Maruti Suzuki Celerio Ownership Review

This is Maruti Suzuki Celerio ownership review. Covering buying, ownership and maintenance
experiences.

Background
It all started in March 2014 when me and my wife decided that its time to have a new car. I was
driving my dads Maruti 800 STD of 2002 at that time. The car in those 12 years had done around
60 k kms and was in pretty decent shape overall still showing a fuel economy of 15-17 km in the
city. But 12 years is a long time for any car. It had developed some rattles and creaks , the
perennial bumps and potholes of Kolkata roads had taken a toll on the shock absorbers. It also
needed a few trips to the service center of late , one of which was for the broken ECU which was
replaced for Rs 15k! Plus during the summer even a 10 km drive in the afternoon in Kolkata
without ac made me consider putting myself on intravenous drip after each journey. So the time
for a new car was as good as any.

The Requirement
Our budget was around 5-5.5 L and after having had the very reliable service of a Maruti-Suzuki
car for last 12 years the choice of manufacturer was unanimous. We wanted a petrol car for city
use mainly with very occasional trip to the highways. I wanted a tallboy after literally having to
fold in my 510 frame to crawl in and out of the M-800 all these years . Therefore there were
two choices mainly the Wagon R , Stingray and the Ritz .The trim had to be VXI atleast as I
have had a lifetime experience of manually rolling windows up and down and requesting rear
passengers to do the same when I parked and wanted no more of it. The Celerio was still new
and so hadnt given any thought to it initially. I was eyeing the Wagon R for a long time as I am
totally taken by its looks. It is a thoroughly reliable and practical car with excellent features and
good fuel economy. And with this aim we visited 3 different dealers Suzuki One Auto , Auto
Hitech and Bhandari Automobiles, Gariahat .
Buying Process
After having taken test drive (at Suzuki One Auto) and been to all the dealers I booked a Wagon
R VXI at Bhandari Automobiles Gariahat. (There was a 3 month waiting period for Wagon R
VXI ABS so it wasnt considered) Choosing Bhandari Automobiles was a decision I still regret .
Bhandari Automobiles Gariahat is an unholy nexus of people whose burgeoning business due to
prime location has apparently given them a free hand to treat their customers with neglect ,
incompetence and deception (Dealership review coming later) .Anyhow not to detract from the
story of the Celerio , after having worshipped the Wagon R for such a long time and having
booked it , I still had a few doubts about my purchase..

1. Really small boot

2. Bumpy ride for rear seat passengers
3. I was not sure about highway driving manners
4. Quality of interior plastics
All these thoughts were going in my mind when ultimately the payment day arrived. It was then
when I took a second look at the Celerio VXI parked in one corner of the showroom all decked
out and looking like a star. Having neglected it for so long In my car buying process I finally
gave it some serious thought.
The things which ticked the right boxes were
1. 235 L boot much better than 180 L boot of Wagon R , even better than 205L boot of the Swift.
2. Spacious interiors (comparable with the Wagon R)
3. Better proportioned car with proportionate tyres translating into better ride quality and
highway manners
4. Quality of plastics was better than the Waggy
5. Nice looks from the front
6. Nice dash with small sporty steering wheel
What I was letting go with the Waggy were
1. Electronically controlled ORVMs
2. Inbuilt music system
3. Rear wiper , defogger
4. Adjustable head rests
5. I really liked the mature rear looks of the waggy
Anyway in a much confused state I converted my booking into a Cerulean Blue Celerio VXI
Manual . Did not consider AMT and ZXI manual had a waiting period of minimum 2 months.
Again after some delay and another round of deception (from the dealer) did a PDI and finally
came to own a Cerulean Blue Celerio VXI in the second week of July. At this stage I was feeling
that Bhandari automobiles Gariahat was doing me a huge favour by allowing me to buy a car
from them.
The price breakdown
Ex Show room INR 430025/Insurance (Zero Depreciation ), 1 yr 14513/4th Year Extended Warranty - 1275/Road Tax Registration - 26569/Handling Charge - 3500/Incidental Charge 2350/Total INR 478232/Discounts None (Including corporate discount)
Dealer Negotiable Car Cover (given) , Teflon coating (not sure whether done)
Add Ons :

MGA Speakers on 4 doors INR 3056.76/Body side Moulding - 1048.03

Rear Spoiler 2873.36
Painting charge for spoiler 1000/Fog Lamps front 3048.03
Bumper protector 393
Pioneer 2 DIN Audio with BT 9598/VAT @ 14.5 % 2902.53/Total - INR 23920/Therefore Total Cost - 502152
Art leather seat covers from Status car accessories 4700/Initial Ownership Experience
Its been almost 5 months since I bought it. 1st free service done , second free service coming up!
Driven mainly in the city and a few times on the highway as well.
Reading on the Odo 3335 km
Average Fuel Consumption MID shows 17.9 kmpl at present but last two times I calculated by
thankful method were 17.02kmpl and 16.56 kmpl .Driven with a/c on about 50 % of the time
during this last two calculations.
Some points to note
1. Drivability Most of the flat spots of the K 10 engine at low RPM in 2nd gear is gone though
not totally. Handles pretty well in the city and can be thrown around the corners quite easily .
Taken it out on the highway 4-5 times .Car easily reaches 80-90 km in no time .Handling is very
assured at 100 kmph. However there is lack of power at 4th gear. Have to shift down to third for
most overtakings
2. Suspension is just about perfect. Neither too hard nor too soft. Regular bumps and holes can
be negotiated easily but sudden drops are accompanied by a loud thud from the wheel well.
3. The front disc brakes are very good with strong bite. Almost too good. I have had to suddenly
brake twice or thrice from 40 kmph and the front wheel locks up easily and causes the car to
skid. Having second thoughts that I should have waited a while to buy the ABS version.
Now for some pictures!