Maruti Celerio

Expert Review by Maxabout

Introduction

The Maruti Suzuki Celerio is a name that doesn't require any introduction to Indian car lovers. The first-generation car was introduced at the 2014 Auto Expo and sold at a significant rate in the Indian market in just over a year. After a short time, Maruti has now launched the second-generation Celerio, which is built on a new platform and features a new engine as well as a slew of other segment-first features and is claimed by the brand as India’s most fuel-efficient petrol car.

As we all know, Maruti Suzuki is well-known for dominating the Indian car market over the years with its impressive and reliable vehicles. This time too, the Japanese manufacturer has presented this entry-level hatchback in an all-new avatar to knock the car lovers' hearts like never before. Let’s discuss in detail the pros and cons, design, styling, performance, and more of the second-gen Celerio.

Maruti Celerio Design and Style

To begin with, the design and styling of the new Celerio have a 3D organic sculpted design that is pleasing to the eyes. While the previous generation's design was clean and neutral, with simple straight lines, this one is wavy. The Celerio features smooth curves throughout, from the hood to the fenders, doors, and tailgate. There is a new front grille that is similar to the one seen on the new Swift. The oval grille, which is divided by a chrome bar, and the animated sweeping headlamps give the Celerio a whimsical appearance, while the black plastic surround for the fog lights and air dam adds some sportiness to the look.

The sides have fairly thick A and C-pillars, a standard glasshouse, and soft contour lines at the doors and wheel arches. While looking at the rear profile, its design is quite simple and somewhat resembles Maruti Suzuki S-Presso’s design language, but the droplet-styled taillamps are the addition to its beauty. The car is built on the Maruti Heartect platform and measures 3695mm in overall length, 1655mm in overall width, and 1555mm in overall height. With a wheelbase of 2435mm, the Celerio’s kerb weight is 800kg.

Maruti Celerio Engine and Gearbox

When it comes to powertrain, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio was previously only available in a petrol version, but the brand has now added a factory-fitted S-CNG option as well. Powering the car is a BS6-compliant, 998cc, K10C, 3-cylinder, 12-valve, DOHC, all-aluminium petrol engine, which is capable of churning out 65.7 HP at 5,500 rpm and 89 Nm of torque at 3,500 rpm. This is a dual-jet, VVT engine that gets the first in segment idle start-stop technology and is coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission or Auto Gear Shift. While the CNG variant's power output is 55.92HP at 5300rpm and 82.1Nm at 3400rpm, this is offered with a 5-speed manual transmission only.

Maruti Celerio Interiors, Instrument Cluster & Boot Space

Speaking of the interior of the Celerio, the dashboard design is somewhat diverse from what you might expect from the outside of the car. Put simply, it's still a Maruti dashboard, but with a few sharp elements. To add contrast, the dashboard is all black with silver highlights. Seat height adjustment with a good range is available on the top-tier variant. Even at normal height, you have a good view of the road ahead of you.

Furthermore, the driver's seat provides a view of the bonnet, which many drivers appreciate. The seats are comfortable enough on long rides as well, but there is one flaw: the headrests are fixed. When it comes to the instrument panel, it is a stereoscopic instrument cluster that displays the necessary information like speedometer, rpm meter, digital tachometer, and more. Maruti has offered plenty of boot space with a volume of 313 litres, which is capable of carrying enough luggage.

Maruti Celerio Brakes, Suspension & Tyres

In terms of braking and suspension, the manufacturer has assigned the front braking duties to disc brakes while the rear brakes are drum brakes. The suspension system comprises a MacPherson Strut with a Coil Spring at the front, whereas the rear has a Torsion Beam with a Coil Spring. The best thing about this new Celerio is that it rides on Urbane Black 15-inch alloy wheels that are shod with 175/60 R-15 tyres.

Key Features of Maruti Celerio

2023 second-gen Maruti Celerio gets a Radiant Front Grille with Sharp Chrome Accents, a start-stop push-button with smart key, electrically foldable ORVMs with turn indicators, halogen headlamps, fog lamps, auto gear shift technology, steering mounted audio controls, power windows, 12V socket along with USB and Aux-in ports get plastic covers, central door lock, ABS, door request switch with smart key, a 17.78cm Smartplay studio system with smartphone navigation and voice command, and also has AppleCarPlay and Android Auto functionality.

The brand has added the Suzuki Connect feature to the feature list, which offers information like vehicle tracking, safety alerts, driving behaviour, vehicle information display, and vehicle security alerts. In consideration of passenger safety, Maruti has equipped the Celerio with 12 plus safety features, including dual airbags, reverse parking sensors, 1st in segment hill hold assist, seatbelt reminder(driver+passenger), childproof rear door locks, rear defogger, speed alert system and many more.

Maruti Celerio Top Speed & Mileage

The top speed of the new Maruti Suzuki Celerio offers is 140-150 kmph, and when it comes to mileage, as claimed by the brand, the mileage varies as per variants, which are as follows: The LXi MT, VXi MT, and ZXi MT variants return 25.24kmpl, while the ZXi+ MT variant returns 24.97kmpl, the VXi AGS variant returns 26.68kmpl, the ZXi and ZXi+ AGS variants return 26.00kmpl, and the CNG VXi MT variant returns 35.60km per kg.

Maruti Celerio Variants and Colour Options

Talking about the new Celerio’s variants, the brand has introduced the car in a total of eight variants which are LXi MT, VXi CNG MT, VXi MT, ZXi MT, ZXi+ MT, VXi AGS, ZXi AGS and ZXi+ AGS. Looking at the attractive colour scheme of the hatchback, it includes Speedy Blue, Glistening Grey, Arctic White, Silky Silver, Solid Fire Red and Caffeine Brown.

Ex-showroom Price & On-Road Price

The Ex-Showroom Price is the vehicle's manufacturing cost + dealer/seller profit + GST (Goods and Services Tax) + transportation charges (from the manufacturing plant to the dealership). The on-road price, on the other hand, is the actual cost you pay to the dealership to make the vehicle roadworthy. It includes the ex-showroom price in your city, as well as RTO charges (vehicle registration), a one-time road tax, and insurance charges. The on-road price also includes optional items such as genuine accessories and an extended warranty when purchasing a vehicle. Please keep in mind that the on-road price varies greatly between Indian states due to different percentages for state registration charges.

Maruti Celerio Competitors

In the Indian car market, 2023 Maruti Suzuki Celerio directly competes with Renault KWID, Datsun Redi-GO, Maruti S-Presso, Maruti Alto 800, Tata Tiago and the Hyundai Santro.

Verdict - Should You Buy Maruti Celerio or not?

In final words, we can say the build quality of the car is good and the paintwork is also good. At this price point, Maruti has loaded the current-gen Celerio with first-in-segment cutting-edge features and made it youthful to impress modern car buyers. However, as we all know, if every vehicle has some qualities, then it also has some drawbacks. The plastic used in the interior is a hard one, and the Heartect platform has not proved good in the so-far GNCAP car crash tests, but it is also worth noting here that the Celerio has not been examined by the global safety watchdog yet, so it cannot be judged by other cars' results. With decent features and ample boot space, and most prominently, the brand claiming it is the country's most fuel-efficient vehicle, it is worth buying.