Maruti Suzuki is the largest auto manufacturer of cars in the country and is well known for making low price cars in India. Maruti Suzuki started its operations way back in 1981, and today there is a wide variety of cars available, including segment leaders like the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800, Maruti Suzuki Baleno in the hatchback segment and the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza in the compact SUV segment.
Another best-selling premium sedan is the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz while MPVs include the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross.
Besides having leadership in sales of cars and SUVs, Maruti Suzuki also has the widest dealership network, after-sales and service centres and widest availability of spare parts and components in the country.
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Maruti Suzuki Low Budget Cars
Maruti Suzuki low price cars in India are some of the best in the country and are hailed for their budget-friendly prices, reliability, strong build quality and high resale value.
Maruti Suzuki India Limited was formerly known as Maruti Udyog Limited, incorporated in 1981, and owned by the Government of India up until 2003. Thereafter, Suzuki bought a large stake in Maruti and as of February 2022, Maruti Suzuki has a market share of 44.2 percent in the Indian passenger car segment.
Maruti Suzuki Alto
The Alto is a Maruti Suzuki car below 3.5 lakhs and is a good city driving hatchback, that has a peppy engine and light controls. Similar to most low-budget Maruti cars, the engine is fuel efficient with the option of a CNG variant for those who like to go that extra mile on a litre of fuel.
The seats are not as comfortable as the competition and it is lacking in space, especially at the rear. There is a new Maruti Suzuki Alto in the works, a model that is eagerly awaited by budget car fans in India.
The Maruti Suzuki Alto is a low-price car that comes with an 800 cc petrol engine (47 bhp / 69 Nm), and the CNG version has 40 bhp / 60 Nm.
Maruti Suzuki S-Presso
The S-Presso is a Maruti low-cost car below 5 lakhs on road price. What works in the S-Presso’s favour is ample space and excellent ride quality. The Maruti Suzuki low-budget car has agreeable handling and a big, spacious boot to carry luggage.
The S-Presso gets a lot of features for its class and is the perfect city runabout, with its high driving position and compact dimensions. The car is easy to manage and fun to drive.
The small Maruti is powered by a 1.0 litre, petrol engine which is a three-cylinder unit producing 67 bhp / 90 Nm. The transmission options include a 5-speed manual or an automatic gearbox.
Maruti Suzuki Eeco
The Eeco is a Maruti car below 5 lakhs on road price. It sells for Rs.4.63 lakhs and is essentially a five/seven seat van that served as a replacement for the Versa. It is a popular vehicle among taxi fleets and ingress is simplified with sliding doors and three rows of seats.
For safety, there is a passenger airbag and CNG option for added fuel efficiency. It gets a 1.2-litre petrol engine together with a 5-speed manual transmission. Other safety features include ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors and child lock for the doors.
Maruti Suzuki Ignis
The Ignis is better known as the urban SUV, another name for a compact SUV that is used for city driving. Technically, it is a tall hatchback that is practical, offers good handling, is reliable, has a compact and powerful engine, and benefits from Maruti’s wide service network.
The design may not appeal to everyone, but once in the driver’s seat, their opinions may change. What could be improved is more solid build quality and cabin space.
Maruti Suzuki Celerio
The Celerio could be the best Maruti car for the middle class, because of its practicality, ease of driving, and affordable price tag. It is the best Maruti car under 7 lakh, with a sticker price of Rs.5.23 lakh.
The 1.0 litre, K10C petrol engine is fuel efficient and has good performance (66 bhp / 89 Nm). The transmission options are a 5-speed manual or AGS(AMT) unit. There is also a CNG engine that produces 56 bhp / 82 Nm, however, it only gets the 5-speed manual gearbox.
Maruti Suzuki Wagon R
This new generation of the Wagon R is the first major update since 2019, and it gets a new exterior design with some more engine options.
The Wagon R is a big seller for Maruti Suzuki because of its powertrain and transmission options, ample space, practicality and the fact that the Wagon R nameplate has some serious credibility in India.
It is one of Maruti’s low-budget cars (priced at Rs.5.47 lakh) but some of the downsides are disproportionate looks, especially from the rear, and tall boy dynamics that don’t suit the car. NVH levels could also be better because of inadequate insulation.
Maruti Suzuki Swift
The Swift is a low budget car in India that is not only sporty to drive with a pleasing design, it also offers ample rear space and good features. It is the perfect family car, especially with its price tag of Rs.5.91 lakh.
The 1.2-litre petrol engine is smooth and fuel efficient and makes the Swift fun to drive. The after-sales experience is a pleasure for car owners and the wide service network makes taking care of the Swift a breeze.
The only part lacking in the Swift is its low-speed ride which is a bit stiff. Build quality could also be better and it lacks some new age features, although it does get most of the required safety features such as dual airbags, ABS with EBD, reverse parking camera, and ISOFIX child seat anchor points.
Maruti Suzuki Dzire
The Dzire is a well-rounded package and gives car owners the best of both worlds, the hatchback and the compact sedan. It is hard to find a fault with the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, and this new generation has updated design features, and a new front end, while still retaining the proportionate compact sedan dimensions.
