Used Maruti Ciaz

Maruti Ciaz SHVS ZDi+ Long Term Review — The Maruti Ciaz has sold in really good numbers over the years

Maruti launched the Ciaz in India in 2014. The C-segment sedan was launched to rival the likes of the Honda City and Hyundai Verna and it was initially priced at an attractive Rs. 6.99-9.80 lakhs (ex-showroom). The Ciaz came across as a spacious, feature loaded sedan that also offered good efficiency.

The Maruti Ciaz has seen excellent success in India. It has sold in good numbers month by month and there is no dearth of these cars on our roads. Naturally, even the used car market has tons of examples of the Ciaz. While a majority of the cars in the used car market are petrol variants, there are a fair number of diesel cars too. In 2018, Maruti gave the Ciaz a mid-life facelift with cosmetic tweaks, additional equipment and a new petrol engine.

The Ciaz earlier used to come with a 1.4-litre petrol engine making 92.45 HP and 130 Nm. It also got the national diesel engine of India, the 1.3-litre MJD unit in the 90 PS/200 Nm tune. With the facelift, Maruti dropped the 1.4 petrol and introduced a new 1.5-litre unit churning out 103 HP and 138 Nm. Maruti also introduced their own 1.5-litre diesel engine but it was on sale for a very short time.

Maruti Ciaz – Overview

The Maruti Ciaz is a pleasant looking sedan and has the longest wheelbase in its segment. It is known for its spacious and well-appointed interior and the massive legroom at the rear has been a huge hit with customers. The styling of the pre-facelift car wasn’t very striking, however, it had a design which offended none.

The cabin got a black-beige dual-tone layout with a large instrument cluster giving out information that is clear to read. The vehicle also got a SmartPlay infotainment system. Some other features are electrically folding and adjustable ORVMs, auto dimming IRVM, cruise control, keyless-go with push button start, etc. When Maruti launched the Ciaz, the VXi and VDi variants came only with a driver-side airbag while the ZXi, ZXi+, ZDi and ZDi+ variants got dual front airbags. ABS was standard on all the variants though.

Both the engines offered decent driveability and good efficiency but weren’t really known for their performance. The 1.4-litre engine was also offered on the older Ertiga and it didn’t have the same punch that the Honda City and Hyundai Verna offered. The 1.3 diesel engine was also a bit underpowered compared to what rivals offered and was known for its turbo lag. However, both the engines were known to be very robust and reliable and most customers wouldn’t even have a reason to complain.

The Maruti Ciaz isn’t really a driver’s car and it is more of a comfort-oriented sedan. The ride quality is quite good and the Ciaz feels settled over most poor roads as well. Some of the sharper bumps do make their presence felt but otherwise the suspension is pliant for most part. The steering lacks feel and remains light at most speeds. It weighs up just a bit on the highways and after taking a turn it has a tendency to not self-centre. Maruti had also launched the Ciaz RS which came with a body kit, spoiler and blacked out interiors but the mechanicals were unchanged.

Pre-Owned Maruti Ciaz – What To Check

Now the Maruti Ciaz is generally a very reliable car so there’s not much that can go wrong with it apart from the usual wear-and-tear components. While the steering doesn’t self-centre, do check it for any unnecessary rattles or noises. The suspension is also silent usually but if you can hear rattles while going over potholes, there’s a chance that the bushings of the link rod are on their way out.

The VXi and VDi trims come with a non-touchscreen infotainment system with a regular button layout but all the Z variants get a touchscreen. This screen used to be glitchy in the earlier days and the system would often stop responding or keep restarting on its own while the car is being driven. This isn’t a major issue but can cause some sort of annoyance. A lot of interior parts like the switches and buttons are shared with other Maruti cars and they tend to become rough with usage. Some buttons also wear out and start looking old but you can get these replaced.

