Superhit Mid-Size Sedan of 2018: Maruti Ciaz

2018 is finally drawing to a close and it has been quite an exciting year in the Indian car market. While Auto Expo 2018, saw the unveiling of quite a few new cars, it was the same old story in the mid-size sedan segment where the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and the Honda City battled it for the affection and wallets of customers. However, it was the Maruti Ciaz that ended up victorious in the sales charts over the past 11 months (December sales numbers will only arrive next year) edging out the Honda City by a mere 1,334 units (Ciaz – 40,084 vs City with 38,750). So just why did Indians buy the Maruti Ciaz this year? Let’s find out.

Maruti Branding

In India, the Maruti Suzuki name is immediately associated with reliable and cheap to run and maintain. Since the arrival of the SS80 Maruti 800 in the mid-1980s, the byword for cars in India has inevitably been Maruti Suzuki. With the Suzuki badge adorning its grille and rear end, the Ciaz has benefitted from the brand’s reputation to come out on top of its Honda rival.

Mileage

The Maruti Ciaz is offered with two engine options – a 1.3-litre diesel and a 1.5-litre petrol, both of which feature Maruti’s SHVS mild hybrid setup for better fuel efficiency. Both engines are very frugal and return better mileage compared to the offerings on the Honda City which is offered with petrol and diesel motors that displace 1.5-litres. The Maruti Ciaz petrol returns a mileage of 21.56 km/l while the diesel is even better returning 28.09 km/l. The Honda City, on the other hand, returns a mileage of 17.4 km/l in its petrol guise and 25.6 km/l with the diesel engine.

Maruti’s Massive Service Network

 

Maruti Suzuki has the largest sales and service network among all car manufacturers currently selling cars in India. Such is the reach of the Maruti network, that there is a service centre from the brand in almost every other town or city in the country. Honda’s service network, on the other hand, is quite a whole lot smaller compared to Maruti.

This means that Ciaz owners can get their car serviced almost every place they go to compared to City owners. This gives the Ciaz a definite advantage over its main rival when the time comes for a new customer to make a buying decision between the two most popular mid-size sedan offerings in the nation today.

Snazzy new looks post facelift

 

The Maruti Ciaz has always been a good looking car but the carmaker decided to give it an even sharper design, adding new headlamps, bumpers and a snazzy chrome grille to ramp ut the sedan’s style quotient. The response from the public to the new looks has been extremely positive, with Maruti registering sales numbers of 7,002 units in the month of August, the same month that the facelifted Ciaz was launched in the market.

Customization Options

The Maruti Ciaz like quite a lot of other new Maruti cars in the market today comes with a host of customization options that come directly from the carmaker. These include options for different body kits and chrome inserts, a rear spoiler, leather seat covers, designer floor mats, better infotainment systems and many more options. These customization options come directly from Maruti and therefore don’t diminish the value of the car in the same way aftermarket parts would do.

Resale value

The Ciaz just like every other car sold by Maruti enjoys a superior resale value in the used car market thanks to the Maruti brand value. It offers a good resale value thanks to the demand for the sedan and the insanely strong brand presence of Maruti. It you’re looking to upgrade your car every 3-5 years then the Ciaz will offer ypu great value for money.