good motoring
Go for gas
H. Kishie Singh

The Wagon ‘R’ Duo is brand new wine in an old bottle. The bottle too has changed a little. The front end has some changes, most notably the licence plate now resides in the centre, and not off centre as in the earlier model. The headlamps are longer and swept back giving it a sleeker look. A large chrome ‘S’ flanked by a chrome strip adorns the front grill. With fog lamps in place, the car has a presence on the road. It offers a big car look.

The rear end has the most changes. The taillights are longer, the licence plate has been moved to the centre of the rear gate, which has an integrated spoiler with an inbuilt high mounted stop lamp. Built into the rear bumper is a red light. It comes on when the lights are switched on, so you have three red warning lights at the rear. In spite of all this, the Wagon ‘R’ retains its boxy look.

The interior has some very important changes. Most important, the Wagon ‘R’ is a five-seater. This means that the rear seat is a bench seat and does not have the split backrests. The steering wheel is thicker, providing a better grip to the driver. A very pleasant changes are the rotary knobs for the heater /A.C. The fresh air/ circulating air lever is slide controlled. Then there are the remote levers for the petrol filler flap and the rear gate. The instrument panel has a large speedometer on a white back ground. In addition, the LX-I has a tachometer.

The rest of the dashboard is the same and somewhat tacky plastic. The Rexine on the gear-shift lever has a zipper, which stays open perpetually. Very shoddy. Velcro could solve the problem. Maruti should address this problem.

The LX-I, the top-end variant, has electronically controlled outside rear view mirrors, and plush upholstery with matching door trim, front power windows, central locking, rear window de-fogger, and fog lights in the front and rear. The dashboard has a chrome-centre console. The gear-shift lever also has a chrome inset as does the steering wheel which has three spokes.

The most important change in the Wagon ‘R’ is what gives it the Duo tag. The Wagon ‘R’ runs on petrol as well as LPG. This would make it one the most fuel-efficient cars on the road. At the press of a button the engine will switch from petrol to LPG and vice-versa. The LPG tank is toroidal, has a capacity of 22 litres and is certified by the Department of Explosives. Indian buyers are negative about new releases. One remark, heard often, is that the LPG tank would explode in case if a rear-end collision. Possible. But then, so would a petrol tank explode under similar conditions.

The size of the LPG tank is the same size as that of the spare wheel so it fits snugly into the spare wheel well. This means that the spare wheel and jack are now housed in the rear luggage space. This seriously compromises luggage space. This would be a small disadvantage compared to the fuel efficiency.

The fuel efficiency comes from the price of LPG. On either LPG or petrol, the car is expected to give 14 km per litre. However, petrol is about Rs 50 per litre and LPG is Rs 32 per litre. Diesel is about Rs 33.50 per litre. With these figures, Wagon ‘R’ Duo could be cheaper to run than a car with a diesel engine of the same specifications. Just consider, for Rs 60 or so, you will get two litres of LPG and 28 kmpl.

The LPG tank of 22 litres at 14 kmpl should give you over 300 km of driving. And 35 litres of petrol at 14 kmpl should give your about 500 km of driving, a total range of 800 km. On the highway with 16 kmpl or more the range would increase. There is a drop in the bhp (brake horsepower) output from the petrol’s fired engine, 64 bhp@6200 r.p.m. to 57.5 b.h.p at 6000 r.p.m. while running on LPG. This would make a difference in the acceleration, but in city driving it would hardly be noticeable.

Under the bonnet, the only change is the addition of an LPG adaptor; otherwise the engine remains unchanged with 1100 cc, 16 valves, a 32 bit electronic control module (ECM). Electric power steering, suspension and gearbox also remain unchanged. The seat belts are just as uncomfortable.

The VX does not have front power windows or central locking. The local dealer, Berkeley, will provide this for
Rs 11,500

Another option is air bags and ABS brakes. The ABS brakes are worth Rs 25,000. The metallic colour costs an additional Rs 4.000

The prices in the Chandigarh area are as follows:

Wagon ‘R’ LX Duo Rs. 3.48.835

Wagon ‘R’ LX 1 Duo Rs. 3.76.910

Happy motoring.

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