In the face of rising competition and evolving consumer demands, not even the country’s largest car maker can afford to be reticent. So what if we are talking about India’s best-selling compact sedan? Dylan said the times they are a changin’. Keeping in step with these changing times, Maruti Suzuki is now in the final stages of preparation for the launch of an all new Dzire.
Built on Suzuki’s fifth generation B platform (the same as the one used in the Baleno and the Swift that was showcased in Geneva), the new Dzire is lighter, stronger and more rigid. This combination should endow it with better dynamics than it has shown and make the car safer. Lightness of weight should also translate into improved fuel economy, which in turn should result in lower emissions.
The new Dzire, as always, echoes the design of the new Swift we have seen in Geneva. It’s more contemporary and designed to create an aura of modernity, sleekness and agility, says Maruti Suzuki. To highlight the point, the company took us through the finer points of what’s changed from the first to the current generation of the vehicle. Apart from changes to the profile, overall vehicle height, seat height and overhangs have been reduced. The designers were also able to extract a better tandem position and a bigger boot. The width is increased by 40mm, while shoulder room improved by 20mm up front and 30mm at the rear. On the down side, ground clearance has been reduced to 163mm from the earlier 170mm. Dimensions aside, the front end is completely new and the side body sculpting is richer.
The two tone interiors are simple but feel rich with the large touchscreen infotainment system taking prime spot on the neat dash. The flat bottomed steering wheel should add a touch of sportiness as well. Meanwhile wider rear seats and rear air-con vents will keep passengers comfortable. There is a conscious effort to make the Dzire more aspirational than it has already been, and it showed at the preview.
Engine options remain unchanged and customers will be able to choose between the tried and tested 1.2-litre petrol and the 1.3-litre diesel that has been powering various models of the Maruti Suzuki line up for years now. To offer even more choices for Dzire customers, the company will be offering both petrol and diesel variants with the option of manual transmission as well as the Auto Gear Shift, which is Maruti’s name for the automated manual transmission. Although the government’s stand on mild hybrids has changed in the recent past, the company stated that its commitment to that technology remains unchanged. However, notably there is no option of a mild hybrid for this new vehicle.
Suspension too has been upgraded although Maruti isn’t going in to the specifics of what those changes are. The car is scheduled for launch on May 16.