2024 Maruti Suzuki Dzire First Drive Review

The restyling elements like a hexagonal grille and sleek headlamps make it look more classy and premium. This design evolution will be welcomed especially with the matured design, chiseled panels, and a proper sedan look. Also, the tri-lobe red LED elements in the taillamps restrict the over-bling styling like 'connected' lights. Though we think the alloy wheel design could have been a bit more exciting, the car’s overall look is promising.

That said, we're pleasantly surprised by the space inside such a small car (it's still under four metres). There's good space in the front-row and brilliantly packaged for two individuals in the second row. The light colour gives it a better sense of space with a sunroof taking it a notch further. The second-row vents are small, don't spread much air, and are positioned low but upwards. For four individuals it's a spacious car with a comfortable second row. However, add in another passenger and there's good overlap with limited shoulder-room. Moreover, the sedan continues to get bottle holders but the 382-litre boot with intrusions isn’t class-leading as rivals get upwards of 400 litres of cargo space.

Equipment-wise, the car gets several new features such as a floating nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless charger, cruise control, 360-degree camera, and an electric sunroof. The latter has manual blinds and doesn't support voice assistance, but can be electrically operated. Then, there's a three-spoke steering and a conventional twin-dial instrument cluster. It isn’t fair to the car to expect a HUD, leatherette upholstery, ventilated seats, dashcam, or all-disc brakes at this price point. But it could have been great to have these features. On the safety front, however, Maruti has bagged a five-star GNCAP safety rating for the Dzire that is equipped with several safety features including six airbags, ESP, hill hold assist, ABS with EBD and brake assist, ISOFIX mounts, and a rear defogger.

This petrol mill isn't silent when revved and the sound insulation could have been better. The vibrations are less but it gets noisy post 3,000rpm. Besides, it can be freely revved till 5,500rpm after which it loses steam till its redline at 6,000rpm. It isn't quick off the line or fast for a sub-10-second 0-100kmph sprint time but that's not what its use-case scenario would anyway be. It still feels lively with a strong mid-range and the car managed to pull away in a lower gear when we took it up a small ghat. This will be a regular affair with all occupants and a full boot as there's no abundance of torque. Full load and AC will be a struggle on steep slopes. Otherwise, a claimed mileage of 24.79kmpl makes it the most fuel-efficient compact sedan in India. Moreover, the clutch is light and the gears slot in smoothly and quickly keeping things easy otherwise.

Even on the ride and handling front, the sedan with its compact footprint continues to be easy to drive with a turning radius as low as 4.8m. The steering with 3.5 turns lock-to-lock isn't the quickest but is light and confidence-inspiring even at triple-digit speeds. Furthermore, the suspension is well-tuned for comfort and didn't bottom out with three second-row passengers and luggage. Besides, the ground clearance is good for our typical roads marred with speed breakers. It didn't scrape the under-belly anywhere on the streets of Goa and even when we took it off the road for a shoot. It didn't have any issues and hence those diversions and broken roads won't be a problem when driven sanely. Otherwise, at high speeds over sharp-edged potholes, you'll hear the suspension crash and send a thud in the cabin. This can be avoided as the brakes have a slight progression and bite, and when used efficiently shave off speed for a hassle-free experience and comfortable ride.