Maruti Swift Dzire review, test drive

It’s a brave and unusual move for a carmaker to launch a new car that offers something substantially less than its predecessor. There have been badly styled redesigns and less entertaining new motors, but to take away something as crucial as boot space is a big step. But that’s just what Maruti has done with the new Dzire. The new car’s boot capacity is 124 litres lesser than the old car’s, but there’s good news too. Taking a cue from Tata’s successful Indigo CS, which started the trend, the new car ducks under four metres to take advantage of small-car excise benefits and effectively give the customer a better price.

This top-end Dzire looks smart as it stands on its 15-inch alloys and wide 185-section tyres. In profile, the car looks like its boot has been abruptly cut off but, given the tight dimensions, it’s not a bad job, especially compared to the ungainly first-gen car. Still, you can tell exactly how Maruti has kept the length at 3995mm. At just 145mm longer than the Swift it is based on, the rear overhang is extremely short, the bumper lip is almost flush with the tail-lamps and you can liken it to a bushy-tailed rabbit, if you will. There’s also the squarish boot-lid that accentuates the chopped look.  At the front, there are a few changes that distinguish the Dzire from the Swift, but you’ll need sharp eyes to tell that the grille is new and the bumper has been reprofiled too.

As with the previous cars, Maruti didn’t have to change much from the Swift to make the Dzire. The width, the wheelbase and the rear track are identical, although the new Dzire is 25mm taller. The engines are identical, as are the gear ratios. The gearbox gets detent pin tech for smoother gearshifts though. Maruti claims that the Dzire, despite the extra metal for the boot, weighs the same as the Swift at 1080kg. And though it does not look like it, boot space – at 316 litres – is a useful 112 litres more than the Swift’s tiny hatch.

The upmarket theme continues when you step into the car, the ZDi version in particular. All models get a two-tone dashboard based on the Swift’s, which in turn is based on the Rs 16.5-lakh Kizashi. You’ll notice the convincing faux wood strips that bisect the dashboard – stretch your imagination a bit and you’ll see references to VW’s big saloons in here.

Plastic quality though is exactly like the Swift, which means it is far better than what you see in most of its competition, but still not up to the solidity of, say, a VW Polo’s interiors. The big difference from the Swift, obviously, is the beige lower half of the dash. It really helps brighten up an age-old complaint we’ve had about the Swift’s coal-bin interiors.  

The seats are identical to the Swift, so you get the well-bolstered, comfortable front chairs. The rear seats have more space than the old Dzire, thanks to the new platform’s longer wheelbase. That said, the Dzire’s narrow interior width means it’s best for seating two at the rear and is nowhere as spacious as an Etios or Manza. So if you do travel with a full load of passengers most of the time, it’s the bigger cars you need to be looking at. And, while we’re at it, the Dzire’s rear seatback is a tad too reclined as well. This shouldn’t be that much of an issue because we’ll assume most owners will be driving themselves.