Maruti Suzuki Ciaz : It is a significantly revised version of the company’s premium sedan and is aimed at working professionals who want a premium commute without splurging on luxury in the higher segment.
This fully remodeled version takes the spaciousness and high efficiency established by the Ciaz, further adds advanced styling and combines the latest technologies and high level of driving performance to create a car unlike any other in the mid-size sedan category.
The new Ciaz promises common sense for those journeying to work with the practicality of status-appropriate transport.
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Maruti Suzuki Ciaz On the Outside: Exec Striking with Newworld Style
The refeshed Ciaz is clearly a better-looking car, with a decidedly more premium-looking facade which exudes understated elegance rather than bold in-your-face glamour.
At the front, the design is bolder with the chrome-accented and wider grille more prominently placed between the slimmer and sleeker get, the squinty Projector headlamps in LED with unique LED daytime running light (DRL) signature that allows for instant photometric recognition.
This lighting scheme marks a significant improvement on the halogen units fitted to older models, which allows for improved visibility and a classier graphical signature.
Side views highlight neater character lines with chrome door handles and well-sculpted fenders that add to the sedan’s considerable presence without looking oversized.
The marginally extended wheelbase (2,650mm) retains the Ciaz’s segment-best legroom but also delivers better proportions which exude executive presence.
Higher-spec models now come with newly designed 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels instead of the earlier 15-inchers, which in turn occupy the wheel arches better and gives it more presence.
At the back, updated LED combination taillights are linked by a subtle chrome-accent strip, which helps give the car a wider appearance.
A low-profile trunk lid spoiler adds both sporty looks and driving stability, and does not give an overly aggressive impression due to its restrained styling that delivers an elegant, mature atmosphere suitable for any workplace.
“The design brief was to have a distinguished presence but without being ostentatious,” a member of the Maruti Suzuki design team said.
“We wanted to bring to market a car that looks at home in corporate parking structures, but one that also stirs a little bit of emotion beyond simple A to B transportation.”
There are seven colors which can be selected from, including the newly added Dignity Brown and Opulent Blue as well as the ever-popular Pearl Arctic White, with a variety of colors from safe to fun while still blending in fine in the workplace.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Cabin Experience: Workplace-Style Comfort
Interior accommodations are also given the same amount of care with a totally redesigned cockpit that was inspired by modern office spaces – featuring clean, modern design, easy-to-read instrumentation and high-grade materials and bright-style trim pieces that provide a professional work environment.
The dash features a wide front, with a single aluminum-effect strip running the width of the dash, which not only carries the eye from one side to the other, but separates, smoothly, at the center section, the top row of climate controls and bottom row of entertainment function surfaces.
Available seat upholstery consists of premium beige leatherette in high trims, with thoughtfully bolstered cushioning that splits the difference between support for long commutes and easy ingress/egress for several daily entries and exits common in professional use.
The powertrain feels refined on throttle, with a satisfying, sporty character, while the Mercedes-Benz GLK’s more powerful V6 is still smooth and flexible.
For office users in particular, the rear of the van gives you class-leading legroom of 1,060mm – which is essential for trades-people who sometimes have to ferry around colleagues or customers.
With rear air conditioning vents, the facility to charge your smartphone and welcoming arm-rests, it is a truly professional environment in which to transport colleagues, not just occasionally house them.
Even with a full 510 liters of trunk space, you can still store plenty of laptop bags, overnight gear or presentation materials.
Material quality is also a major step up, now featuring soft-touch surfaces in common touch points with much better panel gaps than before.
Strategic sound insulation in the body structure results in significantly reduced NVH – a plus on our work-related phone calls via the car’s Bluetooth system while driving to and from the office.
Technology through ConnectEd for Business Professionals
Understanding that professionals of today like to stay connected with multiple gadgets even on-the-go, CIAZ comes with Maruti’s most advanced integrated multimedia system that is based on a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
This system offers wireless smartphone integration features via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, enabling users to access certain designated apps on their smartphone through the UVO link infotainment system, and it does so without a bunch of annoying cables that can easily get unplugged — and sometimes do during that big city stop and go.
The device is voice activated so users don’t have to search for the appropriate icon on the smartphone, and users can keep their eyes on the driving and their hands on the wheel while still getting communication and navigation functionality.
Between these, you’ll find USB ports in four positions across the cabin, meaning there is no shortage of device charging opportunities for everyone on board – becoming ever more relevant in the age of digital work.
