 A few moons ago , the original Wagon R and Santro were locked in a titanic tussle for supremacy in India’s family car hatchery. Both evolved with styling updates , refreshed interiors and new engines. That was then.
Now in 2010 , we have the all-new Wagon R that once again faces a traditional rival from Hyundai. The i10 is the spiritual successor of the Santro nee Atos , which it has replaced worldwide. On the other hand , Maruti persists with the Wagon R brand and it has good reason to do so. It is a brand that has endeared itself to lakhs of Indian family car buyers. Here , we’ll evaluate the new Wagon R and pit it against its obvious rival. This is going to be a pitched battle.
Design and Style
There’s no getting away from the ‘It’s a wagon , it’s a car’ ditty for Maruti’s tall boy. Yes , it has grown bigger is every dimension , but one glance and you immediately know what it is. Can’t say I’m convinced about the nose though. While the headlamps look contemporary , the grille is a bit of mishmash , especially the lower half of the bumper. The rest of the look is , well , let’s just call it boxy. The VXi version we tested , rides on low profile Apollo Amazers , 155/65 R 14 to be specific and these don’t quite fill up the wheel arches. Why the low pro tyres? We’ll come back to this in the handling department.
 The i10 meanwhile is a ‘safe’ design. Its predecessor , the Santro received some flak for its overly detailed styling. Still , the i10 isn’t what you’d call an attractive design. It looks contemporary enough , but there’s no single element to it which you’d either hate or love , although personally i like the gaping mouth that has a hint of the Lancer Evo about it.
Space and Comfort
These cars are all about utility. They need to be able to fulfil many roles right from City commuter and school runs to carting home the weekly shopping and doubling up for those weekend getaways. The Wagon R’s USP has always been space. The roomy cabin and the 60:40 split folding rear bench lend it a lot of versatility. So , whether it’s the new AC you bought this summer or your pet which needs to be taken to the vet , the Wagon R can manage all these tasks with aplomb. You get useful underseat storage below the front passenger seat , although there isn’t too much room for odds and ends on the dashboard save for a small cubby on the right of the steering wheel. There’s a shallow cup holder ahead of the gear lever , but it won’t support a cup or a water bottle and is useful only for small change or a bunch of keys. What we do like are the pull out cupholders near the AC vents on either side. In our Indian summers , these make a lot of sense. Maruti has redesigned the interiors of the Wagon R completely , but we’re not entirely convinced with the way it has been screwed together. The quality of  the plastics leaves something to be desired , especially when compared to the Hyundai.
The i10 more than holds its own against the Wagon R. It is definitely better put together and the quality of the plastics appears more robust. There is a large and versatile cubby between the front seats , which can hold two bottles and quite a lot of bric-a-brac. There’s also more space on the dashboard while the front door pockets are wider and easier to access than the Wagon R’s , which are too narrow to be useful. Try fishing a pen out of it and you’ll get what I mean. The i10’s seats are more generous too with better bolstering , but the Wagon R is superior when it comes to ease of ingress and egress. The Wagon R has more head and legroom , but the i10 has a tad more shoulder room.
Performance and Handling
Nobody says a family hatch should go fast , but you do need to have enough grunt to keep up with traffic or overtake when you’re out on the highway. In this regard , the i10 performs better than the Wagon R. It’s quicker in the sprints and through the gears as well , but then it does have a slight capacity advantage. The Wagon R actually has a smidgen more power , but the i10 has more torque , and torque talks.
The i10’s four-cylinder engine is smoother and more refined than the Wagon R’s three-pot , shared with the A-Star and the Estilo. This engine does have better tech in terms of dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder versus  the i10’s three valve head and single cam. In the handling department , the i10 does better overall. The Wagon R rolls like a double-decker bus , which can be a bit scary. The low profile tyres I mentioned earlier do compensate somewhat , but it’s best to treat this car with a bit of caution. That said , straight line stability is good as is the car’s composure under braking thanks to the ABS. However , you do notice some tyre hum while cruising.
The i10 steers better and feels more composed overall. The good ergonomics and high mounted gear lever make twirling this car a breeze. A lack of ABS means it doesn’t stop as sure-footedly as the Wagon R , but it’s still pretty well judged. The higher profile 80-section tyres make the i10’s ride far superior to the Wagon R’s though.
Fuel Efficiency
As always , every car buyer’s pet peeve is just how much can you run your car on a litre of petrol? Here , the Wagon R wins but only just , managing 15.5kmpl overall to the i10’s 14.9kmpl.
Safety
Both cars have as much passive safety built-in as their small dimensions allow , but the Wagon R does have an added peace of mind with ABS and two airbags , so we’ll have to hand this round to the Maruti.
Value
 The fully loaded Wagon R VXi tested here retails for Rs 4.69 lakh , on the road , Pune. In comparison , the i10 Magna costs Rs 4.55 lakh , but it lacks many features like remote central locking and a built-in stereo. More importantly , safety features like ABS and airbags aren’t even a cost option , being available only on the higher spec 1.2 Kappa powered versions. Spec for spec , the Wagon R LXi is Rs 43 , 000 cheaper than the i10 Magna.
