In its time in our market, the Ciaz saw the addition of hybrid technology to its 1.3-litre diesel engine, and shifted residence to Maruti’s premium Nexa line of dealers. Now, about four years since its launch, it gets its first significant update: a facelift and a new larger petrol engine with hybrid tech.
The people-pleaser
The Ciaz’s design was conservative to begin with,and with the facelift, it’s the same. It’s been crafted to look more upmarket, and thanks to the sheer size, it always looked like it belonged to a segment up. Priced between ₹8.19 lakh and ₹10.97 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), Maruti has upheld its tradition of offering a product that’s great value for money.
The front grille now stretches between the two headlights, and the top and bottom edge of the grille are outlined by chrome strips. LEDs now dominate, with the new Ciaz getting LED DRLs, LED headlights and LED fog lights. The horizontal slats seen on the earlier grille are now replaced by multi-segmented dashes, with the ‘S’ logo placed at the centre. The lower end of the bumper too has been tweaked, with the intake extending all the way to the redesigned fog light housing that’s also wrapped in chrome. When viewed from the side, the only change is a new design for the 16-inch alloys.
Inner space
At 4.5m long and 1.7m wide, the Ciaz is the biggest in the segment and this translates to good room inside. The rear has loads of legroom even with the front seats pushed back. The hybrid’s additional lithium-ion battery sits below the front passenger seat. However, it doesn’t really fowl with your feet.
Headroom, however, is tight. One welcome change are the height-adjustable head restraints for the rear occupants. As for luggage space, that’s the same, at a generous 510 litres, but the wheel wells do eat into the space.
In front, the dash gets a new birchwood trim, along with light silver accents around the cabin. The steering wheel is the same unit as before, but now features buttons on the right-hand side for the new cruise control system. There is a new instrument panel with a larger coloured multi-information display at the centre that gives you details of the hybrid drive system. Infotainment duties are handled by Maruti’s SmartPlay system.
Tech speak
The older car offered mild hybrid tech only on the diesel; now the tech is available on the new K15B (1.5-litre K Series) petrol engine too. The systems, however, are different. Where the diesel has a single-battery set-up, the petrol has a dual-battery arrangement, where the additional lithium-ion battery provides assistance more often.
The 1,462cc unit also puts out 105hp at 6,000rpm and 138Nm of torque at 4,400rpm. Also, the ARAI-certified mileage figure is at 21.56kpl for the manual and 20.28kpl for the automatic.
The engine is refined and smooth, with power coming in nice and low from about 1,800rpm. This, however, tapers off as you head higher towards the 6,200rpm rev limiter, and higher you will have to go, as out on the highway you really must work the engine and gearbox to extract performance.
As for the gearboxes, the manual unit requires very little shift effort and the clutch is light. The four-speed torque converter auto ’box, however, isn’t the smoothest , and feels lazy. There is some relief with the Overdrive-Off button that prevents you from going into top gear, thus helping when overtaking and even descending where some engine braking is provided. Also, via the lever, you can also use the ‘2’ and ‘L’ position for additional engine braking. In terms of overall performance, though, the auto gearbox is strictly for convenience; it has no controls for manual gear changes and it does the 0 to 100kph run around 2sec slower than the manual. The car had no trouble ironing out the potholes and ruts. Our car scraped only twice going over the two dozen speed-breakers.
What the BEEEEEP?
That’s the sound of the speed warning system which beeps twice every 60 seconds above 80kph, and then continuously at speeds above 120kph, and, no, this can’t be turned off. In anticipation of an upcoming government directive that requires all cars to have a mandatory speed warning system, Maruti has rolled out the Ciaz with this function, along with a seatbelt reminder for the driver and front passenger too. The Ciaz facelift also gets additions to its safety list in the form of auto headlamps, electronic stability program (AT only), and hill-hold assist (AT only).
The new petrol engine gets a bump in power and the unit is refined and smooth with good low-end grunt; just don’t expect peppy or lively performance further on. The engine’s hybrid tech is also a welcome addition. However, the design still seems dialled back, unlike the flashier Verna or City. If this is your cup of tea, the refreshed Ciaz does make for a sensible buy.
