[aviator1101]

Originally Posted by Carpainter

I got the chance to see the car yesterday at a nearby showroom. Couldn't have a test drive as the showroom was not fully functional as it was a local holiday.

Few things I observed:

1. The quality of material used is superior to that of any other maruti cars below 10lakh price bracket.

2. The car is a bit too long for my liking. Specially without much crease on the doors it looks a bit bland.

3. Has ample rear legroom and will be a good family sedan for elderly people.

4. The most noticeable thing I saw in that car is that the center console panel is tilted towards the front passenger instead of the driver i.e. unlike what is found in cars like Polo/Vento etc. where it is tilted towards the driver for easy access. Now even if we imagine that Maruti aimed this car to be chauffeur driven most of the time, this design flaw simply can not be tolerated. Atleast for us Bhpians who prefer the seat behind the steering wheel more than any other seat in any car.

Dear Carpainter,
I understand your feelings well. I too noticed the same design(flaw) but since there were no other comments on the issue, I felt it was meant to be that way. However on second thought, it came to me that though this is a global launch in India, maybe Suzuki is planning to carry over the same dash to the left-hand drive market overseas.
Regards

[RiGOD]

As a person, imbalance (in a product that I pay for) is something that creeps me out. For example, a smartphone with a huge AMOLED crystal clear display, but a mediocre A5 processor? Big NO! Same 'NO' goes to a piece with a quadcore processor but a tiny 200 ppi display. For me, it should be well balanced rather than being top notch in one aspect and totally weak in another.

Same goes with cars. While hunting for an entry level diesel sedan, the main reason why I ditched the Amaze despite of it's gem of an engine and rock solid reliability is the utterly pathetic build quality (Yes I dare say that!). The same obsession for balance/completeness lured me towards the ageing 'Classic', that too from the not-so-reliable Ford's stable. Now everyday, everytime I see/drive the car, I really get that feeling of balance, a feeling that I'm driving a proper 'big-car' (call me crazy!).

Coming to the Ciaz, its just the opposite case of the Amaze for me. The build quality, fit and finish, features and gizmos will make you go all bling-bling. But boy, the same old 1248cc mill (no I won't call it 1.3L) on such a huge car? Yes I know, national engine, tried and tested, high-rpm friendly, but still, imbalance creeps in. I always get a picture like 'this' in my mind.

Will the Ciaz sell? Hell YES! Why? It's a looker (but I really despise the tail lamp rip-off from you-know-who, shame on you MSIL), has great fit and finish, great A$$, gives you that big car feel and the mileage certainly is the icing on the cake. But I won't run with the masses and spend my hard earned money on this one.

My vote and heart surely goes to the new Ford Fiesta for it's balanced engine, segment best handling and decent FE.

Want a practical family sedan? Vote goes to Etios (Not in the same segment, I know)

Want a really powerful rocket that fires on all cylinders? Vote goes to Vento/Rapid.

Solid bulid quality and excellent maneuverability? Linea all the way

IMO Manza is also a very VFM package , but the TATA badge is doing the poor thing much damage.

Final words from my side : Put a 1.6L diesel mill under the hood and give the baby a pure hydraulic steering unit, the rest of the story is for you to guess.

[Carophilic]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Honda being more reliable does not make Maruti unreliable. If I had to chose, even I would trust Honda to be more reliable than Suzuki. The durability of the big two Japanese - Toyota and Honda is astonishing.

Durability of Honda and Toyota are being questioned world wide. Look at JD Power reports. Do not go by performance of cars launched in an era where Toyota and Honda were pristine, pure engineering delights. Somehow, today both have become more Maruti like. I know that is so, for obvious reasonsp of sales volume. But, it hurts when people question Honda engineering and Honda quality ( Yes, Honda fanboys , accept it, Honda India and to some extent worldwide is no longer the brand it was)..

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by RiGOD

As a person, imbalance (in a product that I pay for) is something that creeps me out. For example, a smartphone with a huge AMOLED crystal clear display, but a mediocre A5 processor? Big NO! Same 'NO' goes to a piece with a quadcore processor but a tiny 200 ppi display. For me, it should be well balanced rather than being top notch in one aspect and totally weak in another.

