Launched in February 2014, the Celerio has played a pivotal role in strengthening in Maruti Suzuki’s position in the entry-level hatchback segment in India. It mainly plugs the gap between the Wagon R and the Ritz with its practical interior and a decent equipment list.
The Celerio is available in both petrol and a diesel variant with the latter getting Maruti’s all-new DDiS 125 2-cylinder diesel engine. Maruti has also started offering ABS and dual front airbags as an option across all variants to enhance safety options for interested buyers.
The Celerio is 3.6-metres long (2.4 metre wheelbase), 1.6-metres wide and 1.5-metres high, making it much larger than the A-Star. Its silhouette has all the elements of the small Suzuki hatchback language, but the fascia and the design is completely new. The front design is part of Suzuki’s new design language with a curved two stat grille connecting the headlamps. The headlamp console and the front bumper are angular giving it a modern feel.
Both the shoulder-line and waist-line are bold, but they don’t add much value in this small car. The top-end variant gets a nice set of alloy-wheels. The rear is typical Maruti with the tail lamp cluster similar to that of the bigger siblings. There are multiple horizontal lines here that actually make the car look more compact from this angle.
Inside, the top-spec Celerio gets beige and black upholstery, Bluetooth enabled music system and electric OVRMs. On the safety front optional features include ABS and dual front airbags. Two passengers can comfortably sit at the back for a long journey, the third passenger won’t have too many issues during short rides.
The Celerio provides ample leg room and knee room for the rear bench, but it is the width that is the main issue. The boot space of 235 litres is actually more than the space available in the Swift or most other hatchbacks in its segment, also the rear seat can be folded almost doubling the storage space. The Celerio is not a feature-rich car, however, the dealers will offer many company approved accessories.
The petrol Celerio is available in four manual and two AMT variants with both gearboxes mated to a 1-litre K10B engine that produces 67bhp and 90Nm torque. The Japanese carmaker is also offering a VXi CNG variant with a manual transmission. The manual is a standard five-speed unit available with all Maruti products in that range. The AMT unit, meanwhile, is a segment first, offering the interface of an AT gearbox on a manual.
The diesel variant, on the other hand, is powered by a compact 793cc, 2-cylinder diesel engine with a turbocharger. Featuring four valves per cylinder, this engine is all aluminium and produces 46bhp of power and 125Nm of torque. The diesel Celerio offers a claimed fuel efficiency of 27.62kmpl, making it the most fuel-efficient car in the country.
The Maruti Suzuki Celerio competes with other entry-level small cars like the Hyundai i10, Chevrolet Beat and Nissan Micra Active.