My New Maruti Suzuki Celerio VXI AMT


Thread Starter #1
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Hello TAI'gers.

So i am here to pen down my ownership review of my newly bought Maruti Suzuki Celerio VXI AMT.

I bought the new car home on 1st March, 2017 after lots of permutation and combinations.

So the story behind buying the AMT equipped Maruti Suzuki Celerio

As my signature can give you a idea, i owned a Hyundai Grand i10 Sports (Petrol) prior to buying the Celerio. This part of my review is a brief ownership experience of my previous car and how the decision of changing it was ultimately taken. The Hyundai was bought way back in 17th August, 2015. So after 18 months of ownership of the Grand i10, i got it exchanged for a Celerio AMT. Ya, it is a downgrade mostly on all aspects but it was a well thought out decision. To be frank, i was late to learning to drive, so after the Grand i10 came home, my cousin and a driver taught me the basics of driving. It was quite a good car to have. A well equipped cabin. Well styled exteriors, although i preferred buying the Elite i20 as i liked its styling over the Grand i10. Buying process of the Grand i10 was simple but was not happy with the lack of color choice and was pretty much discouraged to good the Elite i20 petrol ( was a good decision to chuck the i20 cause of the same 1.2l petrol engine of the Grand i10 on a heavier i20 thereby poor fuel efficiency and acceleration figures) and dealership was not at all interested in marketing the Diesel Elite i20 Era (base variant) and magna variants. Initially i considered the Maruti Suzuki Swift but its rear seat space and the claustrophobic feel was severely criticized by my parents. So the Swift was out of contention. No other Brands were considered as i tried to be on the safe side as it was the firsr car of our family. So got the Hyundai Grand i10 home, learned driving on it and then i had to move back to Guwahati, Assam to finish off my internship followed by Residency. So as per the usage pattern back then, the Grand i10 petrol served as well. It was rarely driven and it only clocked 5000 km in 1 year. This included a Chabua, Dibrugarh (My hometown) to Guwahati trip i.e roughly a 1000 km trip. By the time i decided to let go of the Grand i10, it had done 9200 km.
Pros of the Grand i10 for me:
+ Superb NVH levels
+ Interior fit and finish and looks is a segment topped for me
+ Lots of interior space for the segment it is in
Cons:
- Not very exciting to drive and after the got hold of driving properly, the 1.2 l kappa engine felt very boring. Maybe because i drove my friends Volkswagen Polo GT TSI for a short drive and i was under the spell of the GT.
- I was surprised to observe how easily the Grand i10 engine stalls. It just dies at me easily. I thought cause i am a novice driver and that might be the reason but no, our driver reported the same (although that guy has driven diesel cars like Bolero, Innova mostly)
- (Not a con of Grand i10) Still regretting why dint we extended our budget to accommodate a Diesel Elite i20 or Why dint we waited a bit longer for the Ford Figo.
- The AC of the Grand i10 felt very weak for my liking. Was not cool enough when need. Registered 2 complaints about it during 2 visits to the service center but no improvement.
- Average fuel efficiency figures was not very exciting or near company claimed. Highway mileage was good but the city mileage was disappointing considering city/town here are not that crowded.

All the cons i mentioned about the Grand i10 are my subjective observations. Fellow Grand i10 owners will have different outlook to that.

So after i came back home permanently from Guwahati and started my practice, the Grand i10 was used regularly. Was really disappointed by the average fuel mileage then. And also the archaic MID of the Grand i10 is a bummer. Plus to add to my problems, my previously fractured left leg was complaining me about having to use the clutch pedal even though it was very light. And my desire to get a automatic car started to crop up in my mind.

A fine day, my left leg got furious and was giving me niggles so as very casually i planned to get a new automatic car. So decided to present this new idea at around January 2017 in front of my parents and all they told me was, i am crazy.

By end of January 2017, my parents too were not veru happy with the fuel mileage figures of the Grand i10 and i again pressed my idea of owning a new automatic car.

Sorry for back to back posts. Was not able to compile everything in one post and also the pictures. Help me out with this moderators

To be continued......
 

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Thread Starter #2
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Shortlisted Automatic cars

1. Hyundai Grand i10 AT Magna
2. Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 VXI AMT
3. Nissan Micra CVT XL
4. Maruti Suzuki Celerio VXI AMT
5. Honda Brio VX AT
6. Renault Kwid AMT

1. Hyundai Grand i10 AT Magna

My parents liked the Grand i10 for its rear seat comfort and it was the first car on there list to go if a automatic transmission is a requirement. Called the Hyundai dealership of Dibrugarh Town, Borah Hyundai. They were not too interested in selling a automatic Grand i10 instead they offered me to get a Hyundai Grand i10 Diesel which i rejected. Upon asking them again they told me once i book the new Grand i10 Automatic, it will take upto 2 months before i can drive it home. But i needed a automatic car soon. So the Grand i10 was out.

2. Maruti Suzuki Alto/Celerio AMT

So we moved forward towards the largest car manufacturer in India, Maruti Suzuki. Went to its Showroom and had a look at both the Alto AMT and Celerio AMT on display there. Needless to say, the Alto was straight away rejected with lack of interior and boot space and those puny 13 inch rims. Celerio felt better and a proper downgrade from a Grand i10. Still not finalized a car yet. In the meantime i got my Grand i10 (was under SVU car loan) evaluated by the true value guys in the dealership and they promised to give the value of it the next day.