Same goes with cars. While hunting for an entry level diesel sedan, the main reason why I ditched the Amaze despite of it's gem of an engine and rock solid reliability is the utterly pathetic build quality (Yes I dare say that!). The same obsession for balance/completeness lured me towards the ageing 'Classic', that too from the not-so-reliable Ford's stable. Now everyday, everytime I see/drive the car, I really get that feeling of balance, a feeling that I'm driving a proper 'big-car' (call me crazy!).

Coming to the Ciaz, its just the opposite case of the Amaze for me. The build quality, fit and finish, features and gizmos will make you go all bling-bling. But boy, the same old 1248cc mill (no I won't call it 1.3L) on such a huge car? Yes I know, national engine, tried and tested, high-rpm friendly, but still, imbalance creeps in. I always get a picture like 'this' in my mind.

Will the Ciaz sell? Hell YES! Why? It's a looker (but I really despise the tail lamp rip-off from you-know-who, shame on you MSIL), has great fit and finish, great A$$, gives you that big car feel and the mileage certainly is the icing on the cake. But I won't run with the masses and spend my hard earned money on this one.

My vote and heart surely goes to the new Ford Fiesta for it's balanced engine, segment best handling and decent FE.

Want a practical family sedan? Vote goes to Etios (Not in the same segment, I know)

Want a really powerful rocket that fires on all cylinders? Vote goes to Vento/Rapid.

Solid bulid quality and excellent maneuverability? Linea all the way

IMO Manza is also a very VFM package , but the TATA badge is doing the poor thing much damage.

Final words from my side : Put a 1.6L diesel mill under the hood and give the baby a pure hydraulic steering unit, the rest of the story is for you to guess.

Couldn't have said it better. Your post makes perfect sense to me because I belong to the same elk as you.May our tribe grow.

[Vitalstatistiks]

Everyone's just assuming Ciaz will be a sales hit regardless. Dwindling Maruti fanboy speak, and more real consumer feedback on this forum (most important being rear seat issue) makes me think we should hold our horses here.

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by Carophilic

Durability of Honda and Toyota are being questioned world wide. Look at JD Power reports. Do not go by performance of cars launched in an era where Toyota and Honda were pristine, pure engineering delights. Somehow, today both have become more Maruti like. I know that is so, for obvious reasonsp of sales volume. But, it hurts when people question Honda engineering and Honda quality ( Yes, Honda fanboys , accept it, Honda India and to some extent worldwide is no longer the brand it was)..

I know Honda is using flimsy door panels and poor plastics in its recent models, but these brands are known for reliability and none of these cost cutting measures directly impact reliability.

I have owned a Maruti, a Fiat and Honda, and the have been left stranded by Maruti and Fiat, Honda (Touchwood) has never even made me feel that I am gonna face any issues during any drive.

I felt more secure in my Palio, because of the sheer metal thickness around me (inspite of my Civic having Discs, ABS and Airbags), but then reliability wise, Palio sucked!!

Coming to Ciaz, as already discussed in the forum, the rear is very similar to the city, but has no one felt that the front three quarters has striking resemblance to the Old Accord!!

[honey_starhoney]

First of all I really favour the view of Mr.RiGOD (stated above on this page ) as his view and expectation from a car is what i personally believe in.

Took a test drive of Ciaz Diesel Zdi today. The first impression is good of this car. Would say this car has some presence, front looks good simple but it blends or flows with the rest of the design or I say balanced. Rear somehow is not to my taste but it does its job well, side profile is impressive. This is where this car shows how long it is and it cant be mistaken for a entry level sedan by anybody. The moment I sat in the car I was happy with the overall feel it gives you. Cabin is airy and beige makes it feel more roomy too. Some may not agree but I personally liked its cabin more than Verna its not an ounce near claustrophobic.

