Maruti Suzuki Celerio

Once inside the Maruti Suzuki Celerio, you will notice how much of the focus on refining its cabin has leaned toward refreshing and contemporary elements.

Cabin Layout and Quality

You will quickly spot some shared family parts across the dashboard. The steering wheel and the analogue instrument cluster dials are lifted straight from the Wagon R. Meanwhile, the centre console placement of the front power window switches is highly reminiscent of the quirky S-Presso.

Seating Comfort
Front Row

The front seats provide a clear view of the road, which makes the car exceptionally easy to move around in stop-start traffic. The seats have enough cushioning for short daily commutes, but the fixed headrests feel like evident cost-cutting. They strip away a layer of premium appeal that buyers might expect at this price tag.

Second Row

Thanks to a 10 mm increase in the wheelbase (now measuring 2,435 mm), there is decent room in the back. You get vastly improved shoulder room and headroom for taller occupants. Unfortunately, rear cabin amenities are incredibly sparse. Passengers get a basic bottle holder and a small phone slot, with no charging points to speak of.
Ameya observes,
“We would have loved adjustable headrests. Even the lower-priced Wagon R offers them!”

Features That Improve Daily Use

• Seven-inch SmartPlay infotainment system
• Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Keyless entry with push-button start
• Manual air conditioning
• Steering-mounted audio controls

The Celerio is priced quite competitively, sitting right where the Tata Tiago and the Hyundai Santro belong. It quickly turns into a strict numbers game for the cars here, as the fully loaded top-end Celerio and Tiago trims float around the same aggressive price bracket.

Ex-Showroom Prices (India)

Fuel efficiency is where the Celerio wins. The heavily tweaked K-Series motor makes this vehicle the most fuel-efficient petrol car your money can buy. The AGS version gives an ARAI figure of 26.68 kmpl, while the manual variant is not behind either, responsively delivering over 24 kmpl during regular use. Even in actual city traffic, you will rarely find yourself frequenting petrol pumps.

Observed Fuel Efficiency During Testing

Note: When running on CNG, the car’s VXi variant gives 26–28 km/kg city and 30–32 km/kg mileage numbers. Its ARAI mileage is 34.43 km/kg.

The Celerio's safety suite follows most Indian safety requirements, but we need to keep one thing clear here: in this department, it's absolutely not a Tata or Mahindra equivalent.

Passive Safety and Crash Protection

The standard suite includes six airbags as standard, ABS with EBD, and crucial seatbelt pretensioners. However, take note that the car got a three-star safety rating for adults and a two-star rating for children from the Global NCAP. The structural rigidity feels acceptable for city speeds. Still, we feel Maruti could have pushed the safety envelope a lot further here, when rivals are offering at least four-star rated vehicles.

Active Safety and Stability Systems

Active electronic safety aids are mostly absent, which we wouldn't expect an entry-level hatchback to have, in the current market anyway. However, the AMT variant crucially gets a very handy Hill Start Assist feature. This system prevents the car from dangerously rolling backwards on steep inclines or flyovers, eliminating a major headache for novice drivers in heavy traffic.

Safety Verdict 

The safety package confidently ticks most boxes for a basic urban experience. Still, if you want to spend a lot of time out on the open highway, you will definitely miss a more comprehensive, reassuring safety net.

Modern hatchbacks must deliver decent creature comforts to win over buyers. The Celerio keeps things contemporary, even if the cabin borrows several touchpoints directly from the Wagon R.

Infotainment and Interface

The centrepiece of the dashboard is the seven-inch SmartPlay infotainment system.
It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but you will have to use it without a wireless option.
The interface is easy to use and rarely suffers from any frustrating lag.

Cabin Convenience and Practical Features

The central console has the power window switches, a layout plucked right out of the S-Presso.
Rear passengers get basic niceties like a bottle holder and a dedicated phone slot.
Crucially, the cabin misses out on rear charging points.

When it comes to swallowing luggage, this hatchback pulls ahead of the pack. Boot capacity has grown by 40 per cent over the outgoing generation.
You now get a class-leading 313 litres of cargo volume, which easily outclasses the Swift’s 268 litres and the Tata Tiago’s 242 litres. The load lip is also manageable, meaning you can drop your bags in without straining your back. The car easily swallows a weekend's worth of soft bags or a couple of medium-sized suitcases.

You rarely expect a budget runabout to iron out bad roads with grace. Yet, the ride quality is where the Celerio truly shines. The suspension feels supple and has been tuned beautifully for Indian roads.

City Driving

Navigating through city traffic is where this car feels most at home. The turning radius is incredibly tight, making the hatchback exceptionally nifty for cramped city streets. We found the steering to be pleasantly weighty, unlike the overly light setups usually found in this bracket. Pothole-ridden stretches are dealt with easily, softening the harshness of broken tarmac before it reaches the cabin.

Highway Driving

Out on the open road, the chassis remains surprisingly composed. The Celerio stays planted at triple-digit speeds; while you will notice some lateral movement, it maintains its overall composure. However, push it hard into a corner, and the front tyres will eventually succumb to understeer.

Maruti Suzuki offers a fairly simple lineup. The sweet spot largely depends on how much you are willing to spend on cabin niceties.

The Essentials That You Don’t Get

• Adjustable rear headrests
• LED daytime running lights
• Rear passenger charging ports

Picking the right trim comes down to your daily running costs and budget. The base model feels a touch too bare-bones, so we advise stepping up.

Best for the Budget Buyer: VXi

If you want to keep the price tag low but cannot live without power windows, the VXi ticks the basic boxes. It works perfectly as a frugal daily driver without breaking the bank.

Best for City Commuting: ZXi AMT

For those facing heavy traffic daily, the ZXi AMT is the one to pick. You get the convenience of a two-pedal setup along with essential creature comforts like a reliable audio system.

Best for Top-Tier Features: ZXi+

Those who want the complete kit list should look at the top-spec ZXi+. It has 15-inch alloy wheels and the much-needed seven-inch touchscreen.