Clash of segments: 2018 Maruti Ciaz vs Vitara Brezza - which car to buy?

Priced between Rs 8.19 lakh and Rs 10.97 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the recently launched 2018 Maruti Ciaz facelift renews its rivalry with compact sedans such as the Honda City, Hyundai Verna and the Toyota Yaris, among others. However, a couple of variants of the diesel-powered version of the 2018 Ciaz also clash with its sibling, the Vitara Brezza.

Let us dig deep to see which of the two Maruti cars offers the best bang for your buck as far as features are concerned. But before jumping into the details, here are the basic differences between the two:

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz	Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza
Compact sedan: The Ciaz is a compact sedan and measures over four metres in length	Sub-compact SUV: The Vitara Brezza is a sub-4 metre SUV and is nearly 500mm shorter than the Ciaz
Available with both petrol and diesel engines: While the Ciaz share its 1.3-litre diesel engine (DDiS 200) with the Brezza, it is also available with a an all-new 1.5-litre petrol engine (K15B)	Diesel-only offering: The Vitara Brezza is only available with the DDiS 200 1.3-litre diesel engine
Mild-hybrid tech: The Ciaz diesel gets idle start-stop, brake energy regeneration and torque assist to help improve its overall fuel efficiency. The 2018 version of the Ciaz petrol also offers the same tech.	No fuel-saving tech: Although the Vitara Brezza shares its engine with the Ciaz, it doesn’t get the SHVS mild-hybrid tech
Diesel manual, petrol automatic: The Ciaz petrol is available with a 4-speed torque converter automatic. The diesel engine, on the other hand, is only available with a manual transmission	Diesel automatic: Apart from a manual gearbox, the Vitara Brezza is also available with an AMT (automated manual transmission)
Spacious: Being the bigger car of the two, the Ciaz offers better rear cabin space and cargo capacity when compared to the Brezza	Practical: Being an SUV, you sit relatively higher in the Brezza. At 198mm, the Vitara Brezza also rides 28mm higher off the ground than the Ciaz

Prices (ex-showroom Delhi)
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz (Diesel)	Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza
	LDI: Rs 7.58 lakh
	VDI: Rs 8.10 lakh
Sigma: Rs 9.19 lakh	ZDI: Rs 8.87 lakh
Delta: Rs 9.80 lakh	ZDI+: Rs 9.83 lakh
Zeta: Rs 10.57 lakh
Alpha: Rs 10.97 lakh

Variants

As you can see from the price list above, it is only fair to compare similarly priced variants (price difference

2018 Maruti Ciaz Sigma vs Maruti Vitara Brezza ZDI

Variants	Price (ex-showroom Delhi)
Ciaz Sigma diesel	Rs 9.19 lakh
Vitara Brezza ZDI	Rs 8.87 lakh
Difference	Rs 32,000 (Ciaz is more expensive)

Common Features:

• Safety features: Dual-front airbags, ABS with EBD, Isofix child seat anchors, seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters, driver seatbelt reminder, reverse parking sensors, rear defogger and high speed alert

• Lights: Projector headlamps

• Audio: Double din audio system with Bluetooth phone integration, steering-mounted controls and four-speakers    

• Comfort features: Central locking, front and rear electric windows, tilt-adjustable power steering, air conditioning, electrically-adjustable outside rearview mirrors (ORVMs) and  rear armrest

What The Ciaz Gets Over The Brezza: Rear AC vents, front armrest, rear accessory socket and a couple of extra tweeters.    

What The Brezza Gets Over The Ciaz: Audio remote, height adjustable driver’s seat, 60:40 split rear seats with flip/fold, co-driver underseat storage, rear adjustable headrests, alloy wheels, tail lamps with LED elements, front LED parking lamps, front fog lamps, auto climate control, front footwell illumination, instrument cluster with five pre-set mood lights.    

Verdict: The Vitara Brezza is our choice here as it is the more equipped of the two. Being the base diesel variant of the Ciaz, the Sigma misses out on some of the premium goodies that the Vitara Brezza packs.

2018 Maruti Ciaz Sigma vs Maruti Vitara Brezza ZDI

Variants	Price (ex-showroom, Delhi)
Ciaz Delta diesel	Rs 9.80 lakh
Vitara Brezza ZDI+	Rs 9.83 lakh
Difference	Rs 3,000 (Vitara Brezza is more expensive)

Common Features (over previous variants):

• Audio: Bluetooth phone integration, steering mounted controls and six-speaker system

• Lights: Front fog lamps

• Comfort features: Auto climate control, front and rear armrests, cruise control, height-adjustable driver’s seat   

• Wheels: Alloy

What The Ciaz Gets Over The Brezza: Rear AC vents and rear accessory socket.   

What The Brezza Gets Over The Ciaz: A 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity along with a reverse parking camera, built-in navigation and voice command, smartphone-based remote control, a 60:40 split rear seats with flip/fold, rear adjustable headrests, tail lamps with LED elements, front LED parking lamps, front footwell illumination, instrument cluster with five pre-set mood lights, electronically foldable outside rearview mirrors, cooled glove box, sliding functionality for the front armrest, rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlamps.     

Verdict: The Vitara Brezza continues to be the better value for money option here too. It is way more loaded than the Ciaz Delta at a similar price point.

Why Buy The 2018 Maruti Ciaz facelift?

Spacious: Thanks to its bigger wheelbase (+150mm), the Ciaz offers more legroom for rear passengers. Moreover, the Ciaz offers over 180 litres of additional boot space when compared to the Vitara Brezza.

Petrol engine option: Unlike the Brezza, the Ciaz facelift comes with a brand new 1.5-litre petrol engine with SHVS mild-hybrid tech. The petrol-powered Ciaz also comes with an option of an automatic, which is priced at par with its diesel counterpart.

• 2018 Maruti Ciaz Facelift: First Drive Review

Fuel efficient: Despite being a bigger car, the Ciaz returns better fuel efficiency (+3.79kmpl) when compared to the Vitara Brezza all thanks to Suzuki’s SHVS mild-hybrid technology.

Premium Features: The range-topping Alpha variant of the Ciaz offers premium goodies such as leather upholstery, auto leveling projector headlamps, LED fog lamps, dual-tone wheels, Suzuki telematic services and more.  

Why Buy The Vitara Brezza?

Ground clearance: The Vitara Brezza offers close to 200mm of ground clearance, making it better equipped to take on rough roads that dot the country.

High seating position: Being a high rider, the Vitara Brezza gives you a commanding driving position when compared to the low slung sedan.

Diesel-automatic option: The Vitara Brezza comes with a relatively affordable AMT which lets you rest your left foot in heavy traffic conditions. The diesel-powered Ciaz, on the other hand, can’t be had with an automatic transmission.

• Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza AMT: Review

Easy to park: Being smaller than the Ciaz, the Vitara Brezza should be relatively easy to park in crowded spots.

Check out: 2018 Maruti Ertiga Spied With New 1.5-litre Diesel Engine?

Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by Deccan Chronicle and is taken from a syndicated feed. Photos: CarDekho.