Introduction

The Ciaz is probably the most important car for Maruti Suzuki in the longest while. It is their gate pass to the premium segments that they have failed to make a foothold in so many years. While there is no question over Maruti’s dominance in the small car segment, it is in the higher price brackets that they have struggled to get the right product and wriggle away from the budget brand image.

We are late in reviewing the Ciaz; it has been around for a while and everyone knows about its success story. The sedan has already established itself as the second highest selling car in an extremely competitive C-Segment. So our short spin in and around Mumbai then was to find out what has made this such a hit for the Indo-Japanese automaker.

Looks

The last C-segment sedan from Maruti didn’t perform the way they had expected and it was imperative then that a lot more efforts went into developing this car. The Ciaz is not just a good looking car, it is designed to appear premium and give Maruti a foothold in the higher segments.

The front looks sophisticated; the long bonnet, swept-back headlamps, trapezoidal chrome grille and sculpted bumper together make a good impression. Even the rest of the detailing on the fascia like the bulge on the bonnet and creases on the side, projector headlamp with blacked out cluster are similar to the ones we see on the more premium cars.

From the side profile, the Ciaz appears to be a big car. It has the forward leaning stance with the raised boot, but not in a sporty way. It is an executive car and the one that tries hard to show a bit of arrogance. The bold shoulder line looks nice and so do the chrome door handles that pass through it; the alloy-wheel though could have been better.

The tail lamp design is similar to that of the new Honda City, which in turn is similar to many of the BMW cars. We are not sure if either of the two C-Segment sedans copied the other, but they are great looking. The bumper at the back is big and gets black housing for the reflectors, the boot lid gets hexagonal slot that has the number plate mounting and the only thing that I find odd here is the amount of badging, which is rather unnecessary.

The Hyundai Verna was without doubt the best looking car in the segment and they spoilt it with the 4S facelift. While there will be no argument about the Volkswagen Vento, if simplicity is what you are looking for. Yet for those looking for an extra bit of swag, the Ciaz appears to be the best bet, ahead of the segment leader Honda City.

Interior

The interior is a combination of beige and black that seems appropriate in this segment of cars. As far as the design is concerned, it is similar to that of the new Dzire, only more premium and with additional features. The quality is inconsistent; parts like the grab handles, seats covers, cabin lamps and buttons on the dashboard feel fantastic, while on the other hand the touch and feel of the door trim is downright ghastly.

The biggest USP however is the cabin space. There is plenty – plenty as in, enough to fit two averaged sized Scandinavians on the same side of the car. The rear bench is even wide enough to fit three people comfortably and then it also offers thigh support, which is kind of first in the segment. Even the boot space is big at 510 litres.

We drove the ZDi variant, one below the top-end ZDi+, so a couple of features like the touch-screen music system and navigation were missing. But that apart, it is a decently loaded car. There is keyless start, climate control, multimedia music system that sounds great and basic safety features including the airbags and ABS.

Performance

The Ciaz uses the 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that produces 90bhp and 200Nm of torque. That is not a lot of power for a C-Segment sedan and it reflects on the performance. Despite using a VGT (variable-geometry turbocharger) there is lag and the car almost refuses to move under 1,800rpm. Thankfully the first two gear ratios are short and getting off the line becomes relatively easy. However, downshifting is a must every time one approaches a climb, needs to make a quick overtake or even slightly reduces the speed.

Having said that, I can’t deny that this is one of the best engine- manual transmission combination in the segment. For an oil burner, the engine is refined and the five-speed transmission feels positive – this translates to better NVH levels compared to the Honda City, Skoda Rapid and the Volkswagen Vento. With some smart tuning, Maruti Suzuki claims 26.21kpl ARAI efficiency for the sedan; these figures from the test conditions may be over the top, but the car can easily return around 19kpl in the real world.

The sedan is also available with the 1.4-litre petrol engine from the Ertiga that churns out 91bhp and 130Nm of torque. It is rated at a decent 20.73kpl and frankly even this sounds puny for a C-segment sedan. There is a word that the new S-Cross will get the 1.6-litre diesel mill with a six-speed gearbox and we hope to see it on the Ciaz soon.

Ride & Handling

Our drive was confined to the city limits and unfortunately we didn’t manage to put the Ciaz through a proper grind. Still it was not difficult to figure out that it rides really well; the suspension is tuned for comfort and the Ciaz absorbed all the bumps on the roads in a fairly decent manner.

It is tall for a sedan and subsequently has some amount of body roll. The handling dynamics don’t feel inspiring; the car loses composure when pushed through the corners. There is a no steering feedback, though it weighs up properly with speed. The car rides on the 185 / 55 R15 MRF tyres and offer decent grip, even the braking feedback is decent but they lack the initial bite.

The Volkswagen Vento has the best ride and handling dynamics in the segment (I am not saying they are great, but still better than the rest). While the Ciaz is nowhere near in handling, the ride quality is equally good if not better.

Verdict

The Ciaz turned out to be a pleasant surprise – compared to their previous C-Segment car, the SX4, this one is miles ahead on every parameter. To start with, it is a good looking car and then offers enough interior space and features to compete with the best in the segment. Its only drawback is lack of power; then again apart from the Verna none of its competitors are any better. As a saving grace, the Ciaz at least has respectable NVH levels, which are poor in the Honda and Volkswagen cars.

The secret behind the success story then is simple; the Ciaz is a great car – probably even the best in the segment if one is looking for a balance of comfort, efficiency, looks and features. It might still take some time to take on the segment leader, the Honda City, but that is because Maruti Suzuki still needs to work on their brand image.

Car Courtesy: Shivam Autozone