Maruti Suzuki Dzire Overview
The Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire has been the best-selling car in its segment ever since it was launched in 2008. Its previous generations were never attractive but they did a lot of things right, and that’s the reason behind the model’s strong sales numbers. If there was one chink it was that the first generation was an overzealous attempt at gifting the Swift a sedan-like boot, and the second one was a pointed attempt at making it a sub-four-metre car. But there was one thing common between both – the Swift Dzire was never pretty or desirable.
The new generation Dzire looks like it is making amends. It’s also the first Dzire that wants to break free from the Swift tag. By offering six automatic variants the Dzire makes itself a lot more desirable now. Safety features like ABS & dual front airbags too are now standard across the range. So, does the new Dzire have it in it to better its predecessors on practicality and score high on both form and function? Let’s find out
Maruti Suzuki Dzire Design
Let’s start with the fact that the new Dzire looks more like a sedan than ever before. Despite still squeezing under the 4m mark, it looks more grown-up over the last model. The design is more curvaceous with a new clamshell bonnet and thick chrome garnishing around the grille and fog lamp housing. The tall front haunches spawn a line that drops as it intersects the door handles and rises once more towards the rear. This gives the side profile a sense of fluidity that reduces some of the unavoidable lack of grace that comes with squeezing a sedan within the 4m mark.
At the rear, a pair of handsome wrap-around tail lamps are connected by a fat lick of chrome. Look closely and you’ll see smart circular LED detailing within the brake lights – a nice touch. The top ZXi+/ZDi+ models here comes with tasty 16-spoke, 15″ ‘precision cut alloys’ that look the part. The lower ZDi/ZXi come with normal alloys with similar 185-section tyres while the VDi/VXi and LDi/LXi make do with smaller 14-inch steel wheels wrapped in narrower 165 section rubber. In all, the new Dzire uses a unique, curvaceous design theme with hints of similarity to the Baleno. I won’t go so far to say it’s the most handsome car in the segment, but it’s a big step ahead.
Maruti Suzuki Dzire Cabin
The insides of the car are as fresh as the exterior. The beige and black theme continues but the design is all new. Plastics are hard and quality isn’t too different from the outgoing car; in fact, several bits seem to be directly lifted from there. However, some bits feel really nice. The flat-bottom steering wheel, for example, looks and feels incredible; even the buttons on it are of high quality. The instrument console looks crisp and the needles at zero-degree position, like the Ignis, feel sporty. The new front seats are supportive and comfy, and the cushioning feels a bit softer than before. There’s ample height adjustment for the driver’s seat, and the steering gets tilt adjustment too.Check for Maruti Suzuki Dzire price in Mumbai at Tryaldrive.
Ergonomics on the whole are agreeable, and there are a good amount of storage areas around as well. The audio system integration, however, feels like an after-thought and doesn’t gel well with the design. Also, the wood insert on the dashboard might pass of as being classy at first glance, but look closely and it feels a bit low grade. Then, there’s the inside mirror which is small and the large front neck restraints hinder visibility. The front passenger footwell eats into the legroom, resulting in a slightly off-centre seating position.
This new Dzire has a longer wheelbase of 2,450mm and, as a result, legroom has improved at the back. Two tall people can sit one behind another in reasonable comfort. However, headroom for taller occupants at the back is very tight. Despite being much wider than before and than the competition too, a third occupant at the back will be a tight squeeze. What’s nice is that there are air-con vents and a 12V power socket at the back now. The Dzire’s boot has grown in size too, measuring a far more respectable 378 litres, and it is practically shaped too. The loading lip, though, is still a bit high.
Maruti Suzuki Dzire Performance
Maruti Suzuki deserves a big round of applause for offering six automatic variants in the new Dzire. The AMT tech not just offers gearless convenience but also doesn’t compromise fuel economy, and of course, keeps the sticker price in check too! With multiple automatic variants on offer, the Dzire AMT will be accessible to a wider set of buyers.The second-gen Swift Dzire too was equipped with an AMT paired with the diesel engine. Both the engine & the gearbox are carried forward in the new Dzire but are calibrated differently. This results in smoother gearshifts. So, while the AMT still takes its own good time to upshift or downshift, the cabin experience is slightly richer than before as the head nod that accompanied every gear change previously is now subdued, but it’s still there.
The 1.3-litre diesel engine makes 75PS of max power at 4000rpm & 190Nm of peak torque at 2000rpm. The continuous torque surge makes the diesel Dzire a great mile muncher with very less downshifts required to make quick progress. When out on the highways, it’s best to use AMT in the semi-manual mode for downshifting to time the overtakes better, and also to hold upshifts and utilise the power band to spring back to three-digit speeds. In normal driving conditions the AMT is keen to upshift early. The artificial intelligence prompts the ‘box to upshift below 3000rpm on medium throttle input.
