[Nanolover]

Real world Mileage Test ( in the name of science )

Finally took the day off and did what I had planned to do. Do a mileage test for the Celerio AMT.

Summary:

1. Destination : Trivandrum ( Thampanoor, point zero of the city) to Kottarakara ( Ganesha temple) and back.

2. Drove to Bakery Junction petrol pump in the morning at 9 am to fill her up. ( took in 2000 rupees of petrol, not TO THE BRIM, but till cut off )

Route driven

Onward:
Thampanoor- SS Kovil Road-PMG- Pattom- Keshavadasapuram and on via MC road- Kottarakara

Return:
Kotarakara - on the MC road - Pothencode- Sreekariyam - Keshavadasapuram-Pattom- Palayam-Statue- Thampanoor

Ac Usage : 100 % on . Onwards on blower speed 1 and return on blower spped 2 ( Thermostat at max cool)

Idle Stop/ Start : Switched off from start of journey

2. Departure time : 10:45 am . I chose this time as it is still a semi rush hour time in the city and very hot and humid, so AC will be needed continuously.

3. Itenary - It was purely a drive. Reached temple, did a quick prayer and back. Reached home by 14.30

PAX Nos: 1

Driver weight : 73 kg

Total travel time : 3hrs 30 mins

Average speed : ( distance/ time) : 42.3 km/h

Total Distance Travelled : 148.7 kms

Details:

Proper City traffic kms : 30.7 kms ( there was no gridlock, but typical slow moving urban traffic)

Two lane highway traffic kms: 118.7 kms

Total signals encountered ( where I had to wait on red light ) : 10

Average waiting time : 30 seconds

Additional Points:

For those who are familiar with the route, it is a narrow two lane highway with lots of ascends and descends . Road surface throughout was excellent ( maybe due to ongoing Sabarimala season).

Could not reach 100 km/h on any part of the journey ( the speed limit beeper didn't beep). Understandable and acceptable as safety on the route is first.

The point I wanted to make is that, at no point in time was I intentionally light footing the car nor was I driving gung ho pedal to metal. Was making quick and steady progress . Return was a bit more pedal to metal driving, as the roads were empty ( high noon and lunch time, so traffic was less on the highway) and AC was on always. Regular overtakes and 80km/h crossed on many occasions ( as confirmed by the beep)

The car:
- Quite and comfortable
-AC is a chiller
- Adequate noise insulation for the journey
- Enough power for quick and safe overtaking ( although press down for the AMT to put you in a lower gear)
- The way AMT shifts into higher gear for mileage cannot be matched by humans ( we will never bother to shift so much up or down)
- Regeneration during deceleration ( 4th to 3rd and to 2nd) is felt much more than in other Maruti cars ( almost electric like), to the point that the cars in front of me, I can see their brake lights coming on, but there was no need for me to brake as I kept 1 car's length + the deceleration of the K10 engine.
- Weak self centering that many had complained about for the steering is quite a boon in these highways as steering doesn't fidget or move at high speeds.

Now the main part

Mileage as in Kitna Deta hai? ( per the MID) : 21.0 km/l

Maximum ( per MID) -23.1 km/l

Minimum - 14.5 km/l ( at start as I had reset to zero)

I did not fill up again to do a proper tankful to tankful test, though I feel there will not be much of a variation from these numbers

Conclusion:

- Efficiency of the K10 is now almost diesel like.
- Anyone can easily achieve at least 25 % better figures than mine if interested in hypermiling ! The drive could be at an earlier less traffic hour with no use of AC , idle stop/start activated and controlled speed driving etc. Seen many YouTube reviews with 30 km/l and all, and might be doable. But my aim was to see, what I will REALLY get, in my pattern of usage.


And finally, THE main point of being in this forum, it was indeed a Live to drive journey.
Beautiful ( if a bit hot) weather, nice roads, greenery everywhere and the country sides of Kerala. This is what we yearn for and I did indeed live the drive

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Nanolover

[b][u]

I did not fill up again to do a proper tankful to tankful test, though I feel there will not be much of a variation from these numbers

You should have refilled the tank to know exact fuel efficiency figure. MID definitely will have 0.5 to 1 kmpl variation at the minimum.

