[sierrabravo98]

Originally Posted by locusjag

What gets my goat is the tendency of even supposed auto "experts" from auto magazines and video channels who keep calling the 4 speed AT Brezza, S-Cross, XL6, Ertiga and Ciaz as city cars; whereas this gearbox is confused at city speeds and excels in its relaxed nature on 4+ lane highways.

Apologies for nitpicking but this gearbox is not at all confused anywhere. There are defined speed(and throttle) dependent shift points. Once you know these shift points (one can learn these within 10kms of driving), you can play the gearbox like a musical instrument. A light foot is all one needs at city speeds (the torque boost from the ISG motor helps a lot here) and the gearbox is so smooth while upshifting (downshifts are felt to an extent due to good engine braking) that no one notices a thing. The K15B which is already a very refined engine really comes into its own with the TC gearbox. A slight whine from the gearbox (which I personally love) is all you listen to at city speeds.

I concur with your observations on the highway part. The ideal cruising speed for this gearbox in the XL6 (heaviest MSIL car with this gearbox IIRC) is 90-120kmph.

[TrackDay]

Congrats on getting the Ciaz AT ! Last year before purchase my new car, I had gone down this road of getting a used Ciaz AT. But they (ciaz AT) were hard to come by in my home state of Kerala. Most of which I saw independently through sites like OLX were not is a good condition and I almost finalized one from True value. But then, that too was not a good piece. The Ciaz AT is a no-nonsense car back by Maruti nation wide service network and ease of repair and spares. You car looks good, especially after that car wash. Congrats once again and wishing you many happy miles with the Ciaz AT.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by sierrabravo98

Apologies for nitpicking but this gearbox is not at all confused anywhere. There are defined speed(and throttle) dependent shift points. Once you know these shift points (one can learn these within 10kms of driving), you can play the gearbox like a musical instrument. A light foot is all one needs at city speeds (the torque boost from the ISG motor helps a lot here) and the gearbox is so smooth while upshifting (downshifts are felt to an extent due to good engine braking) that no one notices a thing. The K15B which is already a very refined engine really comes into its own with the TC gearbox. A slight whine from the gearbox (which I personally love) is all you listen to at city speeds.

I own a used 2011 A-Star with the same 4 speed Jattco slushbox. There's certain low speed range where the car keeps switching between 2nd and 3rd gear; I can't put my finger on it, must be at 30 to 50 kmph where it gets confused as to which gear it needs to be in. The 1st and 2nd gears are too close together, 3rd is too tall and 4th is also very tall. 1st gear hands off to the 2nd soon (and this is fine); 2nd gear is way too short and hands off to 3rd where the 3rd remains indecisive if it can do the job at low speeds or not...

That's the impression I and a lot of observers have of this 4 speed box. But certainly, once you've gone past 60 kmph, the car is so relaxed and settled.

[PrasannaDhana]

Congratulations on the Ciaz AT!

The ciaz is an excellent family car. It is very comfortable and the seats are amazing even to big people. The suspension is built with comfort as the priority.

With days passing, you will also get used to the steering, and enjoy pushing the car. I recommend continental UC6 as the next tyre. I felt considerable improvement in the way the steering felt after I upsized (mine was a zdi with 15 inch alloys wearing 185 section as stock) them to Cintinental MC5 195 section tyres. With the lowest aerodynamic drag in its segment, coupled with light weight, the ciaz can be a surprisingly fast car on the highways. You can do triple digits with ease.

Another star quality of the car is its reliability. As a previous owner of the ciaz, I would recommend the car to anyone who is need of a practical, comfortable family car.

Only gripe is its light build quality. Even the interiors held up very well in mine for all the abuse it took.

[Rakeshmbalaji]

It is so heartening to just read through any topic pertaining to a true 3 box sedan.

That’s a wonderful review of a simply superb practical VFM offering in the Sedan C2 segment. It was high on my priority list as well while we were hunting for a comfortable highway cruiser along with the new City. I have travelled extensively for all my official intra and inter city rides on a Ciaz owned by a local travels guy, the car was no non sense and no major rattles even after 1.1lakh KM on the odo.

Wishing you many thousands of happy motoring on your Ciaz and looking forward to regular updates.

[RT13]

Nice one. I’m constantly surprised at the lack of love for the Ciaz. I thinks it’s an amazing package offering superb value. Indeed the space both inside and in the boot is unequalled and while it might not be super plush, I think it’s very comfortable indeed. Not showy but def not downmarket at all. I’ve enjoyed the few occasions I’ve cruised in it. That, with the unhurried refinement of the engine, the price tag, Maruti peace of mind and low cost of ownership make it a compelling offering for anyone who doesn’t have street racing pretensions.

