Maruti Ciaz

Step inside, and everything around you is familiar. The layout remains identical, so there aren’t any unpleasant surprises here. You’d also appreciate how quickly you’d be at ease in the driver’s seat. All controls fall to hand easily, and more importantly, they’re placed just where you’d want them to be. Be it the interface for the climate control, the switches for the power windows or even the boot release button.

From the driver’s seat, you’d quickly notice the new additions to the feature list. The new dials (with blue needles, no less) as well as the 4.2-inch coloured MID grabs attention. This display is similar to the one we’ve seen on the Baleno. And while the Power and Torque pie charts seem gimmicky, we still manage to crack a smile while looking at them.

Second, the right-hand side of the steering wheel is no longer blank. It houses buttons for a feature the Ciaz cried out for — cruise control. The eagle-eyed bunch will also quickly spot that the finish of the wood inserts is now significantly lighter. It’s now finished in a shade Maruti likes to call ‘birch blonde’.

If you’re being chauffeured around, you will appreciate the sheer kneeroom the Ciaz has to offer. It’s right up there with the Honda City and can house two six-footers one behind the other without a hiccup.

What should make that journey a tad more comfy is the added adjustable headrests at the rear. Frustratingly, it’s limited to the top two variants only. Also available on only the Zeta and the Alpha is the rear sunshade that should keep you cool when the sun’s bearing down.

As we’d expect from Maruti, the basics are done right. The floor hump isn’t too tall, the window line isn’t too high and there’s a fabric/leather elbow pad. What could be better though, is the headroom and the underthigh support. Sadly, these snags have been carried over from the outgoing generation along with the good stuff.

Also, much like the outgoing generation, the Ciaz seems properly well-equipped for the price. Features on the inside include automatic climate control, a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system (with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay), rear-AC vents, and a reverse parking camera. The luxury factor is upped by the leather(ette) upholstery, front and rear armrests as well as the leather-wrapped steering wheel. An addition like the sunroof would’ve sealed the deal, but Maruti Suzuki has surprisingly chosen to stay away from the fad.

Summing up, the cabin of the Ciaz is equipped well enough to keep the millennial happy, and spacious and comfy enough to make sure Papa bear doesn’t complain either. Thumbs up.