Great car for our small unit

I bought my Wagon R in December 2005, and had it retrofitted with an LPG kit in 2007 when I moved to Mumbai.

It is a great car to drive. I drove it down from Delhi to Mumbai when I relocated here in 2006, and must admit, there was not an ounce of fatigue after being behind the wheel of this car for 750 plus km each of the two days it took me to drive down. In fact, I enjoyed the drive so much that I did not even share the driving time with my father, who was travelling with me.

In the city, it's the ideal car... spacious enough, yet compact to squeeze into tight parking spots that you find in south Mumbai and elsewhere. My wife loves to drive it for its ease and manouverability.

Maintenance wise, very easy on the pocket. The routine service, including the oil change, barely costs Rs2,000. I've had just one flat tyre in my 29,000 kilometers of ownership over the past three years, but then again, you're not really the owner of a car till you've changed the tyre once, right?

My only disappointment (if I may term it that) is that it gives a slightly lower mileage on LPG. I get a mileage of around 12 kmpl on LPG in the city, with the AC running around 80 - 90 per cent of the time, while on petrol, on the same driving conditions, it gives me around 16 kmpl from day one. This could be an issue with the kit, but my research tells me that it is a wider issue, since the Wagon R duo too returns about the same mileage despite its factory fitted LPG kit. however, it's more of a slight irritant than a problem, and not even that when I'm on the highway since the 48 litres of LPG in my tank, coupled with a full petrol tank ensures I don't need to stop for fuel before 1,000 kms. Besides, I like the car so much that I've been toying with the idea of getting myself another one and fitting it with CNG for my city runs of 100 km per day that I do for my work. So far, my research tells me that the car gives around 20 kmpl on CNG, which if true, would mean that it would be almost as cheap to run as a scooter or motorcycle on a rupee per kilometre basis.

Recommended for the nuclear family - self, wife, and two kids. Comfortable, hassle-free, reliable, and a great drive on the highway as well. Moreover, parking is a breeze, and the AC ensures you're able to chill out in the thick of traffic!

Interior space, comfort, airconditioninglow mileage on LPG