[HEMIOrange]

Congrats on the new purchase! I also own the same model and I couldn't agree more about on what you said. There is oodles of space and my fairly tall family of 4 feels at home in it, it glides over whatever surface you drive with suspension doing its job very silently. The HU as you pointed out, lags at times and even freezes with the android auto connected, happened with me once and it took me good amount of time to realise that it had frozen. As far as the power is concerned, I am fine with it in this price bracket. I wished the AT had just one more gear between third and fourth. The idle start stop though seamless, is very annoying, especially when you are coming to halt, if you aren't quick enough to move from D to P/N, the car will turn on and off between the shifts.

[AZT]

All said and done, Maruti does make reliable no-nonsense cars and this was a perfect fit for OP. The facelift Ciaz was an excellent used car choice.

[RoadGlide]

Originally Posted by Utsav3010

Congratulations for the Ciaz, Archit. Having known you for a long time, a car was due since long and am so glad you finally found THE perfect car for your parents.

Thank you brother. I cannot thank you enough for the countless times I have eaten your head for suggestions on what to do.

Maybe it is time you replace your Ciaz with another one in Dignity Brown?

Originally Posted by locusjag

Reality - The 4th cog in this Jattco 405e Torque Converter gearbox is a tall one; its 4th gear's ratio is taller than the Manual Transmission equivalent's 5th gear's ratio!

Highway cruising is achieved at very low RPMs. Of course, the absence of intermittent gears means the gearbox hunts for gears at power speeds and aggressive overtaking by revving her up isn't easy. But sheer cruisability on the highway is superb.

What gets my goat is the tendency of even supposed auto "experts" from auto magazines and video channels who keep calling the 4 speed AT Brezza, S-Cross, XL6, Ertiga and Ciaz as city cars; whereas this gearbox is confused at city speeds and excels in its relaxed nature on 4+ lane highways.

I totally agree you. I review cars as well but unfortunately, I had never driven the 1.5 K15 with the 4 speed AT. The moment I drove it, I loved it because although there is no outright power, the low end and mid range is good, coupled that with an overcompensating gearbox, you hardly feel the lack of power in city driving.

Talking about sheer cruisability as well, I agree. The manual is at 2500 rpm at 100 with a 5th cog. The automatic is at 2300 rpm at 100 with a 4th. The gears are hilariously long.

Originally Posted by keroo1099

Wishing you many trouble free miles with the Ciaz.

Thank you Sir for the best wishes. The whole car's outlook is towards relaxed driving and comfort.

Originally Posted by sierrabravo98

A light foot is all one needs at city speeds (the torque boost from the ISG motor helps a lot here) and the gearbox is so smooth while upshifting (downshifts are felt to an extent due to good engine braking) that no one notices a thing. The K15B which is already a very refined engine really comes into its own with the TC gearbox.

I totally agree with you on the gearbox. It might have a gear or two less, but it is really smooth and is very eager to downshift, based on the urgency shown by the right food on the A-pedal.

Originally Posted by TrackDay

Most of which I saw independently through sites like OLX were not is a good condition and I almost finalized one from True value. But then, that too was not a good piece.

Thank you. I was firm on a facelift Ciaz, if at all it were to be the one. Which car did you end up buying then?

Originally Posted by locusjag

I own a used 2011 A-Star with the same 4 speed Jattco slushbox. There's certain low speed range where the car keeps switching between 2nd and 3rd gear; I can't put my finger on it, must be at 30 to 50 kmph where it gets confused as to which gear it needs to be in. The 1st and 2nd gears are too close together, 3rd is too tall and 4th is also very tall. 1st gear hands off to the 2nd soon (and this is fine); 2nd gear is way too short and hands off to 3rd where the 3rd remains indecisive if it can do the job at low speeds or not

We also had an i10 Kappa 2 automatic for brief while. I can agree with you about the gearbox being confused part. But somehow, I do not feel that is there in this engine and gearbox combination. Maybe to do with the higher displacement and power?

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

With days passing, you will also get used to the steering, and enjoy pushing the car. I recommend continental UC6 as the next tyre. I felt considerable improvement in the way the steering felt after I upsized (mine was a zdi with 15 inch alloys wearing 185 section as stock) them to Cintinental MC5 195 section tyres.

Thank you very much for the wishes. I am also waiting for the tires to wear out as soon as possible. I am already gaining in confidence with regards to handling and how the car behaves at higher speeds. Currently, the Apollo Alnac 4g tires are screaming from the torture but I am sure the Continentals will do better, since I had them on the Ertiga.

