March 2023 - Maruti Suzuki WagonR Petrol, CNG Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

Updated: Maruti Suzuki updated the prices of the WagonR. This article includes the latest prices and buying recommendations for the WagonR petrol and CNG variants.

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What Are The Pros And Cons Of The Maruti Suzuki WagonR?

The pros or advantages of Maruti WagonR are:

• Extremely value for money pricing for the ZXI variant makes it an easy recommendation for WagonR facelift buyers
• Tall boy design gives it phenomenal head room and unmistakable road presence
• Super efficient petrol engines offer significantly higher mileage figures than before
• Negligible mileage and cost difference between 1.2L and 1.0L engines makes the 1.2L worth the upgrade for better drivability, performance and refinement
• WagonR has a very high residual value in the used car market given its popularity
• Maruti Suzuki’s wide service network makes it extremely easy to find spares (first party and OEM-spec) and skilled labour for the WagonR
• Optional manual and automatic transmissions with both engines; CNG bi-fuel also available with the 1.0L engine

The Maruti Suzuki WagonR facelift has the following shortcomings or problems:

• 1.2L CNG not available with the value-for-money ZXI variant
• WagonR’s popularity also makes it quite common and doesn’t stand out on the road
• Inflation and the WagonR’s popularity are also pushing the prices of the WagonR to heights; the top model costs as much as Rs. 7.29 lakh ex-showroom, which may be a difficult to digest for a WagonR (I had a WagonR with factory fit CNG in the family and we bought it for Rs. 3.12 lakh - on-road in 2010)
• Ground clearance of 165mm doesn’t do justice to a tall car like WagonR

What Is The Price Of Maruti Arena WagonR Petrol Variants?

The Maruti Arena WagonR is available with 5 engine-transmission combinations:

• 1.0L normal petrol with manual
• 1.0L normal petrol with AMT automatic
• 1.2L normal petrol with manual
• 1.2L normal petrol with AMT automatic
• 1.0L normal CNG bi-fuel with manual

The 1.0L petrol engine is only available in the LXI and VXI variants while the 1.2L petrol engine is only available in the ZXI and ZXI Plus variants. All variants are available with a petrol-manual combination while petrol-automatic is available in all but the base variant. WagonR facelift’s prices start at Rs. 5.53 lakh and go up to Rs. 7.29 lakh.

AMT automatic, which is available in the VXI 1.0L, ZXI 1.2L and ZXI Plus 1.2L models, carries an additional Rs. 55,000 premium over the petrol-manual variants. Meanwhile, the CNG bi-fuel option, which is available in LXI 1.0L and VXI 1.0L variants, carries a premium of Rs. 90,000 over the comparable petrol-manual variants.

Note: Check your Car EMI with our - Car EMI Calculator

Maruti Arena WagonR LXI - Base Model Features & Review

The base LXI variant of the Maruti Arena WagonR is only available with the 1.0L normal petrol engine and a 1.0L CNG bi-fuel engine option. It costs Rs. 5.53 lakh (ex-showroom) with the petrol engine and Rs. 6.43 lakh with the CNG bi-fuel option. The most notable features of the WagonR LXI are:

• 5x bottle holders
• Dual-tone interiors
• Standard safety features
• Rear parking sensors
• Auto-start/stop (with petrol only)
• Body-coloured bumpers
• Black door handles and outside mirrors
• Manual AC with heater
• Front power windows
• 13-inch steel wheels with hubcaps
• Manual central locking

If you buy this variant, you’re likely to miss features like remote central locking, music system, wheel covers, 14-inch wheels, rear parcel tray. Whether you’re buying the WagonR facelift with petrol-manual or CNG, we strongly recommend stretching your budget for the higher VXI variant for a better ownership experience.

Maruti Suzuki WagonR Facelift LXI Vs VXI Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The WagonR VXI variant gets 3 powertrain options - 1.0L petrol-manual, 1.0L petrol-automatic, 1.0L CNG-manual. With the 1.0L petrol-manual, the VXI variant costs Rs. 5.98 lakh and with the 1.0L automatic, it costs Rs. 6.53 lakh. The WagonR VXI CNG-manual costs Rs. 6.88 lakh (ex-showroom). These prices are Rs. 45,000 more than the LXI variant.

For the additional sum, you get the following features over the base LXI variant:

• Day/night inside mirror
• Remote central locking
• Tilt steering
• Split rear seatbacks
• Hill start assist with AMT
• Music system
• Rear parcel tray
• 14-inch wheels with full wheel covers
• Rear power windows
• Auto door locking
• Power mirrors

The VXI variant of the WagonR offers enough features to justify the upgrade from the LXI variant. For WagonR CNG buyers, we’ll strongly recommend skipping the base model and buying the VXI CNG for a better ownership experience. The VXI variant is also a value for money upgrade. So, you’re getting the features worth your money.

For petrol-manual and automatic buyers, we strongly recommend skipping the VXI variant and jumping to the ZXI. While the VXI is a value upgrade, you should still buy the WagonR ZXI. In terms of EMI, the upgrade is worth barely anything as the ZXI only costs Rs. 28,500 more.