New cloud-based connected car features bring added convenience to this new model, including remote vehicle status (such as fuel/battery level, lock status and more), curfew alert and trip analysis are also available – ideal for business customers who need to keep track of their expenses.
The system also allows you to schedule service notifications or track maintenance history with fewer administrative / administrative costs.
“Current professionals almost need their car to serve as a mobile workspace,” added the product planning director.
The tech package keeps compatibility with all digital workflows not forcing our proprietary system that would need complete disruption to staff and approach.”
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz POWERTRAIN AND DYNAMICS: POWERFUL EFFICIENCY
The Ciaz continues to be powered by the trusted 1.5-liter K15 Smart Hybrid petrol engine that generates 105 PS and 138 Nm and get calibrations which enhance both the performance and the fuel efficiency.
The all-new integrated mild hybrid system with its lithium-ion battery contributes to improved torque response during launch, complementing its direct-response turbo design – notably in stop-and-go driving that characterizes rush hour traffic.
Transmission choices are a slick-shifting 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic that may not feature as many gears as some rivals, but the change you keep will appreciate the smoothness during crowded city commutes.
The automatic also comes with a “city mode” mapping that alters shift quality so the transmission is more inclined to make smooth shifts rather than snapping you down a ratio when negotiating bodywork-filled urban traffic.
Fuel economy is still a Ciaz hallmark with the manual transmission returning mesmerising 21.56 km/l under test conditions; one of the best in its class and an incredibly important factor for working class individuals factoring in overall budget.
The AT however does 20.28 km/l as well, meaning you don’t quite take the mileage hit expected of an auto-box.
The ride is more about comfort than about sportiness, the suspension so adeptly taking-up pavement imperfections without seeming to cause the body of the car to move too much.
Steering calibration provides the right amount of heft that increases consistently with speed, and dampens superfluous vibration and harshness.
This focus on comfort meets the requirement of commuters, who prefer a bike with a reliable predictable behaviour, useful in the low light conditions of fatigue early mornings or in the dusk of evenings.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Secure Design for your Peace of Mind
It’s not only the engines that benefit from new technology however – with electronic stability control now available across most models (excluding Van and Ute) as standard.
This system supplements ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist, to help keep the vehicle under control in a sudden-avoidance manoeuvre or when braking on slippery roads.
The passive safety structure sits on a platform which has high-tensile steel application at crucial points which ensures the presence of a robust safety cage around the car’s occupants.
Front dual airbags are standard in all models with side and curtain airbags offered for upper trims, to help protect occupants from all angle impacts. Seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters there-and you’ve got a safety package.
Tech such as a rearview camera with dynamic guidelines, rear parking sensors, automatic headlamps and rain-sensing wipers work wonders for easing the mental burden of everyday driving.
Hill hold assist for AT versions holds the vehicle from rolling back on climbs making it convenient especially when starting on an incline, as typically encountered in stop-go traffic on an uphill gradient.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Market Positioning and Tim van Noortwijk said, Value Proposition.
At Rs 8.95-11.95 lakh (ex-showroom, depending on variant and place) the Ciaz sits at the far end of the mainstream sedan segment spectrum, but is still substantially less than entry-level luxury models.
This strategic pricing aligns with th recognition for marketeers’ dreams in making cost affordable for budding professionals as there is bundled features which were possible only at much higher rate points.
The ideal fit: middle and senior managers, who need a vehicle that can serve personal daily use, always provide a sales or peer-visit spare-room and even a considerate management tool.
Instead, the value proposition here is all about serving up a genuinely premium experience, without having to write checks for the overhead and depreciation encased in luxury badges – a practicalist’s approach for a wellness-obsessed expose-&-post generation that owns but would rather not spend cashflow on lifestyle-proper transportation.
Maruti’s expansive service chain, numbering more than 3,800 outlets across the country, also comes as an offset for time-constrained professionals who face less downtime due to easy scheduling and parts that are available almost everywhere.
10,000 kilometre service intervals are tailor-made for the standard annual business use, causing the least possible trouble for people who live hectic professional lives.
For India’s emerging white-collar folk looking to blend corporate growth with good money sense, there is probably no more seductive cocktail of executive appeal, practical usability, and running thrift available in the sedan spectrum — and that’s really saying something in today’s picture.
It’s the clever mix of high-end appointments with everyday usability that really appeals, particularly for people who need their cars to work equally well during the week and at weekends – and don’t want to make any real concessions in either direction.
