Driven: 2018 Maruti Ciaz

Driven: 2018 Maruti Ciaz

Don’t just take Ranveer’s word for it; the Ciaz is a genuine City competitor

Maruti launched the Ciaz in 2015 and later put it under their ‘NEXA’ brand, meant to be an umbrella for their premium, forward-looking products. At the time, I found the concept of Maruti calling out to the rich kids meme-worthy. Four years on, there have been other premium-ish offerings under the banner, which is sort of becoming a thing, and the Ciaz is back with an interesting facelift. Much like other carmakers recently — Ford comes to mind — Maruti has done a refresh and thrown a brand-new petrol motor into the mix. Let me repeat that for you: Maruti has a new motor.

Compose yourself.

For the uninitiated, Maruti generally makes do with a 1.0, 1.2l petrol and a 1.3l diesel for most of their prodigious selection cars, and use them until it is legally impossible to do so. This new 1.5l (1463cc) naturally-aspirated petrol motor is a departure. The paper figures, however, aren’t. The brochure said 138Nm and 105hp. This is a lot of sleep-deprivation for a hundred-horsepower uncle sedan, I thought. Six phone calls from a hassled public relations rep, and I was ready to ride, only 30 minutes late.

It’s a good ride, I’ll give it that. The 2018 Ciaz makes short work of bad roads, and most of the press corps were unable to ground it out anywhere, even off-road. The overall impression is of a car that’s poised and refined. Maruti and brand ambassador Ranveer Singh are using the tagline “CREATE. INSPIRE”, and we suspect you’ll have some time for that if you’re sitting at the back. The ride is comfortable enough for you to forget the outside world. We reserve judgement about a Mumbai commute until we get the car down here, but suspension is definitely a standout. If hipster Ranveer Singh needs to CREATE. INSPIRE while on the move, he could do much worse than the new Ciaz.

The Ciaz has always gunned for the Honda City buyer, and nowhere is this more evident than the tail lamps. Just look at them! The questionable trend toward owners putting in aftermarket lamps aping luxury cars is also catered to, with luminous LED strips within them. They do look upmarket, if more than a little derivative. The all-LED treatment continues at the front if you spring for the top model, and you get LED fog lamps too. Maruti has put some pretty bold chrome trim up front, but it appears balanced, not blingy. There’s a new grille as well as the obligatory LED DRLs. The rest of the shape is largely the same, but the overall effect is subtly more aggressive. The 16” wheels on our test model helped.

On the inside, Maruti is sticking with a two-tone theme that’s conservative but solid. Plastics feel okay and the cabin is airy. The blonde birchwood-style accent is surprisingly well-executed and looks classy. As a passenger, the experience is excellent. Plenty of room in the front, and expansive at the back. With my seating position adjusted, I figure I had 8” of knee room at the rear! It’s folded-legs-level room, and I’m appreciating Ranveer’s honesty as I write this. The leather seats are unadorned and comfortable, and we didn’t have cause for complaint in our short drive. Maruti has included a good infotainment unit, with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. The navigation was responsive — almost overtly so, asking us to hit every waypoint instead of just moving onto the next.

Ergonomics seem well-sorted for the Ciaz. The driver position is good, despite a non-adjustable centre armrest. Driver height is adjustable. There doesn’t seem to be a dead pedal, and the footwell flares at the bottom, but it’s comfy. Ranveer’s a tall guy, and his promo video showed ample headroom. At 5’9”, I had plenty. The 510-litre boot has plenty of space, and uses a very easily-accessed release button right up front to the right of the steering. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken a press car to the mall, only to fumble for 30 minutes trying to find the boot release.

Back to the motor: it’s a pleasant surprise. My recent experiences with naturally-aspirated petrol motors have been underwhelming, but Maruti has been very clever with this one. The Ciaz uses a “smart-hybrid” system. Basically, the starter/alternator — the thing that charges your battery and starts the motor — is a beefy unit that keeps an additional lithium-ion battery charged. This can be used to assist the engine with an extra bit of torque when required. The net result is that the Ciaz moves way better than a 138Nm car should. It’s quick off the line, though not particularly fast. Highways speeds around 120 feel comfortable, but I suspect it will struggle after that. Overtakes take some planning, but less than I expected.

Steering is another pleasant surprise; there’s feel! In a world of playstation steerings, this one actually feels like you’re piloting a car. There’s some weight, but not enough to call upon Ranveer’s trainer. If I were to split hairs, the grip at the back at the 9 and 3 o’clock positions could have been better. It feels nice to drive. There’s cruise control, but I hate cruise control so I didn’t use it. For me, the automatic was the stand-out variant to drive. Despite Maruti using a 4-speed automatic from way back before Ranveer had taken human form, the smooth engine, torque-assist function and transmission all work together to deliver seamless shifts and a very, very comfortable, stress-free drive. At elevated speed, the suspension keeps up. Despite being soft enough to soak up everything we encountered, damping is good enough to keep things tidy with aggressive lane changes.

My only previous experience with the Ciaz is as passenger in a cab, which surprised me with the space and ride quality. This time round, Maruti has addressed any concerns previous owners might have had, and moved the game forward. It’s an executive sedan that properly delivers the goods while keeping it simple — decent motor, clever solutions, solid equipment, good value, a hipster moustache-worth more character and a great ride. There’s a manual transmission on offer, but with the petrol autos starting at Rs 9.8 lac and going up to Rs 10.97 lac, those are the ones to look for.

Originally published in Man’s World magazine