The Ciaz is Maruti Suzuki’s answer to the coveted Honda City in the C-segment sedan space offering comfort and efficiency at a substantially lesser price than the City.
Maruti Suzuki’s big comeback in the C-segment sedan space, the CIAZ (which stands for Comfort-Intelligence-Attitude-Zeal) has been launched in the country priced from Rs. 6.99 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). A giant leap for brand Maruti in the country, the Ciaz is the first of many premium products to come in the future from the automaker and is loaded with all the essentials needed to put up a good product in the segment. The sedan is available in a total of 10 variants categorised as VXi, VXi+, ZXi and ZXi+ for the petrol trims, and VDi, VDi+, ZDi and ZDi+ for the diesel variants. The automatic transmission is available on the VXi+ and ZXi trims.
Read The Maruti Ciaz vs Honda City Comparison
Design – First showcased as a concept at the 2014 Auto Expo earlier this year, the production version of the Maruti Ciaz is not too radical from the concept. However, while the overall design and sihouette remains similar, the styling has been siginificantly toned down. The front fascia comes with a chrome induced grille taking prominence, while the sweptback headlamps with projector lamps are a premium sight. The side profile looks long and premium, courtesy of the elongated wheelbase, while the receding shoulder line adds a bit of flare running up to the wrap around tail lights.
The rear fascia of the Ciaz on the other hand has a lot going on. The Honda City-like tail lights look bold and sharp; however, the bumper seems to have been overdone and gives a rather stout look to the sedan. Nonetheless, being one of the longest sedans in its segment, the Ciaz scores for the road presence and a sporty stance. The lower trims of the sedan ride on 15-inch alloy wheels, while the higher variants get the wider 16-inch rubber. Chrome is in abundance throughout the car and a total of 7 colours are on offer.
Interiors – Maruti’s effort to rise up clearly shows inside the cabin. Done up in a beige-black colour scheme, the dashboard is simple and effortless and has been well laid. With a wheelbase measuring 2650 mm, legroom is really not much of an issue, however the rear headroom does get compromised with a height of 1485 mm. The seats come with fabric upholstery as standard on the lower trims, while the range topping variants get leather upholstery on offer. The overall quality on the Ciaz looks much better than older Suzukis and the inclusion of a plethora of new features only make for a longer equipment list including several segment firsts.
The Maruti Ciaz comes loaded with a start-stop system, Bluetooth, AUX and USB connectivity, electric boot opener, electric ORVMs with turn indicators, auto up-down power windows with anti-pinch function, keyless entry, glass antenna, driver seat height adjust and rear AC vents with charging socket. The higher trims come with leather wrapped steering wheel, electro-chromatic internal IRVM, sunglass holder, footwell lights, MID screen as well as the new touchscreen Smart play infotainment system. Maruti has added cubby storage spaces across the cabin, while the boot space measures at 510-litres.
Engines – Powering the Ciaz is the 1.4-litre 4-cylinder K-Series petrol motor producing 92.45 PS at 6000 RPM and 130 Nm of torque at 4000 RPM, paired to a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic gearbox. Diesel power on the other hand comes from the 1.3-litre 4-cylinder DDiS unit that is tuned to produce 90 PS at 4000 RPM and 200 Nm of torque at 1750 RPM, paired to only a 5-speed manual transmission.
Safety – Maruti has packed in the only the basics of safety with the Ciaz that comes with dual front airbags, ABS and EBD as standard. You also get drivers assists like the reverse parking sensors with camera on the higher variants. A bit more would have been appreciated though.
Fuel Efficiency – Courtesy of the frugal powertrain and the lighter weight, the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is the most fuel efficient vehicle in its class. On the petrol variant, the Ciaz returns an ARAI certified 20.73 km/l, while the diesel variant returns 26.25 km/l also making it the most fuel efficient vehicle in the country, dethroning the Honda City diesel for the title.
Maruti has certainly hit the right spot with the Ciaz, prices being one of them. With a plethora of equipment on offer along with a pleasing design and chrome inserts, the sedan manages to offer oodles of features and comfort for its customers. Competing against the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento, Skoda Rapid and the likes in the segment, the Ciaz might just be able to carve out a niche for itself as a value for money offering true to the Maruti Suzuki badge on the grille. The company says to have received over 7000 bookings for the Ciaz currently, while delivery periods extend from 2-4 months depending on the variant. Rs. 620 crore have been invested in the development of this model. The car will be exported to Latin America, Middle East and Africa in the near future.
Maruti Ciaz Petrol Prices (ex-showroom, Delhi) –
* Ciaz V – Rs. 6,99,000/-
* Ciaz V+ – Rs. 7,55,000/-
* Ciaz V+ AT – Rs. 8,65,000/-
* Ciaz Z – Rs. 8,24,000/-
* Ciaz Z AT- Rs. 9,34,000/-
* Ciaz Z (O) – Rs. 8,59,000/-
Maruti Ciaz Diesel Prices (ex-showroom, Delhi) –
* Ciaz V – Rs. 8,04,000/-
* Ciaz V+ – Rs. 8,63,000/-
* Ciaz Z – Rs. 9,45,000/-
* Ciaz Z (O) – Rs. 9,80,000/-
* pricing is introductory
