The Maruti Suzuki Swift D-Zire was a very popular car when introduced. It was based on the Maruti Suzuki Swift, the ever-popular hatchback was a very good value for money packaged product, economical, reliable, overall easy on the pocket Another important factor to the great success of the Swift D-Zire was it enjoyed a first mover advantage in the compact sedan market of India. A first mover advantage is an advantage a product enjoys for being the first-of-its-kind product in a niche market. Maruti Suzuki was very quick and decisive to enter the compact sedan segment. When the Swift D-Zire was launched, no one had imagined the need for a compact sedan, however, the emergence of the cab aggregators such as Uber, Ola and the customers wanting a practical car in the urban environment, spurred the Swift D-Zire to glory. Being successful in the market is a feat but, sustaining the position of the undisputed leader for quite a few years is a whole other level of achievement. Sustaining the position of the undisputed market leader is something Maruti Suzuki knows a lot about, and the Swift D-Zire is evidence of that.
Well, Maruti has brought the undisputed market leader back in an all new avatar. Off late there seems to be a design revolution at Maruti Suzuki, both on exteriors and interiors of their recent cars. There was a time a few years ago where it seemed Maruti was not prepared to break the trend of designing trendy and more youthfully appealing cars. The likes of the Baleno, Ciaz, Ignis are some of their best-designed cars on the market today. The transition towards a more youthfully appealing style is a step in the correct direction. This most importantly highlights their plans for the Indian market. As recently as yesterday, Maruti brought back the Dzire in a swanky new avatar, fueling a life a modernism and excitement! The external design of the Dzire is more rounded and curvy than ever before, gone are the lines and sharp edges. Oh and yes……. the has been a change in the name of the car, it is no longer called the Swift D-Zire it is now the Maruti Suzuki Dzire. This has been done because Maruti wants to break the association of this car from the Swift hatchback, creating a new identity for the car. The large front grille surrounded with chrome makes the car look youthful and bold. The headlamps are now LED projectors with DRLs. The car is made on a new design architecture – HEARTECT. This as Maruti says has made the car safer, stronger, more rigid and most importantly a whole 105 kg lighter. Moving inside the cabin has been made more modern and contemporary. There is a new dashboard design and a new steering wheel which gives a sporty look. The old Swift D-Zire had championed space and practicality……the new Dzire continues the legacy. There is now even a rear passenger AC vent. With respect to the technology on offer, Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, and a push button Start-Stop option are now made available. For an upmarket feel – wood and chrome inserts are also available. The same 1.2 L VTVT petrol and 1.3 L DDiS diesel engines do duty on the 2017 Dzire. Hence, offering assured fuel efficiency. These will be mated to a manual and automatic gear options. However, the automatic will be only offered on variants V upwards.
With prices beginning at 5.45 Lakh the new Dzire is quite competitive and more than capable of sustaining the competition. It should prove to be very crucial to the success of Maruti’s new age vehicles.