21 kmpl is good. As you said, diesel like. My older celerio used to consistently give 20 kmpl (tankful to tankful). Awaiting my 2021 celerio and most probably in a couple of weeks, I can share the exact fuel efficiency figures too(for my dad's driving though).

[anandmv]

Test drove the new Celerio AMT today. I was mildly blown away. What I had in mind was a jerky ride especially in the lower gears. What I felt while driving was barely perceptible smooth and responsive gear shifts. It did put a smile to my face. I could just concentrate on manouvering the car and not bother about gear shifts at all. This felt more comfortable when compared to a relative's TC i10 that I had driven sometime ago. My drive is a 2011 WagonR and this felt leagues ahead. Bad roads brought me down to the earth a bit but the drive was fun.

The rear seat though seems like a deal breaker. The fixed head rest was well below my neck and the under thigh support felt insufficient. I also wonder if the car can lug the family without gasping for breath.

[darkfantasy]

Originally Posted by anandmv

The rear seat though seems like a deal breaker. The fixed head rest was well below my neck and the under thigh support felt insufficient. I also wonder if the car can lug the family without gasping for breath.

Please test drive the Ignis also. This should address all your concerns. The top end AMT is barely costlier by 50k. If you can live with the rear design, the Ignis seems better in almost every way.

[anandmv]

Originally Posted by darkfantasy

Please test drive the Ignis also. This should address all your concerns. The top end AMT is barely costlier by 50k. If you can live with the rear design, the Ignis seems better in almost every way.

Sure. On my list. I did visit Nexa after that. The S Cross tempted me away They had S Cross automatic available for TD and tbh it felt a bit underwhelming after the Celerio TD (never thought I would type that sentence!). Planning another visit this week to take a look at Ignis instead.

[mrdexter]

Originally Posted by anandmv

Sure. On my list. I did visit Nexa after that. The S Cross tempted me away They had S Cross automatic available for TD and tbh it felt a bit underwhelming after the Celerio TD (never thought I would type that sentence!). Planning another visit this week to take a look at Ignis instead.

would suggest you to test drive Tata Punch AMT. Celerio is a much hyped car and is exorbitantly priced. Following are the points which I noticed during my test drive. Drove a total of 10 kms both in bad roads as well as good roads. The vehicle was not registered with RTO, so the drive distance was limited.

1) Seat comfort -- > Under thigh support was not good and even the seat was not accommodating.
2) Pot holes and bad roads were felt inside the cabin
3) Hill hold functionality is good , but it does not have the pull and we have to accelerate
4) My parents felt difficult at the rear seat
5) Dead steering : it did not come back to the original position after we take an U-turn. We have to manually steer it.

S-Cross is a good car, but it is costlier by 3-4 Lakhs. Instead I would suggest you to test drive Tata Punch AMT. Accomplished variant without dazzle pack is a good option for AMT variant. TD with your family, they will love the car.

[PrasannaDhana]

Anyone considering a new car at a budget of 7.5 lakhs, if you are looking at new celerio and are being swayed by the Tata Punch, be very clearly advised that there will be a substantial difference in the real world fuel efficiency between both the car.

The difference will be to the tune of 5 kmpl with the celerio being the better car here. That's a massive difference, atleast massive enough to make my dad win the argument to book the celerio over the Punch.

Talk about safety or looks or road presence or ground clearance , there is no contest. Punch wins, hands down!!

[Nanolover]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

The difference will be to the tune of 5 kmpl with the celerio being the better car here. That's a massive difference, atleast massive enough to make my dad win the argument to book the celerio over the Punch.

!

Agree with prasanna. What has to be borne in mind is that the celerio is a highly efficient CITY car. The size and comfort is basically for the front people and 2 or 3 small kids. It cannot be a car for all purposes and all needs like a Honda city or Nexon. So basically boils down to needs,budget is secondary.

I brought it as I needed a compact reasonably stylish highly efficient city car ( wagon r is a dabba , swift,punch etc is too wide and I hate Tata revtron engine having personally owned Tigor and Tiago).

If it is the only car for the family,please up budget and go in for more capable vehicles like Nexon or brezza ,s cross etc.