Maruti Arena WagonR VXI vs ZXI Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Maruti Arena WagonR ZXI variant is available only with the 1.2L petrol engine and has the option of a manual and an AMT automatic transmission. The ZXI petrol-manual costs Rs. 6.27 lakh while the petrol-automatic costs Rs. 6.82 lakh. Even after the price change, it’s only Rs. 28,500 more expensive than the lower VXI 1.0L variants. For this additional price, the WagonR ZXI adds only 2 notable features over the VXI variant, which are steering-mounted controls and B-pillar black wrap.

While the ZXI variant doesn’t add too many features, the extra power and torque output of the 1.2L engine alone are worth more than the incremental asking price. On top of that, you also get steering-mounted controls, which will certainly improve your ownership experience.

For the sheer value-for-money quotient of the ZXI, we can’t suggest a lower variant to any WagonR buyers. The ZXI is an easy choice and earns our top recommendation. It’ll also offer you better city and highway drivability without sacrificing on the fuel efficiency along with better refinement.

Maruti WagonR Petrol ZXI vs ZXI Plus Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The ZXI Plus top model of the Maruti Arena WagonR Rs. 47,500 more than the lower ZXI variant and it’s available with the same 1.2L petrol engine. It costs Rs. 6.74 lakh with the petrol-manual and Rs. 7.29 lakh with the petrol-automatic powertrain.

The top model of the WagonR gets the following additional features over the ZXI trim:

• Rear defogger
• Rear washer wiper
• Front fog lamps
• 7-inch touchscreen
• Android Auto and Apple Carplay
• Tachometer
• Power folding outside mirrors
• White instrument cluster
• Alloy wheels
• Underseat storage tray and seat back pockets

The WagonR ZXI Plus adds some must-have along with mostly good-to-have features. On the value front, the top model of the WagonR seems like a worthy upgrade. So, if you want these features in your car, then you can buy the ZXI Plus variant without compromising on value.

Which Variant Of The 2023 Maruti Arena WagonR Petrol Should You Buy?

Let’s start the buying recommendation for the Maruti WagonR with the petrol-manual variants.

The base model is missing many must-have features. So, we can’t recommend buying it. While the VXI variant justifies the cost of upgrade, it can’t match the ZXI’s value for money points, which gives you a more powerful 1.2L petrol engine with steering-mounted controls. The 1.2L petrol engine offers better drivability and performance with a similar mileage figure as that of the 1.0L engine. It’ll also be smoother because of 4 cylinders. For these reasons, the ZXI variant is an easy choice for WagonR buyers and our top recommendation.

The top model also justifies the upgrade over the ZXI variant, but it mostly adds good-to-have features. So, you can buy it if you want these features without compromising on value for money.

The recommendation remains the same for WagonR automatic buyers. Skip the VXI even though it offers a balanced set of features for a value-for-money price tag. The ZXI will offer a far better driving experience with its better power and torque output without affecting the mileage. The ZXI Plus is worth buying but doesn’t add enough must-have features to warrant an upgrade. If you want these features or intend to add these later on, then you should consider the ZXI Plus trim.

Since the WagonR CNG is not available with the 1.2L ZXI variant, you’ll have to choose between the LXI and VXI 1.0L CNG bi-fuel options. Between these two, the VXI is our top choice as it will offer a far better ownership experience without compromising on value for money. We wish Maruti Suzuki also offered the ZXI 1.2L CNG as that would’ve been a better choice.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The Maruti Suzuki WagonR Petrol?

The WagonR 1.0L has good power and torque output but with fantastic mileage figures. The WagonR 1.2L also gets similar mileage figures but also higher power and torque output compared to the smaller 1.0L engine. The WagonR’s mileage figures are almost on par with the Celerio’s.

Also Read: 10 Tips To Get Better Mileage From Your Petrol, Diesel Or CNG Car

The WagonR’s 1.0L CNG bi-fuel engine also gets a slightly better mileage figure but the jump is not as big as that with the petrol model. This is partially because the CNG model doesn’t get the auto-start stop feature. We wish the WagonR offered the CNG option with the more powerful 1.2L engine also.

You should consider buying the WagonR CNG if you intend to run the car for more than 60,000km to recover the higher upfront cost for the CNG model. Considering the current fuel prices and official mileage figures, the WagonR CNG will cost you Rs. 2.34 for every kilometre you drive and it’s on par with the Celerio CNG’s fuel cost.

You can use our Fuel Cost Calculator to see how any petrol, diesel or CNG car will cost to run based on the latest fuel price in your city.

Fuel Cost Calculator in India

What Are The Dimensions Of The Maruti Arena WagonR?

The WagonR uses the same platform as the older model with minimal changes in the design. So, it retains the same dimensions and offers the same road presence as before. It has the best boot space among its peers but a 5mm lower ground clearance figure than the Celerio.

*Estimated

What Are The Colour Options Of The 2023 Maruti Arena WagonR?

The WagonR is available in the following 6 monotone colour options:

• White
• Silver
• Grey
• Red
• Brown
• Blue

The ZXI Plus variant is also available with an optional dual-tone exterior for an additional premium of Rs. 12,000. The 2 optional dual-tone colours of the Maruti Arena WagonR are:

• Grey with black roof
• Red with black roof

Note: Here is a quick look at our length-based segmentation of cars to give you an idea of how we classify cars based on their size.