[amritpal2489]

Originally Posted by Visaster

Your headlight upgrade looks cool and at the cost of 4K, awesome I should say.

What bulbs have you installed for the headlight and parking?

How does the DRL work? is it on throughout or there is a switch to turn it on and off?

Does it change color when you turn the indicator?

How was it installed into the existing headlight? was any wiring tampered in process?
Have you installed a cut out for your headlight bulbs and upgraded to 100/90w ?
What is the name of the DRL?
Sorry too many questions, but I also want the same look in my car. thanks in advance. Please clear all my doubts. Thanks

Thanks for the compliments.
Now, about the questions, I will answer them one by one.

What bulbs have you installed for the headlight and parking?
Philips 35W 6000K HIDs have been installed in the projectors
White LED lamps have been installed in place of simple halogens in Parking

How does the DRL work? is it on throughout or there is a switch to turn it on and off?
DRL is connected through Parking Lamps. That means when parking lamps are on, DRLs would be active. They can also be connected through ignition if desired.

Does it change color when you turn the indicator?
Yes it blinks and changes color to amber as it is also connected to indicator socket.

How was it installed into the existing headlight? was any wiring tampered in process?
The headlight was opened (lens separated) to install the DRLs but as I mentioned earlier I am very happy with the quality of work done. The shape was as desired. No wire cutting/splicing was done for the same as everything was tapped through the existing sockets directly.

Have you installed a cut out for your headlight bulbs and upgraded to 100/90w ?
Nopes

What is the name of the DRL?
It is Silicon tube based DRL as was told to me.

[sandygordon]

Took a TD of the Ciaz today. I am hunting for a mid size sedan. Had plans of cross shopping for an ecosport. Tok the ecosport TD and Ciaz TD back to back. I was pleasantly surprised to feel the power in the puny MJD. The Ecosport had a good powerband and accelerated well in 4th gear from 40-100 smoothly, no much advantage in the third or the fifth cog though. Moreover the ecosport ride was too bumpy for my tastes.

The Ciaz was had awesome pull between 40-90 kmph in the third and the fourth gear but plateaued after 90. This is the typical truck overtaking speed and the pull required was good. Ciaz has suddenly become a powerful contender in my car shopping options list. Checked out the honda city, the salesman had nothing much to say other than the 'Honda Halo', the petrol blah blah and how good the 2002 VTEC was. Waiting for the creta. If the creta disappoints me I will go for the Ciaz.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by sandygordon

Took a TD of the Ciaz today. I am hunting for a mid size sedan. Had plans of cross shopping for an ecosport. Tok the ecosport TD and Ciaz TD back to back. I was pleasantly surprised to feel the power in the puny MJD. The Ecosport had a good powerband and accelerated well in 4th gear from 40-100 smoothly, no much advantage in the third or the fifth cog though. Moreover the ecosport ride was too bumpy for my tastes.

The Ciaz was had awesome pull between 40-90 kmph in the third and the fourth gear but plateaued after 90. This is the typical truck overtaking speed and the pull required was good. Ciaz has suddenly become a powerful contender in my car shopping options list. Checked out the honda city, the salesman had nothing much to say other than the 'Honda Halo', the petrol blah blah and how good the 2002 VTEC was. Waiting for the creta. If the creta disappoints me I will go for the Ciaz.

You might want to TD an ecosport from a different dealer. Because I have TD one and it rode decent. Not bumpy at all!
Seems Honda salesmen are complacent invariably. They don't respond like the Maruti and Hyundai's Sales guys.
If you are looking for a decent 5 seater, Ciaz would fit the bill unless you need to drive over broken roads often. IMO, Creta/Duster are over priced and don't have the finesse of the C segmenters.

[Visaster]

The rattle perfect car.

From the day I bought the car I have been hearing all kinds of metal hitting/vibrating/rubbing sounds from different parts of the car. Efficiently only the disc brake assembly issue was solved, the rest irritatingly persists.

I have been hearing a vibrating sound from the left dashboard which the service guys are not able to figure out what to do. (tapped the hinges, tightened all screws...)

Last weekend drove through heavy rain and since then I am getting odd heavy metal on metal noise from the boot/under chassis whenever I start and stop the car.

Irritated with the quality of Maruti, after spending 12lakhs I did not expect this.
Till date I have not pushed the car or revved to its limits or have driven on bad roads, I cant imagine what would have happened if i did so.