It does, however, hit the redline before upshifting with the A-pedal completely depressed. The AMT’s party trick is the creep function which allows you to pull the car forward from nought in the second gear. It’s like moving in traffic on half a clutch. Try doing that on the manual Dzire to realise the importance of an automatic. So, while the diesel manual Dzire should continue to munch miles, the AMT-diesel is now better suited for frequent city spins.To know more information Maruti Suzuki Dzire check Emikolo
But the powertrain of the moment should go to the petrol-AMT combination. The 1.2-litre (83PS, 113Nm) petrol engine is a refined unit, and it was there on-duty in the Swift Dzire as well. The engine is the same, but it comes with the 5-speed AMT now instead of the 4-speed torque converter (and there’s a 5-speed manual as well). The drive experience of the petrol-AMT combination is plush thanks to low NVH levels and smooth gear shifts. The gear shift quality may not be as silky as in the Ignis petrol-AMT (same engine-transmission combo), but it won’t give you a dramatic head-nod moment you’d associate with AMTs in general.
Talking about the engine characteristics, there’s torque on offer starting from low revs, and the band is quite wide as well. So, you can hold it in one gear higher without any resistance from the engine to downshift. The engine is also happy cruising all day long, with the 100kmph ticking at about 2800rpm in the fifth gear and max torque range still 1400rpm away. The gearing is tall although the engine doesn’t quite like to be revved to its limit. So, it’s possible to go well past the three digit mark in the third gear, but that won’t satisfy you as much as chugging it around its max torque range will, where it sounds the sportiest.
On the whole, the Dzire is still focused on covering maximum distance using minimum fuel. The engines were already fuel efficient, and reduction in weight has further helped matters. That doesn’t take away the Dzire’s engaging-to-drive nature, especially diesel’s, that shows eagerness to roll on thanks to the turbocharger unit. The petrol engine also has a new role to play now, and that is to offer a superlative drive experience owing to the AMT two-pedal tech and high refinement levels.
Maruti Suzuki Dzire Driving
Maruti has softened this car a bit and ride quality is noticeably better than the outgoing car. There are fewer body movements over bad sections of road and aren’t as jarring any more. It soaks up road imperfections in a very mature manner and feels nice and absorbent. The petrol’s steering is light and, with a tight 4.8m turning radius, it’s effortless to twirl around in the city. The return to centre is weak though, like many modern Marutis, and with all that lightness, it doesn’t feel as well connected to the road as before; there’s a bit of vagueness here. However, the diesel feels a bit heavier and more connected in comparison.
Maruti Suzuki Dzire Safety
All-new Maruti Suzuki DZire gets disc brake at the front and drum brake at the rear. It can be termed as the best sedan in the segment as Maruti has paid utmost importance to the safety aspect by offering Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), dual front airbags, ISOFix Child Seat Anchorages, and Front seatbelts with pre-tensioner and load limiters as standard fitments across the entire variant range.
Maruti Suzuki Dzire Price in Mumbai
Maruti Suzuki Dzire On Road Price is 6,65,016/- and Ex-showroom Price is 5,69,310/- in Mumbai. Maruti Suzuki Dzire comes in 6 colours, namely Oxford Blue,Magna Gray,Gallant Red,Sherwood Brown,Silky Silver,Pearl Arctic White. Maruti Suzuki Dzire comes with FWD with 1197 CC Displacement and 4 Cylinders with Maximum Power 82 bhp@6000 rpm and Peak Torque 113 Nm@4200 rpm DRIVE TRAIN FWD and reaches 100 KMPH at N/A . Maruti Suzuki Dzire comes with Manual Transmission with FWD .
Maruti Suzuki Dzire Bottomline
To sum up, Maruti have taken what was a tremendously successful car and turned into a machine that now fully deserves it. The new one is an improvement in nearly every area. It now commands a more premium feeling with vastly improved levels of comfort and features. Starting at Rs 6.5 lakh (all prices on-road Mumbai) for the LXi, the base variants are priced well and are on-par or slightly cheaper than most rivals. However, some may find the Rs 11.3 lakh top end ZDi+ AMT with its auto projector LED headlamps (standard halogens on the rest), reverse camera and clever touchscreen a little too expensive.
Positioning wise, the Dzire is roughly Rs 20-60 thousand more expensive than the equivalent Baleno variant. This means, the Baleno, Ignis, Dzire and even Ciaz are all priced fairly close to each other, with the new Swift due to enter the fray as well. I like the fact that Maruti has not purposefully downgraded one over the other simply to have a staggered price range. This is the era of choice and Maruti/Nexa is ensuring you have plenty of it within their own showroom walls.