It has been almost one & half years since Maruti launched its premium sedan ‘Ciaz’ in India which is running successfully and remains constantly at the 2nd spot after Honda city in the segment. When launched it was the most fuel efficient car in India at that time which was taken over by Jazz, Baleno etc. To add a bit more spice, Maruti introduced the RS variant of the sedan now followed by inclusion of hybrid technology (SHVS in Maruti’s terminology) on the diesel trim. The general observation about Hybrid technology is that it is quite expensive, complicated and is confined to premium cars only. Mahindra started it in India by equipping Micro Hybrid technology in Scorpio and now Maruti come up with its own SHVS (Smart hybrid vehicle by Suzuki) which leap ahead of Mahindra’s.
Price range of Ciaz is quite competitive and catchy and eye pleasing design makes it a potent value for money car at a first glance. Our experts drove Ciaz to let you know about its pros and cons.
Price:
- Maruti clearly knows the art to attract the customers when it comes to pricing its products though S-Cross is an exception. In the case of Ciaz and now SHVS version, Maruti has played a trump car with the pricing and placed it very aggressively.
- Ciaz petrol manual starts at an initial price of Rs. 7.31 lakh which goes up to 9.20 lakhs and Ciaz automatic comes in two variants with price range of 9.05 lakhs and 9.69 lakh.
- The SHVS variants cost you at Rs. 8.23 lakh for the base VDI version while the Zdi+ SHVS is priced at 10.18 lakhs. The RS variant is available for Rs. 10.28 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi).
- From pricing point of view, Ciaz is certainly has an upper hand over its rival counterparts Honda City, Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Vento.
Engine & Performance: (SHVS Hybrid)
- When you look at the engine specifications you will feel it is far below than Honda city, Hyundai Verna, Vento and Nissan Sunny. But we have witnessed less power engines delivering excellent performances at times.
- Ciaz is available in two engine options-Petrol and Diesel but now Maruti has equipped SHVS technology with the diesel engine. The SHVS technology hasn’t affected the power output of the model as it continues to deliver 88.5bhp@4000rpm and 200Nm of high torque@1750rpm.
- On the contrary, the 1.4 Litre VVT petrol engine is good for 91BHP as max power and 200nm torque, mated to 5 speed manual transmission as well as a 4 speed automatic gearbox.
- Despite of getting hybrid technology, the diesel variants gain only 10 kg additional weight over the standard diesel variant which has not affected the overall performance at all. With the diesel mill we always feel that it needs some revs to roll up, but once pass a particular level, it doesn’t allow you to complain at all.
- The SHVS equipped Ciaz gets engine start/stop button, bigger battery and integrated starter generator which helps engine to get start and shutdown allowing the regeneration while braking.
- Ciaz SHVS performs decent and there is no change in the drive feel at all albeit crisper throttle response which makes the drive peppier in the city. Get into the car press Start/stop button with your foot on clutch pedal and here you go.
- Gearbox is smooth and conventional steering wheel is easy to move, light, responsive and help car to contrive in traffic and parking. It weighs up enough to provide confidence at even high speeds but while cornering lacks feedback behaves inconsistently.
- There is certain turbo lag up to 1800rpm however it is camouflaged in low gear shifts but Ciaz takes a while to reach to this level but once it crossed the 2200rpm it is just ultra smooth till 4000rpm. It does get noisy at that level but it isn’t something that will worry you much.
- Ride and handling is the main USP of Ciaz SHVS which will impress everyone, it goes easy over potholes and rough roads, performs well on low as well as on high speeds.
- When you driving Ciaz in straight line than it isn’t a problem, but moving Ciaz around the corners with quick movement then you have to keep some patience because it takes a moment to move round the corners.
- The Ciaz SHVS is not a typical hybrid like Toyota Camry as it looks a quest for better efficiency than the sheer or improved performance. The hybrid technology made Ciaz to regain the most fuel efficient car in India with 28.09 KMPL of mileage.
- Overall Performance of Ciaz is not too bad and it will satisfy most of them but if someone is looking for fun element in driving dynamics of Ciaz then you will be dissatisfied.
