Maruti Suzuki is the largest car maker in India. The company started as a joint venture between the Government of India and Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan in 1981 is one of the most successful automobile brands in India. November 2021 has turned out to be a good month for the automobile giant.
Maruti Suzuki had earlier launched the new Celerio 2021 on 10th November. Booking had already flooded for the hatchback and Suzuki is only going to see an upward growth in the bookings. Year end deals and festive season buying can help Suzuki to increase the number of customers for the Japanese car manufacturer.
Celerio, apart from the Maruti Alto, is one of the most affordable and most loved cars in the country. An affordable price, easy to drive in city conditions, relatively low maintenance costs, all make the Celerio a favourite car for the average Indian to buy. First launched in 2014, the Celerio has undergone a new overhaul and has been launched with improved appeal.
The New Celerio 2021 – List of Specifications & Features
India has officially become a land of SUVs as the sales of SUVs has increased the combined numbers of hatchbacks and sedan sales in September. In spite of the widespread appeal of the SUVs, compact SUV and mini-SUVs, the segment is still relevant and the new launch of the car by Suzuki will revamp the sales of the hatchbacks in the country.
The new Celerio looks modern and stylish and is in line with the changing times. On the outside Celerio gets a new front bonnet and grille. There is also a new chrome accent in front of the grille that provides a completely new look to the Celerio 2021. The 3D sculpted design makes the car appear larger & spacious. The 2021 model of Celerio is bigger than the previous model but the increase in size doesn’t make the car bigger.
On the outside, one can see a number of changes including the new 15” black alloy wheel. The dark coloured urbane black alloy wheel goes well with all the 6 colour options in which Celerio is available viz. Speedy blue, Glistening Grey, Arctic White, Silky Silver, Solid Fire Red and Caffeine Brown.
New Celerio also gets electrically foldable ORVMs with turn indicators. On the rear, the droplet styled tail lamps make Celerio stand out. While not the best design one can hope for, the unique tail lamps leave a signature on the road. One important upgrade from the older generation of Celerio is the inclusion of the door request switch with smart key.
You no longer have to worry about locking yourself out of the car. With the smart key, you can easily open the door with the door request switch and it is available on both the front doors.
So what is the difference between the old Celerio and the new Celerio?
The new car is based on the Heartect platform of the company that provides additional safety features to the occupants. It is safer and slightly lighter than the predecessor. On the dimensions, Celerio hasn’t changed much.
The older Celerio used to be 3695 mm long & 1600 mm wide. The new Celerio is only marginally wider at 1655 mm. However, this increase in size also translates to the size outside the cabin. On the other hand, the height has been reduced by 5 mm to 1555 mm.
Older Celerio looked flat and was not powerful enough. The newer model is powered by a better Gen-K engine with dual jet and dual VVT engine. It is also BS6 compliant and provides better mileage. On the safety front, the Celrio comes with 2 airbags for the front row seats of driver and the navigator.
Celerio comes with both manual and automatic gear shift options. One additional but important feature is the hill hold control that has been added to the car. New Celerio 2021 is the first car in the segment to get hill hold control.
On the inside, Celerio gets a lot of upgrades. The dashboard looks stunning and stylish with a premium look. The large 7” infotainment control system has a smart play function with compatibility to both Apple Car Play and Android Auto. The AC vents are not tinkered with but the dashboard looks spacious. The steering wheel comes with additional controls for media and navigation.
The rear seats offer a 60:40 split to increase the boot space. When all the seats are used, the car comes with a 313 litre of storage space. Maruti Suzuki also offers a number of accessories as optional including infotainment accessories, speakers by Pioneer, Sony.
If you prefer to accessorise your car with spoilers and claddings, Suzuki also offers them. Spoilers for both front and rear makes the Celerio look stunning. The cladding for the rear, above the wheel, and front gives a rugged look to the petite hatchback.
New Celerio 2021 – the Most Fuel Efficient Car in India
Celerio is claimed to be the most fuel efficient car in India. For a brand that has stuck to its strength of making fuel efficient cars, Suzuki had hit maximum with the new next-gen K10C engine. As per the company the engine provides a mileage of 26.68 kmpl of petrol.
With the increasing fuel costs, the number sounds too good to ignore. Celerio with its spacious but smaller footprint, makes it the best option for a small family in a city. The minimal size makes it easier to manoeuver in crowded city traffic. The seemingly high mileage is achieved by a number of factors.
No doubt that the engine itself is efficient. However, the auto stop and start function of the engine helps in the reduction of idling. So, next time when you stop at a signal, you need not worry about the idling as the engine takes care of itself. This feature is also shared by other models of Suzuki including the Suzuki XL6. Another reason for the higher mileage is the low kerb weight of 800 kg in the entry level variant and 825 kg in the top end model.
Should You Buy the New Celerio 2021
Maruti Suzuki has launched a new hatchback at a time when the SUV sale is picking up. Should you buy the new Celerio 2021? The answer is unarguably, Yes.
If you are looking for a small car for city use and for occasional road trips, then Celerio with its host of features makes for an ideal car. The high mileage, nimble weight, easy to manage size, low maintenance cost, improved security features, make it one of the best options in the industry. However, Celerio will still face tough competition from the Hyundai i10.
Celerio is priced at 5 Lakhs for the entry level model and goes all the way to 7 lakhs for the top end. Adding the registration charges, taxes, the on road price of the new Celerio in India could turn out to be around 5.6 Lakhs to 8 Lakhs.
Although Tata Punch is positioned as a micro SUV, it could still provide a tough competition to the Celerio. At the end of the day, buyers see what the models have got to offer and do not stick to the name tag. With a powerful engine, better security features, and greater road presence, Tata Punch could eat into the top end customers of the Celerio.
Maruti Suzuki will launch the CNG version of the Celerio which could increase the appeal of the model but it is to be noted that Tata is looking for a rapid electrification of all its models and Tata Punch would most likely get an electric model in 2022.