Originally Posted by RT13

Nice one. I’m constantly surprised at the lack of love for the Ciaz. I thinks it’s an amazing package offering superb value.

I am guilty as charged for the lack of love the Ciaz always had. I had never even considered it. But, I was gladly proven wrong with one TD. That sealed the deal.

Originally Posted by AZT

All said and done, Maruti does make reliable no-nonsense cars and this was a perfect fit for OP. The facelift Ciaz was an excellent used car choice.

Thank you. As they say, India comes home in a Maruti Suzuki.

[Nazaar25]

Congratulations on this beauty!
I really enjoyed the write-up, not only because of the way you’ve written it but also due to the fact that we both have a very similar car buying story!

We had a Maruti Dzire V Multijet for seven years (2010-2017) and it was an absolute fuss free ownership experience. Dad loved it to the bits and took care of it like a baby but with the increasing and worsening Bombay traffic, it had to be replaced by a car with a slushbox plus we wanted something which was loaded this time!
We bought the 3rd gen Dzire K12 AMT in the top ZXi+ trim but with some issues coming up every now and then, we decided to sell it (and also, we were bored of it).
We started looking for superior pre-owned cars and found an extremely well maintained 55k driven VW Jetta DSG (2015 model) in the brown shade. The car was really good but sadly, we had to drop the idea since it’s a discontinued model and getting parts would be very difficult and expensive (experienced this with our Cielo for 12 years!)

After the Jetta, we did find some good options but somehow, the home ministers weren’t comfortable with a preowned car (me and my brother had no problem at all).
So finally, we brought home a brand new Verna 1.5 IVT!

Okay now enough of my story, back to yours!

I just love the Ciaz and had a huge crush on it right from it’s early days! My 13th birthday cake had a brown Ciaz printed on it

Wishing you lacs of trouble-free and happy miles with the caaaaaar!

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by RoadGlide

Big thanks to BHPians Utsav3010, dhruvritzed, Viraat13 for tolerating all my questions and queries for what car I should buy.

Great thread boss! Pretty engaging read for a boring car.

Wish you many happy kms in it, and looking forward to seeing it in person at one of the Sunday morning meets. Maybe this weekend?

[superbad]

As a fellow Ciaz owner, let me congratulate you for an excellent choice. The Ciaz gets all the basics right - Space, refinement, mileage & reliability. The 1.5 motor is better than the previous 1.3. With regards to it's "boring to drive nature", I would say, that the whole "fun to drive" perception is overrated. If one truly loves driving, one can enjoy any car. Yes the Ciaz will not pump up your heart rate (unless you try triple digit speeds), but as a no nonsense family sedan, few vehicles come close.

[advenk999]

Great pick man! Easily the best tuned 4AT Jattco gearbox out there. Its been in service for over two decades now and volumes speak. As mentioned by the others, this box is phenomenally reliable.
I've recently acquired an SCross Zeta 4AT and mighty impressed with the tuning and driveability. The gearbox ratios are extremely well spaced out and 100kph is just at 2000rpm, making it a very relaxed drive.
Kickdowns, although not as lightning quick as the DSG/DCT isn't bad either. The sense of urgency is felt and the car pulls well. You can also downshift from D to 2 to build great revs and make quick manoeuvres.
This is a great buy at your end and you needn't regret on letting the Jetta DSG or the Altis CVT go.
Wishing you the happiest of miles with this beauty!

[emmenhr]

Thank you for the detailed review of buying a pre owned!!
I too am in a similar situation with a 2011 Diesel Punto. While I am extremly happy with its performance, I too need to let it go because of the new regulations and its going to be a Petrol one next and with the "moolah" to be spent on new cars, I am inclined to going in for a Preowned one and reviews like yours do help rookies like me.
Thanks and happy riding.!!

[sierrabravo98]

Originally Posted by RoadGlide

Talking about sheer cruisability as well, I agree. The manual is at 2500 rpm at 100 with a 5th cog. The automatic is at 2300 rpm at 100 with a 4th. The gears are hilariously long.

Originally Posted by advenk999

I've recently acquired an SCross Zeta 4AT and mighty impressed with the tuning and driveability. The gearbox ratios are extremely well spaced out and 100kph is just at 2000rpm, making it a very relaxed drive.

Guys, I have a question. Does the same gearbox have different OD ratios in different MSIL cars? From the above two instances, it does seem so. To other owners having this gearbox in their vehicles: please chime in.

SPEED || RPM || VEHICLE

100 2500 XL6
100 2300 CIAZ
100 2000 S-CROSS

Attaching a picture from the XL6 for reference