2019 Maruti Ciaz now comes with a new, more powerful diesel engine that has been developed in-house. The DDiS 225 diesel engine is lightweight, features a new turbocharger, delivers more power and torque and offers best in class fuel efficiency.
New diesel engine on Ciaz is BS-VI ready, even though it is currently being offered in BS-IV state of tune. Here’s a quick comparison to understand how Ciaz diesel fares against rivals Hyundai Verna and Honda City.
Engine & transmission: Ciaz’s new 1.5-litre DDiS 225 diesel engine delivers 95 PS of max power @ 4000 rpm and 225 Nm torque @ 1500-2500 rpm. Engine is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. Honda City diesel is powered by a 1.5-litre DOHC i-DTEC inline 4-cylinder engine that makes 100 PS power @ 3600 rpm and 200 Nm torque @ 1750 rpm.
Engine is mated to a manual transmission with 6 forward and one reverse gear. Hyundai Verna’s 1.6-litre U2 CRDi diesel engine is the most powerful of the three, delivering 128 PS @ 4,000 rpm and 260 Nm @ 1,500-3,000 rpm. Engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Mileage: Ciaz diesel has the best fuel efficiency of 26.82 km/l whereas City and Verna deliver 25.6 km/l and 24.75 km/l, respectively.
Dimensions and features: All three sedans look suave and elegant and have several common features. At 4490 mm length, Ciaz is the longest sedan among the three. Both City and Verna are 4,440 mm in length. Ciaz also has the longest wheelbase at 2650 mm, which is more than 2,600 mm of City and Verna. However, Ciaz misses out on some desirable features such as sunroof. Also, it offers only two airbags as compared to 6 airbags in City and Verna.
Pricing: At Rs 11.37 lakh, Ciaz diesel top-spec model is the most affordable car amongst the three. Verna diesel top-spec model retails at Rs 12.98 lakh whereas City is costliest at Rs 14.29 lakh.
Overall, Ciaz new diesel variant fares better than rivals in terms of mileage, weight, length & wheelbase and price. However, it lacks some premium features, which could be a disadvantage. Automatic transmission is also missing, which is a desirable feature in C-segment. Ciaz sales have been slipping in recent months and it remains to be seen if the new diesel variant can make any difference to sales numbers.