The Ciaz diesel used to come with SHVS so if you’re taking a test drive of a diesel car, do check whether the mild-hybrid tech is working properly or not. If it is activated, the engine should automatically switch off when you bring the car to a halt, slot into neutral and leave the clutch. The engine comes back to life as soon as you press the clutch again. Maruti had recalled Ciaz units manufactured from 1st January 2019 to 21st November 2019 to fix an issue with the MGU (Motor Generator Unit) of the SHVS variants. These were the facelifted petrol cars.

Used Maruti Ciaz Expenses

The Maruti Ciaz has a service interval of 10,000 kms and general services are usually inexpensive. You can expect a yearly service to cost somewhere between Rs. 6000-6500/- which is quite good for a C-segment sedan. However, do note that not all the parts are cheap to replace. There could be certain components like AC parts, suspension parts, etc. which will have costs at par with the Ciaz’s rivals.

Front and rear bumpers will cost you Rs. 2800/- and Rs. 5600/- respectively without painting (these prices may vary slightly). The Ciaz got projector headlamps in every variant and each headlamp is priced at around Rs. 4500/- with bulb. A tail light should cost you Rs. 1600/- for the outer half while the inner half of the light (mounted on the bootlid) is priced similarly too.

The front suspension strut set is priced in the whereabouts of Rs. 4900/- for each side while the rear shock absorbers cost a little more than Rs. 2200/- for each side. There are after-market options available for lesser but then the quality depends on which brand’s components you buy. The steering column costs close to Rs. 24,000/- but this part doesn’t really give issues unless the car is regularly driven in a careless manner on potholed roads.

Overall, the Maruti Ciaz is a car that is very easy to live with. There are ownership reports of customers who have done more than 1 lakh kms on their cars and they’re happy with the experience. There’s a lot of peace of mind associated with this car because of Maruti’s unbeatable network of service centres. A yearly insurance policy will set you back by Rs. 6000-10,000/- depending on the age of the car, previous claims and IDV.

Used Maruti Ciaz Price

Because there are so many options of the Maruti Ciaz available in the used car market, finding a good car won’t be too difficult. You can get 2014 petrol models for Rs. 4.75-5.25 lakhs (both VXi and ZXi) and these cars have a mileage of anywhere between 40,000-70,000 kms. Dealers are known to charge a slight premium for the ZXi+ variants, to the tune of Rs. 20,000-30,000/-.

A diesel car of similar vintage should be priced approximately Rs. 50,000/- more than the petrol counterpart. The Ciaz also came with a 4-speed torque convertor with the petrol engine and while this gearbox isn’t very modern, it does its job just fine and lends convenience to those people who are done with driving manuals in traffic.

2016 models are priced from Rs. 5.75-6.50 lakhs while 2017 models cost anywhere between Rs. 6.75-8 lakhs. Newer cars usually have lower odometer readings too. If you want a facelifted model (2018 onwards) then it’ll set you back by Rs. 9.25-10 lakhs but there won’t be too many options available as of now.

Pre-Owned Maruti Ciaz Alternatives

If you want only a C-segment sedan, then you’ll get choices like the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento and Skoda Rapid in this price range. The Honda City has more power with both petrol and diesel engines. It is also known to be very reliable and is quite spacious too. The City petrol also got a CVT while the top variant (VX) gets a sunroof too which is missing on the Ciaz.

You might be able to land a Vento or Rapid of similar vintage at a bit lesser. The 1.6 MPI engines are good to drive and more powerful than the 1.4 K-Series but if you’re buying any of these cars, the 1.2 TSI or the 1.5 TDI engines are the ones to go for. The Rapid wasn’t available with the former though. While the Vento and Rapid might be cheaper to buy than the Ciaz, service and part replacement costs are likely to be higher.

If you are okay exploring the compact SUV segment then you get a ton of choices like the Maruti Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Renault Duster and even the Hyundai Creta in this price range. All of these have different USPs but they are all quite practical for usage on our roads.