2021 Maruti Suzuki Celerio vs rivals: Specifications, features and price comparison

Despite SUVs ruling the roost, Maruti Suzuki has given one of its most popular hatchback offerings a new lease of life, with the launch of the 2021 Maruti Suzuki Celerio. When Maruti launched the Celerio seven years ago, the hatchback was a unique offering from the carmaker, kicking off the trend of AMT ’boxes. It’s been a while since Maruti Suzuki updated the hatchback, in the form of a mild facelift and a crossover-inspired cosmetic variant, the CelerioX. The competition has moved on significantly since then and it’s time to pit the Celerio against its rivals – the Tata Tiago, Hyundai Santro, Datsun redi-go, Renault Kwid and it’s own siblings, the WagonR and the S-Presso.

Dimensions

The 2021 Celerio is larger than the car it replaces. Notably, the Celerio is now wider by 55mm and the boot space is up by 40 per cent too, to 313 litres. Consequently, interior space of the Celerio has also improved, with the wheelbase matching its sibling, the WagonR. In terms of height, the Celerio is actually shorter than before. The widest in the lot is the Tata Tiago, and sitting three abreast at the rear is likely to be more comfortable in the Tata than the other hatchbacks in this group. At 1555mm, the Celerio is only taller than the Kwid and the Redi-go, and it will be interesting to see the amount of headroom on offer in the Maruti Suzuki. Rear seat occupants will likely find the knee room of Celerio to be the best of the lot, thanks to the increase in its wheelbase. However, it is the Santro that is likely to claw back lost ground with its ease of parking in the city, thanks to its compact length, which is second only to the S-Presso.

Engines

For 2021, the Celerio gets an updated version of the 1-litre K-Series engine that has powered the hatchback in the past. Dubbed the K10C, this three-cylinder engine now features Dual Jet and Dual VVT along with an integrated exhaust manifold for better efficiency, and this reflects in the Celerio’s fuel economy figures which stand at an ARAI certified 26.68kmpl – making it the most fuel-efficient petrol car in India! In the pursuit for fuel efficiency, the 2021 Celerio is 1bhp and 1Nm down on power and torque respectively than the car it replaces. Its siblings, the S-Presso and the WagonR make identical power figures, with both cars making 67bhp. The Tiago is the most powerful of the lot, making 85bhp from its 1.2-litre engine. It is closely followed by the 1.2-litre version of the WagonR, which only makes 3bhp less than the Tiago. From its 1.1-litre engine, the Santro makes a healthy 68bhp of power along with 99Nm of torque. The 2021 Celerio’s engine is now available with an idle-stop start feature, which was not available earlier.

Features

All the cars are similarly matched in their feature sets, with the top-spec variants offering touchscreens for infotainment and steering mounted controls, coupled with phone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as Bluetooth. The trio from Maruti Suzuki features Smartplay Studio infotainment which is easy to use, as we’ve seen in the past. All the cars get reverse parking sensors, as mandated by the Government, but the Kwid, Santro, redi-Go and the Tiago come with a camera as well. Interestingly, the Celerio now gets electrically retractable ORVMs, with only the three Marutis getting this feature. The Tiago packs the most comprehensive features list, with an eight-speaker sound system by Harman and automatic climate control on the top-spec variant, along with touches like follow-me-home headlamps, and this reflects in its pricing.

Pricing

All the cars in this lot are available with petrol engines and AMT transmissions, with the trio from Maruti Suzuki and the Hyundai Santro getting the option of a CNG powertrain as well. With prices starting at ₹4.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the Celerio and the Tiago are evenly matched but as you compare the higher trims, the difference becomes more apparent, with the top-spec ZXI+ AMT version of the Celerio being almost ₹10,000 cheaper than the Tiago. The Celerio is also more expensive than the Hyundai Santro, with the Datsun redi-Go being the most affordable of the lot.