After multiple visits to the service center, being man handled by 10-20 grease monkeys dirtying my spotlessly maintained car, every time putting it to rough drives in the name of test drive, I HAVE HAD ENOUGH but I have no option.

My 14r Santro never rattled even after 120000+ km, Maruti will be maruti...

[alphahere]

Originally Posted by Visaster

The rattle perfect car.

From the day I bought the car I have been hearing all kinds of metal hitting/vibrating/rubbing sounds from different parts of the car. Efficiently only the disc brake assembly issue was solved, the rest irritatingly persists.

I have been hearing a vibrating sound from the left dashboard which the service guys are not able to figure out what to do. (tapped the hinges, tightened all screws...)

Last weekend drove through heavy rain and since then I am getting odd heavy metal on metal noise from the boot/under chassis whenever I start and stop the car.

Irritated with the quality of Maruti, after spending 12lakhs I did not expect this.
Till date I have not pushed the car or revved to its limits or have driven on bad roads, I cant imagine what would have happened if i did so.

After multiple visits to the service center, being man handled by 10-20 grease monkeys dirtying my spotlessly maintained car, every time putting it to rough drives in the name of test drive, I HAVE HAD ENOUGH but I have no option.

My 14r Santro never rattled even after 120000+ km, Maruti will be maruti...

I have done 10000kms now on the non existent roads of kerala. There has been not even a squeak from the car till now. I should suppose all those rough drives done by the service guys has played a major role in all the rattles. This is precisely the reason why I despise leaving the car for service. Even for routine service I ensure that I close my eyes to any small problem that I can live with. It can only do more harm than good.
Has anyone noticed a rough idle for a few seconds when the ac cuts off on the diesel? It feels like an earthquake for about 5 to 6 seconds. I'm almost sure this could be specific to mine. But have left it as it is till now as I do not want further investigations by the service center on this. There is absolutely no problem in the power delivery.

[Benipal0006]

Originally Posted by alphahere

I have done 10000kms now on the non existent roads of kerala. There has been not even a squeak from the car till now. I should suppose all those rough drives done by the service guys has played a major role in all the rattles. This is precisely the reason why I despise leaving the car for service. Even for routine service I ensure that I close my eyes to any small problem that I can live with. It can only do more harm than good.
Has anyone noticed a rough idle for a few seconds when the ac cuts off on the diesel? It feels like an earthquake for about 5 to 6 seconds. I'm almost sure this could be specific to mine. But have left it as it is till now as I do not want further investigations by the service center on this. There is absolutely no problem in the power delivery.

Yes, my ZDI also does that from day one! My guess is Maruti has installed a bigger AC unit to cool the cabin effectively and the engine is still the same 1.3 unit from the swift which inturn puts more load on the engine that's why even the cut out timings are more closely timed so as to avoid stree on the engine. Id say let it be as this is nothing but an inherent characteristic of the vehicle and there's nothing wrong with it!

[rockporiom]

@mods Couldn't find a thread or post comparing the City and Ciaz AT so posting this. if this post is inappropriate or already mentioned elsewhere please feel free to delete or move the post. Posting in both the Ciaz as well as City thread as the information pertains to both cars. Thanks.

Test drove the Ciaz AT and Ciaz diesel recently just for trying it out. These are my observations as a Honda city owner others feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Hope this write up helps prospective buyers confused between the Ciaz and City take a decision:

THE INTERIORS

1) The beige black combination of the Ciaz's interior gives a kind of roomy feel to the cabin compared to the all black city dashboard.

2) The quality of plastics looked inconsistent with some places being good and some places being a straight lift from other Maruti offerings.

3) The rear doors look like a straight lift from the Dzire with just a resize.

4) The doors don't expand and contract in reaction to the power windows like the City's.

5) The steering wheel in the Ciaz feels a bit small for the car. Would have loved something like the City or Kizashi.

6) In one of the cars I drove the dashboard was rattling like hell which got me irritated. According to the Sales advisor the car had met with an accident a few days back which might have caused the issue. Since the issue was only with one car which was the showroom owner's car I give them the benefit of doubt.

7) The AT gear lever exudes quality wrapped in leather even in the VXI trim. In comparison the SV CVT just gets plastic lever without any kind of leather, heck even the VX isn't completely wrapped in leather. The gear slot was butter smooth and felt very premium. Absolutely loved it in comparison to the noise the Mode selector makes in the city.

