One of the best entry level sedans in the market. Good Mileage and excellent control.

The Decision

Fairly straight forward - wanted a Sedan. Conscious of higher cost of purchase and maintenance for Diesel, apart from the requirement of running a diesel vehicle regularly for longer drives prompted me to think of perol sedan. Choices in the market for a sub-6 lac segment: Indigo CS, Hyundai-Accent and Ford Ikon among others. Opted out of Logan due to its Fleet car (taxi) status in Hyderabad and not so impressive looks. Was unhappy with the gadgets and gizmos in Indigo CS; there is hardly any accessory that comes along with the car. Accent and Ikon were too old a model for me to opt for, and hence dint want to run the risk to facing an uphill task to get rid of the vehicle in the seconds' market - dont know when they'll be phased out.

Test drove VDi at the showroom - really impressed. The interiors were satisfactory, or atleast better than the rest in the category and almost exactly the same as SX4.

The Buy

I got my hands on the Silky Silver Dzire VXi on 17th October 2008. Contrary to what I was told in this forum and elsewhere, the delivery was fairly quick - One and a half months to be precise. My finances were settled through Axis Bank who, on behalf of Varun Motors obliged with a better EMI rate than what was being guaranteed by SBI or other Maruti dealer in the city.

The first impression

The vehicle had to face a test on the vey first day (or should I say night) of delivery. The heavens opened and the it poured like crazy; So, I got a chance to drive through peak Hyderabad traffic  at night in the rains.The pros and cons were clear almost instantly. One of the biggest problems I faced was, adjusting to the fairly smal rear windshield - which reduced the sight of the traffic that followed me - perhaps the higher boot forced Maruti to reduce the wind shield size and the fact that rear seat headrest are elevated (for comfort) doesn't help when you are in the drivers seat. The pick up and slow running was fairly smooth. The sound proofing of the vehicle is marginally better than the rest in the category. Incredibly smooth and remarkable control are some of the hall marks of this entry level sedan. The boot is huge and can accommodate the largest of suitcases - I guess it is one of the largest in the sedan segment with SX4 being an exception.

The After Impression

Prior to the first service the mileage stuck to paltry 10 Km/L (city) and increased to 13 -14 Km/L (city) after the first service. Not driven on the highway yet, but I presume that the mileage should stand at 19 Km/L. I use either Speed or Premium petrol so that should also be noted. One of the drawbacks of the vehicle has been the size of the glove compartment - which is big enough only to hold the car documents and nothing else - this my friends, is a real disappointment considering that the dash board is pretty huge. Though impressed with music system initially - I guess it would be better with some more spunk and lesser vibrations at higher volumes - but then that is matter of preference / choice.

I wasn't too happy with the first service, the engine has started raising the moment I switch on the car; it behaves itself later though.

Overall, it seems like a good buy and don't see a reason why this should not be the first chioice for the folks looking for a sedan. Mind you the interiors of SX4 and Dzire are almost the same and both the vehicles are essesntially built on the same platform - that of SWIFT.

The Advice

Go for it !!

Sachin Kumar

 

Value for Money, Driving Comfort, Boot Space, Reasonably good mileage 14kmph (city)Interiors - not upto the mark, Glove compartment - too small, Small - Rear wind shield