New 2022 Maruti Celerio Long Term Review: Fun Little Car. Check Mileage, Other Specs

The first generation also made its debut with the AMT transmission while with the new second-gen model, Maruti brought in many changes.

Front view of the new 2022 Maruti Celerio (Source: ABP)

Maruti already has many hatchbacks in its range and I could not figure out how the Celerio could fit in when it was launched but it did and became a success. The first generation also made its debut with the AMT transmission while with the new second-gen model, Maruti brought in many changes. We had the Celerio top-end manual for a few months to see how life is with this small car.

First of all, the Celerio is not exactly cheap and should not be since the new-gen model has some decent features and makes a strong case for a fun-to-drive hatchback for city use. The top-end manual model that we had is priced at Rs 7 lakh plus on-road while AMT is a bit more expensive. We liked the AMT at launch but as a fun little car, the manual it is and that's what we chose.

The first month or two was mostly confined to the city and commutes to the office. Where my office is, parking space is at a premium and the small Celerio was easy to park hence, I really liked using it every day. A car like the Celerio makes very good sense for city use due to its compact dimensions.

While for city commutes, the car has all the features that you need and want, I would have liked a rear-view camera since it helps while parking in tight spots.

That said, powered mirrors, a nice touchscreen, smartphone connectivity and a 4-speaker audio system made me forget that this is a budget car. Also, for a tall person like me, finding the right driving position was easy with height adjustment on offer and a decent view out. It may be small on the outside, but inside it has a big space for its class- more on that later.

Compared to the previous Celerio, quality has jumped and it looks better too.

The same I would say from the outside as I personally like the new Celerio over the earlier one, especially in red.

For my city commutes, the slick manual served me better and I personally prefer it over the AMT though understandably many prefer the convenience of an auto. That said, the manual on the Celerio has a light clutch and a slick gearbox which makes using it easy. The true highlight is the 1.0l Dualjet engine with 66bhp/89Nm because of how lovely it works for city use. It is easy to drive and does not need frequent downshifts along with the correct gearing for the city. The motor is tractable at low speeds and has been tuned for that.

While for city use, it is fantastic, how is it for a road trip? We took it to the hills filled with luggage and two more passengers- something not recommended for a car like this? Well, Celerio did surprise us.

Performance was acceptable while its good ground clearance (170mm) and lightweight nature made driving it in the hills an easy affair. The 313l boot also came in handy. Compared to the AMT, the manual is more fun and better for road trips while also being painless for city use. We were pleasantly surprised by how well Celerio coped with it all.

In terms of the city mileage that we got, it was hovering around 14-15 kmpl (driven enthusiastically) hence, not quite the 24 kmpl plus that is claimed but it's we would say decent for its class. The AMT actually gets better efficiency overall while on the highways, the manual Celerio mileage climbs to 18-19 kmpl.

More than anything, the new platform has brought in much better high-speed stability, and handling and it feels like a peppy hatchback that is fun to drive- certainly more than its Wagon R sibling along with being a mini Swift of sorts.

After 2500kms, the Celerio proved itself with its engine, useability and its toughness which indeed surprised us. It is a small Maruti car that is aimed at the younger buyer over the more practical Wagon R and in that sense, the manual version is a good city hatch along with being fun to drive too.