[darkfantasy]

Originally Posted by mrdexter

would suggest you to test drive Tata Punch AMT.

As someone who's been looking out for a replacement for my training wheels (S-Presso), I checked out the Punch AMT. The AMT shift quality seemed to be way worse than the S-Presso itself. I did not get the opportunity to test in the highways, but within the city and while upshifting from lower gears the shift shock is prominent. The engine also did not feel like an upgrade from my current ride. Please let me know your view on this. Maybe I need to check at another dealership. I liked everything about the Punch except these 2 points.

Also, the top-end Punch AMT is priced close to the Brezza VXI AT, which has a superior TC AT, 1.5-liter engine, and from a higher segment. I am not decided yet, but to me, the Brezza makes more sense.

[mrdexter]

Originally Posted by darkfantasy

As someone who's been looking out for a replacement for my training wheels (S-Presso), I checked out the Punch AMT. The AMT shift quality seemed to be way worse than the S-Presso itself. I did not get the opportunity to test in the highways, but within the city and while upshifting from lower gears the shift shock is prominent. ]


[Also, the top-end Punch AMT is priced close to the Brezza VXI AT, which has a superior TC AT, 1.5-liter engine, and from a higher segment. I am not decided yet, but to me, the Brezza makes more sense.

]

I took the car from Lakshmi Tata, Guindy for test drive. May be some issue with the vehicle you TDed. The driving experience was good. No head nod (shift Shock) issue either. Not once but I did 2 Test drives from same dealership, one with my friends and the other with my family of 5. The vehicle placement on the road was good. It handled the pot holes well too.

Brezza VXI as you said is a very good car indeed, but it is atleast 3 lakhs costlier for the base variant Punch. Also Punch is a budget car. IMO adventure variant (9.2 lakhs) is what I would suggest.

But as mentioned by you and others earlier Celerio, Ignis or even S presso can be considered as a second car to be driven within city limits.

[raksrules]

Originally Posted by darkfantasy

As someone who's been looking out for a replacement for my training wheels (S-Presso), I checked out the Punch AMT.

Going offtopic here but based on what you say here, you bought S-Presso to train yourself to drive a car in India and get accustomed to driving conditions here? Asking since we too have booked S-Presso AMT for same reason. We are new drivers and learning to drive and want to get a feel of driving here and once we think we are good enough, get something else.

[mrdexter]

Originally Posted by raksrules

Going offtopic here but based on what you say here, you bought S-Presso to train yourself to drive a car in India and get accustomed to driving conditions here? Asking since we too have booked S-Presso AMT for same reason. We are new drivers and learning to drive and want to get a feel of driving here and once we think we are good enough, get something else.

You can buy any car and learn in a weeks time and get used to traffic in months time. AMT is much easier infact. But buying a car for learning alone and then changing it in 3-4 years will not be profitable. Instead, go for a car suitable for your family. Appoint a trainer for a week from the showroom itself. You can pay Rs 300- 500 per day for 1.5 to 2 hrs / day of training for a week.

Cars like S presso are just glorified nanos. You should not take it for long drives due to safety constraints. Also these cars don't provide comfortable seats.

When I started researching for my first car in 2012, without driving experience, even Alto 800 looked comfortable. Alto was the first car which we checked in showroom. But we researched for 6 months and finalized polo. The cars which we felt comfortable after driving all hatch backs were Figo and Polo. We finalized polo and I learnt driving in my polo.

Seats are very important. Thigh support has to be there even if you have to travel for 50- 60 kms. Else it is no difference travelling in an auto. Even auto seats are broader these days compared to these cars.

S presso, celerio, ignis are got for city rides, for FE. They are equivalent to motorized carts.

But if you have a disciplined driving we can get good mileage in any cars. My polo-TDI gives 25 km/litre in morning traffic and around 20 in evening traffic. 20 kms one way. Overall mileage of 21- 23 consistently every month.

So dont fix yourself to Maruti and explore other models too.

[PrasannaDhana]

My Celerio ZXI+ MT has reached the dealer.

The VIN number shows December 2021 manufacturing, right out of the oven. A nice coincidence with my Altroz purchase- Booked Altroz on 04th October and got it delivered on 27th October, VIN showed it was an october 2021 manufactured car.

