When it comes to economical family cars, the Maruti Suzuki WagonR has been a household name in India for the last 26 years. First launched in 1999, the WagonR has recently
crossed the 35 lakh sales milestone and shows no sign of slowing down. However, the popular hatchback also has a more future-ready counterpart in Japan. Manufactured by Suzuki for the Japanese market, the latest WagonR offers a spacious interior, MPV design cues, and a hybrid powertrain that makes it highly efficient compared to the one available in India. Here's everything you need to know about the Japan-spec Suzuki WagonR. Also Read: Maruti Suzuki e Vitara First Drive Review: India’s Most Important Electric Debut?
While the dimensions and silhouette of the Japanese WagonR are similar to the Maruti Suzuki version, the hatchback is still significantly different in design. It has a tall front fascia with a pair of LED headlamps and a waterfall-style chrome grille. It gets front bumper and side skirts and the B-pillar has a chunky appearance and the taillamps are integrated in the rear bumper and have a low positioning. It also gets an integrated roof spoiler at the rear.
On the inside, we get to see a completely different dashboard layout. It gets a 4.2-inch multi-information display as part of the instrument cluster, which is placed on the centre of the dashboard instead of being in front of the driver. The steering wheel is identical to the new unit that we have recently seen in the Victoris SUV for India.
However, the most interesting bit about the Japan-spec WagonR has to be its hybrid powertrain. It is powered by Suzuki's R06D, 657cc, 3-cylinder, DOHC petrol engine that produces 48.3 hp and 58 Nm of torque, the electric assist from the hybrid system adds 2.5 hp and 40 Nm of torque to the combined output. This gives the hybrid WagonR a claimed mileage of 30.9 kmpl (WLTP), which is considerably higher than the claimed mileage of 24.43 kmpl of the India-spec WagonR.
As of now, Maruti Suzuki has not given any indication on a strong hybrid WagonR for India. Considering that Suzuki already has the powertrain, it would be interesting to see what smaller capacity hybrids could do in our price conscious market.
