Auto car: Maruti Suzuki Ciaz 1.5 diesel vs rivals: Price, specifications comparison

As good as the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is its 1.3-litre diesel engine has always come across as a bit outdated. Things are all set to change with the arrival of Suzuki’s in-house-developed 1.5-litre diesel engine. The new four-cylinder engine is more powerful than the 1.3-litre unit it will replace, and would make the Ciaz a closer match for its diesel mid-sized sedan rivals. We’ve compiled all the facts and figures to tell you how the upgraded Ciaz fares against the 1.3-litre outgoing Ciaz, the Hyundai Verna, the Honda City, the Volkswagen Vento and the Skoda Rapid. All these models have been compared in their respective top-spec variants.

Powertrain

The new 1.5-litre diesel motor from Maruti is expected to put out 95hp and 225Nm of torque. This marks a bump over the 1.3-litre’s 90hp and 200Nm of torque. The new engine will come coupled to a 6-speed manual transmission in place of the 1.3-litre’s 5-speed unit. Meanwhile, the Verna has the largest displacement motor that also leads the charts in terms of power and torque. The Honda City’s 1.5-litre unit does produce more power than the Ciaz’s 1.5-litre engine but, loses out on torque. Both the Verna and the City come mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox while the Hyundai gets the option of a 6-Speed automatic, too. The Vento and Rapid share their engines and produce identical power and torque, and both can be had with 5-speed and 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission options.

In terms of fuel efficiency, both Ciaz models reign supreme. The older 1.3-litre returns an ARAI-rated 28.09kpl while the new 1.5-litre is close behind, rated at 26.82kpl. The Skoda Rapid is the least frugal manual while the Verna is the least fuel-efficient automatic in this comparison.

Powertrain
	Ciaz 1.3 (Old)	Ciaz 1.5 (New)	Verna	City	Vento	Rapid
Displacement	1.3-litre	1.5-litre	1.6-litre	1.5-litre	1.5-litre	1.5-litre
Type	4 cyls	4 cyls	4 cyls	4 cyls	4 cyls	4 cyls
Power	90hp at 4000rpm	95hp at 4000rpm	128hp at 3000rpm	100hp at 3600rpm	110hp at 4000rpm	110hp at 4000rpm
Torque	200Nm at 1750rpm	225Nm at 1500-2500rpm	260Nm at 1500-3000rpm	200Nm at 1750rpm	250Nm at 1500-3000rpm	250Nm at 1500-3000rpm
Gearbox	5-speed manual	6-speed manual	6-speed manual/automatic	6-speed manual	5-speed manual/7-speed automatic	5-speed manual/7-speed automatic
Fuel economy (ARAI)	28.09kpl	26.82kpl	24.75 kpl (MT)/21.02 kpl (AT)	25.1kpl	22.27kpl (MT)/22.15kpl (AT)	21.13kpl (MT)/21.72kpl (AT)

Dimensions

In terms of dimensions, the Ciaz has the longest wheelbase, the most width, the largest boot and is the longest overall, as well. As a result, the Ciaz has class-leading interior space. The Honda City, meanwhile, is the tallest of the lot and has the same amount of boot space as the Ciaz. All sedans here run on 195/55-section 16-inch wheels apart from the City, which comes with 185/55-section tyres.

Dimensions
	Ciaz 1.3 (Old)	Ciaz 1.5 (New)	Verna	City	Vento	Rapid
Length	4490mm	4490mm	4440mm	4440mm	4390m	4413mm
Width	1730mm	1730mm	1729mm	1695mm	1699mm	1699mm
Height	1485mm	1485mm	1475mm	1495mm	1467mm	1466mm
Wheelbase	2650mm	2650mm	2600mm	2600mm	2553mm	2552mm
Boot capacity	510 litres	510 litres	480 litres	510 litres	494 litres	460 litres
Tyre size	195/55 R16	195/55 R16	195/55 R16	185/55 R16	195/55 R16	195/55 R16

Features

Standard safety kit for all sedans here include dual airbags and ABS. However, in their top-spec trims, the Rapid gets two additional airbags while the Verna and City both get four additional airbags. All cars get touchscreen infotainment systems – although the Ciaz, Verna and City each feature 7.0-inch units while the Rapid and Vento get smaller 6.5-inch units. Honda City aside, all cars also get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Leather seats, rear AC vents and automatic headlamps are also common to all competitors while the City, Rapid and Vento go one further and offer automatic wipers, too. Buyers will also appreciate the sunroof that comes with the Verna and the City – a feature that the others miss out on.

Features
	Ciaz 1.3 (Old)	Ciaz 1.5 (New)	Verna	City	Vento	Rapid
Airbags	2	2	6	6	2	4
Infotainment	7.0-inch touchscreen	7.0-inch touchscreen	7.0-inch touchscreen	7.0-inch touchscreen	6.5-inch touchscreen	6.5-inch touchscreen
Apple CarPlay/Android Auto	Yes/Yes	Yes/Yes	Yes/Yes	No/No	Yes/Yes	Yes/Yes
Leather seats	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Auto headlamps/wipers	Yes/No	Yes/No	Yes/No	Yes/Yes	Yes/Yes	Yes/Yes
Sunroof	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Rear AC vents	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Price

In terms of pricing, the new Ciaz is expected to be priced slightly higher than the outgoing model. Even at its higher price point, the 1.5-litre Ciaz is expected to undercut its rivals. If you factor in the engine’s efficiency, the Ciaz is sure to remain the value choice among mid-sized sedans.

Prices (ex-showroom, Delhi)
	Ciaz 1.3 (Old)	Ciaz 1.5 (New)	Verna	City	Vento	Rapid
Manual	Rs 11.02 lakh	Rs 11.5 lakh (estimated)	Rs 12.94 lakh	Rs 14.05 lakh	Rs 11.97 lakh	Rs 12.73 lakh
Automatic	NA	NA	Rs 13.99 lakh	NA	Rs 14.32 lakh	Rs 13.99 lakh