Both the Wagon R and the Santro share a similar design philosophy. Tall and upright, they use vertical space intelligently, making more room for passengers and their luggage. Built to conform with Japanese and Korean length and width restrictions that offer tax breaks to cars that comply, these cars are voluminous and light, making them perfect for our conditions as well. Both cars use shortened noses mated to a large passenger compartment.
Of the two, it’s the radical Wagon that has the braver styling. Doing its best to look like a box, its straight lines, sharp creases and slab-sided doors are shockingly vertical. There are some clever nice-looking bits too, especially the clear square headlamp clusters and the chrome bar on the grille. While the design of the Wagon R seems to almost celebrate these boxy proportions, the Santro tries very hard to mask its 'Tall Boy' stance. Curves, dips subtle flares and even a V shape to the bonnet mean it looks more attractive to most eyes. The Santro's redesign in June 2003 saw a huge improvement over itsoriginal Mickey-Mouse looks. Large
rectangular headlamps and a middle-of-the-road grille made it look fresh-faced, mildly attractive and most important, acceptable to almost everybody. While the finish of the Santro is better than the Wagon R, the Maruti has the tougher build. Now, how often can you say that.
Both cars have similar kerb weights, have transversely mounted engines that power the front wheels and five-speed manual gearboxes. Both are independently sprung at the front with Macpherson struts and anti-roll bars and even the non-independent rear suspensions are similar. The Santro can be ordered with optional ABS and the Wagon R with ABS and twin-airbags as well.