[supertinu]

hey Folks, i recently checked out and test drove the petrol Zxi Optional car here in Bangalore. Listing my impressions mainly comparing it against Honda City which I believe is the car its mainly competing against

• Interior space is very impressive and on par if not better than City. Both front and rear. Under thigh support could have been better on the rear but still pretty satisfactory

• The poshness factor seemed a notch below Honda city for some reason, maybe my perception but the material quality in City seemed tad better

• I test drove the petrol variant only since that is of interest for me and it was pretty decent. Did not seem underpowered. Low end torque and city driving was decent. The car rode flat and was stable over undulations. Engine is noisy after 3500rpm and does seem to be as free revving on higher side. I am yet to drive petrol city, I believe city beats Ciaz squarely on this one

[Aditya]

Maruti Suzuki has introduced a new top-of-the-line variant of the Ciaz sedan. Dubbed Z+, it replaces the Z(O) variant and is available on both, the petrol and diesel versions of the car.

The ZXi+ (petrol) and ZDi+ (diesel) feature the same engines as the lower variants of the car. However, the have been equipped with more features, including a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, which doubles up as a display for the reverse parking camera. This system, called SmartPlay by Maruti, also features a voice command function. Other features in the new trim level include leather seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and 16-inch alloy wheels.

Prices (ex-showroom, Delhi):

• Ciaz ZXi+ - Rs. 9,08,197
• Ciaz ZDi+ - Rs. 10,37,423

[puchoo]

Video of the said smart system

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA4DsHUCt2A#t=19

[abhisheksircar]

They have created a dedicated page for the HU alone.

Smart Play System

Most required functions of the unit is present here in video.

Walk Through Videos of the Smart Play System

[Visaster]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

Can any one having experienced both diesel Verna & diesel Ciaz comment on NVH of both?

You could say both are the same when you sit inside the cabin, well insulated engine bay. Both the engines have been around for long enough unlike the Honda's diesel which needs more refinement.
I don't think Verna is that confident having loaded with so much power. With the cars getting lighter for mileage it is getting more unsafe at higher speeds, we have to strike a balance of what we need from the car.

Originally Posted by AshBabu

I expect the on road price difference to be about 68-70 k.

That is bad that both the cars have gone above the 10L margin. Can you tell me the exact on road cost? I saved a lot on tax by buying the ZDI model. On road price difference was about 90K for which all they provided was 16" alloy and leather seat.

Originally Posted by reihem

The dealer at ABT (chennai)

ABT tries to give you all sorts of wrong information on availability of the models. Once you pay the advance it gets even more difficult to get information from them. They even push you to pay the whole car amount even before it leaves the stock yard in Bangalore (2 weeks advance).

Fitting the touchscreen system is what I am also thinking of, but I don't think they have planned to make it available yet and whether it will be cost effective.

You have to re route the reverse camera wire.

There is no mention of video player and no CD/DVD drive.
Only thing missing from the present music system is GPS maps.
I guess on second thought I will fix a Nexus Tablet with Exogear CD stand, as video playback is my priority need having a kid on board

[reihem]

Hello All, this is amongst my first posts on the forum. Please let me know if there is something I should be doing differently !

I have been following this thread with great enthusiasm but I have noticed that the automatic variant of the Ciaz has received very little coverage. The same holds true across other forums as well.

My purchase of the Ciaz Zxi AT was thus a decision based largely on gut instinct and 3 test drives. Nevertheless, I took delivery of a beige Ciaz Zxi AT on the 4th of January and I've been meaning to share my thoughts on the aspects of the Ciaz that are limited to the AT models ever since.

Here is an exterior shot of the car before I continue.


The Ciaz employs a standard 4 speed AT and has not benefitted from the technology advances seen in the likes of Honda or Hyundai with either more ratios or CVT technology. The Ciaz AT offers 3 gear ratios and an overdrive as the 4th. The overdrive can be overridden, more on this later.

Here is a shot of the AT lever.


There is no question of tiptronic here just P R N D 2 and L.

The MID provides basic information of transmission status.


Here is a shot of the pedals.


