Maruti-Suzuki Ciaz vs Honda City vs Hyundai Verna

Maruti Suzuki has recently launched the Ciaz powered by their brand new diesel engine. Can this major upgrade make the Ciaz the best of the lot. We find out

There was a big hue and dry some time back on the context of diesel engines in India. The new BSVI norms kick in next year and this apparently is going to have a profound effect on the cost of diesel engines and on diesel powered vehicles. Hence it has been coined to be the end of the road for diesel engines. However can that really be true? Can India do away with diesels? Well, the answer is a big no! Here is proof! A few days back there was

news that Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest automaker is doing away with their diesel engine. Well, sure they are going to discontinue the tried and tested Fiat sourced 1.3-litre Multijet engine which powers most of the cars. The reason behind it is that converting this engine to BSVI levels, the cost would have been exorbitant. So what did they do? Well, they have been working for long on their very own diesel engine and now they have it in form of the 1.5-litre 225. This new engine then will spearhead Maruti Suzuki cars into the BSVI era. The company has already plonked it in two of their new cars, the Ertiga and the Ciaz. This time round we decided to take the Ciaz powered by this new diesel engine and compare it to its closest rivals, the Verna and the City. But is the engine good enough to propel the Ciaz to victory? Read on!

EXTERIORS

Unlike other times, the Ciaz has gone

THE VERNA OFFERS MORE SAFETY AND LUXURY FEATURES LIKE A SUNROOF AND VENTILATED SEATS

through no change as far as the design is concerned. It is the same size and looks damn side stately thanks to its large dimensions. The headlamps come with projector lights and even the fog lamps are LEDs. Then you have the LED day time lights which overall give the front end an upmarket look. Next up are the profiles where it is evident that the Ciaz is a full size sedan. The long wheelbase and the sloping roofline look good. The rear section is long too and the boot is a properly designed unit. The tail lights also look good and are LED units. The

only cause of concern is then the long overhangs which one has to be slightly careful off. The Hyundai Verna has gone through a generation change recently look closely and you will be able to spot the new projector headlamps which incorporate sleek day time running lights. The front and rear bumpers are new and gel well with the overall design. The tail lamps get LED treatment and have become sleeker as well. The wheelbase at 2,600mm is identical to arch rival the Honda City but lesser than the 2,650mm sported by the Ciaz. Moving on to the Honda, we realize that the City too has evolved to be quite a looker. Much like the Verna, it too comes with day time running lights and LED tail lamps. However the City is tad higher than the Verna and the Ciaz too. We also love the stance which the City offers, aggressive yet elegant is what it is. No doubt then that the City has been much loved in our country for such a long time.

INTERIORS

The Ciaz comes with a large dash which houses the touchscreen infotainment system. This is the same unit which is deployed on all other Maruti Suzuki cars and supports Android and Apple as well. The instrument panel of the Ciaz is also a loaded one. We

POWER IS PUT DOWN WELL AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, ONE

WILL NOTICE THE FAST ACCELERATION AND THE SENSE OF URGENCY WHICH MAKES THE VERNA A PROPER DRIVER’S DELIGHT

love the central digital display which shows off a plethora of data including on the torque and power usage and then there is even a gyro which shows lateral movements of the car. In short if you are a geek like me, you will love the display of the Ciaz. The Ciaz also comes with large and comfortable seats both up front and at the back. We particularly like the rear seat which offers good comfort and lots of space for the passenger as well. Boot space too is at par with the Honda and larger than the Verna at 510

litres. The Hyundai too is loaded to the gill. The dash design has been tweaked and then there is the 7.0in touch screen AVN which is rather smart phone friendly. It offers features like Android Auto, Apple Car Play, sat nav, Bluetooth connectivity and so on. The Verna also gets cruise control and even cooled seats up front. Hyundai is also offering a sunroof on the Verna now. Rear seat passengers also benefit from an aircon vent which sure helps cool the cabin. Stowage options within the cabin have improved as well and overall the Verna offers a rather spacious cabin, both for passengers up front and at the back. However the rear seats of the Verna are a bit angular which makes it mildly odd to be in. We are also happy to report that the Verna is available with six airbags in the top variant. Another feature which makes the Verna much like the Ciaz very user friendly is

THE HONDA CITY COMES WITH A VERY GOOD STEERING SET UP. THE CIAZ ON THE OTHER

HAND HAS BECOME A

LOT MORE STIFFER THAN BEFORE. THE VERNA OFFERS A LIGHT STEERING

the auto boot opening. With the key fob in the pocket, the driver or passenger can just stand at a certain distance to the rear section of the car to make the boot pop up. Quite handy when trying to access the boot with lots of stuff in your hands! By the way, the boot on the Verna is now larger and can hold 480 litres of cargo. The Honda too has seen quite a serious upgrade recently. The dash and IP remains the same, but what has been replaced is the infotainment system. The new Digipad unit is a brilliant unit and a welcome change from what was being offered previously. It is like having a tablet on the dash and as expected it can read out emails, play music, connect to your phone making it a handy device to have. The City much like the Verna also comes with a sunroof. The seats within are large and comfortable perches and getting in and out of the cabin is easier. The City too gets airvents for rear seat passengers. Much like the Verna, one can also get the City with six airbags which adds to the safety quotient of the car. When it comes to the boot, the City tops the Verna by offering 510 litres of cargo space.

