Maruti Suzuki Celerio was launched in India last year and became a runway success for the carmaker due to its affordable price range and India’s first car to be equipped with an AMT gearbox. Indian consumers are always keen about the price and fuel efficiency of a car and it seems Maruti has given them both with the new Celerio diesel. Maruti has launched diesel avatar of Celerio with their first in house two-cylinder diesel engine which returns 27.62 KMPL of mileage. But Mileage figures alone can’t make us excite, so we got behind the wheel of Celerio Diesel to figure out the potential of new compact diesel engine.
Price:
- New Celerio diesel is one of the affordable hatchback in the segment, priced around 40K less than Beat diesel and almost 1 lakh dearer than Grand i10 diesel.
- The diesel Celerio starts at Rs. 4.65 lakh for the base variant and goes up to 5.71 lakh for the top, a perfect range for such practical and efficient car.
Engine and Performance:
- The Celerio diesel is the first product to get Suzuki made native diesel engine, which makes it the smallest diesel engine in the world.
- It gets the two-cylinder, 793cc diesel mill that develops 47bhp power@3500rpm and 125Nm peak torque@2000rpm, produces higher torque than bigger Swift.
- The biggest strength of Celerio diesel is its fuel efficiency, claims to return 27.62KMPL of ARAI certified mileage, 1.03 KMPL more than Dzire which has held the title of most fuel efficient car in India. Though we got 21KMPL in city conditions with AC on.
- In terms of performance, it reaches 0-100 in 20 seconds and also struggles in the process. Overall, it’s not a highway cruiser.
- Switch on the ignition and get treated with a loud noise and vibrations which keeps on going till engine fires to life. The same story repeats while you shut down the engine.
- During the city drivability you won’t feel that engine is underpowered or it is falling out of breath. The main punch lies in the mid range in which you get the best possible efficiency and power but it gets over quite quickly.
- A light steering wheel which assists in its proper handling not only on highways but on city roads as well and the suspension set is on the smoother side absorbing the potholes without much complaint.
- Overall, the diesel Celerio is best to drive up to 90-100 km/hr as you try to press on; it feels out of breath after 100 km/hr.
Space & Dimension:
- The diesel Celerio carries the same space and dimensions as its petrol variants, it continues to measure 3600mm of length, 1600mm of width and 1560mm of height.
- It has a wheelbase of 2425mm which offer generous amount of legroom space for both front and rear passengers.
- The boot space of Celerio diesel stands at 235 liters which is slightly less than 256 liters of Grand i10 but around 65 liters more than Chevrolet beat.
- Front seats are supportive with high seating position and good thigh support and integrated headrests.
- The rear side is best suited for two instead of three and it doesn’t have fine under thigh support as well. Rear seat comes with 60:40 seat spilt which brings more cargo space potential.
Interior:
- Despite being a new model, it boasts same interior layout and features, not even a single more feature added in new Celerio diesel.
- You continue to get same set of features in Celerio diesel as well like 2-DIN audio system, Bluetooth, USB, Aux-In, audio control mounted power steering, Central locking, Keyless entry Multi-information display, same larger controls for air conditioning and electrically adjustable ORVMs.
- The quality of materials used is simple and basic nowhere close to Hyundai grand i10 which is made up of excellent quality materials.
Exterior:
- Nothing has changed at all outside; it is a carbon copy of its petrol counterpart.
- So you get two slat chrome grille, a thin chrome liner on large headlamps with integrated turn indicators, same styled bumpers with circular fog lights and wraparound taillights at rear just like alto 800.
- Apart from DDis 125 badge at rear, there is nothing which can differentiate it with from Petrol counterpart.
Safety:
- Maruti Suzuki Celerio is loaded with features which one would expect from a premium hatchback such as two airbags, ABS (anti-lock braking system), central locking, engine immobilizer, high mounted third brake light, ventilated disc brake and two-point rear seat belt.
- Though there are plenty of safety features available on Celerio diesel but the main thing is, most of them are offered on top variants only.
Verdict:
Maruti Suzuki Celerio is for those who travel on daily basis and doesn’t have huge money to spend on expensive diesel cars. In terms of Performance and riding ability it performs equal to petrol powered car. If there is something which needs improvement, its poor NVH levels especially when you start and shut down the engine. The affordable price range and fuel efficiency will lure wide range of customers.
