Maruti Suzuki's New Sedan: Ciaz (Codenamed YL1)

[Volksjäger]

I admit that, initially I felt that 1.3 Multijet engine is not sufficient for the car of that size. But after talking to some tech people from Maruti and after seeing the spec sheet, what I analysed is this. The Linea 1.3 MJD is a very heavy car which weighs around 1230 kilos and the engine is not tuned for that weight. And the Maruti has improved the engine in the Ciaz by reducing the frictional losses and by using advanced ECU and tuned the engine accordingly. And we have to also note that the weight of the car is 1105 kilos which is 125 kilos lighter than Linea. And when compared to the Honda city, Ciaz doesn't come with puny 175 profile tyres. So far reviewers claim that it has good comfort and decent handling. And I am done going by the reviewers, so I will only comment after test driving this car. I also suggest this to my fellow members, not to go by auto reviews. Please test drive the car, feel the performance,comfort and ride of the vehicle.

 

[harry10]

Its a maruti dude, people will show interest. And I wont be suprised if it becomes another swift in sales. If the performance is adequate people will buy them like crazy, it rides and handles better than a Honda city, has more space, reliable engine with lots of space and good after sale service. So it is ticking the right boxes for many except a few. So lets not be negative on it unless we test drive the car.

And how did you came to that conclusion without even doing a test drive?
Lets not make sweeping statements without verifying the facts ourselves.

I am surprised with only 3000 bookings. Was expecting much more. Probably people are playing the wait and watch game.

In Overdrive review they mentioned Maruti is planning to plant Ciaz in C+ segment above City and Verna. If that's true then it's going to be a big mistake. Those 2 are proven cars and they should look to undercut them in pricing rather than projecting it in another segment.

Personally, i believe Maruti finally have a product to breach this segment in a good way. Now, all they need to do is promote it cleverly and price it wisely.

 

[Volksjäger]

And how did you came to that conclusion without even doing a test drive?

Please don't get offended, I said it because, Honda city comes with puny 175 profile tyres, whereas ciaz gets 16 inch Enkei wheels with 195 section tyres. So it is understood that wider tires offer more grip. And I have driven the city, and the suspension is on the stiffer side. It would have been nice if Honda would have given fatter rubber. And yes, I shouldn't have commented on the ride aspect of the car. I will get back once I test drive the ciaz, then I will get a clear cut view.

In Overdrive review they mentioned Maruti is planning to plant Ciaz in C+ segment above City and Verna. If that's true then it's going to be a big mistake. Those 2 are proven cars and they should look to undercut them in pricing rather than projecting it in another segment.

There is no way Maruti is going to place the ciaz above city or verna, even if they did they are not going to price it more. I got the pricing information for the top end zdi+ to be 12 lakhs OTR from my dealer.

 

[harry10]

Please don't get offended, I said it because, Honda city comes with puny 175 profile tyres, whereas ciaz gets 16 inch Enkei wheels with 195 section tyres. So it is understood that wider tires offer more grip. And I have driven the city, and the suspension is on the stiffer side. It would have been nice if Honda would have given fatter rubber. And yes, I shouldn't have commented on the ride aspect of the car. I will get back once I test drive the ciaz, then I will get a clear cut view.



There is no way Maruti is going to place the ciaz above city or verna, even if they did they are not going to price it more. I got the pricing information for the top end zdi+ to be 12 lakhs OTR from my dealer.

Why will i get offended.. Honda is not my own company
I just mentioned that so we can judge both cars on absolutely correct basis.

I agree. Wider tyres do provide more grip. But, i am on Michelin 175 profile tyres only and the handling so far has been excellent. Most people i know have upgraded to 195. I commend Maruti for providing fatter rubber.
Ride quality is acceptable in City but not great due to stiffer suspension.

More than ride quality and handling i will wait to see down the line how much rattling Ciaz does. In my experience of owning and driving the various Maruti cars all have been rattle kings. But in a 10+ lac car rattling wont be acceptable so i hope Maruti has taken care of it.

I still maintain to make a dent they need to price Ciaz at least 50-70k less than City. With the website up and so much anticipation why they have delayed launch to 10 oct is beyond me. They should have taken advantage of production constraint going on with Honda.

 

[acechip]

I admit that, initially I felt that 1.3 Multijet engine is not sufficient for the car of that size. But after talking to some tech people from Maruti and after seeing the spec sheet, what I analysed is this. The Linea 1.3 MJD is a very heavy car which weighs around 1230 kilos and the engine is not tuned for that weight. And the Maruti has improved the engine in the Ciaz by reducing the frictional losses and by using advanced ECU and tuned the engine accordingly. And we have to also note that the weight of the car is 1105 kilos which is 125 kilos lighter than Linea. And when compared to the Honda city, Ciaz doesn't come with puny 175 profile tyres. So far reviewers claim that it has good comfort and decent handling. And I am done going by the reviewers, so I will only comment after test driving this car. I also suggest this to my fellow members, not to go by auto reviews. Please test drive the car, feel the performance,comfort and ride of the vehicle.