TECHNOLOGY

This is where the story starts getting serious. The Ciaz gets the new E15A motor which we hear is essentially a much evolved version of

the small engine which powered the Celerio. The displacement though after joining two base engines would become a bit more than the prerequisite 1.5-litre norm and hence it has been kept low to allow for excise benefits. While that engine was anything but impressive, this new 1.5 has a lot to prove then. The new motor has gone through a host of changes including an aluminium cylinder block with cast iron sleeves. It also gets a redesigned combustion chamber and a new intake and exhaust manifold. The Verna inspite of all matters continues to get the largest motor here. It’s a 1.6-litre diesel which is nothing short of being a powerhouse. It is the most powerful engine here and also offers the most torque. The City too comes with a 1.5-litre oil burner much like the Ciaz now. While it offers more power than the Ciaz, it is slightly down on torque outputs.

DRIVE

The The Ciaz’s new motor is very smooth at start up. Thanks to a very good NVH package, the engine is barely audible inside the cabin at tickover. On the go the engine feels extremely refined and power comes in a very linear fashion. Thanks to the abundance of torque at lower revs, the driveability factor of the Ciaz is excellent. We genuinely loved the way the Ciaz pulls through traffic without having to downshift. Being a larger motor, it also sits comfortably at higher speeds and there is no straining feel as well. This then is now a sedan which will munch miles effortlessly all day long. Speaking of munching miles, the Ciaz also is phenomenally fuel efficient. The test figure literally threw us off our seat and we did multiple tests to ensure that the figures were correct. Every time we got a similar figure. Kudos to the team! When we come to ride and handling the Ciaz has

THE VERNA IS A PROPER DRIVER’S DELIGHT. THE CIAZ SETS IN FOR THE DRIVEN AND THE CITY IS BANG IN THE MIDDLE

evolved too. The steering has become a lot stiffer and offers decent feedback. However thanks to the weight, the lock to lock effort needed is more. The suspension has also been stiffened up and the soft cushy feel of the erstwhile car is missing. However at high speeds, the Ciaz feels far more stable than before. The Verna takes the cake when it comes to performance. The engine is very smooth and the 100kmph dash is taken care off in less than 10 seconds. That’s epic. Then there is the way the car feels on the go. The dimensions of the car are not felt on the go and it is a lot more flickable as compared to the other two. We love how it darts through when needed. On the downside, all this enthusiasm causes havoc in the fuel efficiency department. The Verna is also well sprung and offers confidence at higher speeds. On the downside, we would have preferred a little more response from the steering.

The City is all about casual motoring. The motor though a bit noisy is set up to offer a linear power delivery. The City pulls through traffic with ease at lower revs and higher gears and this makes it a brilliant city dweller. We also genuinely love the gearbox which is slick and offers short throws. The fuel efficiency too is good and this means a good driving range. The steering setup of the City is also rather sweet. It is light and responsive and allows flickability. It also handles well and overall the City sits bang on the sweetspot.

THE NEW ENGINE ON THE CIAZ IS A BRILLIANT PERFORMER. IT ALSO OFFERS BRILLIANT

EFFICIENCY

1. The Verna’s dash looks rather European. Flowing lines and lots of stowage options as well. The Verna also offers more features than the other two cars here. 2. Rear seat squabs form an angle as compared to being flat. 3. IP is where the Verna could have done better. 4. Multiple connectivity options available on the Verna. 5. Rear AC vents have now become a standard feature on these cars. 6. Slick 6-speed gearbox is easy to use and the clutch is light too

1. The two-tone dash of the City looks good. The centre console is also angled towards the driver for better ergonomics. 2. Triple pod IP looks good and we like the soothing colour comninations used. 3. The infotainment system of the City is also the best and offers a plethora of functions which are unavialable on the other two. 4. The climate control system looks very classy. 5. Dual charging ports for rear passengers plus AC vents. 6. Slick gearbox best of the lot

1. Dash remains identical to the older model. 2. The Ciaz now comes with a 6-speed manual. 3. Infotainment system common to other Maruti suzuki cars. 4. Instrument panel most loaded and keeps the drivier involved. 5. Rear AC vents and a charging port here as well. 6. Climate control system works well, but the design is not as exciting as the honda city’s unit 7. All cars here get steering mounted controls

8. The Ciaz comes with a big boot which is rather useable at 510 litres. 9. The Verna offers a smaller boot but is ample for a weekend’s worth of luggage. 10. The city offers a large boot much like the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

When it comes to rear seat space, especially rear leg room, the Hyundai Verna (2) loses out to the Maruti-Suzuki Ciaz (1) and the Honda City (3) as the two offer much more space and are better suited as chauffeur driven cars

4. The new 1.5-litre motor on the Ciaz offers good refinement. 5. The Verna’s 1.6-litre engine is a tower of power. 6. The Honda City’s could do with a bit better NVH packaging within the cabin to control noise