Desire.....d to drive
by CARAZOO INDIA
Maruti Suzuki launched the Swift Sedan ��Dzire�� today (March 26th). The Dzire model has been eagerly awaited by several Swift fans. The Dzire is brought in to replace the long lasting Esteem. The Maruti Suzuki Esteem was discontinued on January 1, 2008. The new sedan will be available in three petrol variants and three diesel variants.
The Dzire and Swift are identical in all terms up to the ��B�� pillar. Dzire will carry the same ��g�� series engine currently available in the Swift. The petrol versions will carry a 1.3-litre engine that is expected to deliver 87 bhp and the diesel versions will get a 1.3-litre Multijet common rail diesel engine (sourced from Fiat��s Multijet CRDe engine) that is expected to generate 75 bhp. Both engines are paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The Dzire comes with a 43-litre tank and versatile driving dynamics.
Adding a rear boot to the existing Swift hatch seemed the obvious thing to do to turn it into an acceptable sedan. The Dzire platform is 4.2 metre in length, which is longer than the Swift hatchback. To distinguish it from the Swift, the rear of the Dzire has been re-worked deliberately with beautifully designed taillights and perfectly placed fog lamps gives the sedan an attractive look. Overall, the car looks like it is a morph of the Swift front and SX4 rear.
Dzire interiors feature a smooth and well-furnished dash along with a similar-to-Swift layout of instrument cluster. The difference is that the gauges are white lit with chrome surroundings (as against the orange lit in the Swift). The quality of equipments is slightly superior and the high-end ZXI trim also gets steering wheel mounted audio controls. The integrated audio system is neatly tucked in the dash and is very user friendly. These features have been introduced in the lower mid-size segment for the first time in the country.
The seating is comfortable too and is borrowed from the Swift, comes with large front seats with back incline. However, the rear seats are slightly cramped. The car will be enhanced with latest safety features like the front ABS (anti-lock braking system) and auto temperature control (in high-end variants) along with engine immobilizer has been provided to prevent car theft. The high-end variant will get a DIN stereo and a separate set of alloy wheels. Now that makes it better than most sedans!
It has been positioned in the entry level sedan category with a price that starts from Rs 4.7 Lakh for the base variant and from Rs 6 Lakh for the high-end car variant. It will be competing against the old boys like Hyundai Accent, Ford Ikon, Chevrolet Aveo, and Mahindra-Renault Logan.
About Author: He is very passionate about cars, loves writing about them and always is well informed about the new launches.
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