Words: Aniruddha Rangnekar
Since the arrival of the Dzire nameplate in the India, Maruti has managed to provide a small car with efficient and reliable transportation abilities to many Indian families. The Dzire’s core mission is not an exciting one, but its success is largely based on its track record as a dependable tool for getting people where they need to go. So it’s no surprise then that this new generation Dzire we’ve been running (based on the soon to be launched new Swift) has quickly become the number one selling car in our country.
A few months ago, I borrowed the car from Aninda to make the traditional annual trip to the Coffee Day India rally in Chikmagalur. A drive of some 800 kilometres from our base in Pune. Since I was traveling alone, the Dzire seemed to be a sensible choice, considering how efficient this diesel version is supposed to be, with the tried and tested 1.3 turbo diesel under the bonnet. This is a car that is surprisingly involving to drive, with a unique fun to drive factor. That part of its personality began to shine when we were chasing down the two Team MRF Skoda R5s in the final transport section, hoping to be the first to get an interview with newly crowned champion, Gaurav Gill.
I wasn’t sure about the steering feel initially, but grew to appreciate the comfort it offered to manoeuvre the car at low speed, while being communicative enough to provide some feedback on the twisty roads of the coffee plantations. The firm brakes had confidence inspiring stopping power, which let me enjoy the drive on the highway as well as on the roads leading to the rally stages. While the ride quality is super comfy on the highway, it did have a sharp edged feel where the roads were broken, forcing you to slow down.
All the newer generation Maruti cars are loaded with features and the Dzire is no different. Our top trim ZDi+ model had a full load of features, including navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, auto headlamps, to name a few. The other good thing is that Maruti Suzuki have focused more on quality than quantity in this area. The operation of the infotainment touchscreen for example and its accompanying touch-capacitive controls are super easy to use. Despite being driven hard on some pretty bad surfaces for the best part of a week and over 2,000 kilometres, I returned the car to Aninda without a single audible rattle or squeak in the cabin.
The boot is handy too, fitting all my rally essentials plus a load of magazines which I was carrying to give people at the rally. But the biggest plus has to be the incredible fuel economy. No matter how you choose to drive it, the Dzire just sips on fuel, running well over 700 kilometres on a tankful. For most of the time it returned in the region of 24kmpl, which is just incredible! It ticks all the right boxes on the commuting needs with foolproof reliability and miserly fuel economy while also keeping your senses engaged with its powertrain and handling.
Date acquired : June 2017
Duration of test : 7 months
Total mileage : 10,945km
Mileage (January) : 2,426km
Overall kmpl : 21.4kmpl
Costs for the month of January : Nil