The Dzire features a strong motor in the guise of a 1.2-litre petrol engine (89 bhp / 113 Nm), which is extremely fuel efficient. Ride and handling dynamics are well sorted, and the cabin is spacious and comfortable although it is not exactly a driver’s car with uninvolved performance.
The fit and finish of interior components is not segment-leading, but it does get some nice features like a push start/stop button, keyless entry, parking sensors, rear air conditioning vents, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system and cruise control.
Maruti Suzuki Baleno
The Maruti Suzuki Baleno is an extremely popular choice in the premium hatchback segment and is a low budget car below 7 lakhs. It has a spacious cabin and a responsive 1.2 litre, four-cylinder, petrol engine producing 89 bhp / 113 Nm. Gearbox options include a 5-speed manual and an AMT transmission.
One disadvantage is the cabin gets a little noisy at high speeds and a more powerful engine option is missing. Features include projector LED lamps, 16-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, a 9-inch SmartPlay studio touchscreen infotainment system, Heads Up Display (HUD), automatic climate control, six airbags and a height-adjustable drivers’ seat.
Maruti Suzuki Brezza
The Brezza is a Maruti car below 8 lakhs that has been launched on June 30th, 2022. It addresses the buyer’s demands for a safer and feature-rich compact SUV car. The new-age features, tall SUV stance and good driver’s visibility are plus points that car buyers are looking for in the Brezza.
Priced at Rs.7.99 lakh ex-showroom, it is steeper than the previous generation but you get features like a Heads-Up Display, a 9-inch free-standing touchscreen infotainment system, flat-bottom steering (for the sporty drive) and six airbags for added safety.
The engine is a 1.5-litre petrol unit (103 bhp, 138 Nm) that is slightly unresponsive in the low range, but it does get a 6-speed manual and automatic transmission option to keep the engine in the right rev range.
Maruti Suzuki Ertiga
The Ertiga is a Maruti car under 9 lakhs, priced at Rs.8.35 lakhs. It has extremely comfortable seats that are large, well cushioned and offer good thigh support. With the third row folded down, you get ample boot space of 550 litres, while the car is lightweight (built on the Heartech platform), which has a positive effect on performance, handling and fuel efficiency.
The Ertiga is a fine long-distance runner, because it is easy to drive, giving the feeling of a large hatchback rather than an MPV which seats seven passengers. Legroom in the third row is a little cramped and Maruti Suzuki has provided the interior with some inexpensive plastic bits that don’t feel very good.
Being a compact MPV, it is still smaller in size compared to its rivals the Toyota Innova and Mahindra’s 7-seater, the Marazzo.
Also read Carens vs Ertiga.
Maruti Suzuki S-Cross
The crossover from Maruti Suzuki, the S-Cross gets a 1.5-litre petrol engine (103 bhp / 138 Nm) that offers good performance, and coupled with the mild hybrid system is also quite fuel efficient at 18.5 kmpl.
The S-Cross has really good driving dynamics, ride quality is superb and handling is exactly how it should be, which makes this a driver’s car. The styling leaves a lot wanting though and there are reports that suggest a new S-Cross is on its way. It is a Maruti car under 9 lakhs, priced at Rs.8.71 lakhs making it an affordable option for those who want a crossover with car-like driving characteristics.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz
The Ciaz is a premium sedan that has a very spacious cabin and a fuel efficient, refined 1.5-litre petrol engine. It is good value for money as a comfortable city runabout, and its plus points include big space and great value.
The ride however gets a bit bouncy at high speeds and the driving experience is uninvolving, lacking emotion. The interior feels premium with a nice, upmarket ambience and cabin design is functional while being well put together.
Although there are a lot of hard plastics around the cabin, it doesn’t feel cheap. Overall, the Ciaz is a well-rounded package that appeals to almost any car buyer looking for a premium sedan.
Maruti Suzuki XL6
The XL6 gets rugged and premium crossover styling, along with spacious interiors and captain seats. Along with this, you get upmarket interiors and revised features to take on rivals in the crossover segment.
The XL6 is powered by the next generation 1.5 litre, Dual Jet, Dual VVT, petrol engine with smart hybrid technology (102 bhp / 136 Nm). A 5-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmissions are available with paddle shifters for that sporty drive.
Some of the disadvantages of the XL6 include lacklustre fit and finish and the crossover is not exactly fun to drive. It could have done better with sportier driving dynamics and a more involving engine.
Conclusion
For the better part of four decades, Maruti Suzuki has been the most popular car maker in India and its models have been best-sellers month after month, and sales show no sign of slowing down in the coming years.
Maruti Suzuki leads the sales charts because of their affordable cars, reliability, strong build quality, and proven after-sales network that consists of numerous service centres all over the country. Maruti Suzuki cars are well known for being inexpensive to maintain, and they are unquestionably the biggest and best auto manufacturer in India.
With a market share of 44%, almost half of car buyers in India purchase a Maruti Suzuki. And the demand stays steady due to Maruti Suzuki’s brand value and trust that car owners have in the auto manufacturer.
Reasons why Maruti Suzuki is the most beloved brand in India are loyalty, fuel efficiency, affordability of entry-level models, low maintenance, and a no-compromise attitude. With all these perks, Maruti Suzuki is the car that Indians would want to drive and own, for years to come.
