The Indian automobile buyer is known to quickly accept and snap up a good deal over great technology, high mileage over stunning design, extra space over better ride and handling. And if you get all three—well then you’ve got a sure winner. That’s the simple mantra Maruti Suzuki followed when it produced the first Swift Dzire sedan in 2008. This was despite engineers in Suzuki Japan telling them that the previous Swift platform simply could not be engineered ideally enough to accommodate a sedan. But they slapped on and welded a bulbous boot to it anyway, and the car went on to sell like hot cakes—crossing over 330,000 units in overall sales.
Ring in the new: The Swift Dzire is an aesthetically pleasing update on the previous model.
That success also meant that any successor had to be not just better, but just as attractive a buying proposition. Enter the second generation of the Swift Dzire. This car was planned from the start this time—meaning the new Swift platform which arrived in 2011 was engineered to also cater to a compact sedan. Unlike the last car, the new Dzire is compact, giving one the impression of being a hatchback too as you see it approaching. There was enough speculation on this, so I was not surprised to find a shorter, stubbier version of the Dzire. After all, Tata Motors too had squashed its previous generation Indigo sedan and created the CS (compact sedan) which—like the new Dzire—stayed under 4m in length. This is simply so that the car gets recognized as “small” and hence garners an excise duty benefit.
The new Swift Dzire is better looking, better built and drives better than the previous version. The only thing it can’t do is swallow as much luggage, with space for just one big suitcase or a few grocery bags/hand luggage. Maruti Suzuki is offering the new Swift Dzire with the same two engines as the hatch—the 1.2-litre petrol and the 1.3-litre diesel. The car is being made available in three trim levels—but the petrol VXi (or mid-variant) is now available with the option of a 4-speed automatic transmission. I believe this is a smart move from Maruti Suzuki as there is a small yet growing number of buyers who want the convenience of an automatic in congested city traffic. The gearbox itself is not very refined, nor is it cutting-edge. But it is smooth and seems adequate for the engine it’s mated to. A more sophisticated gearbox may have resulted in higher fuel efficiency, but the company was keen to keep prices competitive—hence the basic automatic, and the strategy to keep the option at the mid-level variant and not the top end.
As far as the overall performance goes, while it is indeed much better than the car it replaces, it isn’t nearly as precise or taut as the hatchback sibling. The new Swift was bigger than its predecessor, but still managed to hold on to sporty ride and decent handling. Though it is a bit unsteady while braking harshly, and doesn’t hold its line on high-speed cornering, it feels a bit light on its feet. Having said that, the acceleration is good, even with a full load, and the manual gearboxes respond well. The car promises high mileage too, which will remain a USP in buyers’ eyes (claimed mileage: petrol, 19.1 kmpl, diesel, 23.4 kmpl).
On the inside too, I found this car to be an improvement. Since it’s based on the new wider and slightly longer platform, cabin space is definitely enhanced. But it’s all very similar to the hatch version, with the main difference being the colour treatment. While the Swift hatch has all-black interiors, the Dzire has two-toned black and beige plastics. The rest of the features, functions and gadgets are the same—almost variant for variant, except the automatic gearbox of course. The top-end cars will sport faux wood inserts (which the hatch doesn’t have) and climate control, besides features like anti-lock braking system (ABS), dual airbags, and alloy wheels.
And now finally, I want to talk about what will undoubtedly become the biggest talking point of this new car—the styling. The car is contemporary, smart, with an agile look. Unlike the previous Dzire, this car is actually attractive, with the boot not coming across as horribly forced and incongruous. But what does seem a bit odd are the extra-large headlamps that somehow seem ill-fitted to the rest of the proportions. The tail lights, though, are smart, and the boot lid has an integrated spoiler-lip—much like the Hyundai Verna or Honda City’s. Maruti Suzuki is going to retain the larger-boot first-generation car in the market, albeit with only the basic, bare variants. The company plans to continue supplying these cars to fleet or institutional buyers, not individuals. This means that the new Dzire will occupy the same position as its predecessor did in the market, and so would allow Maruti to shore up its margins on this product. I expect the Swift Dzire to once again be a hit, though not simply for the boot this time. Its compact proportions may in fact see some Swift hatch buyers also considering the new sedan. And all this simply means that as usual any car with the Swift nameplate will likely carry at least a short waiting period.
As expected, Maruti has priced the new Swift Dzire very attractively, at just about Rs 50,000 more (variant-for-variant) than the Swift hatch. It is calling these prices introductory, but even if they do go up in a few months, I suspect there would be enough bookings to call it another Maruti blockbuster. Of course, Maruti seems to have passed on only part of the excise duty benefit that comes from staying sub-4m.
So the car offers good value for money, is reasonably well-built, but the handling and overall performance are somewhat lacking. But if it’s a city car you want and don’t want to spend more than around Rs 5-6 lakh, then the Swift Dzire is simply too compelling to ignore.
Siddharth Vinayak Patankar is Editor (Auto), NDTV.
Write to Siddharth at roadrunner@livemint.com