Maruti Celerio diesel review, road test

Read the Maruti Celerio diesel review, road test from Autocar India; Maruti's first-ever homegrown diesel is a landmark moment for the carmaker. Let's see what it's like to drive.

Published on Jul 08, 2015 11:05:00 AM

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And the stat you’ve all been waiting for; it returned the highest combined fuel efficiency figure we’ve ever tested – 18.8kpl. That’s mainly down to the incredible 16.7kpl figure it achieved in city conditions. The highway figure of 20.9kpl was less impressive, but it’s not surprising, because cruising at high speeds is not this car’s forte. Still, there’s no doubt this is the most fuel-efficient car you can buy today, even in the real world, which is a huge achievement from Maruti.

Verdict

These days, the imbalance in preference for diesel versus petrol is levelling out, and diesel engines have never worked at the entry-level end of the market because engineering driveability, refinement and economy to a cost has been too much of a challenge. Yet, here comes Maruti developing an all-new, small-capacity diesel engine from scratch for this segment. The company is convinced there are enough ‘die-hard diesel fans’ in India to justify the investment, so was it worth the risk?

The Celerio ZDi’s price comes within a hair’s breadth of the starting price of a Swift diesel, which will make buyers think twice. The bigger concern is that, as with the AMT gearbox in the petrol car, this engine will almost certainly move into more affordable models like the Alto and Wagon R, at which point, interest in the unexciting Celerio could fade once again.

But the reason you’ll want this car is its incredible fuel economy, and the low maintenance Maruti is known for. On that front, the car truly shines, but know that you have to deal with poor refinement and just about acceptable performance. It also lacks the flair of its rivals, but that said, it’s spacious, practical, comfortable and has decent driveability as well. We’re sure the Celerio diesel will be well received; let’s just hope it can hold
buyers’ interest.