[PrasannaDhana]

Hello dear fellow BHPians, this is my 4th ownership review on TeamBHP. This time, it is my Maruti Suzuki Celerio ZXI(O) MT.





Background:

July 2016

We as a family have an usage of 7000-8000 km a month. I already own an invincibly elegant 2012 Tata Safari DICOR 2.2 which has completed 1,05,000 km, a smooth & silky 2015 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz ZDI which has completed 20,000 km, a funky cute 2012 Chevrolet Beat LT(O) TCDI which has run 87,000 km and a red-hot butter smooth 2011 Honda CBR 250R that has run 39,000 km.

All our vehicles were in pristine condition. The only reason we had to do away with the Beat was Chevrolet's A.S.S. They did not have good sales firstly, so they naturally tried minting money through their service. They insisted service every 5000km and each service easily costed a minimum 7000 rupees. Dad was fed up with it and decided to go for a new hatch. He already decided on the car and told me that we will be buying a Celerio.

I was shocked! I wanted to buy a Tata Tiago/Figo diesel after running Beat for 1,50,000km. The Beat was a peppy car, fun to drive and it was fuel efficient too. Only thing I hated in it is the 1.0 litre diesel motor that went out of breadth at highway speeds. I was firm the next hatch should be a powerful diesel. But then, my dad was firm on Celerio.

"Celerio", the very word struck me with the following thought:

"47 BHP, 2 Cylinder diesel that makes cousin's City Idtec feel calm, with a rear design that looks like alto on steroids"
Thankfully, it wasnt the diesel my dad wanted. That was a relief! He insisted on VXI as he wanted something cheap, within 5 lakhs OTR price. I convinced him that 1 more lakh brings essential kit like the airbags, ABS and alloy wheels. So, we decided to go for the top of the line optional- ZXI(O) variant.

The Chevy Beat was gone the same day Maruti True Value people came to our house to get the booking done. The relationship we have with Maruti is worth a mention here. We have sold 3 cars to True Value before the Chevy Beat - Wagon R, Swift, Tata Sumo Gold so far. They asked me how much I quote for the Beat. It was top of the line LT(O) diesel variant that costed me 7 lakhs on road in 2012. I quoted him 3 lakhs, and he agreed the same moment. The car was gone in a jiffy!



And one of the reasons my dad went for Celerio was Maruti reliability. This is our 7th new Maruti car in the last 18 years, and all were bought through the same dealership. All the seven cars were extremely reliable and A.S.S was brilliant!

Here is my post on "I booked my car" thread after booking it



We booked a white car, but the sales manager told us it would take 45 days as they had recent issues at MSIL plant. He had the transit sheet with the details of new cars coming to the dealer from factory. We found a grey color ZXI(O) was on the way. So we changed the color choice, and voila, we got the car the next week!

Pic at the yard



VIN said it was July 2016 manufactured, just hot from the oven



On Road Price: 5,99,000
Offers: Exchange bonus 25000 + July offer 15000 + MGA offer 3000
Accessories added: Art leather seat covers, floor carpet, mats, underbody coating, steering wheel cover (I wanted leather but it wasn't available), car cover, roots wind tone horn, side claddings and mild tints on windows.

Before I go into the details of my ownership review, let us go in and around the Celerio through pictures:

Exterior

From the side, it resembles Etios Liva slightly.



Front 3 quarters



Rear - the ugliest part of the car IMO



Smart looking headlamp

[PrasannaDhana]

Contd..

You can clearly see the radiator. Dual slate chrome grille in the front.



Tyres are 165/70 R14 MRFs. 6 spoke alloy wheels look good. 4 lug nuts meaning I can switch my 15 inch Ciaz OEM alloys when I replace them with after market 16 inchers next year





Rear gets defogger with wash & wipe. Washer nozzle integrated with the spoiler light.



Ground clearance rated at 170mm. But it is sure a lot more at the rear. That is a standard 1 liter bottle.



Panel gaps are large and vastly inconsistent all over.





Underbody

the fuel tank sits low, but not low enough to get hit



Torsion bar rear suspension



Both doors open wide, in 2 stages. Ingress/egress is no problem at all



Tail lamp has reversing lamps on both sides



Fog lamp (Only in top variant)



Underbody flap for aerodynamics



Ribbed roof for structural integrity, but Maruti, why is the antenna so long



ORVM can be electrically adjusted and gets integrated turn lights

[PrasannaDhana]

Contd..

