All New Maruti Suzuki DZire – Road Test Review – Safest Maruti Suzuki Ever – Best in Class Compact Sedan
If there is a car model from India’s Number One car maker Maruti Suzuki that needs no introduction after the Swift then it has to be the DZire It has been one of the strongest nameplate coming from the brand with more than 30 lakh cars already sold since its launch way back in 2008. Now in 2024 the DZire makes a mega comeback of sorts totally reincarnated with the changing times and trends. We get our hands on the latest version of the best selling sedan to get you all the information, read on to know if this could be your next car.
DZire is the Safest Maruti Car Model
Just as we were test driving the New DZire a rather welcoming news came in that made this the All New DZire the first car from Maruti Suzuki to achieve 5-Star Safety Crash Test Ratings at Global NCAP.
Food For Thought
The DZire was developed as the sedan version of the Swift and made its first appearance in 2008 but at that time it was not a sub 4 meter sedan in dimensions. The DZire replaced the Esteem sedan which itself was a mega big seller all its lifespan.
The car model was infact badged as the Swift DZire and sold in huge numbers. 2012 saw the 2nd generation make its appearance but with a shortened length making it a sub 4 meter sedan. 2017 saw the Dzire get more stylish in its 3rd generation and this is when it was built on the HEARTECT platform for the very first time. This is also when the car got more cabin space – 55mm more legroom and a much larger boot that of 378 liters.
Exteriors
In terms of dimensions the All New Dzire is identical in terms of length, width and ground clearance. Only thing that changes is the height with the new model getting taller by 10mm. Dimensions for the All New Dzire stand at 3995mm long, 1735mm wide and 1525mm in height while the wheelbase stands at 2450mm.
Coming to the looks departments, well everyone including us were expecting the New Dzire to look more or less like the New Swift but we were proved totally wrong as the design is totally different. The Dzire sports a all new face with a wide mature grille that houses horizontal slats with a dash of glossy black and chrome strip in them. The front bumper is also all new and so are the multi beam (six in all) white LED headlamps that come with DRL strip in them and sport a flush design. The bumper houses round LED fog lamps with black surrounds. The bonnet gets character lines that fuse around the head lamps.
The side profile is styling will remind you that of the outgoing DZire but changes here too are many. You get R15 tyres mounted on new design dualtone alloys while the fenders get pressed out design around the wheel arch the full electric wing mirrors house turn indicators and also the side camera in them. Door handles get body color finish and also come with request sensor on both the sides. There is a thin chrome beltline that runs on the lower side of the glass area making the sides look premium.
The rear profile like the front is totally fresh and sports unseen styling, the all new boot opener sports a lip spoiler that adds a touch of sportiness along with all new design tail lamps that come with Y design LED glow. The tail lamps come with lots of attention to detail that makes it look premium. Dzire badging in chrome and the Suzuki badge looks neat while a thick chrome band runs across the boot lid giving the tail a lot of finesse. The rear bumper is also all new that comes with a prominent character line and reverse sensors.
The roof gets body colored shark-fin antenna along with a segment first electric sunroof that makes this far more premium over the competition.
Interiors
In terms of interiors the All New Dzire comes with a dualtone multi stage dashboard that also gets a faux wood insert running across along with a textured beige insert on the crash-pad area. The key highlight is the 9 inch proprietary Maruti Suzuki touch screen AVN system that is also seen on other car models from the brand. This system gets all the connectivity options and can be connected wired or wirelessly for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The AC vents get slim chrome lines around them adding some premium feel to the cabin. The instrument cluster comes with twin pod setup for the speedo and RPM meters and a chunky MFD display screen in the middle. The Steering is the same one seen on the Swift which is a flat bottom three spoke design that gets leather wrapping and all the MFD control buttons, Manual height adjust is available also.
The climate control unit also comes on the feature list which is a single zone unit and very easy to understand or operate. The centre console gets wireless charger, USB mobile port and a power outlet. There are can holders and some storage space around the transmission shifter which is shared with the New Swift and sports metal inserts on it.
The seats come with fabric beige upholstery with the drivers seat getting manual height adjust, headrests are large in size with the seats being the same as the ones on the New Swift. Rear seats are one of the best that we have experienced in this class offering excellent head, knee, and shoulder and leg room. You get two manually adjustable headrests and also a folding arm rest with cup holders. Rear passengers get enhanced comfort with two AC vents, two reading lights and two USB charging ports here.
The cabin feels a lot larger than it actually is thanks to the Sun Roof and the use of light beige color for the interiors making it look very spacious. Quality of materials used, plastic and switchgear is very good and no cost cut is evident anywhere.
The New Dzire has a overall boot space of 382 liters which is deep and very spacious.
The boot lid has a unique pop up feature and can be opened using the button on the remote key-fob.
Engine
Powering the All New DZire is the 1.2L 3-Cylinder Naturally Aspirated petrol engine. The Z12E engine makes 81.58PS of power and 111.7Nm of torque. Transmission options include the 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT Automatic options. There also is a CNG option that makes slightly lesser power.
Maruti Suzuki claims a overall fuel efficiency of 24.79kmpl on the MT and 25.71kmpl on the AMT automatic variants.
How is the New DZire to Drive?
Well this is the same NA Petrol Engine that also powers the New Swift, on here the engine does its job mighty nicely. The engine is highly refined as with all engines from Maruti Suzuki. The power delivery is also good and nowhere did we find the engine to be under powered or out of breath. Yes it is true the engine is tuned for fuel efficiency and rightly so it does achieve in returning with some mind boggling figures which puts it bang into the pure hybrid economy class.
The overall drive feel is pretty positive and the New Dzire feels spirited to drive at all speeds. We did some city road drive and also took it to the highways for some speed runs but both the places the car behaved very maturely and offered some good ride and comfort.
The suspension is tuned to the softer side that helps the car to absorb bad roads and undulations very well. The steering feels connected and lively and the gear shifting is also positive and precise. The clutch feels super light but responsive in all conditions. Overall the New DZire offers a very mature sedan like drive feel that has not been seen or experienced on the earlier generations of the car.
Safety
The New DZire becomes the first car model from the Maruti Suzuki stable to get 5-Star crash test rating at Global NCAP, apart from this the car comes with 6-airbags, ABS and EBD from the base trim and it also gets reverse parking sensor, 360 degree camera on the safety list.
Verdict
The earlier Generations of the DZire were more or less a Swift with a boot attached to it but the New DZire is nothing like that, it is a complete transformation in terms of looks, drive feel, comfort and tech. The older DZire mostly cratered to the fleet and taxi segment but now Maruti Suzuki with the New DZiire wants the end passenger car user to go for it and we don’t have any doubt if they wont be successful at just doing that.
Words – Ritesh Madhok
Video & Edits – Tarun Madhok
