Maruti Celerio

Synopsis

Maruti Suzuki, a world renowned Indo-Japanese company, has finally launched the most-awaited small hatchback 'Celerio' on February 6, 2014 at Delhi Auto Expo 2014. It is a front wheel drive hatchback made on a completely new platform and took almost three and a half years in making by the joint efforts of around 175 engineers, product planners, designers, marketers, etc. from both Japan and India. It is available at most of the Maruti dealerships after its launch and is expected to replace the Estilo and A-Star eventually. The hatchback is primarily aimed for the Indian market to cope up with the increasing competition in this segment. The company's COO, Mayank Pareek revealed that the name Celerio means 'Celestial river'. It is made on the A-Wind concept and gives a stylish and sporty look due to its fabulous design. Let's check in detail about this hatch.

Design and Features

The exterior of Maruti Celerio gives a stylish and attractive look while maintaining a sporty stance. It is a well sculpted hatchback which includes a superbly illuminated headlamp cluster with wrap around headlights and separate casing for the parking light, a large air dam which merges well with the front grille and has an inverted curve to its lower end, striking bumper with single fog lamps, stylish front radiator grille with twin chrome slats and Suzuki logo in the middle, a sporty hood with clamshell effect, a small antenna at its front above the windscreen, wider doors, two parallel running character lines at its side, one of which runs along the shoulder, starts at the fender and goes upwards towards the rear window, body colored and internally adjustable ORVMs with integrated turn indicators, bright side indicators on its fenders, chunky rear bumper, a rear tailgate which can only be accessed from the outside, tall tail lamps, a large rear windscreen with top mounted brake light, chromed pull type door handles (body colored in case of the top variant Zxi), rear wiper, washer and defogger for the top Zxi variant, rear spoiler with LED brake lights for Zxi variant, 13-inch wheels for the base variant LXi and 6-spoke silver colored alloy wheels with flowing type 14-inch radials for middle VXi and top Zxi variant and a stylish middle crease line in the rear that runs through the tail lamp along the boot door. This marvellous hatchback has a length of 3600mm, a width of 1600mm and a height of 1560mm as its dimensions and has a large wheelbase of 2425mm for a stable and comfy ride. It has a high ground clearance of 165mm for a bump-free ride and a fuel tank capacity of 35 liters along with a kerb weight of 830kgs.

Interior and Space

The interior of Maruti Celerio is also an outstanding one with a lot of comfortable and eye-catching features which includes comfy single-piece front seats, dual-toned interior design, as much as 15 utility spaces which includes two front cup holders, a bottle holder behind the handbrake and on each rear door, a boot space capacity of 235 liters which is remarkable, a large dashboard, a U-shaped central console surrounded by a chrome bezel that houses a music player and the air-con controls, a good combination of black and beige, nicely positioned gear shift lever, fairly large glovebox, forward folding 60:40 split rear seats, all seats with integrated headrests, a good air conditioning system, a leather covered electronic power steering wheel(with audio and Bluetooth telephony controls and tilt-adjustment for Zxi variant), a rear parcel shelf, central locking and power windows for middle VXi variant, height adjustable seats for Zxi variant and a good quality music system with USB, Aux-in, Bluetooth and speakers which can also connect with your mobile or iPod.

Engine and Mileage

Maruti Celerio has an updated 998cc, 1.0L, 3-cylinders, 12-valves petrol engine called K10B(or K-Next) which provide a maximum power of 67 Bhp at 6000rpm and a maximum torque of 90 NM at 3500 rpm and is mated with a five speed manual or an automatic gearbox transmission. The primary changes in the engine includes the adoption of drive-by-wire, higher pressure injectors, a modified inlet, redesigned valves and springs, cylinders with higher compression and use of a low viscosity engine oil. The manual gearbox gives 0-100kmph acceleration in 14.9 seconds while the automatic gearbox which has been given a name of EZ Drive, gives the same in 15.4 seconds. The EZ Drive does not use torque convertor but instead has an ECU to manage hydraulic actuators which controls clutch engagement and gear shifts. Both these transmissions are supposed to provide a massive ARAI certified fuel economy of 23.1kmpl.

Suspension and Safety Features

Maruti Celerio has got ventilated disk brakes at front and drum brakes at rear. The suspension system consists of a McPherson strut with coil spring at front and coupled torsion beam axle with coil spring at rear. For the safety of its passengers, it includes ABS, dual front airbags, high-strength steel side impact beams, rear wiper, washer and defogger, fog lamps and many more features.

Variants, Shades and Price

Maruti Celerio is available in 6 variants: LXi, VXi, ZXi, ZXi Option, LXi Automatic EZ and VXi Automatic EZ Drive. The base model is priced at Rs. 3.90 lakh and the base automatic variant is available for Rs. 4.29 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi). Maruti Celerio is available in 7 shades: Artic White, Cave Black, Sunshine Ray, Celurian Blue, Blazing Red, Glistening Grey and Silky Silver.