[kunalsingh]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

You really keep your cars in pristine condition. Would be good to read a comparision between the two petrol giants (atleast in sedan category)
Suzuki's petrol engine is no slack as compared to iVtec however you would be the best person to point out the likes/dislikes in both.

Thank you for the kind words, VWAllstar. I do take pride in maintaining our cars, even though it's quite a difficult thing to do (in a city like Delhi)!

A comparison between the IVTEC and K15 engine is on the cards. Will do a detailed write-up soon!

[rachitarora1985]

Hello BHPians,
I recently bought a pre-owned Ciaz 1.5 MT petrol. Has anyone of you noticed that the centre line of the steering is not inline with the centre line of the driver's seat. It is a bit offset towards the left (towards gear lever). I have a habit of resting my elbow on the driver side door arm rest which results in a strange position (a little extension of the arm from the elbow onwards till the palm) to hold the steering and results in slight pain in my right shoulder.

Folks who own/ drive a Ciaz and hold the steering in a similar manner, how do you manage?

[jigar1791@gmail]

Originally Posted by rachitarora1985

Has anyone of you noticed that the centre line of the steering is not inline with the centre line of the driver's seat. It is a bit offset towards the left (towards gear lever).

Ciaz’s steering and driver seat’s alignment is not inline. This is a defect/setup/default configuration, factory fitted in all facelifted cars.

I have a habit of resting my elbow on the driver side door arm rest which results in a strange position (a little extension of the arm from the elbow onwards till the palm) to hold the steering and results in slight pain in my right shoulder.

Folks who own/ drive a Ciaz and hold the steering in a similar manner, how do you manage?

I drive the same way, my left arm is placed on the centre arm rest and that’s how I operate gears. Steering is controlled by my right hand, and I haven’t experienced any pain as such even if I, very occasionally, use my left hand to manage steering.

Reckon, assuming that you manage your steering using left hand, try working the gears with your left hand and use your right hand to handle the steering.

It will be a trial-and-error approach for you until you figure out the root cause, since your pain is temporary while you drive!

Good luck

[rachitarora1985]

Originally Posted by jigar1791@gmail

Reckon, assuming that you manage your steering using left hand, try working the gears with your left hand and use your right hand to handle the steering.

It will be a trial-and-error approach for you until you figure out the root cause, since your pain is temporary while you drive!

Good luck

Thanks for your reply! I have been trying different combinations off-late - seat height, inclination, distance from steering, steering height. This is the first time I have owned a sedan after driving tallboys (Wagon-R & Santro Xing) for approx. 10 years. Maybe I am still getting used to driving a sedan and WFH is certainly not helping in providing ample driving opportunities.

Hope it works out soon!

Originally Posted by kunalsingh

[h3][u]
The pollution process was a little challenging as our car initially failed while being tested at my neighbourhood PUC centre (imagine this is a 2 year old petrol/hybrid whereas my 11 year old Honda City passes the test in under 10 seconds ) and I had to visit another centre the next day. I was then told that the testing machines have a problem in sensing the RPM of Maruti petrol hybrids. The process took a while and (after some unfavourable readings and lots of high revving), the PUC machine finally passed our car. I don't know if this is just a problem in Delhi-NCR testing centres or have other BHPians also been facing this challenge?

I too own a CIAZ petrol MT SmartHybrid but I have not faced any issue while getting the PUC done the last 2 times in Gurgaon. Most probably yours was a one-off instance.

By the way, the car looks great after the detailing session. Money well spent!

[HEMIOrange]

My 2021 Ciaz Alpha AT

34 days and 4300kms, here are some of my initial impressions.

Ride is Great : Thats the first thing I felt when I drove it, ride quality is very plush but it never feels too soft and wallowy, road manners are sorted and predictable.

Loads of Space: If you are tall and bulky like I am, then you will be at home in the Ciaz, loads of space at front and back, decent no of cubby holes.

Not for spirited driving: It won't appeal to the enthusiast in you, the engine doesn't like to be spinned crazy, even if you do it, the transmission will hold you back. It is best suited for sedate drivers and thats how I drive it, follow that and its a stress free drive, everything is quiet, NVH levels are good and there is no engine noise till 100kph, tire noise and winds noise are in control too.

4 speed AT is adequate: Prima facie it feels archaic, but once you start driving, it does the job pretty well. Upshifts are early and with a light foot, it hits 4th gear at around 50, with the engine spinning at 1200~1250 rpm.
It uses the old P-R-N-D-2-L shift setup, no paddle shifters or triptonic here, however one can move the shifter between L-2-D(overdrive off) to take manual control and the transmission will lock itself in 1-2-3 gear respectively. Though the way its meant to be driven, you just gotta leave it in Drive.

Its Frugal: I drive like a saint, maximum anticipation and minimum braking, and highway speeds limited to 100kph.
Results of my three tankful to tankful reading were
17.7kpl (30% city driving with AC always on)
19.2kpl (20% city driving with AC always on)
19.9kpl (10% city driving with AC always on)
60kph @ 1500rpm
85kph @ 2000rpm
100kph @2500rpm
with cruise control set to 85kph and AC at 24C, the MID shoots to 23.6kpl.
Highest that I have got till now (as per MID) was 25 kpl, with cruise control set to 70kph and air conditioning at 25C.

