Review: Maruti Suzuki Ciaz - A beautiful compact sedan

Introduction

Year 2014 can be truly be called an year of Sedans in India. From Honda to Hyundai, from Suzuki to Fiat, Chevrolet to Ford, all are in race for launching their sedans one after the another. 

Ciaz on road | Copyright © 2014-15 Reviews Today

In this regards, the most versetile brand in India that appeals masses is indeed Maruti Suzuki which remain unbeaten with other brands when it comes to affordability and has one of the highest number of service stations in the country.With Dzire  & SX4 being the cars that brought a lot of thrust to the sales and in to add to its line with compact sedan called Ciaz which had specially focused on the design which is safe, and also nice-looking. The market ready Ciaz isn’t as mesmerizing as the earlier concept, but does have a street appeal with its huge large swept back headlamps and chrome grille. The increased wheelbase allows a nice sweeping shape for the roof which smartly dives into the boot. The rear is smartly sculpted with wraparound tail-lamps.and a slightly raised boot.

Getting to know about Ciaz

The front façade is blessed with a 4-slat chrome grille with the Suzuki 'S' badge in the centre. It also features projector head-lamps and 16-inch alloys, which apparently is available only in top-end Z+ variant. Maruti's new sedan's 2650mm of wheelbase is noticeably more than that of its rivals with a ground clearance of 170 mm , which truly sail over any kind of Indian roads. As far as its rear is concerned, it is hard to miss the striking similarity with the Honda City – Truly Japanese!

Ciaz'srear looks truly identical to Honda City| Copyright © 2014-15 Reviews Today

Build & Quality

Ciaz is truly a spacious car and doesn't lack storage space either. Rear legroom is phenomenal and the backrest is angled comfortably with just the right amount of lower back support. It’s a clean layout, reminds you a bit of the larger Kizashi, with beige/black interior. The Zdi+/Zxi+ gets leather upholstery too. The dashboard gets an elegant waterfall layout with an all-new multimedia system (SmartPlay infotaintment system ) that includes a large touchscreen with access to music, telephone and navigation. This unit from Bosch is equipped with voice recognition, navigation, integrated rear view camera and Bluetooth and it is developed specially for the Ciaz and it is pretty simple to use. Plus it also gets voice command, which actually works quite well with Indian accents.

By looking at the interiors, we did not find the cabin really plush by any means,though the beige-black interiors with wooden garnish and chrome surrounds on the dash do offer some premium appeal. The cabin also gets a lot of controls and switches from older Maruti Sedans.

Interiors of Ciaz | Copyright © 2014-15 Reviews Today

The care is equipped with several comfort-enhancing features, like rear AC vents, extra shade on the windscreen, and reading lamps among others. The leather seats are quite comfortable too, though they sit a tad bit low.

The boot space is about 510-litres, which is same as the Honda City but more than the Hyundai Verna. The Ciaz gets ABS with EBD mid-variant onwards, while dual airbags are available only on the top-end trims, with the mid-level trim offering only driver-side airbag.

 The 1.3-litre diesel variant, is indeed carried over from the Ertiga albeit a tweaked throttle and ECU. Ciaz engine comes with a 5-speed gearbox and puts out 89bhp along with a healthy 200Nm of torque. The 1.4-litre K-Series petrol motor has 91bhp on tap and 130Nm of torque. Maruti will also offer two transmission options on this one, a 4-speed automatic and a 5-speed manual. Both of these engines claim class-leading fuel efficiency figures - especially the diesel motor, which is higher than that of the Honda City.

The diesel engine comes with a lag and  the turbo takes its own sweet time to kick in, and fails to impress even after it does. Also there is quite a bit of noise levels which is annoying for any driver and passengers in the car. The Ciaz isn’t the best tool to hit the twisties with, but it won’t be at sea if it were to encounter one. It relies more on driver capability to emerge triumphant out of one than say, a Vento. Still, it makes for a good highway companion.   Ciaz does a great job on bumpy roads on the soft suspension setup, making it quite a comfortable drive.

The Compact Sedan War 2014 | Copyright © 2014-15 Reviews Today

The overall package feels good, thanks to the attractive styling, spacious cabin and the new features. And well - it's a Maruti too! Expect the Ciaz to arrive in India by mid-October, smack in the middle of the festive season, accompanied by an aggressive price range of about Rs. 7 - 11 lakhs.

Cheat-Sheet

 We have shared comparison between major sedan in the similar price ranges:

ENGINES	Maruti Suzuki Ciaz	Honda City	Hyundai Verna	Skoda Rapid	Volkswagen Vento
PETROL
Displacement	1.4-litre	1.5-litre	1.4/1.6-litre	1.2(turbo)/ 1.6-litre	1.6-litre
Power(PS)	92.5	118	106/121	107/104	105
Torque(Nm)	130	145	138/158	175/153	153
ARAI FUEL ECONOMY (kmpl)	20.73	17.8	17.43/17.01	16.93/15.04	15
DIESEL
Displacement	1.3-litre	1.5-litre	1.4/1.6-litre	1.6-litre	1.6-litre
Power(PS)	90	100	90/126	104	104
Torque(Nm)	200	200	224/260	250	250
ARAI FUEL ECONOMY (kmpl)	26.21	26	23.5/22.3	20.5	20.5
Price	INR 7.0 -11.0 Lacs	INR 7.20-11.60 Lacs	INR 7.39 - 11.73 Lacs	INR 7.1 - 10.0 Lacs	INR 7.52 - 10.18 Lacs

General Observation & Verdict

A proper full-sized sedan that may not ooze luxury but tries hard to keep you comfortable and interested.The price factor is going to play important role. We would have expected Neon-day light leds lamps but alas that’s a miss too.

You may download the latest brochure from here