Maruti Ciaz 2014-2017 AT VXi Plus

India's leading automaker MSIL has officially launched a newest sedan model in the Indian car bazaar. It is christened as Maruti Ciaz, which is currently available in four trim levels Among those, Maruti Ciaz AT VXi Plus is the mid range variant powered by a 1.4-litre K-Series petrol engine under the hood. It is mated with a 4-speed manual transmission gearbox, which releases torque output to the front wheels. This latest sedan is a blend of style, advanced features and unmatched drive comfort, as it is bestowed with several first-in-segment features. In terms of comforts, this trim has rear parking sensors, an integrated music system with steering mounted audio controls and driver's seat height adjuster. While the safety list includes ABS with EBD, rear defogger and remote central locking facility. This sedan has an attractive external appearance, thanks to the stylish features like projector headlamps, black B pillars and a signature chrome radiator grille. Its interiors are extremely spacious owing to its 1730mm width and 4490mm length, which also makes it as the widest and longest in its segment. It is available in a total of seven attractive paint options including Chocolate Brown, Clear Beige, Fire Brick Red, Pearl Metallic Arctic White, Midnight Black, Silky Silver and Glistening Grey.

Exteriors:

This sedan's front facade has a stylish radiator grille in the center, which has horizontally positioned chrome slats. It is flanked by a sleek headlight cluster, which is powered by projector headlamps and turn indicators. The front bumper has a sporty design featuring a large air dam and a pair of fog lamps. The bonnet has two expressive lines, which compliments the design of grille. The overall look of its frontage is further emphasized by prominent company's badge embedded on to the grille. It has a lustrous side profile with cab-forward structure, which is fitted with body colored door handles and external wing mirrors. Its B pillars and window frames are garnished in black. However, the car maker is offering this variant with a set of 15-inch steel rims, which are further fitted with full wheel covers. The rear profile is attractive as its front and side facets, thanks to the wide taillight cluster and expressive boot lid. It is further decorated with a chrome strip along with company's badge, which gives it a magnificent look. Its rear bumper too has a sporty structure as it is designed with black colored reflector consoles.

Interiors:

This Maruti Ciaz AT VXi Plus trim has a beige and black interior cabin, which is further decorated with faux-wood inserts. In addition to these, its door handles, parking lever tip, AC vents surround and steering wheel have chrome embellishments, which adds to its plushness. The dashboard has an elegantly crafted crafted center fascia, which houses a climate control unit, music system and a gearbox console . The instrument cluster has a digital information screen, which displays outside temperature, clock, gear position and other informatics. While the steering wheel is mounted with multi-functional switches, which adds to the conveniences. Its cabin is well furnished with well-cushioned seats, which have adjustable headrests and covered with premium fabric upholstery. Its driver's seat has height adjustment function whereas the rear bench seat has split folding facility. This sedan also has a huge 510-litre boot compartment and 43-litre fuel tank. There are several utility based features given inside the cabin like front sun visors with passenger's side vanity mirror, cup holders, accessory power socket, a large glove box and other storage spaces.

Engine and Performance:

Powering this variant is the 1.4-litre K-Series petrol engine, which has multi-point fuel injection supply system. This motor is based on double overhead camshaft valve configuration with 4-cylinders and 16-valves, which displaces 1373cc. This engine can belt out a maximum power of 91.2bhp at 6000rpm and yields a hammering torque output of 130Nm at 400rpm. The automaker has mated this power plant with a 4-speed automatic transmission gearbox, which allows the front wheels to extract torque output. This petrol variant has the ability to return a maximum mileage of 20.73 Kmpl, which is remarkable.

Braking and Handling:

This sedan is integrated with a power steering system, which offers precise response and makes handling simpler. Its front axle is fitted with McPherson strut and the rear one gets torsion beam system . As far as its braking is concerned, its front wheels are fitted with sturdy discs while the rear ones are paired with solid drum brakes. In addition to these, the car maker has also incorporated anti lock braking system and electronic brake force distribution, which reinforces the braking mechanism.

Comfort Features:

This Maruti Ciaz AT VXi Plus is the mid range variant, which is equipped with several advanced features. Its center fascia is fitted with a proficient music system including a CD player along with USB port, 4-speakers and 2-tweeters. Furthermore, it also has Bluetooth connectivity for calls and audio streaming with switches located on steering wheel . This variant has several other features including a climate control unit with rear AC vents, power windows with one touch operation, remote central locking, electrically adjustable outside mirrors and a large glove box. Furthermore, it also has height adjustable driver's seat, front door map pockets, 60:40 split folding rear seat, dual front sun visors and fabric seat upholstery. The car maker is also offering features like rear parking sensors, driver's side armrest, rear demister and front intermittent wipers with washer.

Safety Features:

This mid range variant is bestowed with some of the most important safety features, which ensures unparalleled protection to the occupants. The list of features include anti lock braking system with electronic brake force distribution, projector headlamps, centrally located high mount third brake light and front fog lamps. It also has features like side impact protection beams, anti-theft security system, rear parking sensors , driver's seat belt reminder, door ajar warning, inside rear view mirror with anti-dazzling function, three-point ELR seatbelts and external wing mirrors with integrated turn indicators. This sedan is also bestowed with an advanced engine immobilizer, which safeguards the vehicle from unauthorized access

Pros:

1. Comfort features are at par with other competitors.

2. After-sales service is quite satisfying.

Cons:

1. Alloy wheels can be provided as standard.

2. Low ground clearance is its main drawback.