We'd told you when Maruti Suzuki opened the bookings for the Dzire subcompact sedan and we already knew that there were a lot of people who were interested in the car. The third generation of the Maruti Suzuki Dzire seems to have gotten quite a reception in India as it has already gathered over 33,000 bookings in just 11 days and yes, that's quite a lot. In fact, the car was just launched in India and we are already told that the waiting period for the Dzire has gone up to 8 weeks and that'll give you a fair idea as to how the customers are taking to this car. The previous two generations of the Swift Dzire have already sold 13.81 lakh units (with a 50% segment share) and the new car looks to be taking it to new heights and even when we traced the cars journey, we told you about this.
The 2017 Maruti Suzuki Dzire is based on Suzuki's B platform which Maruti brands as, 'Heartect'. This is the derivative of the same platform that the Baleno is built on. It is lighter than the previous car too, the diesel by 105 kgs and the petrol by 85 kgs. The car uses high tensile steel in its construction and brings new safety standards and crash-worthiness to Maruti Suzuki's product offering. Maruti Suzuki now has 5 cars that conform to the safety norms that will come into effect in October 2017.
The car has grown too and it's longer, wider and more spacious than the outgoing car. The styling too has changed and now the Dzire looks more like a sedan as also very upmarket. The styling is derived from the new generation Swift hatchback and gets a massive trapezoidal grille and a raked A-pillar for a more sedan-like stance. The C-pillar also merges more seamlessly into the boot and the car looks a lot more proportionate this time. The new Dzire gets projector headlamps with LED DRLs, LED tail lights with a signature light for a distinctive touch, however, this is only available in the top-end VXi/ZXi trim. There are also three new colours on offer with the 2017 Dzire - Oxford Blue, Gallant Red and Sherwood Brown.
The changes continue on the inside as the cabin is premium too. It gets a two-tone colour combination and is filled to the brim with features like engine push start/stop button, rear AC vents and a touchscreen infotainment system that supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as MirrorLink, however, most of these are available on the top-end variant. The new Dzire also comes with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist as standard on all trims, which receives a big thumbs up from us as Maruti Suzuki puts safety up front.
Finally the engines. Under the hood you get the 1.2-litre K-Series 4-pot petrol is tuned for 82 bhp and the 1.3-litre DDiS diesel developing 74 bhp. Both engines come paired with a 5-speed manual and Automated Manual Transmission options. Both engines have been tuned for efficiency and now return an ARAI certified fuel economy of 22 kmpl on the petrol and 28.48 kmpl on the diesel version, both of which are class leading.
Clearly, the Dzire's got a lot going its way and now with the price being fairly competitive and this time around too it looks like the Dzire is going to give its competitors a run for their money.
