Saar: Apart from some cosmetic tweaks, it will be offered with a new, 1.5-litre petrol engine with SHVS tech.

Over the weekend, Maruti Suzuki thought it will be fun to get the ball rolling for the mid-life update of the Ciaz sedan. The company’s Nexa channel tweeted a video, showcasing all the products that it currently has on offer. The Ciaz, as we know, retails from the Nexa channel only and in the video, it is nowhere to be found amongst the Baleno, Ignis and the S-Cross. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. Instead of including the outgoing derivative of the Ciaz, Maruti Suzuki has taken the opportunity to tease the Ciaz facelift by highlighting the new front grille and new headlamp enclosures. See for yourself:

At NEXA, we always believe in creating new that inspires. #NEXA #CreateInspire pic.twitter.com/kWoODsiV2X

— Nexa Experience (@NexaExperience) July 22, 2018

Now you know that the images above are screen-grabs from the video. The new front grille is sleeker and is draped in chrome. Accompanying that are the new headlamp enclosures which, like before, have projector units. But, look closely and you’ll see that they now have LED DRLs as well, which reminds us of the pre-facelift model of the current-gen Skoda Octavia. Apart from those, the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz facelift will get tweaked front and rear bumpers, LED inserts in the taillamps and a new set of alloy wheels.

The biggest change, as we reported earlier, will be under the hood. The 1.4-litre petrol engine will be ditched in favour of a 1.5-litre petrol motor, which will have a mild-hybrid tech to keep the mileage figures above the competition. In Maruti Suzuki’s world, that mild-hybrid tech is known as SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki). In terms of power, the petrol-powered Ciaz facelift will have more than 100PS on tap and a respectable amount of torque as well. On the diesel front, it will be offered with the same 1.3-litre engine as before. However, to make the sedan BS-VI compliant, the diesel mill will be replaced by a 1.5-litre unit which, unlike the 1.3-litre engine, has been developed by Maruti Suzuki.

Now, for some bad news. Maruti Suzuki has delayed the launch of the Ciaz facelift by a couple of weeks, at least. Earlier it was expected to launch in the early part of August 2018. But since the date was clashing with a rival company’s product launch, Maruti Suzuki has taken a safer route and postponed the launch towards the end of the same month.

The delay in launch is a blessing in disguise of the Nexa dealers as they will get some extra time to clear stocks of the outgoing model. Price-wise, expect the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz facelift to cost between Rs 25,000-40,000 more than its predecessor. Once launched, it will renew its rivalry with the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Toyota Yaris, Volkswagen Vento and the Skoda Rapid.