Maruti Suzuki is set to make some alterations to the feature list of their popular Wagon R. Following the significant modifications made to the Brezza SUV, which saw the removal of certain standard features across variants, the Wagon R is now facing a similar fate.
The higher variant of this beloved hatchback will bid farewell to its rear defogger, a once-handy component that was available in the Wagon ZXi Plus variant, in both automatic and manual transmission models.
This feature was highly appreciated during inclement weather conditions, providing drivers with improved visibility on rainy and foggy days. Despite the decision to discontinue the defogger, Maruti Suzuki has chosen to keep the price of the Wagon ZXi Plus unchanged, offering some solace to potential buyers.
A defogger is a feature that assists in improving the driver’s visibility. It is used to wipe out rainwater and frost from the rear windshield of a vehicle. In a bid to clean the moisture, a defogger heats up the windshield and the growing temperature forces the condensed frosts to melt down sooner.
The ZXI model of the WagonR is only available with the 1.2-litre petrol engine, which has the ability to generate 88.5bhp of power and 113Nm of maximum torque. The base variant of this SUV comes with a normally aspirated 1.0-litre petrol engine that can generate a maximum power of 66 bhp and 89Nm of torque.
The Wagon R ZXI variant is available in nine different colours. It also offers pocket-friendly rides, returning a mileage of 23.56 kmpl. The top-spec model of Wagon R is currently priced at Rs 7.30 lakh (ex-showroom) for the automatic variants and Rs 6.75 lakh (ex-showroom) for the manual variants.
In the case of Brezza, Maruti Suzuki removed the mild-hybrid technology from the car’s manual gearbox-equipped variants. Removing the mild-hybrid tech made a significant impact on the SUV’s certified fuel efficiency numbers, which have gone down to 17.38 kmpl from 20.15 kmpl.
As part of the update, Maruti Suzuki also deleted two safety features– electronic stability program (ESP) and hill-hold assist– from Brezza’s CNG variants. The only positive of the update was that the company introduced a new safety feature in all Brezza models, adding seat-belt reminders to each seat. Earlier, only front seats used to have this feature.