Team-BHP - Maruti Ciaz Facelift vs the others

My parents have a Ciaz AT which satisfies most of their requirements. My vote goes to the Verna as it well priced, has a decent petrol engine and is the all rounder in the segment.

For an enthusiast:
Petrol (MT & AT): City
Diesel (MT & AT): Verna

If highway performance from the Petrol isn't a deal breaker: Ciaz will make the cut, especially with the added power from the new engine.

Some observations:

This is the first time I'm not even recommending a Toyota.
City's pricing is ridiculous. But it has got the best petrol AT and MT.
Hyundai have priced the Verna carefully- they have the Creta which is a money mint. Customers who won't spend for the Creta can get the Verna.
Rapid, Vento and Linea are simply marginalized. Good products let down by lack of hassle-free ASS. Not to mention, they are old now.

If I was looking at a C2 sedan:

1. Petrol: Would buy a City 1.5L MT. In white, and would then get a blackened roof, after-market rims, nicer tyres and a freeflow exhaust. I'd redline that beautiful petrol engine every single day :D.

2. Diesel: Verna Diesel AT. Love the quality, engine & AT convenience.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PetrolRider (Post 4480069)

I did multiple test drives of Ciaz petrol (old one though) before going for Verna petrol. The rear seat of Ciaz is a real pain point for older people.

:Shockked: The Ciaz is one of the best choices for backseat comfort, while the Verna is the worst!

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4480357)

:Shockked: The Ciaz is one of the best choices for backseat comfort, while the Verna is the worst!

I knew I would get some expressions like this, when I posted this :).

Let me elaborate on my or rather our experiences on Ciaz. I have Petrol AT Ciaz for some time on my radar. So every now and then I used to get a Ciaz taxi or rented a Ciaz from zoom. Front seat comfort is no doubt one of the best in class. I may dare say, rear space is comparable to a Corolla. And boot space has no comparison at all.

Coming back to my negative point, Ciaz seats are placed very low, even our TBHP review also mentioned that.

Quote:

What's not as impressive is the seat itself. While the backrest recline angle is comfortable, the seat is placed on the lower side, thus you sit in a somewhat knees-up position.

My father has knee problem, hence seating knee up was not at all comfortable. So, may I assume, the problem will persist for senior persons with knee issues (which is fairly common among senior persons)?

Second point, Ciaz back seats are curved inward on the edges and with firm bolstering. Though immensely comfortable for two adults, for three heavier built adults in the back, persons on side would find their outer thigh hanging in air over the curved bolster. Not very comfortable in long journey.

Just to clarify, these are my own experience and with my family.

My Brother in law has a Ciaz and I love the front seat though lol:.

Quote:

Originally Posted by deetjohn (Post 4480320)

I will pick the Vento Comfort Line TSI AT from that bunch.

Safety, performance, black interiors, build, space all guaranteed. And hopefully peace of mind too with that new 7 year warranty. Willing to take a bit of risk for the fun! :)

Actually, if the Rapid had the TSi, I would have picked that. It looks good and the dealer is not bad here at Kochi.

Got to know from couple of dealers that Vento AT Petrol TSI Comfortline is discontinued in production

As an existing owner of a Ciaz (1.4 petrol in particular), I would have voted for the Ciaz once again had it been the year 2016 (the year when I made this Purchase). The game has gone upwards by many notches in the mean time and many products on offering not only duly justify their price tag but provide additional feel good aspects to their respective owners.

The Ciaz is economical to own and run, it is the most spacious of the lot, the engines are frugal and mechanicals are reliable. But, having paid in excess of a million grands, an owner expects the car to be much more than these. 0-100 dash is not a forte I owe for; but a solid build quality surely is. The outer shell panels seem to be lifted from an origami workshop and become cause of headache during the tenure of ownership. I keep worrying when kids play around my car, someone stands closer to the car or tends to lean on it, and for every given chance the dimples crop up on the surface destroying the appearance. Restoring it is not an easy / economical task either. I am also not comfortable in buying the argument that a car with body shell as weak as a paper can protect me in case of an accident. Sincerely, I feel MSIL could have improved on the body panels while bringing the facelift. So a big thumbs down for Ciaz. The same logic holds good for the City as well.

The European sisters are fare much better in the areas of structural strength, luxurious interiors and engine performances. But with regard to reliability and service support lesser said, the better.

The Yaris, although ticks all essential boxes, it does not qualify my consideration merely because of its unearthly pricing.

The Verna, just like the Yaris, ticks all essential boxes and is reasonable priced as well. It has an array of engines and thus choosing a variant that fits ones budget is easier and yet, not compromising much on the features front. To me, the Verna is a very good looking car as well. Voted for the Verna.

Voted Verna. IMHO the cream of the current crop if you can make do with a little less legroom. The build quality as well as the best in class interiors and premium plastics make it quite an easy choice.

The Diesel engine is easily the crown jewel.

Ciaz is a good car but lousy engines are a big downer. Also the interiors are not much more than just roomy.

Honda City is a great car but sadly no longer the all rounder it once was. Diesel engine is particularly the saddest part.

Yaris? No sir. Toyota dropped the ball in not coming up with a Diesel engine and vaunted pricing.

Rapid & Vento: Better talk about them in 2020.

Verna (P or D, both). A true all round package. Ciaz comes closest. Apart from the choice of medicore engines, it's better than City in all aspects, including VFM.

City is neither here nor there. Not the best quality, nor the best ride. If I have to buy a car just to redline the engine and get pleasure out of it, I would choose Vento TSI. If I have to choose the best looker, I would choose Rapid (edition X in red, with black alloys and black roof look swell). Reliability - Verna. Fuel efficiency - Ciaz.

Voted for the Linea, I specifically will go for the Linea Tjet, i already have the MJD. The build is truly better than any of the sedans in that list and so is the FTD factor on the T-Jet. No car in that list can hold a candle to Linea's braking ability, build and dynamics, yes its an out dated model ( but a beautiful design even now), only car with steel engine protection guard and many other build elements that can withstand abuse. GB is the biggest sore point and that is where i like the Honda manual better. In the AT segment its the Vento/Rapid for me. Resale price is a let down - willing to ignore that. On the maintenance front - i am spending less for maintenance of the Linea than what i used to on my Wagon R.

My vote is for Yaris.

Though when I was very recently looking to move from Honda City V MT Diesel, there was no way, one of these was a clear choice. As someone said, there is just no right package. And it has been like this for many years now. It was the same story when i picked the Honda City, three years back. It was not an obvious choice.

If someone is moving up from a B2 or a hatch, Yaris makes a lot of sense for a small family with the V CVT Petrol, being really nice and the safest among all. Having said that, Verna is really good too, especially for a Diesel, but if you have tasted the backseat of a City, you will always find it cramped at the back, as I have seen from personal experience.:Frustrati