2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz vs rivals: Specifications comparison

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz has been a strong seller since its launch in 2014. The mid-size sedan from Maruti offered a good combination of space, features, comfort and value, which made it among the most popular offerings in its segment. Over the years, however, the competition has intensified with the arrival of the updated Honda City, the new Hyundai Verna and the Toyota Yaris. Maruti has responded with the 2018 Ciaz which gets cosmetic tweaks, more features and a new petrol heart. So let’s find out how the new Maruti Suzuki Ciaz stacks up against its rivals on paper.

Dimensions

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz continues to be the longest and widest car in this segment; and also boasts of having the longest wheelbase. This means that the mid-size sedan from Maruti will continue to lead the charge when it comes to cabin space and, more importantly, legroom at the rear. The Toyota Yaris is the smallest car in this comparison with respect to both, length and wheelbase, while the Honda City is the narrowest. Another interesting detail is the fact that the Yaris runs on 15-inch wheels while its rivals offer the option of 16-inch wheels on the top-end variants.

Engine

One of the biggest changes on the 2019 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is the new 1.5-litre K15B petrol motor with micro-hybrid tech. This new engine replaces the 1.4-litre petrol unit that powered the outgoing Ciaz. The four-cylinder engine produces 104hp and 138Nm of peak torque, up on the older engine’s 92hp/130Nm figures, but still humdrum by class standards. This new engine is available with a five-speed manual and a four-speed torque-converter automatic as before. If not power and torque, the highlight of this engine will be its fuel economy. Maruti claims a segment-best fuel economy of 21.56kpl for the manual version and 20.28kpl for the automatic (both figures are ARAI-certified).

The diesel Ciaz continues with the Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre engine which makes 90hp and 200Nm of torque. However, a new 1.5-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine is under development and should go on sale in 2020. The diesel engine is available solely with a five-speed manual transmission.

The Hyundai Verna offers the most engine-gearbox options with a 100hp, 1.4-litre petrol engine, a 123hp, 1.6-litre petrol engine and a 128hp, 1.6-litre diesel engine. It should be noted that the power figures of the 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines are also class-leading. six-speed manual transmissions are standard across the range while both the 1.6-litre engines also have a six-speed torque converter automatic on offer.

Honda’s City can be had with a 119hp, 1.5-litre petrol engine or a 100hp, 1.5-litre diesel engine. A five-speed manual is standard on the petrol car with a seven-step CVT (with paddleshifters) available as an option. The City diesel is only offered with a six-speed manual gearbox.

Unlike its rivals, the Yaris is only available with a petrol engine. Toyota’s 1.5-litre naturally aspirated, four-cylinder petrol engine is marginally more powerful than the Ciaz but is significantly down on power and torque when compared to the Verna’s 1.6-litre mill and the City’s 1.5-litre units. A six-speed manual is standard and there’s also the option of a seven-step CVT with paddleshifters.

Safety and features

One of the biggest disappointments on the 2018 Maruti Ciaz is the fact that Maruti has stuck with only two airbags throughout the variants. Toyota leads the charge with seven airbags, which come standard across the Yaris range. The Honda City and Hyundai Verna get dual airbags as standard while range-topping versions of both the cars feature six airbags.

The new Ciaz facelift also features a Speed Alert System (SAS) which can be set from the car's multi-info display. This system will be activated at speeds 80kph and above and will warn drivers by sounding off beeps based on the vehicle speed. Electronic stability program and hill-hold assist are available in the automatic variants only.  The 2018 Ciaz is also the first Maruti offering to feature LED fog lamps. The Ciaz, City and Vento also get LED headlights.

The top variants of all the cars receive touchscreen infotainment systems, rear aircon vents (the Yaris’ are uniquely mounted on the roof), and leather upholstery. However, only the City and the Verna are equipped with a sunroof. The Yaris gets segment-first features such as a tyre pressure monitoring system, front parking sensors, powered driver’s seat adjust and gesture control for the infotainment system. The City and Verna are the only ones, however, to get a sunroof.

Pricing

Prices for the base Maruti Suzuku Ciaz start at Rs 8.19 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), which is a marginal gain compared to the Rs 7.83 lakh starting price for the older model. However, Maruti has brought down prices for the diesel model. The Ciaz Sigma diesel variant now retails for Rs 9.19 lakh, as opposed to the Rs 9.50 lakh starting price of its predecessor. If we discount the Hyundai Verna 1.4-litre petrol variant, the Ciaz remains the most affordable offering in the mid-size sedan segment. The Toyota Yaris is the most expensive car among the quartet, closely followed by the Honda City.

Our review of the 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz goes live at 8am on August 23, 2018.

What’s your take on the new Ciaz? Share your opinion in the comments section.

Also see:

2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz petrol SHVS video review

2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz petrol SHVS, review, test drive

2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz price, variants explained

2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz diesel priced lower than outgoing model

2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz launched at Rs 8.19 lakh

2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz image gallery

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

₹ 10,63,700 * on road price (New Delhi)

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