Maruti Suzuki has been the uncrowned king of the CNG segment in our country for years. The reason behind this is that the brand had no competition, and Maruti Suzuki was the only manufacturer, giving factory-fitted CNG kits. But now the times are changing and more and more brands are trying to catch hold of the CNG market. Tata Motors is one such brand. With the release of the Tiago iCNG, the Celerio CNG now gets a staunch opponent. The cars fall in the same price bracket and offer similar specs. Today, we bring to you a dual between the two newbies of the CNG segment.
Price
| Celerio (1.0L CNG MT) | Price (Ex-Showroom) |
| VXi | ₹ 6,58,000 |
| Tiago iCNG (1.2L CNG MT) | Price (Ex-Showroom) |
| XE | ₹ 6,09,900 |
| XM | ₹ 6,39,900 |
| XT | ₹ 6,69,900 |
| XZ+ (ST) | ₹ 7,52,900 |
| XZ+ (DT) | ₹ 7,64,900 |
While the Maruti Suzuki Celerio S-CNG is only available in the VXi trim, the Tata Tiago iCNG is available in 5 trims.
Dimensions
Without a doubt, the Celerio is a much smaller car in comparison to the Tiago. It is significantly shorter in all aspects; length, width, height, and wheelbase. Now that could be a bad thing if you are looking for more cabin and boot space, but that also makes the Celerio a better choice of city traffic and day-to-day commute. The smaller dimensions also amount to a reduced weight which will most definitely affect the mileage of the car.
Performance
Coming to performance and power, Tiago is a clear winner. While the Celerio is powered by a Dual Jet, Dual VVT K-Series 1.0L engine which puts out 56.7PS and 82.1Nm, Tiago is powered by a higher capacity 1.2L Revotron engine that puts out 73.4PS of power and 95Nm of torque. Both cars are mated to a 5-Speed manual gearbox and have no option for an automatic gearbox. There is a huge difference in power figures, which are bound to impact drivability and the fun that you can have on highways. Both cars have the same capacity 60L CNG tank. While Maruti Suzuki claims a mileage of 35.6 Km/kg from the Celerio, Tata has made no such claims for its CNG offerings.
Technology and Safety
Maruti Suzuki factory-fitted S-CNG vehicles are equipped with dual interdependent ECUs and an intelligent injection system. The car is specially tuned and calibrated to deliver optimum performance and enhanced drivability. In terms of safety features, the car is equipped with 2-airbags, ABD with EBD, and rear parking sensors.
Tata Tiago iCNG comes with some even advanced technology. It gets a single advanced ECU which helps it in auto switchover between fuels and direct start in CNG mode. It also gets a new NGV 1 receptacle nozzle for CNG which helps in faster refuelling. Tata has always been a benchmark of safety in India and the CNG version of the Tiago is the same it gets; dual-airbags, ABS with EBD, and Corner Stability Control as standard safety equipment. Apart from this the cars also get Thermal Incident Protection. In case of a thermal incident, the CNG fuel is automatically cut off and the remaining gas from tubes is released directly into the atmosphere. Moreover, in case of a CNG leakage, the car automatically switches from CNG to Petrol mode.
Features
In the VXI trim, the Celerio CNG gets manual air-conditioning, pollen filter, power steering, a 12v power socket, fuel consumption display, distance to empty display, driver side sun visor, dual airbags, ABS, EBD, brake assist, an engine immobilizer, passenger-side vanity mirror, day/night IRVM, 60:40 rear split seat, rear parcel shelf, central locking, power windows with one-touch up/down for driver side, electrically adjustable ORVMs, speed-sensitive auto door lock, impact-sensing auto door unlock.
Tiago also gets some neat features that include; a digital instrument cluster with separate fuel gauges for CNG and petrol and separate lights to tell the mode we are in. It also gets projector headlamps, LED DRLs, a touch-screen infotainment system with Apple Car Play and Android Auto and Auto AC.