Interiors


Celerio gets a dual tone- black and beige dashboard. Plastics are hard everywhere, but they dont feel cheap.



Steering similar to that of Ciaz. ZXI gets steering mounted telephony and music controls. Buttons feel durable. The wiper and indicator stalk are nice to hold.



Steering rake present, reach is not!



Celerio reminds us of cost cutting everytime when you miss detachable headrests. The integrated headrests look cheap and the seatback is very thin. But the seat is comfortable and provides adequate support, even to a XXL frame like mine.



Fore-aft adjustment gets a full size lever



Driver seat gets height adjustment too. Okay range, might be useful to shorter drivers. Look at the exposed bolt.



And I found out the cover under the driver seat. Fit and finish Maruti? Long way to go!





Rear bench- Wide enough for 2 large people and a kid, or even 3 medium sized adults. Middle passenger gets seatbelt. Gets 60:40 adjustment too.

Maximum and minimum legroom- One of the spacious hatchbacks in its segment.





Transmission hump isnt big, not intrusive at all.



To break the monotony of the dash, they have this cut on the dashboard. Instead, they could have provided a temperature gauge in the console. Cost cutting!



Cabin lighting, sun glass holder sorely missed



AC vents are circular at the sides. Nice metallic touch at the periphery. No individual air volume control though.



Central ac vents cannot be closed completely like the rotary side vents. No air vents at the rear. AC is very effective but too loud from 2nd setting onwards.



Why cant Maruti give us simple good looking buttons for air circulation mode and mode change options? The levers look old, like they are from the 90s.



Telephone pairing is possible only when the vehicle is stationary Sound quality from the ICE is strictly average. All doors get a speaker each.



You also get a remote, but who uses it anyways?




Rear door- No fabric insert on the door pad. Note the child lock and bottle holder.



Again an exposed screw, which takes away the beauty of the metallic finished door lever.



Front door doesnot get bottle holder Design team of Maruti, how can you miss such an essential thing? A small car like this will be driven solo most of the time, and you expect the driver to reach the backdoor for waterbottle?

And the power window switches are the same low quality plastics from the infamous maruti parts bin. Only driver's window get auto-down, no auto-up though.



The storage space is useless. Look at how small it is. Even getting stuff from it will be quite a task with people having big hands.

[PrasannaDhana]

Contd..

In-cabin Storage spaces

I appreciate Maruti for ample stowage spaces to keep the knick-knacks, smart phone or wallet. I also would want to express disappointment upon lack of spaces for water bottle (available but useless, as i discuss this below)



The glove box is decent sized. Space under the ICE is where USB/AUX IN and 12V power socket are located. It also can be used to store wallet/mobile phone.





The handbrake area has two cup holders. The space beneath the handbrake is useful too.



But the cup holders cant be used to hold bottles.




There is another cup holder behind the handbrake. It is big enough to hold 1 liter bottle, but then it is too big that the bottle will keep moving making irritating rattles now and then.







The rear doors have bottle holders, and it may come as a relief until you close the door. The space between bottle and the seat is almost 0.





Other small things:

Sunvisor for the passenger gets a vanity mirror, no light though.



Driver's visor gets a ticket holder.



An example of how Maruti values customer feedback. Contact numbers of all important people at the dealership



Well spaced ABC pedals, no dead pedal though.



Lever for bonnet open- does not look or feel like it would last.



Cost-cutting: Seat belts not height adjustable



Cheap looking buttons



All 3 sides except driver's get grab handles. Again, exposed screws!



Nice little gear lever, good to hold but I feel the throw is longer than my Ciaz



Narrow IRVM, No auto- day/night setup



ORVM wide enough, but see the reflection of the ac vent on the window. Very irritating at times.

[PrasannaDhana]

Contd..

235 litre boot. Quite an improvement over the useless 140 litre boot of the Chevrolet Beat.



Parcel tray can be removed if more space is needed.



Very simple and easy to remove the tray.



Have more luggage, here you are, rear seats folded. But the area isnt flat though.



An useful boot hook.



Tailgate gets gas struts.



And it is hard to ignore the ugly weld marks/ sealant application



Spare tyre is not an alloy



And ugly weld marks/ sealant application continue here too



Efficient K10B, 998cc aluminium 3 cylinder engine. A lot of space available in the engine bay.



Look at the exposed ground and radiator fan. No engine cover.



