Good value for money

I've been driving Wagon R for the past 4 years, and I must say that the car has got a couple of fantastic features which normal hatchback is missing. Although there are some negative points as well, but here are the positive ones:

1. For tall drivers like me, I get enough head clearance compared to other hatchbacks. The head clearance is as good as any other SUVs.

2. Leg Room: The leg room available for front seats is pretty good.

3. The driving is very smooth and amazing for city driving. We often go for long drives and picnics for a limited distance of 100 kms, and it never troubled us.

4. Storage: The storage space is also very great for extra luggage when traveling outside. I always carry at least 3-4 bags and it can easily accommodate small to medium size bags. Thanks to its extra room for storage.

5. Turning Radius: The turning radius of Wagon R is way better than other competitive cars in the similar segment. You can easily drive in narrow roads, hilly areas without worrying about small turning points. This car can take really good turns due to good turning radius.

Although the car is pretty good, there are some not so good aspects of this car as well. Those are:

1. Car's body is very light and it makes noise when driving above 80 kmph speed. I don't know why we didn't notice it during the test drive, but it makes noise and it's scary a little bit.

2. Fragile Body: The material (plastic and metal) used to make a body of this car is of mid-level quality. Maruti could have improved the quality of body by giving high-quality material like in Hyundai and Toyota. The bumper gets its scratches very easily when making small contact with walls, gates etc.

3. Mileage: The mileage of new cars which are coming these days is at least 20 to 23 kmph; which is at least 50% to 70% more than what Wagon R has to offer. I will recommend that the engine and performance can be significantly improved by improving its mileage.

4. Limited Features: May be I bought Wagon R in 2011 and that's why I got limited features, but these days cars with similar price range are loaded with tons of features e.g. ABS, Start- stop the engine, rear air conditioner, etc. But at the same time, I must acknowledge that roof rails give it very sporty look, which is amazing.

5. Small rear seating: The width of the car could have been increased by at least a feet, giving it more space for a comfortable sitting of 3 people at the rear seat. Cars like Hyundai i20, Ford Eco Sports have more width compared to Wagon R and hence 3 people can sit very comfortably. But that's not possible in Wagon R.

6. Safety: From safety point of view I think Maruti can inculcate more features like ABS, curve weight, airbags (at least for the driver seat), tilted headlamps during (for proper night vision in extreme curves), etc.. But these features could bump up the price of Maruti by few thousands and decrease the bottom line of this segment on Maruti's balance sheet!