Booked celerio on 8th December and will be getting it delivered on 24th December, again a December manufactured car.

I had to put some weight on the sales team to get a white zxi+ that was allocated to a different district to be delivered to me here at Trichy.

After seeing the car physically, I gave green signal for the RTGS payment. I did not have the time to do a proper PDI. But hey, this is the same dealer that has delivered me 7 marutis in the past. Celerio will be the 8th Maruti in my garage, from the same dealer. I haven't had an issue with any of the past 7, and hence trusted them with the celerio too.

I am held up with work tomorrow or else I would have taken delivery tomorrow itself.

OTR : 7,55,000
Discounts - None. Reduced 5k from insurance, and 5k cash discount was given for those who booked after 21st December. I have pushed them to give me that offer too.

Another coincidence- Altroz had 12 km when I first saw it in yard, the Celerio had 13 km on odo












Basic Accessories include floor mat, mud flaps, door and bumper protectors(side mounding), steering wheel cover, car vacuum cleaner, window visor

I told them I won't be needing window visor and vacuum cleaner. I am getting seat covers, sun film and reverse cam extra. Paid 5k over the vehicle cost for all of them.

The car is getting registered tomorrow.

I won't be penning a full blown review on the celerio as I did with my ciaz/storme/altroz. I might not be driving it much either, except may for the first 1000 km that my dad usually wants all our new cars to be driven by me.

Nevertheless, I will try to share a mini ownership review after I clock 1000 km on the celerio.

Oh yes, a proper fuel efficiency review is due too

As of now, I don't have much liking towards the new celerio, except maybe for the black 15 inch alloy wheels and the Yokohama stock tyres.

[raksrules]

Originally Posted by mrdexter

You can buy any car and

I totally get what you are saying. This car we are buying is for strictly city usage and we may probably never take out of Mumbai ever. Max to Navi Mumbai / Thane which is still in MMR region. Cost was very important factor we had to consider for first car. I just don't have that kind of money to switch from S-Presso to Polo when I think 10 times even before considering Wagon-R due to extra 1.5L I will have to spend if I got for that.
Also being first time buyer with super limited knowledge about cars, I want to go for Maruti or Hyundai only. Later on may be I will explore other options.

My car is only booked (1.5 months back) yet and no allocation has happened thanks to chip shortage. So I am definitely open to suggestions and I keep checking spinny and such for low mileage and something manufactured in last 2-3 years.

[darkfantasy]

Originally Posted by mrdexter

]

I took the car from Lakshmi Tata, Guindy for test drive. May be some issue with the vehicle you TDed. The driving experience was good. No head nod (shift Shock) issue either. Not once but I did 2 Test drives from same dealership, one with my friends and the other with my family of 5. The vehicle placement on the road was good. It handled the pot holes well too.

Thanks a lot for the quick response and inputs. Have got the Lakshmi Tata contact and will have another longish test drive during the weekend and will post in the Tata Punch thread. We did love the car otherwise though.

Originally Posted by raksrules

Going offtopic here but based on what you say here, you bought S-Presso to train yourself to drive a car in India and get accustomed to driving conditions here? Asking since we too have booked S-Presso AMT for same reason. We are new drivers and learning to drive and want to get a feel of driving here and once we think we are good enough, get something else.

Exactly. Last year in the middle of the pandemic, we were looking for an easy-to-drive, automatic car. My wife and I both had driving licence but had no real-world experience other than the driving school experience. We both are reasonably confident now and are looking for a safer car since we do highways once in a while. IMHO, you can't go wrong with S-Presso as your first car. If it had better safety ratings, we wouldn't be even looking for another car right now. I will make a detailed post out of my experience and will post it in the S-Presso review thread. Wishing you a great driving experience.

Checked out the Celerio in flesh last week though I am not a prospective customer for the car. I was able to see the tip of the bonnet from the driver's seat but my wife couldn't. So new drivers will have to check the car themselves. And the car did look better when compared to the pictures circulated. We had checked out the Ignis just before that so I couldn't stop comparing between the two and as far as interiors are concerned - Ignis top end was better and looked and felt more premium IMHO. If mileage isn't your primary concern you should definitely check out the Ignis before finalizing the Celerio.