Re: Next Generation Maruti Suzuki Swift & Dzire Launched
I test drove Dzire DDis MT and AMT
1. Looks Good
2. Built Quality felt like ( can someone make a car lighter than this! ) heck it felt like a KIT car made out of plastic, sheet metal and doors etc felt ultra thin and sounded too tinny , I was worried the new Figo sounded tinny but the new Dzire has given a new dimension of tin can feel
![[lol]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Laugh.gif "Laugh [lol]")
3.Ergonomics was superb, the front seats too felt really comfortable and way better than the one in new Figo and even my Figo 2010, good bolstering too for a family car, the arm rest, steering reach and rake all were easy and light and perfect, ABC pedals too well spaced and light to use
3. Gearbox was great ie the manual in diesel, nice short throws, clutch was light and effortless as well,
AMT DDis was as expected JERKY ,I had no idea what it was going to do once I drive little enthusiastically, for regular day to day use, its fine but still no way a better pick than even a CVT at least for me
4. The engine had some lag below 2000 rpm but was well masked and the car can creep well under slow speeds, definitely better than old Dzire/Swift , also the engine felt slightly more eager post 2500 rpm, the throttle response too felt about the same but once past 2000 rpm the new Dzire has considerable punch for a 75 HP car( I am sure the low kerb weight is a big reason for this)
5.The NVH was under control at low speeds, but once past say 80 kmph the cabin insulation is noway near as good as Grand i10,Tata Zest, and even new Figo felt better
6. The interior plastics etc are good, not excellent but definitely pleasing, the plastic quality is bad but they have chosen the interior panels etc so that the colour the palette etc feels like its premium and gives a good ambiance inside the cabin steering wheel is awesome, the stock Music system is same as Old SWifts, its below average in quality,
The touch screen has some lag but does the job fine, AC too is good definitely an improved unit compared to old SWifts unit
7. The drive was actually pretty good, it has some European DNA somewhere inside it, its stable at high speeds , say upto 140 which is good for a sub 1 ton car, and the car seemed to be tuned for a soft ride, which most Indians will love, and the tire too offer good mechanical grip, the steering is lifeless and even lacks proper self centering , the front end is very pointy and likes to dart into corners but the lack of feel from steering and lack of weight addition makes it clumsy, it feels like it has a good chassis but is down toned for a comfort oriented ride, the brakes are re assuring and feel good as well specially for manual and with AMT brakes just did the stopping and rest all were too robotic,
The Manual Dzire is a fun car to drive , definitely has good composure , the suspension too was good, it was soft and quiet for most of the part, but at speeds it crashes into pot holes and makes loud thuds and made me feel nervous, the mid range speeds are best say the 30-90 kmph range, above that the suspension is just about average, it tends to have some roll and nose dive as well, so it felt as if the suspension wants this great chassis to act like a soft car.
8. Rear seat space too was good and although under thigh support is bad, there is not much other cars other than Zest that offers better thigh support, seat angle too is good,
Overall its a WINNER for Maruti as I feel its a car tailor made for INDIA, but for someone coming from Ford,Fiat,VW, etc its a disappointment.