Celerio branded scuff plates





Visibility is good. Very airy cabin with lots of light coming in.



A basic speedo console with a basic MID. Two trip meters, a range display, avg fuel efficiency display , time and an instantaneous FE display. Orange backlighting.

No temperature gauge or external temperature display



Triple jet nozzles for wash and wipe. It shows up ugly when seen from the cabin. Could have tucked it little lower away from our vision.



Recommended tyre pressure. Seems to be on higher side, atleast in the front. I keep 33 psi all around.



My driver's Mahindra Centuro gets a flippy key, and here Maruti gives us such a cheap looking key.



And the Celerio is taller than her long legged cousin, the Ciaz

[PrasannaDhana]

Contd..

Ride and Handling

The Celerio rides very well by segment standards. Most of the bumps and potholes donot disturb the composure of the car. It is also comfortable over long journeys. I can go as far as to say that Celerio rides better than Vitara Brezza. Brezza felt stiff, and undulations seeped into the cabin.

Handling is neutral at best. Though it is very easy to drive, the steering is not direct. Hyundai-esque vagueness is disappointing. But there is no body roll and the car can take corners reasonably well. 165 section tyres are adequately grippy.

Braking

Definitely one of the strongest points about the car is its braking. Celerio is the only car from maruti stable (except SCross as I havent driven it yet) that has a crisp bite while braking despite having discs only in the front and drum at the rear. There is no spongy feel to it.

Transmission and Driveability

Celerio comes with the K10B 3 cylinder 998cc petrol engine. The power output is 67BHP and 90Nm @ 3500 rpm. Those are typical segment figures. It comes with a 5 speed manual transmission. The gearbox feels notchy, unlike the slick one from the Ciaz. The throw is a bit longer than desired but slots neatly.

The power delivery is jerky initially. As revs climb, the power comes in gradually and the car is quite easy to drive in city traffic. I dont feel any lag at all, as I have been used to turbo diesels most of my life, and it is such a relief to not wait for the turbo to spool.

Performance

Well, it is not an enthusiast's car. The performance is adequate if you are not going to use it on highways a lot. If you are looking at celerio as a primary car, if you are a spirited driver and if you need to travel a lot on highways, look elsewhere (Honda Brio ). Celerio will disappoint.
It is not slow. It has decent acceleration to the 100 kmph. It can even cruise at 120 kmph for days together(unless, refer to NVH details below).
But the progress after 100kmph is slow, and the car wont budge beyond a top speed of 140 kmph(which is anyway illegal and unsafe to practise). I avoided Celerio for a week after a 100 km highway drive. But once I drove it to the city, and was surprised by the way it picked speeds till 80kmph. It is fun to drive, within the city. If you are looking at a 2nd car for wife/dad, Celerio perfectly fits the bill.

I wanted to record 0-100kmph in my celerio and asked my friend to help. The conversation went as follows:

Me: Hey, will you please hold the cam steady over the car's speedo? I want to see how much time 0-100kmph takes.
Friend: But you have your Celerio here
Me: yeah, Celerio only.
Friend: Why would you want to do it? It isnt an Abarth, heck not even a Polo GT. I havent seen anyone do a 0-100kmph run in a celerio.
Me: Exactly the reason

Note: This was done purely for fun and not to prove anything LOL. And to add, the car was driven on a private road with no risks involved

The link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kaUtQZHOI8

I did not do a proper run though. If i avoided the initial wheelspin, and early upshift to 2nd gear, well, it may have been quicker. But yes, a 1000cc NA petrol hatchback doing 0-100 kmph in 16 sec is decent enough.

NVH

One of the negatives of the car, is the NVH. During start up, idling and slowly moving in first gear/reverse gear, you will get reminded that it is a 3 cylinder engine. Even my 3 cylinder Beat did not vibrate as much (but was quite louder). Until 90kmph, the engine noise is minimum, but beyond that, you hear the motor. At 100kmph, my ciaz diesel is quieter than my celerio petrol! Wind noise is also audible above 100 kmph.

AC

ACC is missed. AC is effective though. There is no specific temperature setting available. The car chills pretty quick. But if the blower is set above first setting, it becomes noisy. I dont think you can enjoy the music or have a conversation with blower level at 3 or beyond. And when you are driving it at the top end of its performance, there is a noticeable reduction in effectiveness of the AC.