Rest of the things are good too, materials used are of good quality other than power windows switch. Rest GTO has explained the car well in the official review. The only thing i want to say is that its 1248 cc engine is not meant for this car. Its not sluggish but also not very fast, but here too its still not in mid but its below the mid level if we measure its performance on scale.

The points I checked which mean a lot to me are :

First how this engine pulls. It pulls the car with all its heart, but still it has got a small heart and it shows when it tries to do the job. You would not feel the surge or power at any time that you have nice power at your service , so this car does not pull or would say accelerate in a good happy way.

Second thing in gear acceleration is not good either. The small power band of this car makes it not very drivable it demands gear change. Like I tried it for third gear first as most cars have the third gear tuned for city driving as it can pull the car even from 20, 30 km/h speed, but this car struggles to do that. It would do but it takes a very long time to do that so in order to be quick you have to downshift to second gear.

Third is not very good on highway. Drove it to 120 though it was somehow stable but not as stable as it should be and it does wobble a bit. Then I checked the real time overtaking process like I tried to make it overtake from 60km/h speed in fifth gear, it badly demanded a downshift and then tried it from 70 km/h in fifth gear there too it did not impress me much.

So all in all, it won't be a happy car to drive on highways at least for me. I went for test drive with an open mind but the small engine of this car is a deal breaker for me, otherwise would have thought to buy this car if it would have been provided with 1.5 or 1.6 engine. But Maruti is Maruti it has its own ways.

Overall for people who don't care much for power band, torque can happily go for this car it won't disappoint them, but for people who want that their Rupee ten lakh car should bring smile to their face when you drive it you should look somewhere else.

Search still on... Happy Motoring Some pics sorry for not good enough one pic has my finger sticking above the camera pardon me for that, the guy in last picture is sales guy happy to be clicked but was quite adamant that Ciaz diesel 0-100 acceleration time is 4.5 seconds despite me telling him that it is not possible At least with this engine.

[aviator1101]

Originally Posted by Carophilic

Durability of Honda and Toyota are being questioned world wide. Look at JD Power reports. Do not go by performance of cars launched in an era where Toyota and Honda were pristine, pure engineering delights. Somehow, today both have become more Maruti like. I know that is so, for obvious reasonsp of sales volume. But, it hurts when people question Honda engineering and Honda quality ( Yes, Honda fanboys , accept it, Honda India and to some extent worldwide is no longer the brand it was)..

I would humbly submit here that making a safe car is one issue and giving it a tank like build is another. If with a so called flimsy build, the new City still managed to secure the top rung in NCAP ratings, I would love to go with it any day. By the way, are NCAP ratings available for Ciaz?

[Aga_sahab]

Just took a test drive of the zdi.
I was happy with the acceleration. Not linear at all, but not terrible as I felt reading all the reviews. The low end torque is not great. So downshifting is required. We were 3 people in the car, so it was ideal midway testing.
I am also very happy with the engine noise, or lack there off. It is much less than the Vento and rapid and Honda diesel. It's probably because of the smaller engine. Haven't driven the verna diesel.
Now the staff has been told that 0-100 is 11sec,and is better than Honda city(12). I couldn't check the figures but I may not doubt that after driving the car. The acceleration and torque is high at high rpm and that probably gives it the edge. uneven acceleration might be a learning curve for someone who usually drives a petrol.

I highly doubt the actual fuel economy though. I firmly think that if you drive at 100 on the highway with this ciaz will get worse average than Honda city diesel. The Honda diesel is more linear in its torque and the other factors like thinner tyres should give it the edge. That said, in local city traffic, this engine should be more efficient as its much smaller.

One annoying thing was the bluetooth setting and menu system in the zdi. The system has loads of buttons but use's just one knob to get through all settings. It took us a good 5 mins to figure out how to connect bluetooth. The SA had no idea about the settings.

SA confirmed that deliveries for early booking after 20th and zdi+ will take time, did not mention how much time though.

Originally Posted by aviator1101

the new City still managed to secure the top rung in NCAP ratings, I would love to go with it any day. By the way, are NCAP ratings available for Ciaz?

