India’s leading car maker has launched the sportier version of its successful sedan Ciaz, dubbed as Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S with a starting price of Rs 9.39 Lakh (ex-showroom). Since its launch in the October 2014, Ciaz has been nothing short of a holy grail for Maruti Suzuki, a company that was struggling to make its mark in the C-segment of mid-sized sedans.
With the launch of Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S, the company is now looking to attract more youngsters while also increasing its market share from 43.5 per cent. With the rise in the number of youths in the country, which has been highlighted every now and then, the demand for mid-sized sedans has also increased, bringing the likes of Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento and Skoda Rapid at the center of attraction.
To cope up with the new challenges posed by its rivals Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S has been launched with a host of cosmetic updates which the Ciaz RS decided to ignore. The S option adds these extra bits to the top-spec Alpha trim but it will not be available with the automatic transmission. The price bump over the Alpha trim for the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S is around Rs 11,000 and for that, you get:
- Front and rear bumper extensions
- Side skirts
- Rear boot lid spoiler with integrated stop light
- Black dashboard and interior
- Black leather upholstery
Other upgrades that come with Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S include, 16- inch alloy wheels, projector headlamps and chrome body colored handles. Inside the cabin, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S gets automatic climate control, cruise control, leather seat upholstery, leather wrapped steering wheel as well as a touch screen infotainment system which is compatible with Bluetooth and USB.
In addition, the sedan gets key less entry, push start/stop, rear AC vents, chrome accents on the steering wheel and parking brake lever.
In terms of safety, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S gets seat belt pre-tensioner with force limiter, dual airbags, ABS with EBD and ISOFIX as standard, rear parking camera and rear de-fogger.
Under the hood, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S is powered by the same 1.4-litre petrol engine, churning out 91 hp of peak power and 130Nm of torque. On the other hand, the 1.3-litre diesel motor with SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle from Suzuki) generates 88.5 hp and 200 Nm. Transmission duties for both engines are handled by the 5-speed manual transmission.
While the petrol-powered Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S is priced at Rs 9.39 lakh, the diesel powered variant will cost Rs 11.55 lakh (both prices, ex-showroom Delhi).
Maruti Ciaz Specifications & Dimensions
During the launch, R S Kalsi, Senior Executive Director, Maruti Suzuki, said,
“Ciaz has established itself as one of the most progressive offerings of Maruti Suzuki and has sold over 1.70 lakh units since its launch in October 2014. The introduction of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S will further strengthen its position in the market by catering to the requirements of a younger yet premium consumer base who believes in the sporty spirit of life.”
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S variant should give the Ciaz some more firepower to stand its ground against the highly anticipated all-new Hyundai Verna, which is expected to rip apart the current standing wide open and it’ll be interesting to see which one comes out on top in the C-segment sedan space.