Maruti Celerio diesel long term review, third report

They say, “Honesty is the best policy”; I say “Not always!” Here’s why. In the last long term report about this car, I confessed that the Celerio diesel is the most fuel-efficient car in our fleet and it is even lighter on the pocket than the Nano. In the couple of months I’d used it for, the Celerio diesel had proven this time and again. What my honest confession resulted in was that I was suddenly “upgraded” to a brand new automatic Nano, which, according to my generous and caring colleagues, is “better suited” to my daily 25km commute. It took constant cribbing for the better part of a month for me to finally get back the keys to the Celerio.

Yes, this car is frugal to use, but even apart from that, the Celerio diesel has a lot to offer. Despite the compact dimensions, the cabin is quite roomy. The back seat is spacious enough and has the right amount of softness to make you feel comfortable. When my sister was holidaying here with her twins, I used the car a few times to ferry them around along with my parents and grandmother. Even with three medium-sized adults and two infants at the back, there was not a single complaint. And my grandmother particularly found the seat to be at the right height for comfortable ingress and egress. What she was also happy about was the boot. At 235 litres, it may not be class leading but the opening is wide enough to accommodate her wheelchair (see photo) easily. And, of course, the suspension deals with Mumbai’s paver block-laden roads very well, keeping all occupants comfortable.

Among the things I don’t like about the Celerio, it’s the engine noise that rankles most. Despite Maruti adding sound-deadening material for the diesel Celerio, it is still very loud and that’s not a good thing for a car that costs close to Rs 7 lakh on road. I am used to the surprisingly heavy steering but lately, the gearshifts have become a bit notchier than before and the car sometimes hates to be put in reverse gear. These small niggles aside, I am happy to have the Celerio back, and hopefully, I will get to use it for some more time before I’m “upgraded” again.