In the Indian automobile market there is stiff competition in the small hatchback segment between various car manufacturing companies. Because of the increasing fuel costs and the congestion in the city roads customers are going for small, affordable and fuel efficient vehicles. Maruti Suzuki Limited (MSIL) and the Hyundai Motors India Limited are the two companies vying for the supremacy in this sector. The recently launched Maruti Suzuki Celerio and the time tested Hyundai Santro Xing are popular in this segment.
The Celerio launched during the 2014 Indian auto show comes in 7 petrol versions and 1 CNG version. The transmission is 5 speed manual except for the LXi AT and VXi AT versions which have automatic transmission. The Hyundai Xing launched in 2003 is the successor to the Santro, the first Hyundai car produced in India. The Santro Xing comes in 3 petrol, 2 LPG and 1 CNG variants. The prices of the Celerio range from Rupees 3.76 to 4.79 lakh. The Xing priced from Rupees 3.07 to 4.51lakh is comparatively cheaper.
The External appearance of the Celerio is better than that of the Santro Xing. The top variants have body coloured bumper flanked by fog lamps, a ribbed roof, internally adjustable body coloured ORVMs with turn indicators and body coloured door handles. The Santro Xing top variant has internally adjustable ORVMs and body coloured bumpers. The Celerio has R14 and the Xing R13 wheels.
The Celerio has standard cabin features like the fabric seats, a manual AC, child lock facilities, headlight off and ignition key off reminders and an engine immobiliser. The top variant has 2 airbags, central locking facility, tilt adjustment for the steering, power windows, a rear wiper and defogger and a 2 Din music system with AM/FM radio and CD player and Bluetooth connectivity. The Xing with fewer features has no AC or music system for the base variants. Higher variants have a manual AC and a 1 Din music system, but no airbags.
The 1 litre, 67 bhp engine of the Maruti Celerio has mileages of 23.1 kmpl and the 1 litre 62 bhp engine of the Xcent 17.92 kmpl only. The 3565 mm long Xcent has a better ground clearance of 172 mm than the 165 mm of the 3660 long Celerio. The base variant of the Xcent has manual steering. The AMT variants of the Celerio make the drive pleasant. The suspension is McPherson strut at the front for both the cars. The real suspension is the 3-link axle for the Celerio and the torsion beam for the Xing.
The Celerio scores in mileages, variants and features where as the Santro Xing is cheaper and better in built quality.
For Information on New Maruti Dzire – https://autoportal.com/newcars/marutisuzuki/swift-dzire/