Fuel efficiency

Now, the best part of Celerio (or any Maruti for that matter) is the fuel efficiency. It is a light car weighing 850 kg. When driven on highways at 80-90 kmph, I have got fuel efficiency of 22 kmpl! If you are cruising at 100-110kmph, it gives a very respectable 20 kmpl. During city driving, i am constantly getting over 18 kmpl. Definitely makes up for the lack of top-end performance. The Celerio is substantially more fuel efficient than the Wagon R that I owned.

Finally, to sum everything:

What I like about the Celerio Petrol MT

1. Space
2. Value for money
3. Fairly good levels of equipment
4. Does not feel light (like baleno)
5. Driveability
6. Fuel economy
7. Maruti A.S.S
8. Braking
9. AC
10. Stowage spaces
11. Ground clearance
12. Ride quality

What I dont like in the Celerio

1. NVH
2. Performance on the highway
3. Looks (rear specially)
4. Vague steering


Conclusion

If you are someone who does not love spirited driving, hyundai-like refinement or VW-like build quality or fiat-like handling, but want a spacious practical comfortable hatchback with decent boot space, decent performance, neutral handling, excellent reliability, fuel efficiency and A.S.S support, there are no options better than the Celerio. And for 6 lakhs OTR, with dual airbags and ABS, it is value for money too!


Thank you for reading my review. I am going to get my Renault Kwid 1.0L delivered soon. I cant wait to write a comparative report on the ownership of both the cars.

[Aditya]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[King_pin09]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Telephone pairing is possible only when the vehicle is stationary Sound quality from the ICE is strictly average. All doors get a speaker each.

Attachment 1547681

You also get a remote, but who uses it anyways?

Attachment 1548091

Thanks for your wonderful review.

Somehow I tend to get a feeling that apart from steering, Celerio also shares the music system with the Ciaz.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by King_pin09

Thanks for your wonderful review.

Somehow I tend to get a feeling that apart from steering, Celerio also shares the music system with the Ciaz.

I dont think so. They look identical but the sound quality in ciaz is way better. May be since it has got two tweeters extra than the celerio. Ciaz has 4 speakers and 2 tweeters.

[King_pin09]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

I dont think so. They look identical but the sound quality in ciaz is way better. May be since it has got two tweeters extra than the celerio. Ciaz has 4 speakers and 2 tweeters.

Thanks for the response.

My reference was to the head unit of the music system on the Celerio, which appears akin to the one on my Ciaz. I tried hard to spot differences but could not figure out any, except for the silver border that surrounds the unit on the Ciaz. Of course I am going merely by the images posted in your thread and not comparing them in person (May be I could spot a few of them, if I do so).

Ciaz definitely has a very good sound system, may be that the price difference plays a big role in setting up of the speakers. Thanks for highlighting on that aspect.

[RohitChauhan10]

Great Review ! Loved those pictures.

One constant issue across all the pictures was the glaring lack of fit and finish in the interiors and that makes me wonder if the price is justified. Apart from the dash, I believe not a lot of things are up to the mark of Hyundai or for that matter it's sibling Swift.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by RohitChauhan10

Great Review ! Loved those pictures.

One constant issue across all the pictures was the glaring lack of fit and finish in the interiors and that makes me wonder if the price is justified. Apart from the dash, I believe not a lot of things are up to the mark of Hyundai or for that matter it's sibling Swift.

Thank you!

True, that is exactly why I have written Maruti has a long way to go when it comes to fit and finish, at least in small cars. When compared to Hyundai grand i10, even the swift(owned one for 4 years) lacks in the fit and finish department.

[Sunsh!nes]

Congratulations on your new car. Good Review.

Celerio is always a good second car at home. It is a decent car for the city traffic. Rightly said, practical spacious hatchback for daily city runs.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Sunsh!nes

Congratulations on your new car. Good Review.

Celerio is always a good second car at home. It is a decent car for the city traffic. Rightly said, practical spacious hatchback for daily city runs.

Thank you!

Date: 01/09/2016
Odo: 920km
Done with first service. A dent of 800rs for first free service, and reverse horn. And filled up the tank. I will have to wait and watch how many kms I get from a full tank of petrol.

[gearedup]

Great review I have booked the same variant and awaiting delivery.
Thanks for confirming all the features I liked during my test drive.

I chose this over WagonR for FE and space.

Any particular reason for not choosing the AMT? (I didn't because I prefer cabs/other public transport on routes having crawling traffic)
Did you get the Teflon coating done?