There a lot of room for your left leg to rest. I have the seat all the way back and at 5'10" I am able to have me left leg extended all the way in to the space provided without my knee bending at all. It's very comfortable.

When the car is off and in P it is impossible to change the position of the AT lever. In emergencies it can be moved to N or D as needed by using the shift lock button seen below. The button is depressed and the lever can be pulled back to D or N. It works as described but its hardly smooth.

Here is the Shift Lock.


The overdrive option can be overridden as mentioned earlier. I find this useful when you're looking to accelerate when on the incline of a flyover etc.

Here is the overdrive toggle button


When you turn the overdrive off, its indicated on the MID like this.


Drive and feel:

As many have commented already the Ciaz feel a lot more powerful than it one would expect it to. The same holds for the AT variant. The acceleration is great when you're building up to a high speed from a standstill position. If you're cruising at a lower speed and decide to accelerate suddenly there is a tiny lag between flooring the gas pedal and the car dropping a gear and lurching forward. While the delay isn't inconvenient, it is noticeable.

[abhisheksircar]

ZX Prices (On Road in Bangalore)

ZXi+ | 11.49 (+27K) : (Smart Play System)
ZXi (O) | 11.22 (+44K) : (Alloy Wheels [15"], Trunk Lid Garnish, Leather Upholstery, Leather Wrapped Steering)
ZXi | 10.78

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by reihem

Hello All, this is amongst my first posts on the forum. Please let me know if there is something I should be doing differently !

It would be helpful if you start a different ownership thread of your Ciaz Zxi AT. I think it will be helpful for others in deciding between AT & MT. You can also add the list of differences, if any, with the manual counterpart.

[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by Aditya

What's unique is the small pocket sewn onto the front seat where one can park a smartphone or the odd item.

Does anyone have a picture of this pocket? I didn't see it in the official review

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by reihem

Hello All, this is amongst my first posts on the forum. Please let me know if there is something I should be doing differently !

Thanks for the review. Maruti AT reviews are not common and hence good to see one especially that of the Ciaz which is something a lot of folks will be interested it. Have requested the moderators to spin it out as a separate thread. Would be good if you can add some more info on the drivability and performance of the AT box under different conditions.

[reihem]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Thanks for the review. Maruti AT reviews are not common and hence good to see one especially that of the Ciaz which is something a lot of folks will be interested it. Have requested the moderators to spin it out as a separate thread. Would be good if you can add some more info on the drivability and performance of the AT box under different conditions.

I shall upload a full report this weekend with more pictures and insights. If this needs to be in a different thread, please direct me to where I should be posting.

[reihem]

Originally Posted by sudeepg

Does anyone have a picture of this pocket? I didn't see it in the official review

It really does come in quite handy. I also keep a pen in there usually.

[reihem]

I picked up my Ciaz Zxi on the 4th of January because I was convinced by the dealer (ABT) that the Zxi+ with the 7" touchscreen was at least 6 months away. Well seeing as how they're rolling out of showrooms now i was wondering how to go about upgrading my system to the 7" touchscreen.

A few issues I am worried about:

1. the voice activated services are controlled by a button on the steering wheel (actually behind the steering wheel) which is demarcated with the symbol of a man speaking. the zxi with the normal ICE has a button there with a bluetooth symbol instead. I wonder if this will need to be changed.

2. the reverse camera in the Zxi+ is hooked up to the 7" touchscreen, however on my Zxi its hooked up to a screen in the IRVM.

3. Does anyone have any sense on the costs involved ? I haven't been able to get a response from my dealer.

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by abhisheksircar

ZX Prices (On Road in Bangalore)

ZXi+ | 11.49 (+27K) : (Smart Play System)
ZXi (O) | 11.22 (+44K) : (Alloy Wheels [15"], Trunk Lid Garnish, Leather Upholstery, Leather Wrapped Steering)
ZXi | 10.78

Sorry. Correction on the features.

ZXi (O) : Alloy Wheels (16")

[Carophilic]

So, MS is basically adding a 7" tablet to the car and charging 27k for it. Hope it has a touchscreen worth the price and is well integrated with other vehicle systems.