Maruti Suzuki Celerio

The front fascia of the Celerio gives a bold and broad appearance due to the broad bumper with space for fog lamps (optional for lower variants), bold clear-lens headlamps which are combined with a chrome grille and the Suzuki emblem. He black front grille is placed in such a way that it enables easy air flow.
The side profile gets a lot of attention as the contours have been introduced, all the way from the top of rear side to the front fender. The overall fit-n-finish is quite good. The ORVMs are now equipped with turn indicators, but only in the top-end variant.
In the rear, the tail-lamp cluster looks more like its elder siblings. There are multiple horizontal lines, which adds to the bold
This hatchback has a ground clearance of 170mm and a long wheelbase of 2430mm.

The Celerio?s cabin feels like a complete package with dual-tone (black/beige) seat upholstery, Bluetooth enabled music system, electrically adjustable ORVMs, decent legroom and excellent headroom (both front and rear). The instrument cluster is the same as the outgoing model, seat cushioning is quite good and the rear seat is comfortable for 3 average sized persons. The car is well-equipped with adequate amount of magazine and bottle holders.

When compared to A-Star and Estilo, this hatchback offer more upmarket and better quality interiors. The seats have better cushioning and offers comfortable seating to passengers. The rear seats come with the option of 60:40 split flexibility to increase luggage capacity. That is what we call XpanDesign. The flowing curves of the dashboard and the way it merges with the rest of the interiors give the cabin a premium feel. All of it comes together to create a space thats perfect for you and your family to settle into and enjoy the drive.

ENGINE, PERFORMANCE

The Celerio comes with both petrol and diesel options. The petrol variant is powered by a 1.0L 3-cylinder K-series engine which produces a maximum power of 68Ps and 90Nm of peak torque. The diesel variant is an all aluminium engine powered by an 800cc 2-cylinder, producing 46.7Ps of maximum power and a peak torque of 125Nm. Both these versions come mated either to a 5-speed manual transmission or Auto Gear Shift (AGS) technology ? which is the segment-first feature.
The diesel engine offers a mileage of 26kmpl, making it the most fuel efficient car in this segment. The petrol engine gives a mileage of 21kmpl. The pick-up is smooth and the gear shifting is also smooth.

BRAKING & HANDLING

The ride is also smooth as the suspension offers neutral ride quality and predictable handling.
But, the NVH levels could have been improved more, it is competing against the cars which that have smoother 4-cylinder 1.2L engines as compared to Celerio?s 1.1L 3-cylinder (petrol) engine, and AGS lacks refinement and could have be a lot more smoother and better.

This engine has good power and is reasonably silent at the lower end of the rev range, but at higher revs, it does get rather loud. The aspect of the car with the highest amount of hype surrounding it is the new 5-speed automated manual transmission, which Maruti Suzuki refers to as “EZ Drive.” This gearbox can be thought of as a regular automatic gearbox, in the sense that there is no clutch pedal and the selector lever looks very similar to a conventional automatic transmission; however, it differs because it uses electronically-controlled hydraulic actuators to shift up and down through gears. This provides for effortless driving and no matter how jammed up the roads are, you can navigate through them like a breeze.

The safety features include ABS with EBD and dual airbags as standard, which is another plus point for this car. Another one being the AGS technology, the Celerio is safe and sound.

The hatch comes clubbed with the EZ Drive in it, which makes driving the vehicle easy. The EZ technology in the car assures a ride that is hassle free, especially while riding in heavy traffic conditions. The braking system comprises of front and rear drum brakes, which enables immediate braking action. Maruti Celerio is much more safer than the existing A-Star, as the car is bigger in size. The tall boy design gives high driving position, which helps in better upright view of the road. The electronic power steering helps in easy manoeuvering of the vehicle with shorter turning radius. High strength steel side impact beams ensure protection at the doors in case of any side impact. The top-of-the=-line variant boosts dual airbags – one for the driver and the other for the co-passenger.

Apart from less safety features, the Celerio is the only car in its segment to get segment?first features like the AGS technology and three fuel options (petrol/diesel/CNG).
Also the wide sales network of Maruti and its excellent after sales services makes the Celerio worth buying.
This car overtakes its competitors with a little ease as it is the cheapest and the most fuel efficient car.

Maruti Celerio is a welcome break from the mundane and offers a very practical automatic gear-shifting option in the budget segment. It isn’t an automatic in the true sense but offers similar levels of convenience.