My 2021 Maruti Celerio: City & highway drive experience

Since I have done only 60 km in my car till now, so can't really comment about the fuel efficiency. However, the MID did show an average figure of 9 km/l.

BHPian Nanolover recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Here are my impressions after a 50 km round trip on highway and city.

• The engine is silky smooth for a three-cylinder. You wouldn't feel it at all if you use the throttle sensibly and anyways AMT will upshift to the next gear. Almost comparable to the K12 in the swift. Absolutely no comparison refinement wise to the Tiago. Tiago is 50-75% louder depending on rpm range.
• The transmission is super smooth. Sets off without any jerks in creep, pause between gear changes is minimal. In fact, I think this might be Maruti's best AMT. The S-Presso feels jerky and clumsy in comparison (remember S-Presso was the best AMT I had driven till that point in time, compared to the useless one I had in my Tiago).
• Mileage. Engine feels tight and it has done only 60 kms for now. So can't comment. MID shows 9km/l average.
• Stop/ start is the single most irritating feature. Need to manually switch it off every time!
• Stability at speeds up to 120 km/h is good and not twitchy or nervous like the S-Presso. Closer to the Tiago (Tiago might have a 10% edge here).
• Road noise is comparatively more in the Celerio than Tiago although the smooth drivetrain I guess brings other noises to the fore.
• Low-speed ride of the Celerio is I feel superior to the Tiago (Tiago is stiffer and I used to get tossed around at alow speeds). I have kept my tyre pressure at 32 front and 30 rear.
• Interior space there is simply no comparison. Celerio is at least 25% more spacious. Tiago is much tighter front and rear. This should be a deciding factor for families who have a single car.
• Unlock request sensors on both doors. Very convenient to let in my kids without circling to the driver's door and then opening the left rear door.
• Steering is light and easy to twirl, although Tiago one is far superior. Point to note is it is not sticky like the one in my ex-Ignis.

Now the big question. Was it worth the 2 lakhs over the S-Presso?

Oh absolutely! I suggest members have a go in one and you will all be pleasantly surprised. And the car looks much much better in person than in pics.

Other points

• Not seen another new Celerio on the road to date. Maybe deliveries have not started? Even accessories shop folks who are used to seeing all sorts of cars, were very much interested when mine rolled up, checking out the interiors and commenting on the spaciousness.
• They were all shocked to see Maruti offering Yokohama tyres as standard fitment. I thought of upgrading, but after today's drive I feel it is more than sufficient for the power on tap and grip/noise is good.

Negatives

• Horn.
• Idle stop / start.
• Flap type and slippery door handles.
• Lateral and lumbar support of seats could be better (I will be upgrading the seats soon like in the S-Presso, so that problem will be fixed).
• My mom was complaining about the huge front seats and how it blocks her view. She was saying it looks like lorry seats.
• Price.

Reiterating once again, friends. Drive and see it to believe it. Driving and seeing it in metal might help justify the higher price.

Here's what BHPian raksrules had to say about the matter:

Thanks a lot for that short review. And I hate you for making me question myself now. But I am still planning to stick to my S-Presso booking since 2L extra is a pretty big amount for me to put for a new car when the current one is 6L. If it was a 50L car and 2L extra, I wouldn't have thought once. Not that I have that kind of money.

Maybe a couple of years down the line, I may evaluate other options.

Here's what BHPian Abhikumar629 had to say about the matter:

Ain't that too low when compared to the biggest USP of this car "Kitna deti hai". Do you have an updated figure yet? Going by the strengths of MS products, mileage is the only thing that they are confident about.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.