Maruti Celerio EZ Drive automatic review, test drive

For those who want to do away with the bother of modulating the clutch altogether, the big news is that the Celerio will be available with an automatic gearbox, which Maruti calls 'EZ Drive'. While there's no clutch and you select 'D' for drive before you set off, it’s not an automatic gearbox in the traditional sense. It does not use a torque converter but rather relies on an electronic control unit that manages hydraulic actuators to control clutch engagement and gearshifts. What's amazing is that the basic five-speed gearbox is shared with the manual, and that keeps costs low as well. This setup is known to be more efficient than traditional automatics but does lack the torque build-up of a torque-converter auto. 

 

  

In full automatic mode the Celerio auto performs satisfactorily. In traffic, upshifts are executed in a timely manner and downshifts are pretty acceptable too. You can also shift gears manually in M-mode; you push the lever forward for a downshift and pull back for an upshift, in a BMW-like manner. While this is unconventional, you soon get used to it, and using the gearbox in manual mode is quite nice. The box will even hold on to your choice of gear in manual. This low-cost, high efficiency solution, however, isn't slick in the manner it operates under load. Here, shifts feel slow, the gearbox takes its time, and downshifts also tend to produce a bit of a lurch.  Our performance test for the automatic version resulted in a 15.4 second 0-100kph, which isn't bad, all things considered. 

 

 

More than performance, Maruti wants to market the Celerio automatic for its fuel economy. In fact, its 23.1kpl ARAI-tested figure equals that for the manual Celerio and significantly betters most of its manual-only competition. What helps is the low 800-odd kilogram kerb weight of the car, and the clean manner in which the engine makes power at low and medium engine speeds aids matters too.