Maruti Ignis Vs Maruti Celerio

India’s top car maker, Maruti Suzuki finally launched the much awaited Ignis last month, making it the first big launch of year 2017. The Maruti Suzuki Ignis is the company’s first mini crossover model and also the entry-level model in the lineup that is sold exclusively through the Nexa premium outlets across the country. The Ignis is a nice amalgamation of nice styling, technology, safety and practicality.

The affordable pricing of this premium mini crossover-hatch has caused a lot of tensions for the popular compact hatchback models in the country, among which Ignis’ own cousins are also there. Although in terms of body style and positioning the new Maruti Suzuki Ignis goes directly against the Mahindra KUV100 micro-SUV, the Ignis also goes up against a lot of popular compact hatchbacks including the Hyundai Grand i10, Maruti Swift and the Maruti Celerio. Here we are going to compare the Ignis with its cousin Celerio, although the price gap among these two models is quite noticeable. Due to their price difference, we are only considering the higher petrol variants of the Celerio with the base variant of the new Ignis. Take a look:

Ignis Vs Celerio

Maruti Suzuki’s Ignis is a compact crossover with a tallboy design, which means it is essentially a hatchback with some nice SUV like design and features. When it comes to design language, the Ignis is especially really attractive and off-beat. Its muscular, bold and aggressive styling elements with its upright structure along with a retro hint offer a really unique appeal which is very fresh in the current Indian auto market. This small car has been specifically designed keeping the young generation car owners of the country. Maruti Suzuki being the country’s top car maker and has been attractively styled with its affordable pricing is aimed at the millennial of the country. India is expected to have one of the world’s largest youngest populations by the year 2020. Thus, all the car manufacturers are really fighting to offer fresh car models to woo the younger car owners of India.

On the other hand, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio which was launched back in early 2014 at the 2014 Auto Expo is a largely conventional compact hatchback model with a smart yet traditional small hatch design. It is clean and elegant looking with some smart prominent character lines on its sides. The Celerio is practical and is a good choice for the first time or even the second time car buyers of India. However, when it comes to looks, the Celerio is definitely no match for the unique and eye-catching brand new Ignis.

Engine & Transmission

The Maruti Ignis comes packed with a 4-cyclinder 1.2 liter VVT petrol engine that offers 82 bhp of max power at 6000 rpm and 113 Nm of top torque at 4200 rpm. The Ignis is also available in a diesel version.

The Celerio comes powered with a 3-cylinder 1.0 liter 12V K10B petrol engine that has the capability to churn out a max power output of 67.04 bhp at 6000 rpm and 90 Nm of torque at 3500 rpm.

Thus, the Ignis definitely offers a more powerful petrol engine than the Celerio. When it comes to the transmission duty, both the cars come with both manual as well as automated manual transmission (AMT) gearbox. Both the Celerio and Ignis come equipped with a 5 speed manual transmission and a 5 speed AMT gearbox choices.

In terms of mileage, the Maruti Celerio beats the new Ignis. The Celerio has been one of the most fuel efficient cars in the market. Its petrol version offers a certified fuel efficiency of around 23.1 km per liter max. On the other hand, the Maruti Ignis petrol offers a fuel efficiency of around 20.89 km per liter.

Features & Safety

When it comes to features, again the Ignis is far better, as it gets many crucial safety features such as front dual airbags, anti-lock braking system (ABS) and ISOFIX child seat mounts as standard features on all its variants. However, these important safety features are offered only on the top of the range model trim of the Celerio.

The Maruti Ignis specifications includes LED headlamps and plenty of customization kits and options, which really put it far ahead of the Celerio.

Pricing

The Ignis has a price range starting from Rs. 4.59 lakhs for the base petrol model, which makes it the cheapest model in the range of Maruti cars sold from premium NEXA showrooms, and price of the Ignis goes up to Rs. 7.80 lakhs for the top-end diesel trim (all prices ex-showroom, New Delhi).

The starting price of the Celerio is Rs. 4.05 lakhs that goes up to Rs. 5.90 lakhs for the top diesel model trim (prices ex-showroom, New Delhi).

Pros & Cons

The following the pros and cons of the Celerio

Celerio Pros

• Nice cabin space despite its very compact dimensions.
• Lively and frugal petrol and diesel engines options.
• Safety equipments like ABS and Airbags are offered as options across its lineup.
• Pioneer in offering AMT technology in India and AMT options offered across all petrol variants.
• Effortless driving experience in the traffic stricken city roads.

Celerio Cons

• Jerky gear shifts on the AMT models, not smooth as a conventional and expensive automatic.
• Both petrol and diesel options are suitable for city drives, but feel underpowered on highways.
• Doors feel a bit fragile.

The following are the pros & cons of the Ignis:

Ignis Pros

• The cool, unique design language.
• Great cabin space for four occupants and ample amount of headroom and legroom.
• Impressive 180 mm ground clearance that offers good rough road handling capabilities.
• Its high seating position offers a better view of the road ahead.

Ignis Cons

• Top of the range Alpha trim does not offer AMT option which is a big lack.
• Although the cabin quality is god, the plastic surfaces are rather hard and the light white color is tough to maintain.

Conclusion

The new Maruti Suzuki Ignis is clearly a better choice. However, if you have a tight budget and need a good car to drive only on the city roads and don’t care about offbeat looks or premium features, then the Celerio is great for you.