Maruti Suzuki Ciaz: The design of the Ciaz is all about sophisticated restraint, rather than anything flamboyant, with clean Horizonte lines that suggest maturity stability.
At the front, there’s a chrome-tipped grille and ultra-slim projector headlamps, giving it an elegant yet unmistakable look.
From the side, its proportions are balanced, and the gently sloping roof helps aerodynamic efficiency without sacrificing rear headroom.
The Ciaz is generously sized inside versus its external footprint, measuring 4,490mm long and 2,650mm between the axles, a result of some clever engineering that pays dividends for people on board.
This dimensional efficiency also manifests as class-leading rear legroom, rivalling cars two categories up, catering directly to a particular focus for the Indian market, with many owners getting chauffeur-driven.
The clean design continues towards the back, where the horizontally-oriented tail lamps are bisected by a narrow chrome accent strip, giving the DR LS91 visual width without loaf-like complexity.
This restraint of design has aged wonderfully compared to trendier contemporaries that we hope while we are 5-7 years in the car, would still look saleable which is what most people do in India.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz: Cabin Experience- Spaciousness and Luxury
Inside, the Ciaz sticks to its handy premium features calling — it still has gobs of space and a cabin trimmed in materials that feel high end yet are mindful of what will wear out over time.
The dashboard is symmetrical with a 7-inch touchscreen-mounted Apple Car Play- and Android Auto-compatible infotainment system in the center.
The interface itself emphasizes intuitive operation over flashy graphics — a consideration for a diverse user base ranging from tech-savvy young professionals to stick-shift traditionalists.
Material quality is above-grade for this price point, with soft-touch surfaces at high-contact areas and convincing wood-grain accents adding visual warmth.
The beige color combination, although more work to keep clean than a darker one, enhances the atmosphere of airiness and space in the cabin.
Thoughtful touches such as rear sunshade, center armrest with cupholders, rear air conditioning vents—all amenities that one particularly appreciates in India.
But perhaps the single most convincing thing about the Ciaz is the incredible rear seat space. The class-leading legroom along with an optimized angle of the seatbacks and generous thigh support provides truly comfortable room for long distances.
It must have been rear passenger comfort (now you know exactly what you need to keep in mind when you go from point A to point B) that played a big role in shaping the features and overall character of the Ciaz.
Performance Philosophy, Part 2: Adequate Choice on Efficiency
The Ciaz adopts a powertrain strategy that emphasizes efficiency and refinement ahead of outright performance—an approach that weighs well with the priorities of its target demographic. The current-gen uses a 1.5-liter K15 Smart Hybrid petrol engine with 103 horsepower and 138 Nm of torque.
Though those figures sound modest next to turbocharged alternatives, this engine’s linear power delivery and smoothness offer an easygoing experience that’s more suited to urban errands and freeways than country lanes.
It also features a integrated starter generator whose torque assist during acceleration and auto start-stop in traffic are said to contribute to the Ciaz’s 20-21km/l fuel efficiency under standard testing conditions.
Operating economics is an important ownership consideration among Indian consumers even in premium segments and this focus on efficiency resonates strongly with them.
The transmission offered is a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic, which is tuned more for smoothness than for shift speed.
As competitors shift to more sophisticated transmission tech, with more ratios, the Ciaz’s conservative approach means proven reliability and, by default, lower mechanical costs ‘ even more relevant in regions with uneven levels of service infrastructure that could impede long-term ownership satisfaction.
Driving Dynamics: Competent Comfort
The Ciaz’s driving character is more focused on comfort and refinement rather than sporting a façade, which is intentional and is in line with the car’s positioning.
The suspension uses McPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam for the rear, with the tuning aimed more towards ride quality than handling sharpness.
This set-up does a good job of absorbing Indian road conditions, and yet doesn’t feel disconnected with the road during changes in direction.
Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) is a key focus, an impressive amount of sound deadening making for a remarkably quiet cabin at highway speeds.
This small improvement goes a long way in giving the Ciaz a premium feel as the best part is all this offers mind-numbing silence mutually eliminating the annoyances of long-distance driving.
At low speeds, the electric power steering provides proper assistance to ensure easy maneuverability around town, yet at higher velocities the weighting is appropriate.
While this calibration doesn’t have the precision of sportier alternatives, delivered the relaxed confidence that may be most suitable for the vehicle’s intended usage pattern.
Market Standing and Importance
The Ciaz sits in a sweet spot in the mid-size sedan segment, and is priced between ₹8.99 lakh and ₹11.98 lakh (ex-showroom).
This saw it land at a significant price anchoring below competitors like the Honda City and Hyundai Verna, though with similar space and features—a value proposition further bolstered by Maruti’s gut staffed experience network coming in excess of 4,000 touch points across the country.
The light on your pocket has allowed the Ciaz to pull in both traditional sedan buyers and those upgrading from premium hatchbacks—a group for whom rival fare may prove on the hefty side.
The ingenuity of the model has shown that there doesn’t need to be a prohibitive amount of demand attached to sophisticated transportation, especially in value-conscious markets where practicalities take precedence over brand prestige.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz
What Maruti Suzuki got right with the Ciaz was for real people, and not based on a specsheet-exercise or styling fad.
All of this has combined to make a rather convincing within a segment that was previously only filled with cars that carried a hefty price tag by the time you were done scheming on the options sheet,
especially one where this segment’s target market was most concerned with interior space, ride comfort and operating efficiency.
As compact SUVs and crossovers take the automotive world by storm, the ongoing relevance of the Ciaz simply proves that good sedans continue to provide meaningful benefits to discerning buyers looking for comfort, efficiency, and value.
The premium feel delivered in the company of a familiar pillar of reliability and service means that the Ciaz continues to play an important role in India’s growing automotive landscape.
