Maruti Celerio 2017-2021

Step inside the cabin and a familiar Maruti layout welcomes you. The dual tone beige and black combination is pleasant and dull silver accents strewn across the centre console look nice and classy.

The build quality of interiors has definitely gone up compared to older Marutis. However, compared to its immediate rivals such as the Tiago or the Grand i10, the quality does seem a notch lower. We believe the Celerio scores very high in terms of ergonomics; everything falls to hand very easily and is in just the right spot.

The driver’s seat on the top-spec ZXi (O) variant gets a healthy range for adjusting reach as well as height. Coupled with the rake adjustable steering, and we could get into comfortable driving position relatively easily. There’s adequate support for short trips, but we would have liked slightly more bolstering for the lower back and under thigh for the longer journeys. Also, the integrated headrests don’t support the neck , especially if you are a tall person. The view from the driver’s seat is nice since one tends to sit higher in the Celerio. However, the A-pillar is too thick, so, you will have to be careful while turning at junctions.

The steering wheel is borrowed from the Swift. It gets controls for the audio and calls, the buttons for which feel tactile. The wheel itself has a grainy texture, it isn’t wrapped in artificial leather like the Grand i10.

The cluster is a three pod unit that houses a tachometer, a speedometer and a multi-function display that lets you toggle through data like average fuel economy, distance to empty and instantaneous average as well.

The centre console houses an integrated music system (that supports USB, AUX and Bluetooth) in the top-trim, and flows into the manual aircon controls. Lower variants get a blank 2DIN slot to fit an aftermarket head unit. The air-con is typically Maruti, which means it is amongst the best units out there. The cabin gets cooled very quickly, and you wouldn’t have any complaints on that front.

The rear bench sits slightly higher than the front seats and is reclined backwards at a comfortable angle. The seats are rather thin, owing to which support and cushioning is average at best. The bench will accommodate two people in relative comfort. However, a third passenger at the rear will be a tight squeeze. Unlike the Grand i10, the Celerio misses out on rear AC vents, but it isn’t a deal breaker in any way.

Maruti has managed to wriggle out a significant amount of space on the inside for a car that has such compact dimensions. The interior has no ground-breaking features or anything drastically different than the standard Maruti fare. However, it ticks just the right boxes to be a practical city hatchback.