Can you share a link for this. Have been looking for this data for a long time.

Mod Note: Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the SAME THREAD!
To know how to multi-quote, click here.

[sachinayak]

Not sure if this is directly relevant to the Ciaz review but nevertheless thought of sharing

The consumer affairs ministry is considering legal action against Maruti Suzuki for taking orders for its new mid-size sedan Ciaz even before publicly displaying the car or revealing its technical specifications or price.

This could impact other manufacturers as well.

Carmakers such as Honda with the Amaze and Mobilio, Hyundai with the i10 Grand and Tata Motors with Zest have invited bookings without revealing prices and technical specifications.

Source - http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/44730326.cms

[malq]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

Not sure if this is directly relevant to the Ciaz review but nevertheless thought of sharing



This could impact other manufacturers as well.




Source - http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/44730326.cms

+++

Interesting, thanks, as I head towards cancelling this Ciaz "booking" which now appears to have been a joke played on the people who did book the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.

It took me a year to get the 10000/- booking amount back from Mahindra's for a Reva e2O booking which they finally refunded but with 250/- rupees deducted arbit, and even with the Ciaz, the dealer says "it will take time and there will be a 250/- rupee cancellation charge".

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by aviator1101

By the way, are NCAP ratings available for Ciaz?

Not sure, it had just released so getting the NCAP rating is difficult. Do give them some time and hopefully it is tested as many cars aren't being sent now a days after the first report holding i10, Alto, Nano, Polo were questioned.

Originally Posted by malq

Interesting, thanks, as I head towards cancelling this Ciaz "booking" which now appears to have been a joke played on the people who did book the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.

So you are canceling the booking of the Ciaz, good decision as I did read your posts few pages back as you weren't happy with the car.

Surprising to see a booking cancellation amount being charged. I am not sure if they'll do it really.

Happy car searching!

Anurag.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

Note: In the below list, the Road tax/Registration fee values are interchanged by mistake.

Someone needs to pull up MAruti and the dealers for this malpractice. They are fleecing buyers of 14,000 for nothing.

8,000 for logistics and handling??
5,000 for basic accessories which is foot mats, perfume idol and car shampoo!!
700 for registration fee is for the number plate. Then what is logistics and handling?
337 for Auto card? Why does someone has to go for this?

On top of the above, when you compare the RTO receipt vs the price list, the RTO amount is always lesser.

[cpbopanna]

Original post: Raigod
....
My vote and heart surely goes to the new Ford Fiesta for it's balanced engine, segment best handling and decent FE.
Want a practical family sedan? Vote goes to Etios (Not in the same segment, I know)
Want a really powerful rocket that fires on all cylinders? Vote goes to Vento/Rapid.
Solid bulid quality and excellent maneuverability? Linea all the way
IMO Manza is also a very VFM package , but the TATA badge is doing the poor thing much damage.
Final words from my side : Put a 1.6L diesel mill under the hood and give the baby a pure hydraulic steering unit, the rest of the story is for you to guess.

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

:Couldn't have said it better. Your post makes perfect sense to me because I belong to the same elk as you.May our tribe grow.

Unfortunately in our 'Kitna deti hai?' era, our tribe is heading towards extinction!

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Someone needs to pull up MAruti and the dealers for this malpractice. They are fleecing buyers of 14,000 for nothing.

8,000 for logistics and handling??
5,000 for basic accessories which is foot mats, perfume idol and car shampoo!!
700 for registration fee is for the number plate. Then what is logistics and handling?
337 for Auto card? Why does someone has to go for this?

On top of the above, when you compare the RTO receipt vs the price list, the RTO amount is always lesser.

Someone need to pull up all manufacturers for these practices. The question is who will?

Regarding the charges following is the explanation they give:

1. Logistic an handling is for bringing and cleaning 'YOUR' car from factory and then yard.
2. You can always say no to basic accessories and Auto Card
3. Registration is registration fee and miscellaneous charges (read- bribes) That's why RTO amount is lesser