Despite the SUV craze engulfing the market, hatchbacks have proven that a few things always stay in style. Be it practicality, mileage or affordability, hatchbacks are a testament to the fact that compact cars are still the heroes for everyday city driving. With each passing year, hatchbacks have ruled the sales charts and rightly so.
When it comes to India’s favourite hatchbacks, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio is a name that cannot be ignored. Launched in 2014, the Celerio tasted instant success owing to its refreshing take on the classic tall-boy design. Selling over 4.7 lakh units in just 5 years, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio continues to outsell competitors combined. Evolving with market expectations, the Celerio recently received its generation upgrade, which has helped the hatchback shine brighter. Hailed as one of India’s most fuel-efficient hatchbacks, the Celerio is more than just a mileage king. Emerging as a bestseller every year, here is why India is madly and deeply in love with the Maruti Suzuki Celerio.
High Efficiency
Fuel efficiency has always been Maruti’s strongest suit. But, with the Celerio, the carmaker went miles ahead and created something that can make even the most frugal cars sweat. Ever since its launch in 2014, the Celerio has constantly returned some of the best mileage figures in India. And unlike other cars, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio delivered on what it advertised. In its diesel avatar, which was on sale till 2017, the Celerio returned up to 27.62 kmpl of mileage, while for the petrol engine, the numbers were as high as 23.1 kmpl for the pre-facelift trims.
Tastefully designed for the Indian market, the Celerio has always offered CNG trims that took efficiency to a whole new level. Even in the face of stringent regulatory norms and expensive fuel prices, the Celerio yet again delivered with its retuned BS6 petrol engine that did even better than its predecessor. In its current iteration, the new generation Celerio’s engine returns an astonishing mileage of up to 26.68 kmpl with the automatic transmission that has completely shattered the myth that automatics are always less efficient. In fact, the petrol automatic mileage of the Celerio is similar to what a frugal diesel engine offers, making it one of the most preferred hatchbacks of today.
It is Celerio’s super efficient powertrain that has not only crowned the hatchback as India’s most fuel-efficient petrol car but also helped the hatchback gain massive popularity and love. The strongest side of the Celerio is its efficient petrol engine, which is a perfect blend of refinement, power, efficiency and performance. Even in the pre-owned market, the Celerio is revered as one of the best-suited family cars.
A Design That Offends None
A new take on the classic tall boy design, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio brings in a neutral design tone that impresses many and offends none. With prominent headlamps units, a wide grille with chrome inserts, boxy yet elegant bodyline, and a rather simple approach, the Celerio is a well-designed vehicle that doesn’t bombard the user with a lot going on.
While the classic approach works well for the Celerio, the competition made the hatchback seem a bit old over the years. With the latest generation, the Celerio feels refreshing and modern with its more rounded silhouette, large glass area, and new 15-inch alloys. But with the latest generation now in the market, the Celerio is even more refreshing. The overall silhouette of the Celerio makes it seem younger. With more curves and rounds here and there, the Celerio now feels much more modern. With additions such as new 15-inch alloys and a larger glass area.
Overall, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio has always stood for minimalist styling that grows onto you with time. Despite the new generation doing wonders, even the classic Celerio still has the charm that makes buyers pick the compact car over others in the pre-owned market.
Impressive Interiors
While the Celerio was initially launched to replace the gap left by the A-Star, the hatchback was miles ahead in terms of the interior. One step inside the Celerio, and it is clear that the interiors are inspired by Maruti’s flagship offerings. While the pre-facelift variants offered a classy dual-tone finish with silver inserts, the new generation hatchback offers an all-black finish with silver inserts. No matter what model you pick, the Celerio has always offered an interior that is not only contemporary, classy and convenient but also has a feel-good factor to it.
Onboard the pre-facelift models, the Celerio’s interiors offered a decent amount of features such as steering-mounted controls, Bluetooth and aux connectivity, ample storage spaces, height adjustable driver’s seat etc. For those who want more, the new generation of the Celerio brings in a 7-inch touch infotainment with smartphone navigation and push-button start that takes the overall feel of the interiors up a notch.
No matter which model of the Celerio you pick, the hatchback’s classic yet modern interiors never make you feel like you are inside an affordable hatchback. Despite its humble price tag, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio offers superb value for money, especially in terms of the interiors, which is definitely one of its best-selling points.
Capable Automatic
In times when constant traffic jams have become a sad reality, automatic transmissions come as a respite for those who wish to enjoy a comfortable driving experience. However, despite the comfort, automatic transmissions are infamous for their high price tag and lower efficiency, which makes them a distant dream for many.
Defying all odds, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio played a pivotal role in making automatic transmission truly accessible to the mass market. In doing so, Maruti showcased that with the correct blend of research and developments, even automatic transmissions can be highly efficient. It is the Celerio’s capable automatic gear shift (AGS) technology that has not just helped the hatchback become immensely popular but has also changed the way people look at AMTs. With the latest generation of the hatchback’s automatic trims offering a mileage as high as 26.68 kmpl along with hill hold control, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio’s capable automatic transmission is appreciable and way ahead of the competition.
High Practicality
When the Maruti Suzuki Celerio was launched in 2014, it was quite a force to reckon with in the hatchback segment. The Celelrio was pushed as an affordable hatchback for the masses, that was comfortable, affordable and highly efficient. But what made the Celerio an unforgettable success, is its overall practicality quotient. With ample storage spaces intelligently infused within the interiors, the Celerio offers a spacious boot onboard, that makes the hatchback truly practical.
More than just storage, the Celerio also offers great manoeuvrability, peppy driving dynamics and a compact bodyline that seems like the perfect fit for the city. Additionally, the Celerio’s highly affordable price tag works very well in the favour of the hatchback and makes it the best choice for those looking to bring home a car that isn’t too heavy on their pockets. Even in the pre-owned market, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio’s highly practical package makes it the first choice of many first-time car buyers.
Summary
With a plethora of great hatchbacks already available in the market, the competition in the segment is rather fierce. However, despite such a challenging atmosphere, Marut Suzuki has managed to retain a stronghold over the market with capable products that sell in huge numbers. A big part of Maruti’s hatchback success is the Celerio which has been one of India’s best hatchbacks since 2014. With exceptional mileage, high practicality, capable automatic transmission and balanced looks, the Celerio has impressed over 6 lakh Indians over the years. True success in every sense, there are a lot of reasons to fall in love with the Maruti Suzuki Celerio over and over again. As one of Maruti’s star products, the Celerio has truly delivered.