3. Nissan Micra CVT XL

Gave a call to the Nissan dealership to enquire about the Micra CVT. Same old story, No automatic Micra on stock as automatic cars are not in demand in this part of India.

4. Honda Brio VX AT

Went to the Honda Showroom and saw the Brio on display. As everyone knows about its rear design. My Dad was not at all impressed by the boot space, interior and exterior design. And also no automatic car in stock as always. No proper exchange option for my Grand i10 (it was under SBI car loan).

5. Renault Kwid AMT

Went to the Renault showroom and it had the Kwid 1.0 litre and the new Duster on display. So wanted to get the Duster AMT[:D] but budget didn't permit so. 3 nuts for the wheels and single wiper didn't impressed me. Not to impressed with the car overall so rejected.

Wish the Tata Tiago AMT was launched a bit earlier. Had it been so, i would have bought home a Tiago AMT.

In the meantime, the True value guy called me and offered 3 lakhs for my Grand i10. I was very disappointed with such low value for a 18 months 9200 km driven car. But being under SBI car loan, i need some money to get the loan closed and also to avail a new loan for the new car. Got few local brokers to evaluate the Grand i10 and they too quoted 2.80 lakhs maximum. So finalized on the Maruti Suzuki Celerio VXI AMT.
All these selection processes started on January 2017 and ended on 24th February 2017 as we booked the Celerio AMT.

We handed over the Hyundai Grand i10 on 27th February 2017 and they present me a cheque of Rs 3 lakhs which i deposited in my account and got the car loan closed. In the meantime, the car loan for the Celerio was under processing and was on hold till the previous loan is closed.

I told the dealership to fit the sound system, speakers, reverse parking sensors, mud flaps and seat covers installed prior to delivery and also include it in the SBI car loan amount which was done.

On 1st March 2017, i reached the dealership at 3 pm after my work and i went ahead to inspect my to be delivered car properly. With all things checked, remaining paperwork was sorted out and also i had to submit the car loan closure NOC which my Dad collected from the bank.

Showroom price for the Celerio VXI AMT is Rs 4,75,300 and registration charges was Rs 29000. Got extended warranty (a must have on AMT or automatic cars) for Rs 6300 and insurance by New India Insurance for Rs 15,300. Got anti rust underbody coating for rust protection in our monsoon heavy state and also to improve the overall NVH levels.

Pictures coming next....
 
Thread Starter #4
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On the Day of Delivery of the car. It was dark by the time i got the Celerio delivered to me. My Dad is receiving the key for the new car. Sweets were from our side for the Maruti Staff as well as our neighbors back home. [:)]
 

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Thread Starter #6
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1000 km update:
Initial phase of running-in the engine was completed and tried my best to restrict the Revs below 2000-2500 rpm (revved it under 2000 mostly). Driving it was nice and easy. Coming from a very refined Hyundai Grand i10, one will never be satisfied with the NVH levels of the Celerio with a 3 cylinder 1 litre engine. Still it is manageable with music playing and windows rolled up.

Surprised with the handling of a tall boyish designed car like the Celerio at speeds of 70 kmph during the first 1000 kms. Body roll was in check as well as the steering feedback was better than the Grand i10. The weight on the steering wheel upon gathering speed felt better than the Grand i10. Although it would be extremely unfair to compare the Celerio to other cars that i have driven especially the Polo GT TSI.

Suspension felt stiff in the Celerio and the rear felt bouncy when encountering speed bumps.

The AMT system although has the typical lag and jerky-ness is very manageable, one just needs to ease of the throttle at specified rpms and speed and the AMT takes the opportunity to change a gear. 1st and 2nd gear changes are slow and jerky but i think since this being my first automatic car, i have manage to get the better of it. I feel i rather manage with a bit jerky-ness of the AMT instead of the rubberband effect of a CVT.

Coming to the 1 litre K10B engine. It is a great peppy engine thanks to the light kerb weight of the Celerio. Acceleration is quite good for its engine size.

More updates to continue
 

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Thread Starter #7
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5000 km update:

Went pass 5000 km on the odometer and completed the full run-in of the engine. The MID displays a average fuel efficiency figure of 18.8 kmpl as of now. Full tank to tank calculation gave me a average fuel efficiency figure of 18 kmpl.

Went pass 110 kmph on a newly built highway. The car was stable went it crossed 100 kmph. The highway manners was pretty civilized for a car like Celerio. Braking is above average and the bite is not very progressive according to me.

Longest drive so far is a 100 km drive with a 1 hr halt in between.

Future trips planned is to visit the newly inaugurated Dr Bhupen Hazarika Bridge (Dhola-Sadiya Bridge) which is the longest of its kind in India.
 

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Thread Starter #8
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Driving position is pretty good for city driving but the thick A pillars are a huge hindrance on turns.

Lumbar support is lacking in the Driver's seat.

Rear seat has a shortened seat base and thereby leads to poor underthigh support.

The ICE installed by the Dealership is a 2 Din Sony WX-900BT unit. It features Aux in, USB support, Bluetooth for audio as well as calls and NFC. It can also be controlled by a Andriod app called SongPal. It comes with a IR remote.

Now i so miss the well integrated ICE of the Grand i10 and the steering mounted controls.

Planned upgrades:

Better speakers, will definitely need alot of suggestions here.
A steering mounted IR remote compatible with my ICE
3D/5D floor mats. MGA provided mats are not of much help.

Recently Installed Accessories :

Installed magnetic sunshades with zipper for the front pair of sunshades from Auto pearl through Amazon.in. And also got a cheap windshield sun shade.
 

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