Was on the look out for a sedan within the 6 lac budget, so when the
Dezire was launched it gave me better option to the logan that i had in
mind.
Here are my impressions:-1)
The car looks much better in ’flesh’, photos do not do any justice.
Its
availabe in 6 colours of which all are new except for the ’silky silver
colour’.The white(which was the test car colour) looks great in the
evening and is actually metallic!!All except the
Red colour is the only one thats nonmetallic.
2)The boot...well its
great.good loading aperture and not many protrutions.
The ZDI model
which is the top of the line has 20L less than the other because it
uses a larger tyre(so the spare wheel takes up 20L).The only problem is
that the boot lid supports intrude a lot into the boot space and it may
foul with the luggage.Oh also they is no access to the boot from the
rear seat.
3)Coming to the rear seat, it a bit more angulated
than the swift but the real change is the bigger windows on the rear
door wich gives it a bit more airy feel.Also i found the
seat belt
locks on the seat scab to impinge on the thighs as one sits down on the seat, usually in most cars the locks come out inbetween the backrest and the seat scab(maybe this is a design issue).Still space is a
premium and the logan is much better here.Another plus point is the folding armrest provided on the VDI and ZDI, this really adds class and is a feature found lacking in costlier cars.
4) The interiors are
just the same ,like the swift the only difference is the integrated
stereo that comes in the VDi(middle model) which was laking in the VDi
swift.
The stereo perse is just average,the sound output will not please any music enthusiast.The remote stereo controls on the steering wheel of the ZDi is a good touch.The front seats are supremely comfortable.There is no dead pedal
and no low fuel warning light but all other features are present.There is also an external temperature display(VDi/ZDI) and
the 'light intensity' of the dashboard instruments(which are slightly different from the Swift) can be adjusted.(nice touch).Also the
glove box is quite small and its not lockable.
5) Engine is quite refined..its a
revelation..very silent(and i use a santro/ikon)and the torque is also
good.(better than logan).Anything above 2000 rmp and it flies!!.
Overtaking on the highways are a non issue and the drive ability with AC running is much better than the Logan diesel.It revs
out at 5000rpm(better than the logan)hence giving a much better range of use.I could not find any appreciable difference between the Dzire and Swift even with the 30kg weight disadvantage in the former.There is a bit of turbo lag below
1800rpm but its not much.
6)Handling is great,steering is a bit
numb centre but in the turns its great.
The only weak link are the
tyres..165’s are really undertyred for a car of this size and performance potential.Why does
maruti skip on these?!!
7) All the safety features are bundled
on the ZDI model and the ABS is not even an option for the lower
model(unlike the swift), why this attitude i dont understand.
8)
finally i feel maruti could have played a little more with the front
and atleast changed the headlight a bit to make the dezire stand out
from the swift--or atleast provide different color options than the Swift.
Update
I have got delivery of the car after wait for 4 months and 8 days - felt cheated by maruti and the dealer as i had traded in my existing car for the booking.
After using the car though i am relived to say that the car redeems all ill feeling.Here you can find the detailed report on the car.Engine,Style,Boot space,Mileage,Resale valueBack seat space,Poor quality OEM tyres