It is unsaid but I’ll say it anyway. In recent times, whenever Maruti Suzuki introduces a new car or enters a new segment, their arrival is usually the turning point for that part of the market in terms of volumes. Now don’t get me wrong. There are good products from other manufacturers too, but Maruti Suzuki has managed to seat itself at the top of the Indian automotive food chain. This has resulted in its presence anywhere becoming a focal point of sorts for people to look at a segment and go “oh this segment of cars look interesting, I might just make a choice here.”
Well, a good example of “I might just make a choice here” is the Celerio. It is the second time that Maruti Suzuki has had luck in the entry-level B-segment, the first of course, being the Wagon R. Now the Celerio’s first badge of honour was that it was the car that brought AMT (automated manual Transmission) technology to India and it has now achieved a new honour of being the first car in the entry-level B-segment to introduce the crossover/SUV styling. Yes, we are talking about the CelerioX and here are the highs and lows of buying it.
What’s good about it?
Well firstly, you are getting the crossover styling in the price range of Rs 4.57 lakhs to Rs 5.42 lakhs (Ex-showroom Delhi). Here, budget hatchbacks rule and adding something that will make you stand above everyone else in terms of design is a big step up. Then there is the fact that underneath all that cladding and badges, the car is actually the standard Celerio with the same features and engine options. This is not a bad thing at all as the Celerio has gained a reputation of being as reliable as having a cup of tomato soup (full and ½)- not particularly exciting but safe. The Celerio also exists at a price point where it above the entry-level cars but not as expensive as the larger vehicles above it.
What’s bad about it?
The car may be a safe option but it lacks excitement, fitting the bill for the term, eco box. It is tightly designed to be effective in narrow spaces and with a higher precedence to efficiency as compared to driving ability. The added crossover bits and bright colours do help boost the image factor, but not by too much.
The best variant to buy
We would recommend the top-of-the-line ZXi (O) as you get all the options for only Rs 30,000 over the equivalent VXi(O) option.
Quick facts
Price Range- Rs 4.57 lakhs to Rs 5.43 lakhs
Specifications
Engine: 998cc, inline three-cylinder petrol
Output: 67bhp/90Nm
Gearbox: Five-speed manual/Five-speed AMT
Did you know?
The concept car for the Maruti Suzuki Celerio was known as the A-Wind and was first shown in 2013.
