Maruti Wagon R Duo - Incremental Progress

THE WAGON R DUO IS MAINLY GOING TO BE USED IN THE CITY, BATTLING CHAOTIC TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, AND OCCASIONALLY FOR INTER-CITY TRAVEL ON THE HIGHWAY

At the heart of this 'new' Wagon R is the same 1061cc inline four that has powered it for the past six years. Power maxes out at 64.8PS@6200rpm with a max torque figure of 84Nm@3500rpm in petrol mode. Switch to LPG and power drops to 58.3PS@6000rpm and torque goes down to 77Nm@4500rpm. On paper, the difference may seem quite a bit, but on the road, it doesn't really have much in it. Driving the Wagon R Duo on petrol through Pune city, with moderate traffic was a breeze. The car ploughed through with utmost ease. Before I switched to LPG mode though, I reckoned that the car would get sluggish beyond belief, and I'd have to really push hard to maintain the speeds I was doing. So, there I was, making through Pune traffic, and a slight touch of the rectangular button to the right of the steering wheel indicated a shift to LPG. The car continued to pull without any kind of indication that it was now burning LPG and not petrol. Very nice! Of course, the car is actually quicker and faster in petrol mode, and our instrumented testing proves that. Zero to 60km/h in petrol mode

The company fitted LPG kit not only ensures that you save a lot on your fuel bills, but also that you don't have to worry any more about the implications of the suspect aftermarket kits on your engine's life

The switch on the left is to toggle between LPG and petrol. The three green lights tell you the fuel level for LPG, and when it turns orange - it's time for you to switch to gas...err...petrol

The Fugitive : the space for the stepney is taken by the LPG cylinder, and the spare wheel has to be put in behind the rear seats. All will be forgiven and forgotten though once you take a look at your monthly fuel bills

The intruder : the 22.5 kg LPG tank goes a long way to make sure that you go a long way. The combined range for the new WagonR is more than any other car in its segment

takes 6.75 seconds and 7.68s with LPG. But you see, this car isn't about revving to the red line in each gear or attempting to beat land speed records. The Wagon R Duo is mainly going to be used in the city, battling chaotic traffic conditions, and occasionally for inter-city travel on the highway, and that is where it scores best. With not much of a difference in driveability using either of the two fuels, Duo owners are never going to notice the change. Turn on the air conditioning however, and the Wagon R becomes considerably sluggish, especially lower down the rev range, but I suppose that's to be expected given the small capacity engine. One bit that Maruti really should have improved is the Wagon R's rather sloppy gearbox. It is still imprecise and shifts are not crisp enough. Mechanically, the car remains unchanged, with the same suspension set-up being continued on the new car. Ride is reasonably comfortable, though rear seat occupants tend to get bounced along on bad roads. The tall boy design does tend to roll around a bit in corners despite the provision of anti roll bars at the front. Apollo tyres provide adequate grip, and handling is safe and neutral.

If you look at the Wagon R's fuel efficiency figures, you won't find much increase, even with the LPG mode, but considering that LPG costs almost half as much as petrol, that's a huge advantage! We got an overall figure of 15.6km per kilo of LPG, and 14kmpl while running on petrol. With a petrol tank capacity of 35 litres and an LPG carrying capacity of 22.5 kilos, that amounts to a substantial operating range!
What's the bottomline? Well, the car looks better than before, and with the LPG option, it's also easier on the conscience. Running on LPG cuts operating costs down to almost half, which has to count for something. The Duo is priced at Rs 3.65 lakh, ex-showroom Pune, which is only about Rs 15,000 more than a petrol-only LXi model - so getting the LPG variant is a really good deal!! Maruti sure has hit the right chord, and we can only expect other manufacturers to follow suit soon. As for me, I'd like something with a little more power. Maybe a Baleno Duo for me in the near future! Anyone at Maruti listening?