Some pictures of my Izzy (wife named her).





Will soon get back with a complete review and more picture, Ciao.

[RaSing]

Originally Posted by rachitarora1985

Hello BHPians,
I recently bought a pre-owned Ciaz 1.5 MT petrol. Has anyone of you noticed that the centre line of the steering is not inline with the centre line of the driver's seat. It is a bit offset towards the left (towards gear lever). I have a habit of resting my elbow on the driver side door arm rest which results in a strange position (a little extension of the arm from the elbow onwards till the palm) to hold the steering and results in slight pain in my right shoulder.

Folks who own/ drive a Ciaz and hold the steering in a similar manner, how do you manage?

I happen to see this thread after a long time as i sold my Ciaz in 2017 after 1 year of ownership. The reason being the same which you mentioned. It was not just a slight pain but in fact my entire shoulders , neck and arms started paining. I am amazed that this issue is not very wodely reported/felt by Ciaz owners. In my time, i got the steering checked at three different Ass, changed the tires, drove different cars to check this problem, but i didnt realize that the steering is offset. I felt this problem more when i used to drive in traffic jams in Delhi. I still miss that car for all the luxuries it offered, but with a heavy heart i had to finally sell it. If you do a google on Ciaz Steering Problem, you would be able to find a few owners who were in the same boat and finally sold the car because of this. Even i shared this on this forum.

[TJ02]

[quote=RaSing;5028040]I happen to see this thread after a long time as i sold my Ciaz in 2017 after 1 year of ownership. The reason being the same which you mentioned. It was not just a slight pain but in fact my entire shoulders , neck and arms started paining. I am amazed that this issue is not very wodely reported/felt by Ciaz owners.

Thanks for pointing this out. Even I have noticed this problem of shoulder paining on multiple occasions and I never realized this is due to steering alignment. This happens on long drives within Delhi city traffic. Thanks for bringing this to my notice. I think a problem like this cannot be solved until a new generation car comes to the market. This makes me wonder how can Maruti not even get such basics right? Maybe we as customers need to change our mindset and not just blindly trust Maruti for their cars.

[PrasannaDhana]

[quote=TJ02;5033571]

Originally Posted by RaSing

I happen to see this thread after a long time as i sold my Ciaz in 2017 after 1 year of ownership. The reason being the same which you mentioned. It was not just a slight pain but in fact my entire shoulders , neck and arms started paining. I am amazed that this issue is not very wodely reported/felt by Ciaz owners.

I owned a Ciaz for 5.5 years, drove 1.34 lakh km in that period. Almost daily 100+ km in the last 3 years of its time with me. I have driven 700 km in a day and have never ever felt any pain whatsoever. Infact I even mentioned in this forum that it was as comfortable as my Safari Storme, which is quite a compliment in itself.

I also have half a dozen friends who use Ciaz and none has complained of shoulder pain.

I guess you need to try getting a better seating position for your physique.

If only Maruti had provided reach adjustment in the steering, life would have been easier for the shorter ones amongst us.

Originally Posted by rachitarora1985

I have a habit of resting my elbow on the driver side door arm rest which results in a strange position (a little extension of the arm from the elbow onwards till the palm) to hold the steering and results in slight pain in my right shoulder.

Folks who own/ drive a Ciaz and hold the steering in a similar manner, how do you manage?

I usually have my left elbow rested on the armrest and right hand on the mid - top portion of the steering wheel. I rest my right elbow on the doorpad at most of the times and on the door elbow-rest at times. Never felt uncomfortable.

[rachitarora1985]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

I guess you need to try getting a better seating position for your physique.
.
.
.
I usually have my left elbow rested on the armrest and right hand on the mid - top portion of the steering wheel. I rest my right elbow on the doorpad at most of the times and on the door elbow-rest at times. Never felt uncomfortable.

I am 5'11" and on the leaner side. There has been a slight improvement when not resting the right elbow on door pad armrest and only keeping the arm straight, resting the palm on the steering at 1-2'o clock position. I do believe that my physique plays a role. Being leaner, the distance to door pad armrest is more and, hence, more extension in arm is required for a proper support and could be a possible reason for right side shoulder pain.

Hope I settle down in a comfortable position soon. After getting a new ride, first the closure of my office took away all the daily driving opportunities (50kms per day)and then, the remaining opportunities I get for local grocery rides are not comfortable enough to enjoy the ride.

[HEMIOrange]

Originally Posted by rachitarora1985

I am 5'11" and on the leaner side. There has been a slight improvement when not resting the right elbow on door pad armrest and only keeping the arm straight, resting the palm on the steering at 1-2'o clock position. I do believe that my physique plays a role. Being leaner, the distance to door pad armrest is more and, hence, more extension in arm is required for a proper support and could be a possible reason for right side shoulder pain.