8) The dash looked pretty good to me but some people might not like it. Let me put it this way, where the city's dash feels modern and futuristic the Ciaz's dash feels European which has an audience of its own.

9) The City's instrument cluster felt much better than that of the Ciaz. The City provides two trip meters with their own AVG. FE meters whereas the Ciaz does with only one AVG. FE meter.

10) One thing I noticed in the Ciaz is that my leg didn't interfere with the glove box like it does in the City. The city's glovebox due to the design of the dash interferes with co passengers knees if the passenger is more than 6 feet.

THE ENGINE and TRANSMISSION

I would focus more on the petrol here as I haven't driven the City diesel much to comment on the Ciaz diesel.

1) The petrol Ciaz contrary to popular belief is not under powered by itself but yes when you drive it back to back with the city you would realise that the engine has to work harder than the City's.

2) In comparison to the City's CVT I like the 4 speed AT. This might shock/surprise quiet a few but the CVT's rubber band effect makes you where as in the Ciaz power is available just at the tap of the throttle. Count up to 2 after pressing the accelerator and the Ciaz would drop a gear or two to get you going. In comparison the City without the paddle shifters would just make noise taking its own sweet time to get to speed. Unfortunately couldn't time the 0-100 in the ciaz so cannot compare the acceleration in figures but the Ciaz AT was definitely more fun to drive.

3) The engine note after 3000 rpm sound raspy which might make someone happy/irritated depending on their taste. I personally liked the sound the engine made past 3000 rpm. The engine is very refined and silent at idle.

4) The 4 speed AT feels lazy after crossing 100. In fact 100-120 takes forever. This is after switching O/D off, this is where the lack of a 5 speed AT is felt.

5) On an open stretch of road I was easily able to touch triple digit speeds which can't be mentioned here but in the Ciaz i could achieve 15 km/h more than what I could achieve in the City CVT in the same distance which is surprsing taking into consideration that the CITY has more power and torque.

6) The Ciaz with the same amount of speed and rough driving and simulated panic braking achieved 12.3 km/l in the end which is pretty impressive considering the car is ignored and not maintained. This was the owner's car. In comparison the city in such type of driving without panic braking returned 8.5 km/l

FIT, FINISH AND BUILD QUALITY

1) The city when pushed hard makes vibration at the accelerator pedal. This wasn't present in the Ciaz petrol but the Ciaz diesel had tremendous vibration at all pedals.

2) Panel gaps and alignment were more consistent in the Ciaz in comparison to the CITY.

3) When it comes to build quality none of these are VW's or Skoda's. None have a solid thunk or tank like feel too them. I feel the city is better built as I haven't experienced any rattles from the dash except for one which occured only once and disappeared by itself. In comparison many owners of the Ciaz have complained about rattles coming from the dash and glovebox.

4) Having gone through the city and ciaz official review thread have found that the Ciaz had considerably less niggles compared to the city. I myself have experienced most of the niggles mentioned in the city niggles thread.

5) The stalks of the City felt of much better quality in comparison to the Ciaz which felt cheap on their operation(no offense)

RIDE, HANDLING AND COMFORT

1) The ciaz has much better ride quality in comparison to the City with the suspension working away quietly and absorbing all bumps and potholes nicely. The city on the other hand has a firmer setup which allows some of the harshness to enter the cabin

2) The firmer setup in the City helps it in high speed stability where the Ciaz feels a bit bouncy the city feels composed.

3) The steering of the Ciaz feels heavy at slow speeds compared to the City which is a breeze to use but when the speeds increase the Ciaz's steering feels better where the City feels a bit too light for my taste.

4) The rear seat of the city feels much much better in comparison to the Ciaz. Whether it's the cushioning, the recline angle, the space or the under thigh support the city is just PERFECT whereas the Ciaz has firmer cushioning and inadequate under thigh support.

5) The City is much better when comes to cornering in comparison to the Ciaz but the biggest let down for the City are skinny 175 section tyres with an upgrade to 195's the City feels much more sure footed.

VALUE FOR MONEY

The ciaz VXI+ gets the following feature which the SV CVT doesn't:

1) Fog Lights
2) Rear accessory socket
3) Illuminated glove box
4) 4 speakers + 2 tweeters ( the city does only with 4 speaker)
5) Leather wrapped gear selector
6) Height adjustable seat belts
7) Projector headlamps
8) A CD player
9) Glass Antenna
10) Turn indicators on ORVM
11) Illuminated key ring
12) Rear parking sensor

The SV CVT gets the following that the VXI+ doesn't:

1) Cruise control
2) Co driver airbag

In addition to all the features that the SV CVT misses out it costs as much as the Ciaz ZXI AT The price difference between the VXI+ and the SV CVT is almost 1.5 Lakhs.

