Maruti Suzuki, the household name in the Indian domestic Auto market normally lets people associate the brand with affordable & Value-For-Money cars. And of course in the market driven by Fuel economy, Maruti is by far the best claiming the Numero-Uno position in the car market ever since its launch.With models ranging from the Vintage 800 (made to order) to the Grand Vitara, it has a portfolio of 13 and counting. The compact sedan segment, however has proved to be a tough nut to crack for Maruti - response to the SX4 wasn't that great. Let alone the premium segment.
Honda City was dominant in its own term in this segment till 2012. Hyundai rightly answered with the New Verna which took the market by storm with its fluidic design and performance. Lack of a diesel variant was seen as Honda's downfall and Hyundai enjoyed an almost monopoly until Honda came back with meeting the demands of the market. Honda now sells close to 8000 units of the City. But then it was just the beginning of what was to follow. Maruti with its ever so responsive R&D and Marketing has launched the Ciaz - the head turner in this year's Auto Expo. And guess what - the car has already made 3000 bookings in 3 days and is believed to threaten the share of City and Verna.
The new Ciaz is better-equipped and built on an all-new platform, unlike the SX4 whose styling looked quite dated. Compared the City or Verna, the Ciaz's design is safe, and yet attractive. The front fascia comprises of a fairly large hood and a 4-slit chrome grille that literally stares at you. Also, the large projector head-lamps don't fail to grab your attention. The 16-inch alloys, which come only on the top-end Z+ variant, add to the appeal. Wheelbase of 2650mm is substantially more than that of its rivals. That's not all, the sedan also gets a ground clearance of 170 mm, which is, again, more than that of its rivals. As far as its rear is concerned, it is hard to miss the striking similarity with the Honda City!
Roomy cabin and the beige-black interiors with wooden garnish and chrome do offer some premium appeal. The top end variant gets a SmartPlay infotainment system with a large touchscreen (which is a definite miss in Verna). The boot space is a generous 510-litres, which is same as the Honda City but more than the Hyundai Verna.
The 1.3-litre diesel variant, carried over from the Ertiga mated to a 5 speed gearbox puts out 89bhp along with a healthy 200Nm of torque. The upgraded 1.4-litre K-Series petrol motor has 91bhp on tap and 130Nm of torque. Maruti will offer two transmission options on this one, a 4-speed automatic and a 5-speed manual. Both of these engines claim class-leading fuel efficiency figures - especially the diesel motor, which is higher than that of the Honda City. When it comes to the ride, I heard that the cabin is constantly buzzin and a bit bouncy on uneven terrain at high-speeds though the HIghway ride seem to be comfortable. And finally to the thing that determines the verdict - Maruti has come up with an aggressive price that range from Rs. 7 - 11 lakhs. Well!! thats an instant hit in our market anytime and answers the 1000 bookings per day in 3 days of its launch.
Ciaz would turn out to be milestone for the company and we can expect a blockbuster this festive season for Maruti.
- DC
Courtesy - Auto Car, NDTV, TeamBHP :)