Space and Dimensions:
- Maruti Ciaz is certainly among segment’s lengthiest and widest car sharing same specifications with Linea and better than rest of the cars (City, Verna, sunny, Vento).
- Front legroom and headroom space comforts you in long drives with enough support, driver seat is height adjustable though there is no lumbar support for the seats
- Storage wise there are many storage places in Ciaz which complements the roomier and airy cabin of Ciaz like Decent glove box compartment, space under armrests, front seat back pockets, bottle holders at doors etc.
- Rear seats space is main highlight of Ciaz spacious cabin, with front seats fully back there is still space available for a person of 5’10” or more.
- Ciaz has boot capacity of 510 liters which is excellent and better than the competitors though boot space cannot be extended as rear seats can’t be folded.
- Ciaz has seating capacity of 5 persons, for any car front seat space isn’t a problem but rear seat space is. In Ciaz, you don’t need to worry about that as it easily comforts 5 adults.
Interiors:
- Ciaz is replacing SX4 which was cursed for its average interiors though Ciaz has immensely improved quality and feel of cabin in comparison to SX4.
- Starting from the front Ciaz is decorated with black beige color theme with faux wood carried all over the cabin which is pleasing.
- The instrument cluster gets 7 inch touchscreen infotainment system with brilliant sound quality thanks to 6 speakers and 2 tweeters.
- Infotainment system has bluetooth, I-pod, USB, SD card and AUX-in support, This 7 inch screen has multi function display like navigation, Smartphone connectivity, FM etc. It is easy to use with decent font size.
- Underneath the Infotainment system you will find Maruti’s conventional styling climate control switches and display.
- Front seats gets are firm and will firmly hold you for long journeys without any discomfort, driver seat window is equipped with multi- functionality buttons like lock-unlock of doors, up-down of windows etc.
- Rear seats praises the overall look of Ciaz as it gets A/C vents with charging socket and little space for storage. Rear seats are accompanied by fixed headrests and an armrest.
- Maruti Ciaz carries some other interiors features like automatic day night inner rear view mirror, sunglass holder, vanity mirror for front passenger, Manual sunshade, rear reading lamps etc.
Exterior:
- Ciaz design is a significant example of great effort put in by Maruti’s engineers because it looks very refreshing, aggressive and sporty than Maruti’s conventional styling.
- Front side is very impressive with cleanly finished large bonnet, chromic front grille carrying Maruti’s logo at the centre.
- Ciaz has smoked projector headlamps which look stylish but there are no LED Daytime running lights though they are flanked by three slat front grille housing Maruti’s logo. Below the bulbous bonnet there are circular chrome finished fog lamps and wide air dams which go well with the overall Design.
- Side of the car has Body colored ORVM’s with turn indicators and chrome door handles, 16” alloy wheels adds up to the beauty of Ciaz.
- Rear side is a resemblance of new GEN Honda City with wide Tail lights and indicators, besides this Ciaz carries Maruti Suzuki and Ciaz badge at rear. The only difference between the SHVS variant and a standard Ciaz is the SHVS badging at rear.
- Ciaz design will please maximum specially Current Maruti car owners but there will be some that will prefer Verna’s graceful and City Design muscular design.
Safety:
- Ciaz is built on Maruti’s STECT technology which ensures safer ride for passengers flanked by features like Dual airbags, ABS, EBD, engine immobilizer, smart key system which are available even on the base variants as an optional choice.
- Besides these there some are special features in Ciaz like Seat belt pretensioners with force limiter, Reverse parking with IRVM display and anti theft system.
- Top variant of Ciaz has side air bag for passengers and though front airbags are available as standard safety feature.
Verdict:
Ciaz is placed in a competitive segment against the well established players like Honda city, Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Vento. The initial Ciaz version had impressed us immensely due to its cabin space, design, long feature list and sensible pricing which makes it high value for money preposition but SHVS just better it. The Hybrid technology on Ciaz is not conventional but it has its own advantages such as improved efficiency, benefit under FAME scheme, not as costlier like Camry Hybrid. Though it is not made for keen driver but it is light on the pocket, feature rich, immensely spacious and most importantly fulfills the ‘Kitna Deti hai’ criteria in a great way.
