progressive and transmission’ shift quality is also very good.

The AGS gearbox has been fine tuned with every new vehicle that Maruti has added to its stable. The WagonR’s AGS is still a shade below the competition in terms of its response, though in terms of shift quality and refinement it is on par. The generic shift shocks associated with AMTs has been pretty much ironed out; and it also responds with kick downs for hard acceleration quicker than in some of the earlier AGS variants. Creep function (slow speed) is good and manual gear selection is also offered. Claimed mileage numbers are 22.5kmpl for the 1.0L (10 per cent more than in outgoing model) and 21.5kmpl for the 1.2L variants.

Bottom Line

The ride quality in the new WagonR is also a step up. It is not as confident and planted as the Baleno, but, for a tall-boy, the ride still feels settled and unruffled even over broken tarmac. Though, at higher speeds you do feel body roll and sway associated with tall-boys. Standard safety features include driver airbag, ABS with EBD, and mandatory ones such as speed warning and rear parking sensors. A front passenger airbag is available as an optional addition.

Roomier, peppier, safer and better built - what’s not to like? Thankfully, it is also still a WagonR. Prices start from ₹4.19 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

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