Maruti Celerio [2017-2021] VXi (O) [2017-2019]

I am a first time car buyer. However, I have driven a lot of cars for the past 14 years (from Fiat, Maruti, Ford, Hyundai, Honda, Tata, etc) belonging to either my father or relatives & friends. Out of all of these, the Celerio Vxi (O) has pleased me the most. Why? Because it has everything I was looking for in a budget family car. It is, in my opinion, the best little family hatchback available right now. Overall pros and cons: Pros: * Very fun to drive car. Even the manual is somewhat fun to drive in Bangalore city traffic. * Very comfortable with ample leg room even for tall drivers and passengers. Easy to find one's ideal position in driver's seat or a comfortable position in rear passenger seats. * Rear seat is wide enough for three average size adults to squeeze in. And the middle passenger has their own seat belt! This is impossible in the slimmer Alto K10 and Wagon R, whose rear seats should be strictly for two adults only (unless all three adults are unrealistically slim people). * Much sturdier build than Alto K10 and Hyundai Eon. Much more composed handling than Wagon R. 30% more boot space (235 litres versus 180 litres) and actually 20 litres more than the older generation Swift (215 litres). * Overall as fun to drive on highway as larger and more expensive hatchbacks such as Swift, Ritz, Grand i10, i20, Honda Jazz, Mahindra KUV100 (as long as you aren't a mad person and don't plan on going beyond 100 km/hr speeds). * Breaks in the ABS equipped versions are great and have a satisfying bite to them. Please shell out the extra money for ABS and airbags for the sake of your own safety and that of your family & friends. They are worth every Rupee! * AC is quite powerful and does a good job of cooling the cabin. We never needed to turn the AC above 1 on a 30+ Celsius day and never needed to turn it above 2 on a 35+ Celsius day. My auntie has driven her Celerio Vxi (O) AMT to Andhra Pradesh (where temperatures on a warm day can cross 40+ Celsius) and said she never needed to turn the AC above 2 even in that heat. * Overall very good mileage of up to 15-16 kmpl in city and 19-20 kmpl on highway (with AC running at 1 or 2 all the time). * Decent selection of safety features (airbags, ABS, child lock) depending on the trim. I say again that these are worth every Rupee! Please get these features. * Latest iteration of Celerio supposedly has an NCAP 4 star rating. This is an improvement over the older iteration's 3 star rating and on par with the old i10, which is quite well known for being a sturdy and safe vehicle (for a small family hatchback). Cons: * ABS and at least driver airbag should have been offered by default on the base trim (as Hyundai is doing with their similarly priced 2018 Santro). * Chassis on similarly priced Hyundai and Honda cars are thicker and sturdier. Their interiors and seats are also higher quality. The seats in the Celerio are certainly satisfactory and comfortable. But Hyundai's are higher quality, even more comfortable, have better under-thigh support. * Celerio AMT takes some getting used to. Though once you do get used to it, you will fall in love and not want to go back to traditional manual. * Thinking of installing a simple music system in the car. Though from what I hear, the sound quality of the default speakers in the Celerio is not really great. * No ACC (Automatic Climate Control) in even the most expensive variant. And no rear AC vents. However, these really aren't common features in a budget hatchback, so this isn't a big negative. The AC still does a fine job of cooling the cabin even on a 35+ Celsius day and dial set to 2 only. Detailed rambling: 1. Buying experience: The staff at Garuda Maruti (Lalbagh Road, Bangalore) made the buying experience overall great. They were very courteous, explained everything about the car and buying options and payment plans properly, and were outstandingly helpful. Delivery of the car was delayed by about two weeks. But this is the fault of Maruti itself for shipping the vehicle late to Bangalore and not the fault of the dealership itself. They kept updating me and delivered the vehicle on new promised date and gave me an overall great handing-over experience. 2. Riding experience: Out of all the family cars I have driven, the Celerio is probably the most fun to drive. Even though I have the manual variant, it is still somewhat fun to drive even in Bangalore's infamous traffic (and an absolute gem on the highway). The car drives in higher gear at a relatively slower speed (which is one of the reasons for its great mileage), has better suspension than almost any other similarly priced car (a boon for my back pain suffering mother), is overall very comfortable with ample leg room even for a tall person such as myself and this one 191 cm (6 foot 3 inch) tall cousin of mine. Boot space of 235 litres is also ample for a compact family hatchback which is primarily meant for urban use and only the occasional highway trip out of town. And in case someone wants to know: You can carry only one or at most two extra large suitcases (75+ cm size) in the boot (without folding down the rear seats). 3. Details about looks and performance: My sister does not like the looks of the Celerio. I vehemently disagree. I actually like the looks of the car. It looks unusually aggressive and sporty for a small Maruti hatchback and I think it overall looks great. The body-colour door handles, boot handle, side-view mirrors, and the little slope on the boot door all do a fine job of improving the looks of the new iteration Celerio compared to previous ones. This is a stylish looking little car. And the performance is more than satisfactory. The pick-up is great (for a car of this segment) and the turning radius is very tight. Parking is not a problem thanks to it's tight turning and smooth handling. Switching gears in the manual is a breeze. Highway performance is actually good for a small hatchback, and overall significantly better than the Alto K10 and Wagon R (which have the same K10 engine and were also options I considered). Compared to the Alto K10 and Wagon R the Celerio is simply far more stable and composed, more aerodynamic, and has much less NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness). It can also really zip. My auntie and I have pushed the Celerio to 120 km/hr on NICE road and it went along just fine. Note: I absolutely do not recommend going above 90 km/hr in ANY vehicle. It is unsafe and dangerous. My pushing of the Celerio to 120 km/hr was a one time thing and was crazy. I will always make sure to stay in the ballpark of 70 to 90 km/hr when going on the highway in this or ANY car. At those speeds, the NVH in the Celerio is low and the ride is overall comfortable. Mileage of the Celerio is very good. It gives roughly 15 to 16 kmpl in Bangalore's horrendous city traffic and roughly 19 to 20 kmpl on highway (at speeds between 70 and 90 km/hr). According to my auntie