Introduction

The month of July bought with it the incessant Mumbai Monsoon. As I was wondering how there was an imminent need to get a raincoat and all other protective slickers, a key to the Maruti Suzuki Celerio landed on my desk. This one is the top-spec ZXI Plus, finished in the ‘caffeine brown’ paint and with an automatic gearbox. As for the price, it retails at around Rs 8.15 lakh, on-road Mumbai for what we have got here. Let’s take a look at it in finer detail.

Specs and Features

This second generation of the Celerio moved to Maruti’s Heartect platform as the rest of its siblings. Along with its increased size, it has got a new design. Plus, while it debuts a new engine, it also brings along a lot of features in this fully decked-up trim. In terms of design, the bulbous headlamp, tall boyish stance, and dark brown paint over blacked-out alloy wheels make our Celerio stand out. I, for one, love the way it looks – which is unique in its own right without imitating any of its siblings.

But the same cannot be said about its interior. The cabin is comprehensively taken over from the current-gen Wagon R – which also spent a lot of time in the CarWale garage. So, things like the high-mounted infotainment screen, large circular-dialled driver’s display with a monochromatic round digital display, steering and seats, and the AC controls are all similar to the Wagon R’s. But what’s new is the gearlever design which looks much more modern and premium to hold.

Also, it is an all-black cabin with silver inserts at necessary places breaking the monotone. On the flip side, the window and lock switches move to the centre console below the screen. Then, the rear door window switches are placed behind the handbrake between the two front seats, and at times are hard to reach – an unnecessary inconvenience.

As for the features on offer, our Celerio ZXI Plus has steering mounted control, height-adjustable driver’s seat, engine start-stop button, keyless entry, electrically adjustable and auto-folding ORVMs, tachometer, and front fog lamps. Standard safety features include dual-front airbags, ABS, rear parking sensor, and child-lock for rear doors. Plus, the seven-inch SmartPlay Studio touchscreen has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity with four speakers. There’s no rear camera parking though.

We still think Maruti could have offered the K12 1.2-litre engine that’s on offer in the Wagon R with the new-gen Celerio. But the K10C engine which debuted with the Celerio is making some serious case for itself. It’s a three-cylinder motor which gets the dual-jet, dual-VVT technology and also the segment-first auto start-stop function. What’s more, it is claimed to be the most fuel-efficient engine with an ARAI claim figure of 26kmpl. The engine has an output of 66bhp and 89Nm and is paired with Maruti’s five-speed AGS automatic.

Celerio at CarWale

So for the next three months, the Celerio would be accompanying me on my daily commutes in and around Navi Mumbai and would be assisting us on all the CarWale video and photo shoots. On a side note, if you are regular to the CarWale YouTube channel, you’d be familiar that I made my first video appearance with the Celerio first drive back in November 2021. You can head to the CarWale YouTube channel and watch it if you haven’t yet. And so, seeing a Celerio parked in the CarWale garage was a sentimental moment. And thankfully, with the Celerio by my side, I won’t be getting as drenched this monsoon as I had anticipated, jolly good!

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi

Product Details

Make: Maruti Suzuki

Model: Celerio

Version: ZXI Plus Automatic

Kilometres on the Odo: 1,025km

Price: Rs 8.15 lakh (on-road Mumbai, when tested)