2021 Maruti Suzuki Celerio Road Test Review – Bigger, Bolder, Better?

November 17, 2021 Admin 2021, 2021 Celerio, AGS, amt, classic modern, Drive, india, Maruti India, Maruti Suzuki Celerio, MSIL, powerful, Review, Road Test, Small car, Suzuki Japan, Udaipur

India’s number one car maker Maruti Suzuki has a knack of evolving segments from already present segment. They had launched the Celerio small car in 2014 and since then the handsome little car has sold in huge numbers. Now with the changing times the Celerio has come of age in its 2^nd generation that was launched a few days back. We head to the city of lakes Udaipur to get a taste of the All New Maruti Suzuki Celerio to get you our first hand report on the latest hatchback car in town.

Food for Thought

Maruti Suzuki had launched the Celerio in 2014. Since then the company has sold around 6 lakh units of the small car. The all new Celerio promises to take the lineage ahead with its updated HEARTECT modular platform and grown dimensions. This the 2^nd Generation Celerio also promises to be the most fuel efficient car in its segment with claimed fuel efficiency figures of 26.68kmpl (ARAI). In a few markets Suzuki has been selling the earlier generations of the Celerio as the Alto, A-Star and Caltus.

New item by Motor World India / Google Photos

Exteriors

First look at the All New Celerio and you instantly notice it. The small car has grown in dimension. The new Celerio is also bigger than its predecessor and measures 3,695mm in length, 1,655mm in width, 1,555mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2,435mm. While the length and height are similar to the outgoing model, the new model is 55mm wider, while the wheelbase is 10mm longer. The new Celerio’s ground clearance stands at 170mm, 5mm higher than before. You are reminded of the family single slat chrome grill with the ‘S’ logo on it like the New Swift, Dzire and a few newer Maruti Suzuki models. The swept back headlights get halogen bulb glow and integrated turn lights in them.

The front bumper gets a lot of rounded corners with a large matt black insert in the middle being the key styling element. Round halogen fog lamps look classy placed here. The bonnet is finished very smoothly without any character lines while the front windshield adds to the already classic modern look that the car has got.

The sides is largely highlighted with a sharp character line on the front and rear fenders and also on the door panels. The glass area gets blacked out masking on its frame. Door handles are classic lift up types finished in body color and also get a request unlock button for the drivers door. The New Celerio drives on R15 Yokohama tyres mounted on blacked out multi spoke alloys.

He rounded design style is continued at the rear too with the fused design tail lamps neatly flushed into the bodyline. The tailgate comes with a smooth design styling along with the lift type opening handle, the lock/unlock request switch and a tiny integrated spoiler. The rear windshield is placed at a slight angle and comes with defogger and rear wash wipe. The rear bumper gets the rounded design styling along with two strip type stop reflectors. The exhaust is slightly exposed and adds to the visual appeal of the rear profile of the Celerio.

Interior

Step inside the New Celerio and you are instantly welcomed with a dark theme cabin area. The dashboard comes with nice sloping lines on it. Round AC vents with silver aluminum finish around them and rectangular AC vents in the middle along with a thick ‘U’ shape silver aluminum insert. The highlight of the dash is the 7 inch Smart Play touch screen AVN system with all the connectivity features like Apple CarPlay, AndroidAuto, Bluetooth phone, FM radio etc. Just below the AVN display are placed rather uniquely the buttons for the front power window and the door lock/unlock. The AC unit is a single zone system with manual control knobs. One USB port, 12V power outlet port and a AUX port is placed under the AC unit.

You get good storage space around here. The short throw transmission shifter on the AMT automatic version is very tastefully designed with silver surrounds and faux leather insert. The instrument cluster is a round design ana-digital unit with a manual speedometer and a digital RPM cum tell-tale display neatly in place. The three spoke steering gets silver inserts, height adjust along with MFD buttons placed on it. On the extreme right side of the dash you get the engine start stop button and the auto start stop button.

Seats get dark dual tone fabric upholstery with unified headrests. The drivers seat comes with height adjust adding to the comfort package. Seating in the front is pretty comfortable with very good overall visibility from the drivers seat. Rear seats get two unified headrests and also get 40:60 split folding feature. Seating at the rear is pretty comfortable thanks to the grown proportions of the car that now offers ample amount of knee, head, shoulder and leg room. Rear power window buttons are placed between the front seats while the door pads get bottle holders each.

The New Celerio comes with 313 liters of boot space with wide and deep storage area good enough for three bags to fit in easily.

Engine – Transmission – Drive

The All New Celerio comes powered with the new-gen K10C Petrol engine. This BS6-complaint, 1.0-litre, naturally aspirated, three-cylinder engine produces 67hp and 89Nm of torque. Transmission options include the 5-speed manual and the 5-speed AMT automatic. Best in class fuel efficiency is achieved with the DualJet technology and idle start-stop system. The idle start-stop system largely improves fuel economy by cutting off the engine when idling in traffic.

We drove both the manual and the AMT versions of the Celerio. Starting off with the AMT automatic which is the latest generation Magneti Marelli sourced unit. The 1.0L engine is highly refined and has a nice soft roar to it at idle. Shift to the drive mode and the Celerio chugs ahead in style. This is the latest generation AMT transmission which is very different to the ones seen before. The gear shifts are very smooth and there is no juddering or jerks felt during shifts. Power build up is quick and the steering feedback is also pretty lively. You also have the tip-tronic feature to manually shift the gears if you wish so.

The Manul transmission Celerio is a completely different breed. This version feels very peppy and is always eager to be revved hard. The gear shifts are very positive, light clutch and excellent power delivery are its key highlight. The Celerio with its grown dimensions, HEARTECT platform, 15-inch tyres drives like a much larger car on the highways. High speed maneuverability is excellent and you feel secure, planted and very comfortable on the highway runs. During city drives the suspension setup does a fine job in sailing over bad roads, speed breakers and pot holes in refined manner. The auto start stop feature works flawlessly saving costly fuel during traffic conditions.

Front disc and rear drum brakes offer good reassuring braking aided with ABS with EBD at all times and speeds. If given a choice I would pick the AMT version of the New Celerio for city and traffic conditions as it is very comfortable and effortless to drive, if for the highway runs then I would get the manual version of the New Celerio for its sheer brilliant highway ride quality.

Safety

The New Maruti Suzuki Celerio comes loaded with safety features like dual airbags, ABS with EBD, hill hold (AMT), rear parking sensor.

Competition Check

The All New Maruti Suzuki Celerio goes up against the rivals like the Hyundai Santro, Tata Tiago, Datsun Go and also against its own model the WagonR in its segment.

Verdict

The Celerio has always been a good option to go for in it hatchback segment and now with the all new model it will appeal to more buyers. The car feels spacious, drives very well and comes with all the needed safety, comfort and style features. Unmatched fuel efficiency and a flawless AMT automatic option too. At Rs. 4.99 lakh the All New Maruti Suzuki Celerio is an excellent option to consider if you are looking out for your first car. It has all the trademark traits that you expect from a Maruti – best after sales, service, resale, low maintenance to add on to its glory.