Maruti Suzuki India has recently launched their new small car offering in India, this time, a very different segment, which is premium small car- its called the Maruti Stingray (click here for price list, features and details). The target customer group for stingray is mainly youth buyers who look for premium and cool factor in a car but do not have the budget to buy a premium hatchback like the Swift, i20 and the likes. Maruti Stingray offers a very nice mid-way offering for such buyers who can now afford a small yet premium car in a budget of under Rs. 5 Lakh price tag.
Interestingly, there is only one strong competitor for Stingray in India in the segment and that too is another popular car from Maruti only, the Maruti Wagon R. The Stingray is a more premium sibling of Wagon R and offers some major cosmetic uplifts and styling features, but both these cars are practically everything same when it comes to mechanicals. They have same chassis, same engine, same wheelbase, same exterior dimensions (except the length because of the bumpers). The only things which differentiate them from each other are features, exterior styling at front and rear and few other small cosmetic changes. In this article, we talk about the differences and discuss which one you should go for.
[box type=”info” align=”alignleft” ]Also Read- New 2013 Maruti Wagon R Vs Old Maruti Wagon R 2010 Model–What Is New?[/box]
Exteriors
On the exteriors, where these two cars differ the most, major difference between them is as below:
- Stingray has different front bumper which looks more premium and more stylish with larger air-dam and new styled grille
- Stingray uses lots of chrome on the grille
- Stingray has sleeker and smart looking projector headlamps compared to normal halogen headlamps of Wagon R
- The bonnet and chin of these two cars also looks slightly different
- The Sting ray does not get the side body cladding like the Wagon R, but it does get slightly different side underbody moulding
- The Stingray does not get the sporty roof-rails present on the Wagon R
- The alloy wheel design in different in these two cars
- The tail lamp cluster of Stingray is more attractive
- Rear bumper and badging of the Stingray is also slightly different from the Wagon R
[box type=”info” ]Summing up the exteriors comparison, the Stingray is a more premium and smart looking car on the exteriors with new styling element while the Wagon R also pulls up decently in this race.[/box]
Interiors
On the interiors, there are very few difference which are as below:
- Backlit buttons on the audio system of Maruti Stingray look more appealing compared to Wagon R
- There are steering mounted audio controls on Stingray which is not offered in the Wagon R
- The colour tone used on dashboard is light coloured beige and grey on Wagon R while its grey and black on the Stingray
- The door-trims and the fabric on the upholstery is also different in texture and colour tone
You won’t notice much difference in the interiors except for minor differenced between these two cars.
Features And Specifications
Some of the extra features on the Stingray include:
- Projector headlamps
- More use of chrome on the grille
- Chrome accentuated AC vents and inside door handles
- Leather wrapped steering wheel
- Multi-information display
- Key-not-removed warning
- 14 inch wheels standard on all variants of stingray
Rest all features and specifications are same on these two cars. Both these cars are powered by same 1 Litre KB 10 engine which delivers 68 PS of peak power with 90 Nm of torque.
Price & Value For Money
Maruti Wagon R is available in petrol, petrol+ LPG (Duo) and petrol+CNG (Green) variants while the Stingray has been launched only with one petrol fuel option. For sake of this comparison, we consider only petrol variants for price comparison.
Maruti Wagon R Price (ex-showroom Delhi, metallic colour)
- Wagon R LX is priced at Rs. 3.61 Lakhs
- Wagon R LXi is priced at Rs. 3.92 Lakhs
- Wagon R VXi is priced at Rs. 4.17 Lakhs
- Wagon R VXi with ABS is priced at Rs. 4.48 Lakhs
Maruti Stingray Price (ex-showroom Delhi, metallic colour)
- Stingray LXi is priced at Rs. 4.13 Lakhs
- Stingray VXi is priced at Rs. 4.41 Lakhs
- Stingray VXi with ABS is priced at Rs. 4.70 Lakhs
Comparing the corresponding LXi, VXi and VXi with ABS in these two cars, the price difference is nearly Rs. 50,000 for which you get better looking exteriors, few extra interior features and cosmetic uplifts while the performance does not change.
Conclusion
[box type=”success” ]Mechanically, these two cars are same, they have same engine, transmission, mileage, interiors and exterior dimensions. What is different is the cosmetics and a few comfort features which make the Stingray look better than the Wagon R. If you are one of those buyers who bother more about performance and less about looks, Wagon R will be just fine for you and you need not go for the Stingray just for some cosmetic package.[/box]
[box type=”success” ]On the other hand, if you are very particular about the looks and style factor of your car, Stingray is a good deal for about Rs. 50,000 in which you get some nicely packaged upgrades like the projector headlamps etc. But you need to keep in mind that the driving performance of the Stingray is no different from Wagon R.[/box]
[box type=”success” ]If you are a car buyer who drives a lot within city and have CNG / LPG easily available in your state, it also makes more sense to spend the extra money to get a CNG or LPG version of Wagon R rather than getting a Stingray.[/box]
[box type=”info” ]Also Read- Maruti Alto 800 Vs Estilo Vs Wagon-R– Which Is Better Value For Money Car?[/box]
