Among car brands that really connect with Indian consumers, the epitome stands out to be Maruti Suzuki. The country’s largest car manufacturer leads almost every segment of the industry. For the sedans segment, we have the Ciaz, which is nearing the end of its journey along with the ever-reliable Dzire.
Maruti Suzuki has just given India the utterly overhauled Dzire – priced starting at a staggering ₹6.79 lakh (ex-showroom). We got the chance to drive around the beautiful state of Goa in the all-new 4th Generation Dzire, courtesy of a national media event put together by Maruti Suzuki. The top-of-the-line Dzire ZXI+, in both MT as well as AMT variants, dawns on us – all shining in the bright Gallant Red. Here’s our first cuts with the all-new 4th Generation Dzire.
First Drive Review of the New Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire
Before we drive into its great design, pricing, or the “De-Swiftification,” let’s celebrate the milestone achieved from 4th Generation Dzire by taking a moment to applaud: the 5-Star crash safety rating according to Global NCAP. This is the first ever for a Maruti Suzuki car to gain a 5-star rating, upping the benchmark for safety of vehicles in this family.
Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire: Defining New Safety and Features Standards
Maruti Suzuki has not only met expectations about crash safety but has also surpassed it. The Swift Dzire received a better rating in adult crash safety than any other premium sedans with 5-Star ratings, such as the Verna, Slavia, and Virtus. With this, Maruti Suzuki achieves something that very few have: the ability to boldly assert its presence in the automotive sphere.
Safety features The company has achieved considerable success in safety features, and it shows. Swift Dzire boasts of having 6 airbags while coming as standard, as well as safety technologies including a rear defogger, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Hill Assist, a 360-degree camera, and a tyre pressure monitoring system. A decade ago, it would have sounded most incredulous if someone mentioned that there was a ₹6.79 lakh (ex-showroom) Maruti with six airbags and the tag of a 5-Star rating for crash performance. Here’s the reality, and we had the opportunity to live and breathe it.
Starting at ₹6.79 lakh (ex-showroom), the new Dzire comes in four trim levels: the LXI, VXI, ZXI, and ZXI+. Although there are no dual-tone color options, there are seven exterior monotone shades : Gallant Red, Alluring Blue, Nutmeg Brown, Bluish Black, Arctic White, Magma Grey, and Splendid Silver. The two show colors with a great focus for the Swift Dzire are Gallant Red and Alluring Blue. In addition, the car provides with two accessory packs, which further enhance the style quotient and personalization of the car.
The “Amazing” and “Crystalline” Design: A New Era for Swift Dzire
The first and second generation Dzire used the ‘Swift’ nomenclature and had a structure similar to that of bodywork, only the rear design was different. For the third-generation model, Maruti Suzuki took its “De-Swiftification” processes ahead, deleting the Swift badge and introducing a side profile much more unique compared to the previous generations while maintaining some shared elements at the front. With the arrival of the 4th Generation Dzire, this De-Swiftification process is complete, as the new Swift Dzire fully erases all design elements relating to Swift at least in its exterior.
More Extraneous Look From The Exterior Design
The newcomer Swift Dzire has generated quite some hype regarding its looks. Interestingly, the side and rear profiles of the car look like a carbon copy of the Honda Amaze in several ways. The front profile, however, shares an identity with the Toyota Innova Crysta. Of course, Maruti Suzuki may not have obtained the three-box design ultimately with the 4th Gen Dzire, but the overall design and look exude a great feel.
⦿ LED Headlights : All-new LED headlights with DRLs as an integral feature.
⦿ Fog Lights : Fog lights enhance its sleek appeal through LED units.
⦿ Front Grille : The front grille has been taken from the Crysta and lends a strong look to this pickup truck.
⦿ Bonnet Design : Creases on the bonnet and side bodies that make it muscular, giving an active character.
⦿ Alloy Wheels : 15-inch alloy wheels get dual tone finish that gives out a premium feel.
⦿ Rear Design : This includes an unique LED tail light with smoked effect, a striking at the rear, and a tasteful chrome strip joining both lights within a gloss black trim.
Modern Technology for a Contemporary Feel for Swift Dzire
Kudos to Maruti Suzuki for including request sensors on both the front doors, which would offer passive entry-a feature that most mainstream automakers reserve only for just the driver’s door. Other features added to the new Swift Dzire include the following:
Shark-Fin Antenna
Adding to the sporty look of the car
Auto Folding ORVMs
Makes parking in tight spaces much convenient.
Sunroof : Maruti Suzuki have it only as an optional add-on rather than offering it with the ZXI+ model as standard. The reason behind this is that the mechanism of the sunroof tends to leave somewhat limited headroom, and we found it a wee bit cramped in the rear seating space.
Overall, the new Swift Dzire comes with a new, fresh, and appealing design, which should obviously be different in a significant way from what Maruti Suzuki has done so far.
Swift-Inspired Interiors: Familiar Yet Fresh
Inside the Swift Dzire the ambience is very similar to what is in the Swift. If we discount the differences in plastic finishes and design of the gear selector of the AMT variants, the 4th Generation Dzire is largely similar with the Swift in many of its interiors. Not that that necessarily is a bad thing, although at a price that’s aggressive for the Dzire, it’s hard to complain in that regard.
