Introduction
The Maruti Suzuki Celerio has been a constant face in the entry-level B-segment of the Indian market for a while now. In its first generation, the Celerio epitomised the very idea of a no-frills car that started from Point A and took you to Point B with little to no drama. It sold in constant numbers and even spawned an ‘SUV’ model called the Celerio X. Nearly seven years now, to bring the model into the new generation, Maruti Suzuki has launched the second generation for the Celerio hatchback and here is everything you need to know about it.
Before we begin, here’s a reminder that we are driving the Celerio later this week and our review for the same will go live on the 17th of November at 9:00am so do tune into our YouTube channel for the video and our website for the first-drive review.
Exterior
The second-generation car gets an evolutionary design with its silhouette quite noticeable in terms of it being a Celerio. Where the older car had a square stance and sharp lines, this one has moved to a more rounded with curvy lines quite similar to that of the Swift and Baleno. Some of the major elements include the new chrome grille, black alloy wheels, flared wheel arches as well as the design of the tail lamps.
Interior
Maruti has ditched the beige and black combo of the previous car for an all-black attire now in line with the Baleno and Swift. Most of the elements look quite familiar thanks to the commonality in terms of the Maruti Suzuki parts sharing. This includes the steering wheel, window and mirror controls as well as the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto touchscreen compatible 7.0-inch touchscreen system. Now, something new in this cabin is the design of the gear lever. It’s got a sporty grip and is quite a departure from what Maruti normally fits on its budget cars, perhaps also a sign of what is to come from its garages in the future. In terms of overall numbers, the Celerio has grown in terms of width and knee room. The booth has gone up in capacity from 235-litres to 313-litres. All these changes are courtesy of the fourth-generation Heartect platform that’s allowed the car to become bigger yet lighter. We will of course give you full exterior and interior design highlights during our first-drive review of the car.
Variants, colours and features
This new second-generation Maruti Celerio is being offered in India across four trim levels LXi, VXi, ZXi and a new top-spec ZXi+ variant. Maruti has chosen a bright colour palette for the Celerio and the list includes Arctic White, Glistening Grey, Silky Silver, Speedy Blue, Caffeine Brown, and Fire Red. The Celerio had always had segment standard features and this one carries on the trend without any fuss. The top-of-the-line ZXi+ MT/AMT versions get power mirrors, power windows, digital tachometer, keyless entry, button start, six-speakers, 15-inch alloy wheels and Smartplay infotainment system. All versions of the car get dual front airbags, reverse parking sensors, engine-start-stop system while the AGS two-pedal versions also get hill-hold assist.
Engine and transmission
The engine on offer is Suzuki’s 1.0-litre three-cylinder K10C engine that produces 66bhp/89Nm and can be had with a five-speed manual or a five-speed automated manual that Maruti calls AGS. The Celerio was the car that debuted the AGS system in 2014. Maruti has also said that a CNG version of the Celerio is in the pipeline and we expect that they will launch it in India in early 2022.
Price and competition
The Celerio has been priced from Rs 4.99 lakh for the LXi manual while the top-spec ZXi AMT has been priced at Rs 6.94 lakh (all-India ex-showroom). The Maruti Celerio in the entry-level B-segment competes against the Tata Tiago, Datsun Go and Go Plus, Maruti Wagon R and the Hyundai Santro. We can also consider entry-level versions of the Maruti Swift, Hyundai Grand i10 Nios and the Tata Punch.