Hope I settle down in a comfortable position soon. After getting a new ride, first the closure of my office took away all the daily driving opportunities (50kms per day)and then, the remaining opportunities I get for local grocery rides are not comfortable enough to enjoy the ride.

Not that everybody i mentioning I too feel that the steering is a bit offset to the left, but as you mentioned physique does play a role, I'm 6'3" and on the heavier side of the scale, till now I haven't felt any discomfort of any sort, the longest I have driven on one go is 400km, took me 7 hours.

[TwerkyC0ffee]

Originally Posted by HEMIOrange

My 2021 Ciaz Alpha AT

34 days and 4300kms, here are some of my initial impressions.

Congratulations on your new ride! Looks gorgeous in white.

Dear fellow BHPians, I have a related question that I would like to get insights into.

I will be in the market for a new car towards the end of 2021 and will be primarily looking for a midsize sedan (not an SUV guy).

The initial contenders are Ciaz, Verna, City and the upcoming Octavia. I am eliminating Verna because of comparatively less space and overall shape, and Octavia because I doubt the top trim with manual transmission will be within my budget (16 lacs on-road max).

Now coming to main question and why I posted it in Ciaz's thread, the current Ciaz was launched in 2014 and was facelifted in 2018. Is there any possibility that a new generation model might launch in 2022?

Does any BHPian have any insider information on this?

My main motive behind this question is that although my budget does allow me to go for Honda City ZX manual transmission (petrol), I feel it to be tad overpriced. In contrast, Ciaz feels terrific VFM for what it offers. I am leaning more towards Ciaz for this very reason, and I will feel a bit shortchanged if a new generation of the car launches within 1 year of purchase.

Thanks for reading through this long question and I really appreciate any information/suggestion/feedback on this from everyone.

@Mods, please move this post to relevant thread if I've posted it in the wrong one. Thanks.

[HEMIOrange]

Originally Posted by TwerkyC0ffee

Congratulations on your new ride! Looks gorgeous in white.

Dear fellow BHPians, I have a related question that I would like to get insights into..

Thank you!
I don't have concrete information on the facelift but I came across someone in the forum mentioning that a facelift of ciaz is due soon. However I think there won't be much of a difference in the current and the face lifted model. Apart from cruise control, LED lights and a fancier instrument panel, there is no difference in the 2014 ciaz and the 2018 model,so they might introduce a diesel, but as far as aesthetics and addition of new features is concerned, you might seldom see any major differences.

[dipen]

Is Ciaz still a worthy buy especially when the ciaz zeta and 4th gen city V are almost the same price unless one is looking for the auto only. Both are equally old models per se and proven sellers with obviously known problems and the value.

[PaddleShifter]

Originally Posted by dipen

Is Ciaz still a worthy buy especially when the ciaz zeta and 4th gen city V are almost the same price

Honda City and Ciaz are placed very close to each other and being worthy depends upon customer preferences IMO.

Honda City scores:
1. Honda badge and the respect commanded by city’s proven track record.
2. Better looks from all angles including alloys.
3. In built navigation in addition to Android auto and Apple carplay
4. Slightly better build than Ciaz. Not on HearTect platform, lol.

Ciaz scores:
1. Maruti’s service network.
2. LED headlamps.
3. Auto AC with physical buttons (City has touch controls).
4. SmartPlay studio HU is more reliable than Honda Digipad of 4th gen city.
5. SHVS mild hybrid enjoys some benefits on paper for sure.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by PaddleShifter

4. Slightly better build than Ciaz. Not on HearTect platform, lol.

A minor correction, Ciaz is not on the heartect platform. It came in 2014 and was under development since late 2012 whereas Baleno was the first car to debut Maruti's new platform in late 2015.

Rather its based on a heavily modified platform of 2nd gen Swift.

Also I've extensively driven 4th Gen City and Ciaz as a close friend owns both, few points from my end:

1. Driver seat ergonomics of Ciaz is badly messed up for some people. The steering wheel is offset to the left and causes pain to some people. So take a long TD and see for yourself. It has been reported by some people here as well.

2. Seats in City are much more supportive than Ciaz.

3. Steering feel of 4th Gen city was horrible, needed constant correction at triple digit speeds. On same roads Ciaz's steering felt better.

4. Ride quality of Ciaz is better than City which feels weird. Its neither comfy at low speeds nor does it aid in handling at higher speeds.

5. Build wise both are almost same. Ciaz is one of the better put together Marutis.

6. Engine wise, Ciaz is much more practical. City's iVtec revvs till eternity but without much punch. Ciaz is easier to live with on a daily basis considering daily commute in traffic.

7. Ciaz returns 16-19kmpl while City returns 11-15kmpl under similar driving conditions(same driver, similar route and traffic).

8. Ciaz does 100kmph at ~2500rpm, while City takes ~3000 revvs to maintain similar speeds.

My opinion: If you can, get 5th Gen city. It's much more improved than 4th gen in engine and steering departments(my two major complains with the 4th Gen city). Its engine has decent low end grunt while retaining the fun nature of the 4th gen at higher rpms.