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-   -   Maruti Ciaz Facelift vs the others (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sedans/202871-maruti-ciaz-facelift-vs-others-3.html)

There you see. Just no choice for a nice Petrol AT in this segment. When it comes to D1, it is probably the Elantra which will tick most boxes.

Voted for Ciaz, because

1. Space and comfort (this coming from a safari user)
2. Amazing fuel efficiency. Oh yes, for a middle class guy driving 100 km a day at 80rs per liter, good fuel efficiency helps.

Look below, it's the fuel efficiency at 75 kmph cruising at 5th. And even if you cruise at 110-120, you will end up with 22-23 kmpl FE.


3. And in 64500 km, I am yet to come across a single niggle. Light build quality definitely a minus though. Reliability is excellent.

4. Excellent VFM.

I won't consider the engine underpowered. Personal opinion. It has irritating lag, but if you know how to keep the engine at boil, you can do good speeds effortlessly.

Voted for Honda City Petrol.

If I am buying a petrol, definetly Honda City is my pick. Needless to say about this car's engine. It's an enthisiast car with brilliant packaging. Honda's man maximum and machine minimum is very much evident in this car.

If I am buying diesel, verna 1.6 CRDI manual is my pick. It's an allround engine with good performance and pretty good reliable record. Hyundai's service network and affordable service cost will seal the deal for me.

Voted for Linea.

Still one of the best in the segment for:
- 123 BHP turbo petrol
- Ride-handling and overall comfort
- Braking
- Sturdy, abuse friendly build
- Steering
- Price - top end is cheaper by 1-3+ lakhs compared to competition
- Warranty honoring of Fiat has been very good

Not bad in:
- Features, except for the touch screeen infotainment system
- Space on offer - decent leg space for both rows, 500 litre boot
- Cost of upkeep
- Service quality

Still bad in:
- Ergonomics (although many get used to it)
- Vague gear selector (effortless though)
- Can get phased out any time, looking at the sales numbers
- Lack of storage spaces inside cabin

I'm mildly surprised at the poll results so far.

Over the last few weeks, I've been shopping in this segment for a manual petrol top end for my city needs and have test driven all of the options above save for the Yaris (pricing for the higher variants, coupled with the aesthetics).

The Verna for sure has a lot going for it - fresh looks, good fit and finish, loaded with features (mostly), two good engines and a good after sales repute. However, I felt it to be the least involving of cars to drive and the interiors felt just about par for the course, nothing special.

The Honda City is extremely desirable and even at the fag end of this refresh cycle is the most good looking of the lot. All hunky dory till I drove it over some pretty poor roads (read Andheri East - our very own F1 home straight) and the handling left me disappointed. The super light steering and soft suspension didn't feel good at all.

The Ciaz refresh is not my cup of tea in the looks department and the build quality (having owned a Swift over 8 years) issues made me swear not to buy a Maruti for at least the next 5 years till they up the game.

My vote is for the Rapid - understated yet sharp looks, superb build quality, involving drive and decent rear seat comfort and with most features one would expect in this segment. Why not Vento? Simply for the superb discounts the Czech brand is doling out right now.

Voted for Verna :

A clean white one in the SX trim can be parked next to an Audi, no worries. Its a loud design, and the coupe like roofline makes it just that bit extra sporty.

Some points for it , comparison to others in its class and not hatchbacks or SUVs.

1. Sportier to drive, feels light and nimble.
2. Outer panels feel stronger and they did survive a brush with a Leyland Dost, a bit of rub and polish was all that was needed.
3. Noise insulation, be it petrol \ diesel is excellent.
4. Interiors look simple but good quality, excellent fit and finish.
5. The cooled seats work well, I thought it would be a gimmick, but it isn't, I think all leather seats should have this.
6. Performance is very good, be it petrol or diesel, city or highway, very balanced.
7. Petrol is surprisingly fuel efficient in comparison, and also takes speed bumps in 2nd gear like a good diesel. Diesel is the most refined and powerful, almost feels like a petrol - very linear.
8. Stock tires do not need an upgrade, unlike others.
9. Headlights are good, can cruise at triple digit highway speeds at night.

Some points against it.
1. Space is not as good as Ciaz \ City.
2. Low speed ride is not plush like Ciaz.
3. Hyundai is good at suggesting unnecessary preventive maintenance during service, watch out for this. No it does not need Synthetic oil.

In Ten years , Verna has become sportier, sharper and quite a looker. I cannot say the same between 08 city (Gen5) and the new one, I have driven the 08 city extensively, still there in our family and it looks as good as it came out of the factory.

