It was in June this year when India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, introduced an upgraded WagonR with a 1.2-litre petrol engine complying to BS6 (Bharat Stage 6) emission norms, and more safety features. Now, without making a fuss about it, the company has injected the 1.0-litre, BS6-ready petrol engine in the tallboy’s portfolio. It is this smaller engine that is also available with a factory-fitted CNG kit, and made its market debut, in the upgraded form, with the S-Presso.

Before you wonder, yes, the cleaner motor has jacked-up the pricing of the WagonR. By how much? Approximately Rs 8,000. The 3-cylinder mill is available in both Lxi and Vxi forms, with manual and AMT options. With that engine under the bonnet, the prices now start at Rs 4.42 lakh and go up to Rs 5.41 lakh. As far as the variants with CNG kit are concerned, Maruti Suzuki offers it in the Lxi and Lxi (O) trim levels. Their prices are Rs 4.99 lakh and Rs 5.06 lakh, respectively.

Launched in January this year, the new WagonR is not only bigger than its predecessor but also safer. However, its stint till date has not been without a hiccup. In August 2019, Maruti Suzuki triggered a voluntary recall for the WagonR. Over 40,000 units, built between November 15, 2018, and August 12, 2019, needed an inspection for a possible fuel hose fouling. And then, only earlier this month, Global NCAP released the crash-test results for the WagonR. The car, which is so popular in India, received a two-star safety rating for both adults and child occupants.

Maruti Suzuki has been leading the way for BS6-compliant models in India. Presently, it has eight products which meet the stricter emission norms. They are – Ertiga, Alto, WagonR, Baleno, Swift, Dzire, XL6 and the S-Presso. Expect the company to make the Celerio range BS6-ready soon by fitting the same 1.0-litre engine from the WagonR.

Note: All prices given above are ex-showroom Delhi.