Also, the HONDA genuine accessories are anything but cheap. They cost a huge BOMB. IIRC the Fog lights themselves cost Rs. 7500/- plus a fitting charge of Rs. 1000/- which is too much. Their excuse all parts are imported from Thailand. Don't know if it is true.

Conclusion

The City commands a real high premium in comparison to the ciaz. Even if we take into consideration the better engine offered in the City it is still overpriced by at least Rs. 50k. The smart and sensible pricing of the Ciaz would make it below 10 lakhs even for the ZXI AT/ ZXI+ which would attract a lower tax bracket.

Also, the more technological advance CVT in the CITY returned lower fuel efficiency and the rubber band effect makes it feel considerably slower.

At the current prices after the excise cut got removed I feel the City isn't a VFM proposition anymore at least the SV CVT isn't for the amount of features it loses in comparison to the Ciaz.

If Maruti tried harder to sell the car with better training for their sales staff and better maintained cars and showrooms I believe they can do much better. For eg. One of the showrooms I visited the AC wasn't working making too hot making me loose all interest in the car as I just wanted to get out. The other showroom had stains of some spitting paan on the drivers door arm rest which was plain disgusting. In comparison Honda showrooms are much better maintained so are their test drive vehicles.

City is a car for someone who loves driving, enjoys the driving dynamics and the I-VTEC engine note( I love it too). The Ciaz on the other hand is for someone who wants to be on the safer side with Maruti. People currently owning a Swift/ Dzire looking for an upgrade finally have something to consider from the Maruti stable that too at a really good price.

The city's biggest advantage is resale value as can be seen from the used car market. Even the previous gen city commands a real good resale value. The generations of City in the Indian car market have established its name whereas the Ciaz still has to prove itself in this area.

WOULD I HAVE BOUGHT THE CIAZ INSTEAD?

Well, the Ciaz hadn't launched at the time I had bought the City. The chances of me going for the Ciaz had it been launched then were neither very high nor very low as I would have recieved more bang for my buck getting the top of the line Ciaz ZXI AT instead of the CITY SV CVT but the bad taste that the Kizashi experience had left on us forced us to look outside.

Honda ASC in comparison is at almost a similar level. I am not saying they are rude but their sheer incompetence in solving the niggles coming back to back irritates me. For e.g just for the alternator grinding I have made nearly 5 visits now without any result and my city having only 2 dealers makes me further helpless. Adding to the helplessness is the constant blackmailing that anything done outside the ASC would void warranty which is frankly getting on my nerves now.

Where Maruti gains is the sheer number of dealers and service centers it has which outnumbers that of any other manufacturers.

If we take the Kizashi experience out of the equation there was a good chance that I would have ended up getting a Ciaz ZXI instead of a City SV CVT.


Cheers

[reihem]

Originally Posted by amritpal2489

Thanks for the compliments.
Now, about the questions, I will answer them one by one.

Congratulations on an excellent job ! I am quite envious

If I could find anyone in Chennai that could offer me this workmanship at that price I would sign up instantly !

P.S - If someone can suggest a Chennai based workshop that can offer the kind of job amritpal got, please do let me know !

[PrasannaDhana]

I have booked Vdi+. Since I had to exchange my sumo, I am left with the safari dicor and beat diesel. Being a 3 car family, 2 weren't enough and had to push maruti for quicker delivery but vdi+ will take 20 more days to reach. So I have upgraded to Zdi which is readily available.

After reading the suspension thuds and glove box vibration, I do feel insecure spending 12 big ones on the car

We are a family of 6 footers and I just love the space and looks of the car, else i would have bought zest xt which is 3 lakhs cheaper. I don't find ciaz underpowered at all, though zest with same engine did feel underpowered.

I am already contemplating with the resale after 5 years. My cousin bought a city S Idtec, which costs the same as a Zdi ciaz but loses passenger airbag, alloys, rear park camera,start-stop button, sensors, Autodimming irvm, retractable irvm, sun shades etc. I don't find city better at all nor premium than ciaz. Honestly I don't find any c segmenter premium at all. After knowing the Creta's over optimistic pricing, I don't think Ciaz's ugly cousin Scross will be at par with Ciaz pricing.