I do not own the current Verna, had the older one (07) and it was not involving to drive at all. My office guys have all cars in this segment , all are new, and we go out for lunch everyday in one or the other. So i get to drive them all, frequently.
Our VAG experience is bad, both the vehicle and the service.

Of the bunch, if i am looking for a turbo diesel, its going to be a Hyundai Verna with its 1.6L CRDi gem and that slick shifting 6 speed gearbox unless the upcoming 1.5L engine from Suzuki stable is going to dethrone it.:)


If it is a petrol, the facelifted Maruti Ciaz would be my pick as it is spacious,frugal(though not the most refined) and value for money. Honda City would have been my pick, if not for the raising concerns regarding the lighter build, reliability and chassis stability being reported in this forum itself.:Frustrati


I would steer clear off the VW/Skoda/Fiat trio on concerns over reliability and ASS.

Fantastic, You have summarized perfectly. I too have voted for The FIAT Linea TJet and actually own one since 2015. Lack of storage space has and will always be the biggest complaint. Wonder who designed the door pockets and the cup holders in the Linea as well as the Punto, must be shot without hesitation. The way she looks and drive ensures that I never have regretted the decision. She still continues to enthrall me. I too was one among those who thought the increase of GC on the newer models was unnecessary but driving on the Bengaluru roads on a regular basis has made me aware of what a boon the added clearance is. The braking capability is something other cars in the segment can only dream of matching.

If I had to choose a car other than the Linea in this segment then I would prefer to skip the segment altogether and look towards the Hyundai Creta or the Jeep Compass (Preference in that order).

It’s an old war-horse, but there is a timelessness to its design that it still manages to look good in company of the new entrants. The engine options are good, and they have further improved on the safety aspects with the new updates – voted for the Vento!

Ciaz has some added complexity in the name of SHVS, so the 2018 purchased vehicle that my friend purchased has gone through the following.(Silent recall)

1. Steering column and Rack replacement.
2. Fuel pump replacement. (Issue unsolved)
3. SHVS unit to be replaced.

Added to this the SHVS is dangerous, it turns of the engine when you need the brakes to work, say when you are on a slope and holding the car on brake. This happens to both the diesel ciaz we have.

Sometimes I feel manufacturers are deliberately bringing down quality of these cars so that we switch to the popular cross-over segment. Has your Ciaz given you any trouble?

Increase features, introduce variants and models at 'small' increments of price, reduce the quality of parts so that the car feels old and tattered in about 5 years time. All these help the OEMs in up-selling and instigates the buyer to change the vehicle frequently. Somewhat like planned obsolescence. Make these machines complex and offer longer warranties. The buyer is then hooked to the ASS to maintain the warranty status. Keeps the dealers happy as well. The local garage boy doesn't dare to touch such complex parts.

That's the secret behind continuous high growth that the auto industry is enjoying. And you will have a tough time finding a car of yesteryear running on our roads today.

Just my thoughts and a few personal experiences.:)

The vehicle purchased a few months ahead of this Ciaz has no issues at all, except the inconsistent behavior of SHVS.(Only the stop-start part of it, assuming that the torque assist remains)

I shall give you my observations. I have no brand bias, I still recommend Ciaz diesel over City diesel. Just an extra step to turn the SHVS off. It remains the most fuel efficient car I have ever seen.

Speed breaker that needs you to downshift to 1st, if you shift slowly into 1st, even if the car is moving slowly, engine switches off due to the momentary switch to neutral.

When you are about to stop the vehicle at a traffic light, you switch to neutral and engine turns off before the car is stationary.

You are at a slope, Holds the car on brakes and it stops the engine.

The way it senses the incline, vehicle speed, brake etc are inconsistent. That is my worry. They need to recalibrate this contraption as brakes depend on it.

To me brakes are very important, I am very gentle on the brakes though.

My vote is for the Vento. While every car in this segment have their own USPs, I think Vento is the best allrounder and kind of a benchmark against which the segment players would measure their parameters.
I feel Vento has the classic - evergreen design, good build quality, nice set of petrol and diesel power trains, balanced ride and handling, comfortable seats all around and decent list of features. The perceived high maintenance and the issue of limited after sales service network can be easily offset by timely service at a good FNG.

Voted for Verna.

Actually, am currently in the market for a manual petrol in this segment and have almost finalised the Verna as my next steed.

Below are my reasons:
- Yaris and City (not VFM, overpriced and no wow factor to go for them)
- Ciaz (the facelift looks bad from the fromt and Maruti again neglects engine and safety)
- Rapid, Linea and Vento (age old designs, nothing new on offer)

Verna ticks on all departments for me - powerful engine, safety and loaded with all bells and whistles. The rear seat isn't an issue as my family felt comfortable in it. Overall, i feel it is the best VFM and all-round package!