Interior Features and Comfort
The cabin is plenty of creature comforts and conveniences, including:
⦿ 3-Spoke Steering Wheel : Does give that modern feel
⦿ Automatic Climate Control : Keeps the driver's environment pleasant
⦿ Wireless Charging Pad : Means users can easily charge their devices
⦿ One-Touch Up/Down Driver's Window : Adds convenience
⦿ Electrically Foldable ORVMs : Improves ease of parking
⦿ Rear AC Vents: So that the passengers seated at the rear also would be comfortable
⦿ Adjustable Headrests: Helps in tailoring comfort.
⦿ Seat-Belt Reminders : It enhances the safety of all occupants.
⦿ Rear Centre Armrest : Adds to the comfort of passengers.
⦿ Infotainment and Technology
It was treated with a fresh infotainment system, 9-inch free-standing unit designed for wireless Android Auto and Apple Car Play. The screen also doubles up as an analyzer for the Dzire’s 360-degree camera feature. Dzire does not boast of an entirely digital instrument cluster but gets a Multi-Information Display (MID). Turn-by-turn navigation is also seen on the menu items while audio, telephony, and cruise control are found on the press buttons of the steering wheel.
While the front passenger seat incorporates a vanity mirror, it lacks vanity lights. The rear cabin includes split cabin lamps each side, adding the little details. Optimistic utilization of interior space is one of Maruti Suzuki’s many characteristics. This characteristic continues in the 4th Gen Dzire and is extremely spacious for both front and rear seat users. However, the seats are pretty standard for the segment and for the money; while they do provide adequate support and comfort, they’re not exactly great in either respect. What is notable is that headroom has decreased compared to the 3rd Generation model, which didn’t have a sunroof.
Boot Space and Practical Features
And talking about bootspace, the car boasts a very roomy area that Maruti Suzuki claims 382 liters of capacity. The boot opening is okayish, though a low boot lip height would have indeed eased the loading/unloading process quite easily. Now to write down one more safety feature- Maruti has introduced something new; it will not allow the magnetic switch for opening the boot to work when the key is inside the car. Yes, you heard that right. This would take some getting used to but a well-meant effort at making things a little more secure.
The manual needed work on the clutch calibration, with the elusive bite point. But it’s surprising that the more appealing choice, in this sense, happened to be the AMT model, something I certainly did not expect to ever say. In-gear acceleration was glacial compared to the older 1.2-litre 4-cylinder K-Series engine, which made the car feel less zesty.
On the comfort front, the new Swift Dzire is very well sorted, absorbing undulations quite commendably. It took on lousy roads with aplomb though not with the unyielding strength of a tank. Ground clearance stands at a respectable 163 mm and the braking was responsive. But when speed went a bit higher, the steering wheel showed appreciable shuddering and the vehicle seemed to shy away from such speeds.
Finally, performance is not what the Swift Dzire has targeted. Fuel efficiency is the top priority, and the 4th Generation Dzire justifies that. Claimed figures stand at 24.79 km/l for the Petrol Manual, 25.71 km/l for the Petrol AMT, and 33.73 km/kg for the CNG MT, and it is the market leader in terms of fuel economy in the sub 4m sedan category. That is what matters for customers.
Conclusion: A Step Forward with Room for Improvement
Well, no car is perfect, and the new Maruti Swift Dzire certainly does not make an exception. There are quite a few areas where we’d have wished the maker had fared better. First of all, a front center armrest would be something that you’d really miss. The interior rearview mirror (IRVM) could well have been done with an auto-dimming feature. For that matter, auto-dimming IRVMs have been a part of the sub-4m sedan for more than ten years, and the top-of-the-line Dzire variant misses it.
The rear headroom too is disappointingly compromised on account of the sunroof. Most rivals in this price bracket offer rain-sensing wipers, which the new Dzire does not. Actually, the MID screen could be much better at turn-by-turn navigation, not really showing you distances up ahead for approaching turns, it tells you “Soon” most of the time. The 3D view from the 360-camera is also better but only if they allow selection- views instead of ‘Play’ and ‘Pause’ only.
All in all, though the Swift Dzire’s design has made a lot of stride in looking more classy, the horn just really sounds sad. Despite these constraints, the 4th Gen Dzire indicates the unrelenting will of Maruti to stay ahead of the automobile industry curve. For the firm, it is a very significant stride; its safest ever car produced, so far. Its design is pleasing, with enhanced safety features and improved technology for the cabin, making the 4th Gen Dzire a very significant car in recent times. We perceive the 4th Gen Dzire as a Paradigm Shift by Maruti Suzuki, while it calls it a “Statement.”.
New Swift Dzire On-Road Price
| CITIES | CNG VXI | CNG ZXI |
| MUMBAI | 9.83 | 11.07 |
| BENGALORE | 10.49 | 11.80 |
| CHENNAI | 9.96 | 11.22 |
| DELHI | 9.66 | 10.87 |
| HYDERABAD | 10.31 | 11.61 |
| KOLKATA | 10.00 | 11.26 |
| AHMEDABAD | 9.56 | 10.87 |
| CITIES | LXI | ZXI+ |
| MUMBAI | 7.91 | 11.91 |
| BANGALORE | 8.11 | 12.55 |
| CHENNAI | 7.74 | 11.71 |
| DELHI | 7.59 | 11.66 |
| HYDERABAD | 8.01 | 12.37 |
| KOLKATA | 7.80 | 11.76 |
| AHMEDABAD | 7.43 | 11.07 |
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