I have a question for ciaz owners, Do you guys think money spent on your ciaz is money well-spent? I am confused on the value it offers. The test drive cars had no rattles even after 39k on the odo. Do all ciaz owners experience rattles?

I hope maruti does not plonk 1.6 into ciaz and make us 1.3 owners feel really really unlucky!!

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

I have a question for ciaz owners, Do you guys think money spent on your ciaz is money well-spent? I am confused on the value it offers. The test drive cars had no rattles even after 39k on the odo. Do all ciaz owners experience rattles?

I hope maruti does not plonk 1.6 into ciaz and make us 1.3 owners feel really really unlucky!!

Ciaz is definitely a value for money car. Over all maintenance is also quite cheap. I am at 7k approx. No rattles yet. Although I must agree, its not around the Linea And Vento build quality. Doors don't close with a thud. Most of the noise I hear inside the Ciaz are noises of things I keep around. Too early to say, but as of around 6 months of usage and 7k approx on the board, happy.

1.6. Many spy pics with body kit and all were found. Even if they plan; One, they should really loose those body kits. Ciaz design is elegant, not meant for those kits. Two, the shockers are quite soft which is very good for sane drives but people pushing their 1.6, if it comes, will find it wobbly.

[PrasannaDhana]

Thank you Abhishek! Your ownership thread was great. I have booked the same color as yours. But my car-to-be has been parked under hot sun on an open yard for 2 months it seems. I am afraid if it would have had a toll on the paintjob (fading). I am going to do a check tomorrow for the VIN and the likes. Hope that I get my hands on it next week.

I have attached the pics of the car from the yard.

[gargashwin06]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

I have booked Vdi+. Since I had to exchange my sumo, I am left with the safari dicor and beat diesel. Being a 3 car family, 2 weren't enough and had to push maruti for quicker delivery but vdi+ will take 20 more days to reach. So I have upgraded to Zdi which is readily available.

Hi,
I have a ciaz vdi+ and I love my car it's run almost 8k and no rattles what so ever. The engine have become more responsive and I get a healthy 20 avg in city usage which is great from a car this size. My parents love the comfort of the car and till date I have not experienced any back pain what so ever on long drives which use to happen alot in my Polo. All in all its the best car money can buy in the given segment! You have taken the right car cheers

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Thank you Abhishek! Your ownership thread was great. I have booked the same color as yours. But my car-to-be has been parked under hot sun on an open yard for 2 months it seems. I am afraid if it would have had a toll on the paintjob (fading). I am going to do a check tomorrow for the VIN and the likes. Hope that I get my hands on it next week.

I have attached the pics of the car from the yard.

Congratulations Prasanna. 2 months in the hot son outdoors does not sound very pleasant because of the heat and the weather abrasions. Strong dusty winds could also be an issue, not just direct heat. You have to thoroughly check it for any blemishes. Take along a detailer with you if possible. They are very sharp in finding defects in paint.

That sorted, you are in for a good drive ahead. All the best !!

[PrasannaDhana]

Thank you Abhishek and Ashwin.

I did a small pdi today. The car had 14km on odo. The interiors were good. Checked the start stop button, rear cam and surface for scratches. The VIN ended with EF confirming May 2015. And the car was in yard just for 15 days they said. I told them I am buying it. In exactly 15 minutes, they did a splendid waterwash and voila, a beauty!!

I paid the balance, bargained and got a cash discount of 25k and MGA worth 10k. The final price was 11,56,324/- on road(not deducting discounts). I have been informed that my car will be delivered on Thursday. Just added the following accessories through MGA:
1. Seat covers
2. Teflon coating
3. Underbody coating
4. Full floor mat
5. Steering cover
6. Scuff plates
7. Roots horn

All costing 26k odd.

I am very happy and totally convinced for taking the 11.7L plunge on the Ciaz. Thank you for your inputs!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Just added the following accessories through MGA:
1. Seat covers
2. Teflon coating
3. Underbody coating
4. Full floor mat
5. Steering cover
6. Scuff plates
7. Roots horn

All costing 26k odd.

Congratulations first of all.

If I can pitch in and not wanting to spoil the new car fun and happiness but please do get the Point No.: 2 out of the list. I see no advantage by Teflon coating.

It is an eye wash IMO.