By: Report: P.Tharyan; Photography: Afsar Baig
Aug 23 2018
I had before
me a spruced up Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. It had now got a new 1.5 litre smart hybrid
petrol engine with a 4-speed automatic transmission. I had to find out whether
this new face-lifted Ciaz was ready to take on competition with a lot more vigour.
The car is being offered with a new 1462cc smart hybrid petrol engine as well
as the existing 1248 cc smart hybrid diesel engine. While the latter comes only
with a 5 speed manual transmission, the petrol engine gets an option of a five
speed manual transmission as well as a four-speed automatic transmission. We
drove the top end automatic petrol variant for our review.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
|
Engine
|
1462cc, DOHC, Smart Hybrid petrol
|
Peak Power
|
103.26hp@5000 rpm
|
Peak Torque
|
138Nm@4400rpm
|
Transmission
|
4-speed automatic
|
Front suspension
|
McPherson
|
Rear suspension
|
Torsion beam
|
Front brakes
|
Ventilated disc
|
Rear brakes
|
Drum
|
Tyres
|
195/55 R16 (Alloy)
|
Fuel tank capacity
|
43 litres
|
Length X width x height (mm)
|
4490 x 1730 x 1485
|
Fuel efficiency
|
20.28kmpl
|
Price (Rs)
|
10.97 lakh
|

Exterior Design and Features of 2018
Maruti Suzuki CIaz
The exterior of the new Maruti Suzuki Ciaz has been tweaked
to some extent. No, it does not come with a sunroof, rather the front has a new
grille and bumper. It now has new auto LED projector headlamps with DRLs and
even the fog lamps are LED with chrome garnish. The rear gets an LED
combination lamp. With chrome bezels on front and rear fascia, the car definitely
looks quite elegant. The rear bezels, in fact, give the impression that the car
has dual exhausts. To add to the elegant looks are the 16 inches alloy wheels
in dual tone metallic pebble grey finish. The car comes with electrically
adjustable and foldable ORVMs. Though the new Ciaz has power windows, it is
only the driver side that gets an auto up/down feature with anti-pinch.
Interior Design and Features of 2018
Maruti Suzuki CIaz
The elegant character of the new Ciaz is not confined to
the exterior alone. Inside, you get to see a brand new setting with new Birch
blonde wood grain accents that have an uber low gloss finish, satin chrome
highlights on the dashboard and door trims, a new 4.2” Multi information
colored TFT display and a speedometer which changes its colour depending on the
driving pattern. Displays on the screen include fuel consumption, energy flow,
trip details, driving range and gear shift indicator, which however is not
there in the automatic. There is no compromise on the tech front with a touch
screen that allows you functions like radio, navigation, call etc. The 17.8 cm
touchscreen Smartplay infotainment system is compatible with Apple CarPlay,
Android Auto and Mirror Link.
The steering wheel can be adjusted for
tilt but not for reach. There are several controls on the steering for
functions like voice command, volume control and cruise control.
The top end we drove came with leather
upholstery, a leather wrapped steering wheel, a lot of chrome garnish, etc.
While the front seats are manually adjustable but very comfortable, the rear
seats too are plush and practical. There is a rear AC vent and the seats come
with adjustable headrests. Leg room, knee room, shoulder room and head room are
very adequate. There is a boot space of 510 litres. Though there is a power
socket for the rear passengers, there are no direct USB slots at the rear.
Manually adjustable rear sunshade, rear reading lamps and ample storage spaces
makes the new Ciaz a very practical car.

Safety and Performance of 2018 Maruti
Suzuki Ciaz
The new Maruti Suzuki Ciaz has a smart hybrid
technology. This means that the car has an inbuilt lithium-ion battery set up.
Thus, each time you brake, the energy rather being wasted is stored in the
batteries as part of a process known as brake energy regeneration. This in turn
assists the engine’s idle start stop and the torque assist functions. The
energy stored in the lithium-ion battery also assists during acceleration. Not
only optimal acceleration and performance is achieved but this also increases
fuel efficiency. The point I need to make is that this car is not the least
boring to drive.
The automatic transmission comes with
models like the Drive mode and even L and 2. The L and 2 are the modes that act
like a manual mode for this automatic transmission. The L is used for steady
climbs or for crawling. The 2 acts like the 2nd gear. Interestingly tucked away
on the auto gear shift lever is a tiny OD button which when pressed switches
off the OD function. In essence, this means you are driving in the third gear.
A small bright light on the instrument panel
glows which signifies that your
speed will be limited. All in all, the L, 2 and OD modes are now playing the
role of a manual mode in an automatic. Quite an interesting feature by Maruti
Suzuki!
While driving down the national
highway connecting Bengaluru and Hyderabad, I could not believe that this
4-speed automatic could behave like a 5-speed or 6-speed one. The power
generation was so quick and linear that reaching speeds of 170kmph came without
any struggle.
The new Maruti Suzuki Ciaz has the
oomph factor when it comes to its ride quality with a suspension that soaks in
a lot of the rough. Despite the drum brakes at the rear and disc in front, the
braking ability of this car is no way compromised. While the car could have
done with a few more airbags at the top end, it’s heartening that it has
features like reverse parking sensors, reverse parking camera, speed alert
system, Electronic Stability Programme with Hill Hold Assist.
Verdict
The new Maruti
Suzuki Ciaz has got the right tweaks, especially on the design and comfort
front. Though it has scored on the performance front too with the new 1.5 litre
Smart Hybrid petrol engine, the company should have offered at least six
airbags in the top end variant of the car. Sadly, it comes with only two.
