The Ciaz completes 3 years in the Indian market this October.
Given that Honda has already rolled out a significant facelift for the City, Toyota is entering the segment with the Vios, and Hyundai is prepping to launch the third generation Verna in August, it is about time Maruti responds with a refreshed Ciaz. After all, the Ciaz will complete three years in the Indian market this October.
Although spy shots of a Maruti Ciaz test mule surfaced in May, it didn't have any significant exterior changes worthy of a mid-cycle refresh, suggesting that the facelifted model hasn't entered testing. As rivals have raised the ante in design and specification, we expect Maruti to follow suit with the Ciaz. To give an idea of the changes Maruti could make to its exterior, IAB's Shoeb R Kalania has created a rendering of the 2018 Maruti Ciaz.
The actual car may not mirror the looks of the rendered example, but you can expect the facelifted Ciaz to bear the touch of premiumness the rendering imparts. It could feature LED headlamps with bolder DRLs, more chrome embellishers on the bumper (inspired by Suzuki Alivio), new 16-inch diamond cut alloy rims, and LED taillamps. The interior could be kept identical to the current car, save for small upgrades to the infotainment system, materials and equipment.
It has been rumoured for long that the facelifted Ciaz petrol gets the new 1.5L 4-cyl petrol engine, so as to better rival the 119 PS Honda City 1.5 i-VTEC petrol, the 123 PS Hyundai Verna 1.6L petrol or the 105 PS VW Vento 1.6L MPI/1.2L TSI. So far, we're still in the dark about the Ciaz getting bigger engines in its next big update, but more details should start surfacing in the coming months.
Currently, the Maruti Ciaz has the least powerful petrol and diesel variants in the segment. It can be had with a K14B 1.4-litre VVT petrol engine that produces 68 kW (91.15 hp) and 130 Nm of torque, or the 1.3-litre DDiS 200 diesel engine with SHVS, good for 66 kW (88.47 hp) and 200 Nm of torque. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard, while the petrol variant exclusively can be equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. The diesel variant, however, does make up for great fuel efficiency; up until the Dzire arrived, the Maruti Ciaz diesel SHVS was the most fuel-efficient mass-produced car on sale in India, with a mileage of 28.09 km/l.
