Although the new Maruti Suzuki Ciaz will be formally launched today, for almost a month now, people have been queuing up at Maruti dealerships across the nation to book the sedan. Testimony to this blind faith people have in the manufacturer is the fact that they have booked their cars without even taking a test drive or looking at an actual car. We thought it would be a good idea then to stack it against its more established rivals in the market.
Technical Specifications
Petrol Variants
| Models | Maruti Ciaz | Hyundai Verna | Honda City | Skoda Rapid |
| Engine Displacement | 1.4 litre | 1.6 litre | 1.5 litre | 1.6 litre |
| Power (bhp @ rpm) | 92 @ 6000 | 121 @ 6300 | 117 @ 6600 | 103 @ 5250 |
| Torque (Nm @ rpm) | 130 @ 4000 | 155 @ 4200 | 145 @ 4600 | 153 @ 3800 |
| Length (mm) | 4490 | 4370 | 4440 | 4386 |
| Width (mm) | 1730 | 1700 | 1695 | 1699 |
| Height (mm) | 1485 | 1475 | 1495 | 1466 |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual / 4-speed auto | 5-speed manual / 4-speed auto | 5-speed manual / Auto | 5-speed manual / 6-speed Auto |
The Maruti Ciaz is the least powered car here, however, also happens to be the most fuel-efficient with an ARAI rated economy figure of 20.73 kpl. The Skoda Rapid is powered by a 1.6 litre engine that pumps out 103 bhp and is rated for 15 kpl, the least fuel efficient petrol engine in this comparo. The Honda City takes the second spot in terms of efficiency, with an ARAI rated figure of 17.4 kpl, while the Hyundai Verna takes the third spot at 17.01 kpl. All the cars here offer the option of an automatic gearbox mated to their respective petrol engines.
Diesel Variants
| Models | Maruti Ciaz | Hyundai Verna | Honda City | Skoda Rapid |
| Engine Displacement | 1.3 litre | 1.6 litre | 1.5 litre | 1.5 litre |
| Power (bhp @ rpm) | 89 @ 4000 | 126 @ 4000 | 99 @ 3600 | 103 @ 4400 |
| Torque (Nm @ rpm) | 200 @ 1750 | 259 @ 1900 | 200 @ 1750 | 250 @ 1500 |
| Length (mm) | 4490 | 4370 | 4440 | 4386 |
| Width (mm) | 1730 | 1700 | 1695 | 1699 |
| Height (mm) | 1485 | 1475 | 1495 | 1466 |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual | 6-speed manual / 4-speed auto | 6-speed manual | 5-speed manual / 7-speed DSG |
| Fuel Efficiency (Arai figures) | 26.21 kpl | 22.32kpl | 26.0 kpl | 21.14 kpl |
Amongst all the diesel powered cars here, the Maruti Ciaz again is the least powered, however, pumps out a torque figure that is identical to the Honda City at 200 Nm. The Ciaz diesel is rated for an efficiency figure of 26.21 kpl, which makes it the most efficient diesel sedan in the country. The Skoda Rapid and the Hyundai Verna are the only cars here that offer an option of an automatic gearbox mated to a diesel engine. Where the Rapid offers an advanced DSG system with 7-speeds. The Maruti Ciaz shares the top spot with the Honda City to offer class-leading boot space of 510 litres, while the Hyundai Verna offers storage capacity of 465 litres, while the Rapid can swallow almost similar luggage in its 460 litre boot.
Pricing
| Model | Petrol Variants | Diesel Variants |
| Maruti Ciaz | Rs 6.99 to 9.34 lakh | Rs 8.04 to 9.80 lakh |
| Honda City | Rs 7.20 to 10.97 lakh | Rs 8.38 to 11.06 lakh |
| Hyundai Verna | Rs 7.39 to 9.74 lakh | Rs 8.56 to 11.73 lakh |
| Skoda Rapid | Rs 7.22 to 9.82 lakh | Rs 8.39 to 10.97 lakh |
Pricing wise, the Ciaz again plays its cards right. However, the diesel variant doesn’t offer the option of an automatic, which the Hyundai and the Skoda do, while the diesel motor on the Honda City is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, in comparison to the 5-speed boxes on all the other manual cars.
Note: The Hyundai Verna is available in two diesel options. a 1.4 litre and a 1.6 litre. The tech specs feature numbers for the 1.6-litre variant, however, the starting prices for the diesel variants of the Verna are for the 1.4- litre engine, which pumps out 89 bhp at 4000 rpm and 224 Nm of torque at 1750 rpm. It also carries a slightly higher ARAI efficiency figure of 23.5 kpl.