Maruti Suzuki Celerio vs rivals: price, specifications compared

Maruti Suzuki recently launched the new-gen Celerio in India with prices starting from Rs 4.99 lakh, going up to Rs 6.94 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The second-generation Celerio is based on Maruti’s Heartect platform that also underpins the WagonR, Swift and Baleno. Maruti’s claim to fame with the new Celerio is its fuel economy of 26.64kpl (ARAI-certified), making it the most fuel-efficient petrol car currently on sale in India.

• New Celerio’s 1.0-litre K10C engine is the most fuel-efficient in its class
• It has the smallest displacement with the lowest output
• Celerio missed out on certain features when compared to its rivals

The new Celerio rivals the likes of the Hyundai Santro, Tata Tiago and the higher variants of the Renault Kwid with the 1.0-litre petrol engine. From Maruti’s own stable, prices of the Celerio largely overlap with that of the WagonR. Read on to find out how it fares against its rivals on paper in terms of dimensions, engines, gearboxes and prices.

Maruti Suzuki Celerio vs rivals: dimensions

The new Maruti Suzuki Celerio is slightly larger than its predecessor and measures 3,695mm in length, 1,655mm in width, 1,555mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2,435mm. Compared to the outgoing model, the width has gone up by 55mm and the wheelbase has gone up by 10mm. The length and height, however, remain the same.

While the new Celerio may have grown in size, it’s certainly not the largest car in its class. The Tata Tiago is the longest and widest car – 70mm longer and 22mm wider than the Celerio – while the WagonR is the tallest (120mm taller than Celerio), thanks to its tallboy design. The new Celerio is 36mm shorter than even the Renault Kwid, although it is 76mm wider and 81mm taller than the latter. That said, the Celerio, along with the WagonR, has the longest wheelbase in this class.

Where the Celerio has a definite advantage over its rivals is in boot capacity. At 313 litres, the Celerio’s boot is much larger than the Santro, Tiago and the Kwid, and only 28 litres smaller than the WagonR. The Celerio also rides on 15-inch wheels along with the Tiago, while the Santro, WagonR and Kwid only get 14-inch wheels.

Maruti Suzuki Celerio vs rivals: engine and gearbox

The new Celerio is powered by Maruti’s new-gen K10C engine that now features DualJet technology and idle start/stop system. This 1.0-litre three cylinder naturally aspirated engine produces 67hp and 89Nm of peak torque. The DualJet technology utilises two fuel injectors per cylinder instead of one, resulting in more precise control and finer fuel atomisation. The idle start/stop system further improves fuel efficiency by cutting off the engine when idling in traffic.

This gives the Celerio class-leading fuel economy of up to 26.68kpl for the AMT variants and up to 25.24kpl for the manual variants, making it the most fuel-efficient petrol car currently on sale in the Indian market. For reference, the second most fuel-efficient car on sale in our market (not in this comparison) after the Celerio is Maruti’s own Dzire AMT with a fuel economy of 24.12kpl (ARAI claimed).

Compared to its rivals, the Celerio’s 1.0-litre AMT returns about 5kpl more than the next – the WagonR 1.0-litre AMT. As for the manual versions, the Celerio returns an average of just over 3kpl more than the Kwid 1.0-litre MT, the next most fuel-efficient manual in this comparison. Meanwhile, the Tiago and Santro are a long way off the Celerio’s fuel economy. The difference in fuel efficiency between manual versions of the Tiago and Celerio is 5.44kpl, while the Celerio AMT is 6.68kpl more efficient than the Santro AMT.

However, in terms of engine output, the Celerio actually has the lowest numbers. The Celerio gets a 1.0-litre engine, just like the WagonR and Kwid, but produces the least amount of power – 67hp – 1hp lesser than the other two. It’s 19hp down when compared to the Tata Tiago, which has the most powerful engine with 86hp on tap from a 1.2-litre engine. The Celerio’s engine also produces the least torque, 24Nm lesser than the Tiago. It’s also worth noting that while most models, including the Celerio, get a three-cylinder engine, the Santro’s 1.1-litre and WagonR’s 1.2-litre engines are four-cylinder units.

In terms of gearbox options, all models come with a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard and get a 5-speed AMT unit as an option.

Maruti Suzuki Celerio vs rivals: price

Comparing the prices of all models, the Celerio is actually the most expensive hatchback in its class. Not only does it have one of the highest starting prices, but the top-end AMT trim is the most expensive variant of all models in this class. In fact, the Celerio is more expensive than even the 1.2-litre petrol variants of the WagonR.

On the other hand, the Renault Kwid is the most affordable hatchback in this class. The Kwid even has the most affordable AMT variants of the lot. It must be noted that the Tiago and Santro are better equipped than the Celerio and have better specs to boast off. Will Maruti’s claim of the Celerio being the most fuel-efficient car be enough to give it a strong start? Only time will tell.

Also See:

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