Maruti Suzuki Launches Ciaz With New 1.5L Diesel Engine

After a lot of testing and leaks, Maruti Suzuki is now ready to move away from the ‘national engine’ of India – the Fiat 1.3 liter MultiJet diesel engine. The brand has launched the new 1.5-liter DDiS 225 diesel engine developed in-house by the brand. Maruti Suzuki Ciaz has become the first car to come equipped with the same engine as the brand has launched the new version of Ciaz sedan with the new 1.5-liter diesel engine. Ciaz 1.5-litre diesel is available in three variants – Delta, Zeta and Alpha. The ex-showroom prices for the new models of Ciaz are:

Delta – Rs. 9.97 lakh

Zeta – Rs. 11.08 lakh

Alpha – Rs. 11.37 lakhs

The older 1.3-liter engine powered model will remain in the market and customers can buy the older engine powered model of Ciaz as well. The new 1.5 diesel engine models are naturally priced slightly higher as compared to the older models of the best-selling sedan.

Highlights of the new 1.5-liter diesel engine

The new in-house diesel engine developed by Maruti Suzuki is a 4-cylinder unit rated to deliver 94 Bhp @ 4,000 rpm and 225 Nm between the range of 1,500 and 2,500 rpm.

Since the engine has been developed by Suzuki themselves, the brand has to not source the 1.3-liter Fiat Multijet diesel engine from the Italian maker. Thereby bringing down the cost of the manufacturing process of diesel cars. The same will come as a relief for customers and the brand alike, as upcoming BS-VI norms will make diesel cars a lot expensive and having an in-house engine will help in keeping car prices slightly low.

The cars that will be equipped with this new engine will get a significant torque bump. The older Fiat-sourced engine produced 200 Nm, but the new 1.5-liter diesel engine comes rated for 225 Nm.

The newer engine also comes equipped with a new 6-speed manual gearbox. The gearing ratio change in the new gearbox will make zipping through traffic easier with improved pick-up. Not to mention that the presence of one more gear will increase acceleration through gears quicker and make cars more fuel efficient during long distance cruising.

Maruti Suzuki will soon launch the 1.5-liter diesel engine models of updated Ertiga MPV and S-Cross as well. Company’s best-selling sub-4 meter compact SUV Vitara Brezza may also find itself equipped with the same engine in the near future. However, the company has not made it clear so far as to whether the more affordable cars from the brand such as Swift, Baleno or Dzire will find themselves being equipped with the new diesel engine or not.

With the new diesel engine updated Ciaz sedan closes the gap with rivals such as Hyundai Verna and Honda City as far as performance is concerned, a point that discouraged many customers from choosing the car. With the new engine Ciaz’s diesel model now gets a 5 Bhp and 25 Nm bump in output. This takes the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz’s output to 94 Bhp and 225 Nm. This closes the gap between Hyundai Verna (126 Bhp-250 Nm) and brings the Maruti sedan very close to Honda City (98.6 Bhp-200 Nm).

A point where the customers will take a slight hit is mileage. With the more powerful engine, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz 1.5’s mileage goes down from 28.01 Kmpl to 26.82 Kmpl. Although, with greater power on offer, this should be an acceptable compromise.

The new 1.5-liter diesel engine from Maruti Suzuki has a new turbocharger unit and a dual mass flywheel. With the new turbocharger unit, the engine now delivers greater lower end torque and the aforementioned dual mass flywheel brings down the NVH levels of the engine.

Sharing his thoughts on the new diesel engine introduced by the company, Mr. Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki said

Maruti Suzuki has always re-defined the Indian auto industry with its revolutionary offerings. The all-new aluminum 1.5-litre DDiS 225 diesel engine is yet another testament of the same. This new engine offers an optimum balance of enhanced performance with best in class fuel efficiency. The new engine showcases our commitment to provide products that capture performance aspirations of our young customers. We are confident that the introduction of this new engine will further strengthen our portfolio and help in the popularity of our cars.

The new diesel engine comes after the company presented an all-new 1.5-litre petrol engine with the facelifted Ciaz in 2018. The petrol engine introduced on Ciaz last year is rated to produce 103 Bhp and 138 Nm. It also comes equipped with the company’s SHVS mild hybrid system. However, this will not be the case with the all-new 1.5-litre diesel engine as of now as the company has not revealed anything about the availability of the SVHS mild hybrid system on the newer diesel engine.

Apart from the new engine, there is no other change in the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and everything else remains the same. Maruti Suzuki Ciaz locks horns with the likes of Hyundai Verna, Honda City and Toyota Yaris in the market and often finds itself leading the segment as far as sales are concerned.