The Maruti Celerio may have ignited the AMT revolution in India, but the new diesel version of the car is a trailblazer for a whole other reason. It is, after all, the launch vehicle for Suzuki and Maruti’s first ground-up diesel engine. However, for customers, the most important fact here is its ARAI-tested fuel economy of 27.62kpl that makes it the most fuel-efficient car on sale in the country. The Chevrolet Beat diesel held that distinction earlier and will be among the Celerio’s chief competitors. Buyers also have the Hyundai Grand i10 diesel as an option, which again has good fuel economy and sensible pricing on its side. We compare these three cars to see how they match spec-to-spec.
Under the hood
On paper, the Celerio diesel is at a disadvantage owing to its small engine which is a 793cc, two-cylinder unit. Engine power and torque are also on the lower side here with figures of just 47bhp and 12.7kgm, respectively. The Beat diesel, on the other hand, is the second most-powerful car here with its three-cylinder, 1.0-litre making 56bhp and 15.3kgm. The Hyundai has the upper hand on this front. Its 1.1-litre, three-cylinder diesel engine is the largest here and also delivers the highest figures — 70bhp of power and 16.29kgm of torque. But what’s also important is that the Grand i10 is the heaviest of the cars mentioned here, weighing a relatively portly 1,093kg. The Beat weighs 1,024kg, while the Celerio is the lightest of this trio ranging from 880-900kg.
The lightweight and small engine combine to give the Celerio an ARAI-tested fuel-economy figure of 27.62kpl; the best in its class. The Beat does well for itself with a figure of 25.44kpl, while the Hyundai comes in third with a still good 24kpl.
| Specifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | Maruti Celerio | Chevrolet Beat | Hyundai Grand i10 | |
| Cubic capacity | 793cc | 936 | 1120cc | |
| Power | 47bhp | 56bhp | 70bhp | |
| Torque | 12.7kgm | 15.3kgm | 16.3kgm | |
Space on offer
The Beat is the smallest of the three and it is evident when you see the numbers. The table featured below makes it clear that the Beat has the best front seat space and the Celerio has the most spacious back seat. The Grand i10 scores here with its perfect blend of front and rear seat space and larger boot capacity which gives it an overall advantage.
| Interior dimensions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Space | Maruti Celerio | Chevrolet Beat | Hyundai Grand i10 |
| Front legroom (min/max) | 56/77cm | 62/82mm | 61/82cm |
| Rear legroom (min/max) | 68/90cm | 62/80cm | 67/89cm |
| Front headroom | 100cm | 98mm | 99cm |
| Rear headroom | 95cm | 90cm | 92cm |
| Boot space | 235 litre | 170 litre | 256 litre |
Equipment and Safety
The Grand i10 is far ahead in the features game as with every Hyundai car. Apart from the regular Bluetooth telephony, steering-mounted audio controls, it also includes features like keyless entry and go, push button start/stop ignition system and has a cabin with black and beige theme. The Celerio on the other hand offers Bluetooth telephony, steering-mounted audio controls and an audio system that supports USB/aux-in function and has an all-black cabin theme. Like the Celerio, the Beat also offers steering- mounted audio controls and USB/aux-in functions, but it won't support Bluetooth connectivity. The Beat has a livelier cabin with trendy instruments and dials.
The Beat and the Grand i10 offer two airbags as standard on top trims. In the case of the Celerio, there are two top trims, ZDi and ZDi (O) — the former gets one airbag and the latter gets two. ABS is standard on the top-spec models of all three cars.
SELVIN JOSE