Verdict
This is a close fraught battle. The i10 ticks all the right boxes with its quality feel , better driving characteristics and ride comfort. But at times , you can’t shake the feeling that the value proposition of Hyundais of yore has been reduced somewhat. It’s exactly this value which Maruti still promises and delivers. Throw in the peace of mind of Maruti ownership , better fuel efficiency as well as more interior room and you’ve got to hand it to the Wagon R. Maruti’s tall boy stands tall.
More photos:
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Now in 2010 , we have the all-new Wagon R that once again faces a traditional rival from Hyundai. The i10 is the spiritual successor of the Santro nee Atos , which it has replaced worldwide. On the other hand , Maruti persists with the Wagon R brand and it has good reason to do so. It is a brand that has endeared itself to lakhs of Indian family car buyers. Here , we’ll evaluate the new Wagon R and pit it against its obvious rival. This is going to be a pitched battle.
Design and Style
There’s no getting away from the ‘It’s a wagon , it’s a car’ ditty for Maruti’s tall boy. Yes , it has grown bigger is every dimension , but one glance and you immediately know what it is. Can’t say I’m convinced about the nose though. While the headlamps look contemporary , the grille is a bit of mishmash , especially the lower half of the bumper. The rest of the look is , well , let’s just call it boxy. The VXi version we tested , rides on low profile Apollo Amazers , 155/65 R 14 to be specific and these don’t quite fill up the wheel arches. Why the low pro tyres? We’ll come back to this in the handling department.
Space and Comfort
These cars are all about utility. They need to be able to fulfil many roles right from City commuter and school runs to carting home the weekly shopping and doubling up for those weekend getaways. The Wagon R’s USP has always been space. The roomy cabin and the 60:40 split folding rear bench lend it a lot of versatility. So , whether it’s the new AC you bought this summer or your pet which needs to be taken to the vet , the Wagon R can manage all these tasks with aplomb. You get useful underseat storage below the front passenger seat , although there isn’t too much room for odds and ends on the dashboard save for a small cubby on the right of the steering wheel. There’s a shallow cup holder ahead of the gear lever , but it won’t support a cup or a water bottle and is useful only for small change or a bunch of keys. What we do like are the pull out cupholders near the AC vents on either side. In our Indian summers , these make a lot of sense. Maruti has redesigned the interiors of the Wagon R completely , but we’re not entirely convinced with the way it has been screwed together. The quality of
the plastics leaves something to be desired , especially when compared to the Hyundai.
The i10 more than holds its own against the Wagon R. It is definitely better put together and the quality of the plastics appears more robust. There is a large and versatile cubby between the front seats , which can hold two bottles and quite a lot of bric-a-brac. There’s also more space on the dashboard while the front door pockets are wider and easier to access than the Wagon R’s , which are too narrow to be useful. Try fishing a pen out of it and you’ll get what I mean. The i10’s seats are more generous too with better bolstering , but the Wagon R is superior when it comes to ease of ingress and egress. The Wagon R has more head and legroom , but the i10 has a tad more shoulder room.
Performance and Handling
Nobody says a family hatch should go fast , but you do need to have enough grunt to keep up with traffic or overtake when you’re out on the highway. In this regard , the i10 performs better than the Wagon R. It’s quicker in the sprints and through the gears as well , but then it does have a slight capacity advantage. The Wagon R actually has a smidgen more power , but the i10 has more torque , and torque talks.
The i10’s four-cylinder engine is smoother and more refined than the Wagon R’s three-pot , shared with the A-Star and the Estilo. This engine does have better tech in terms of dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder versus
the i10’s three valve head and single cam. In the handling department , the i10 does better overall. The Wagon R rolls like a double-decker bus , which can be a bit scary. The low profile tyres I mentioned earlier do compensate somewhat , but it’s best to treat this car with a bit of caution. That said , straight line stability is good as is the car’s composure under braking thanks to the ABS. However , you do notice some tyre hum while cruising.
The i10 steers better and feels more composed overall. The good ergonomics and high mounted gear lever make twirling this car a breeze. A lack of ABS means it doesn’t stop as sure-footedly as the Wagon R , but it’s still pretty well judged. The higher profile 80-section tyres make the i10’s ride far superior to the Wagon R’s though.
Fuel Efficiency
As always , every car buyer’s pet peeve is just how much can you run your car on a litre of petrol? Here , the Wagon R wins but only just , managing 15.5kmpl overall to the i10’s 14.9kmpl.
Safety
Both cars have as much passive safety built-in as their small dimensions allow , but the Wagon R does have an added peace of mind with ABS and two airbags , so we’ll have to hand this round to the Maruti.
Value
Verdict
This is a close fraught battle. The i10 ticks all the right boxes with its quality feel , better driving characteristics and ride comfort. But at times , you can’t shake the feeling that the value proposition of Hyundais of yore has been reduced somewhat. It’s exactly this value which Maruti still promises and delivers. Throw in the peace of mind of Maruti ownership , better fuel efficiency as well as more interior room and you’ve got to hand it to the Wagon R. Maruti’s tall boy stands tall.
More photos: