December 2022 - Maruti Nexa Ciaz Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

Updated: This update of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz variants explained includes the latest December 2022 prices of the Nexa Ciaz and accordingly-updated buying recommendation for each variant.

Also Read: 5th Gen Honda City Petrol Variants Explained - Latest Price

Volkswagen Virtus Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

Skoda Slavia Petrol Variants Explained - Buying Recommendation

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Maruti Suzuki Nexa Ciaz Petrol?

The pros or advantages of Maruti Nexa Ciaz are:

• Fairly affordable C-segment sedan despite skyrocketing new car prices - especially the Zeta manual is a good value for money and still costs under Rs. 10.0 lakh ex-showroom
• Reasonably loaded with features like cruise control, auto AC, leather upholstery, rear AC vents, rear sunshades, sunglass holder, touchscreen, 
• Class-leading official mileage figure of 20kmpl+ even with a torque converter type automatic transmission
• Maruti Suzuki’s wide service network makes it easy to find original and high-quality OEM-spec spares and competent mechanics

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz petrol has the following shortcomings or problems:

• Turbo petrol, turbo diesel and full hybrid engine options aren’t available
• Missing features like ventilated front seats, sunroof, tyre pressure sensors, front side thorax airbags, curtain airbags, wireless phone charger, cooled storage, boot light, 360-degree camera and head-up display
• Old-school torque converter automatic with only 4 gear ratios
• 170mm ground clearance is practical but considerably less than newer sedans like Virtus and Slavia, which have a towering, SUV-like, 179mm clearance

What Is The Price Of Maruti Suzuki Nexa Ciaz Petrol Variants?

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is available in 5 variants with a starting price of Rs. 9.0 lakh for the Sigma petrol-manual and the prices stretch up to Rs. 10.90 lakh for the S petrol-manual. The Alpha variant with the petrol-automatic powertrain is the most expensive and it costs Rs. 11.99 lakh (ex-showroom). A 4-speed torque converter automatic transmission is available in the mid-spec 3 variants. The ex-showroom price difference between the manual and automatic variants is constant at Rs. 1.20 lakh.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Petrol Sigma - Base Model Features

The base model of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is only available with a petrol-manual powertrain and costs Rs. 9.0 lakh (ex-showroom). The Ciaz Sigma has the following notable features:

• Front armrest with storage and rear armrests with cupholders
• Tilt steering
• Power mirrors
• Manual AC with rear vents
• Colour LCD for MID
• Rear defogger
• Day/night inside mirror
• Music system
• Steering-mounted controls
• 15-inch steel wheel with covers
• Remote central locking
• Halogen projector headlamps

The base variant doesn’t get the following important features:

• Auto AC
• Height-adjustable driver seat
• Fog lamps
• Power folding mirrors

The base variant doesn’t get some important features, which you might miss in a sedan of this class. So, we’ll suggest even budget buyers to consider stretching your budget and buy a higher variant.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Petrol Sigma vs Delta Variant - Price, Features Comparison

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Delta costs Rs. 9.64 lakh with the manual and Rs. 10.84 lakh with the automatic. The Delta variant is Rs. 64,000 more expensive than the Sigma. For Ciaz automatic buyers, this is the most affordable variant. The torque converter type automatic transmission carries a premium of Rs. 1.20 lakh over the manual and this price difference is consistent across all variants. This additional price is a little higher than the industry standard, especially considering that the automatic has only 4 speeds. However, the automatic transmission also offers safety features like ESC and hill start assist, which are not available with the manual transmission.

Over the base Sigma variant, it adds the following notable features:

• Front fog lamps
• Auto AC
• Cruise control
• Alloy wheels
• Height-adjustable driver seat

While the Delta variant covers the basics quite well, you may still miss the following features in this variant:

• Rear camera
• Touchscreen
• Rear window sunshades
• Adjustable rear headrests

The Delta variant justifies the cost over the Sigma variant with its additional features. However, we’ll not recommend the Delta variant of the Ciaz either for manual as well as automatic buyers. Now, let’s see the additional features of the Ciaz Zeta variant.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Petrol Delta vs Zeta Variant - Price, Features Comparison

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Zeta costs Rs. 6.47 lakh with the manual and Rs. 6.97 lakh with the automatic. The Zeta variant is Rs. 48,000 more expensive than the Delta.

It adds the following notable features over the Delta variant:

• Rear camera
• Auto-dimming inside mirror
• Auto headlamps
• Rear reading lamps
• Front footwell lamps
• Adjustable rear headrests
• Sunglass holder
• LED projector headlamps
• LED tail lamps
• LED DRLs
• LED fog lamps
• Keyless entry with push-button start/stop
• Rear window sunshades
• Power folding mirrors

In this variant, you may miss features like:

• Touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple Carplay
• Machined alloy wheels
• Front side thorax airbags
• Cooled storage
• Tyre pressure sensors
• Boot light

This variant offers important features, which are essential for a sedan ownership regardless of whether you’re planning to drive the car yourself or have a driver chauffeur you around. Moreover, on the value front, the Zeta variant offers the best bang for your money and therefore it earns our top recommendation. Even if you’re on a tight budget, we’ll strongly suggest you stretch your budget and buy the Zeta variant. Especially with the manual transmission, a sub-Rs. 10.0 lakh price will also result in lower taxes and registration fees.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Petrol Zeta vs Alpha Variant - Price, Features Comparison

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Alpha variant costs Rs. 10.79 lakh with the manual and Rs. 11.99 lakh with the automatic. It’s Rs. 79,500 more expensive than the Zeta trim and gets the following notable additional features:

• Leather upholstery
• Larger 16-inch machined alloy wheels with wider tyres
• 7-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple Carplay
• Leather steering wheel cover
• Chrome accents on the exterior

Even in the well-loaded Alpha trim, you may miss features like:

• Ventilated front seats (especially because of the non-breathable leather upholstery)
• Tyre pressure sensors
• Sunroof
• Front side thorax and curtain airbags
• Cooled storage
• Boot light

The Alpha variant justifies the incremental cost over even the base Sigma variant, but it doesn’t offer the kind of value for money that the Zeta does. The Alpha is a value for money variant. However, you should buy it only if you can easily afford this variant and absolutely want these features. For better value, you can also consider the higher S variant. Let’s see what additional features it offers.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Petrol Alpha vs S Variant - Price, Features Comparison

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S variant is only available with a manual transmission and costs Rs. 10.90 lakh, which is Rs. 11,000 more than the Alpha variant. It gets mostly cosmetic features like black interior, black upholstery, spoiler, rear bumper skirt, side skirts and grey alloy wheels.

These are all design features but they more than justify the Rs. 11,000 incremental price premium over the Alpha variant. So, if you’re planning to buy the Alpha manual variant, and like the S variant’s design, then this variant is an easy choice. It offers better value than the Alpha variant with some exclusive style features.

Which Variant Of The Maruti Nexa Ciaz Petrol Should You Buy?

The base Sigma variant of the Ciaz doesn’t get a few important features. The Delta variant justifies the upgrade cost but still doesn’t add some important features, which are essential for an upmarket ownership experience of a sedan owner.

The Zeta variant not only offers these features, it also offers a phenomenal value for money. So for a good ownership experience as well as better value for money, we’ll suggest all Ciaz buyers to at least buy the Zeta variant. It’s also our top recommendation for all Ciaz petrol-manual buyers.

From there, the Alpha can’t quite match the Zeta’s VFM (value for money) score but overall, it’s not a bad option either. You can consider buying the Alpha variant if you want the unique features of this variant and can easily accommodate the Zeta variant in your budget. However, if you like the unique style features of the S, then for a small extra cost, you should buy the S variant, which offers better value than the Alpha variant with all of the Alpha’s features.

Similarly, for Ciaz automatic buyers, the Delta variant is not worth buying as the Zeta offers far better value for money and will provide better ownership experience as well. The Alpha variant is slightly expensive but worth considering if you want Alpha’s unique features like touchscreen, machined alloy wheels and leather upholstery.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Petrol?

The 1.5L mild-hybrid petrol engine of the Ciaz has the lowest power and torque output among C-segment sedans. It especially pales in comparison with 1.0L turbo petrol engines of the Virtus, Slavia and Verna, which promise much better torque output at lower RPMs for far better drivability.

We’ve not included the engine specs of the Virtus and Slavia 1.5L turbo and City 1.5L hybrid, which are a few notches above Ciaz’s figures and offer class leading performance.

In terms of mileage figures, though, the Ciaz is still the segment leader if we keep the City hybrid out of the scope of this comparison. Only the Verna turbo, Virtus and Slavia twins with their 1.0L turbo manage to come close to the 20kmpl mark. Meanwhile, the Ciaz is safely above this number even with the gas-guzzling torque converter type automatic transmission.

What Are The Dimensions Of The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz?

As the recent C-segment sedans like the new City, Slavia and Virtus break the 4.5m mark to technically enter the D-segment, the Ciaz still manages to stand its ground with a length, which is only 1cm shy of the 4.5m mark. Moreover, it can also challenge the Virtus and Slavia on the wheelbase front as the wheelbase of the Ciaz measures only 1mm less than that of the latest sedans.

In terms of boot space, again, the Ciaz offers 510 litres of storage, which is comparable with the 4th-gen City, 5th-gen City, Virtus and Slavia. The Ciaz also has a width, which is not class-leading but comparable with the new larger sedans like the 5th gen City, Virtus and Slavia. Despite its age, it’s surprising to see that the Ciaz can stand its ground against larger C-segment sedans, which are technically breaking into the D1-segment space with their 4500mm+ lengths.

What Are The Colour Options Of The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz?

The 2022 Ciaz is available in the following 7 colours:

• Dark blue
• Black
• Red
• Brown
• Grey
• Silver
• White

Note: Here is a quick look at our length-based segmentation of cars to give you an idea of how we are classifying cars based on their size.