Unfortunately for the Fiat Linea, India is a mileage crazy nation. I would have expected that at least the 10 lac Rs buyers are more sensible. But with 3000 bookings for a C+ segment car which weighs 25% less than its closest competitor by size(Linea) , I am very much mistaken. Not to mention, the hordes who are waiting for the tin-can contraption called City, whose Indian version weighs much less than even the Thai version.

 

[vm2011]

Had the pleasure of feeling the Ciaz ( through a close contact). A well packaged car which will surely cut draw many when the cars are available for TD. for my requirement it is too big as my only have 3 members in the family.
Anyways not closed to the option of the Z+ diesel variant, but more tilted towards the upcoming 1.5 TDI Vento.

 

[Akash1886]

I thought the car is being shown, only deliveries will start from Oct 10! This is too much. I would rather stand in the waiting queue rather than this. BTW, we cannot assume that if Ciaz got 3000 bookings, 3,000 Ciaz-es will be sold. But we can assume that 3,000 people showed interest in Ciaz.

Actually, Ciaz being a C Segment contender by Maruti, people are bound to have interest in it. After the SX4 being discontinued, CIAZ will be one of the best competitor to Honda City, Vento and Verna. The figure of 3000 should not be much of a shock as earlier when Maruti had launched the Dzire, its bookings went into waiting periods. Plus you cant deny the understanding of Maruti Suzuki with regards to placing their cars in Indian market.

Ciaz website goes Live. 3000+ bookings for a car yet not even seen ( forget TD)by most prospective customers is commendable.

There is something called brand perception and brand's history. Majority of Indian population has positive outlook towards Maruti over the years. Hence, with their outlook and trust, people went out and booked this new car. The Ciaz is coming in 1.3L and 1.4L engine variants which I am sure shall provide a peppy performance.

Regards

 

[Volksjäger]

Here is another review from Sirish (TOD):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v7wzqSFBhNU

 

[AutoRock]

I am surprised with only 3000 bookings. Was expecting much more. Probably people are playing the wait and watch game.

Not really! 3000 bookings for a car which would cost 10 laks+ is more than what was anticipated may be. Had it been a hatchback by Maruti then yes the expected numbers would have been high.
Between, this clearly suggests that people are now ready to shell out 10 Lakh+ on Maruti cars, which otherwise was not a case few years back.

Reviews looked mixed, thus could not really make out how it rides. But everyone is appreciating the looks and quality, which wasn't really a MSIL's teritory, so good job by them!

 

[vm2011]

Suzuki's Alivio ( Ciaz in india )in China gets sunroof and bigger 1.6l engine( only Petrol version).

For China, Ciaz gets a sunroof, larger alloys and a bigger 1.6l petrol engine. No diesel engine is on offer.
The Chinese Versiongets larger alloys, sunroof, larger chrome grille, chrome encasing for foglight and rear reflectors.
Apart from this, the Indian Ciaz and Chinese Ciaz look same.
Dimensions are a little different as well. Indian Ciaz is 4490 mm long, 1730 mm wide, 1485 mm tall, while Chinese variant is 4545 mm long, 1730 mm wide and 1475 mm tall. Wheelbase of both variants is same at 2650 mm.

Maruti Ciaz in China gets sunroof and bigger 1.6l engine

 

[vm2011]

Ciaz bookings crosses the 5000 mark, surpasses the built stock units. Expect waiting periods to start.

https://twitter.com/gaadiwaadi/status/509085515644014592

 

[shrid]

Expect waiting periods to start.

Expect the bookings to stop too, probably. If the waiting periods have made their way here too, people might think about other cars. But I'm having a feeling that Alto and others are gonna develop a waiting period. MSIL will halt the production of others to suffice the production of Ciaz just like Honda.

 

[priyadarshi06]

Something funny here.When the booking of Ciaz didn't cross the built stock units,some say it is a shocker and bad response.When it exceeds the stock units,then we say no one will wait for booking period and people will shift to other cars.Is it not contradictory?

 

[Volksjäger]

Expect the bookings to stop too, probably. If the waiting periods have made their way here too, people might think about other cars. But I'm having a feeling that Alto and others are gonna develop a waiting period. MSIL will halt the production of others to suffice the production of Ciaz just like Honda.

6500 cars were already built a month ago , by now Maruti would have started producing more vehicles. But as usual these dealers might create fake hype by dragging waiting periods even though they have stock, saying that they have too much of demand for their vehicles. Some sales people do malpractices by selling the cars in black. It already happened during the launch of swift and Dzire. I hope they don't repeat it with Ciaz.

 

[shrid]

6500 cars were already built a month ago , by now Maruti would have started producing more vehicles. But as usual these dealers might create fake hype by dragging waiting periods even though they have stock, saying that they have too much of demand for their vehicles. Some sales people do malpractices by selling the cars in black. It already happened during the launch of swift and Dzire. I hope they don't repeat it with Ciaz.

Thanks, what can I say? That I should not post before researching and I too hope the same !