[Nazaar25]

Hello BHPians!

Hope you all are safe.
I saw this lockdown as an opportunity to pen down the long awaited review of my Dzire because right now, I have all the time of the world and writing my first ownership report on TeamBHP seems like the best thing to enjoy as well as kill a lot of time. Inspired by all the impeccably detailed reviews written on the forum, I've tried to cover each and every aspect of the car and have made it as detailed as possible! I hope you guys like the write up

Why the need for a new car?
Our MS Dzire VDi MJD 1st gen (2010) had just clocked 70k kms in 7 years and was doing it's job pretty well without any issues whatsoever (no rattles either!) and was very well maintained. My father never missed a single service and took care of the car like a baby!
Here's a picture of the 'white Bull' (as I used to call it):

The need for a new car arose sometime in 2017 when my mom learned driving but she wasn't quite comfortable driving a manual car and even my dad wanted an automatic as the maddening traffic in Mumbai started taking a toll on his left leg and on top of all this, as our trusty Dzire was already 7 years old, the itch for a new car had started.
As young enthusiasts, me and my elder brother didn't quite like the idea of going for an automatic but eventually we understood that ATs are better suited for the kind of traffic conditions we have here in our city and anyways, the home ministers weren't listening to us!
So the hunt for a new car started.

Budget- Around 11 lakhs
Our requirements were pretty clear-1)It should be an AUTOMATIC!
2)Engine should be powerful (preferably a petrol).
3)It should atleast have 2 airbags, ABS and EBD.
4)AT should be available in the top trim.
5)Car should be spacious and rear seat should be comfortable.
6)Boot space should be 330L<
7)No CVTs (due to the rubber band effect & power loss)
8)It should be very reliable.

The hunt begins!
Just when the hunt for the right car started, the spyshots of the 3rd gen Dzire came out and we liked the way the car looked. After a month, the Dzire was launched and as my dad was not in the country, only me, my brother and a close friend of ours went to the nearby Sai Service dealership to check the car out. The most funny thing which happened there which also shows the sheer lack of knowledge of some SAs was when we asked him about the 'NM' of torque the engine made, he replied that the new engine (the first misinformation!) made torque in 'kgm' and not in 'nm'! We controlled our laughter and left. Again coming back to the car, we liked the design, the new headlamps and the smart looking interiors. They didn't have any brochure, but they did give us a price list of the car.

My dad came back and it was time to call for a test drive of the all new Dzire.
We called the same SA from Sai Service Andheri (E) who sold us our first Dzire way back in 2010 and told him to bring the petrol AMT as the K12 motor was the pick of the range. We loved the looks and presence of the car. Interiors looked plush and space was just about enough for our needs. As the drive started, we noticed that the ride was on the stiffer side but was able to absorb most of the bumps. The engine felt peppy from the word go and felt powerful throughout the revv range. The AMT was definitely not the smoothest automatic around but wasn't bad or 'unliveable' in any way.
Luckily, the TeamBHP review came at the very time and helped us a lot with the decision. Overall, we loved the car and started looking for other options with the Dzire being our first choice.

Other cars considered:
VW Polo/Ameo twins:
Excellent build, the best automatic gearbox and powerful engines were the things going for the twins and so we went to a VW dealer to check both the cars out. We were quite impressed by the built quality which was way better than any car in the category. Once on the road, the engine+DSG combo and the way the car drove bought a smile on our faces. But that's where the good things ended, the cars were very cramped for the price we were paying, the reliability of the DSG was still a question and the bad ASS meant we had to remove the VWs from the list.

Ford Ecosport/Aspire:
As enthusiasts, we were very much interested in the Ford Ecosport as well as Aspire so we went to a Ford dealer. As it was a bit late, we didn't get to drive the cars, we just had a look at both cars and left with a brochure and price list. After coming back, I read about the DCT offered on both the cars and found out that the gearbox had a lot of issues and wasn't reliable at all. So the Fords were out of the list.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno:
This one was a strong contender and the reason why we didn't buy this Maruti was subjective. Firstly we didn't like CVTs due to the irritating rubber band effect and the loss of power and secondly, my mom didn't like the black interiors. Otherwise, the car was just perfect for our needs and also offered additional features over the Dzire at the same price.

Fiat Linea:
Now you might be thinking that how did the Linea even land up in our list as it doesn't offer an AT, Fiat's ASS is.... well, there's no such thing and the company's existence is uncertain. Actually, it was accidental. We saw a Jeep Fiat dealer and decided to stop and take a look at the newly launched Compass. While we had gone there to check out the Jeep, a Linea in a nice brown shade parked beside the Compass caught our eyes. Ignoring the car we had actually came to see, we started checking out the Linea. The solid build reminded us of our erstwhile Cielo, we were in love with the Italian design and we liked the interiors too. We liked the car so much that we even forgot that the main reason for buying a new was an automatic transmission! We went home happily with the brochure of the car and told the sales guy to bring the car (the diesel one) home the next day for a test drive. As decided, he bought the car and the test drive started. The first thing which was evident from the very start of the TD was that the car needed a more powerful heart and comparatively, our Dzire felt much peppier (mainly because it was light). The second downer was the clutch which was although light but the travel was too long and thirdly, they were not ready to give the discounts which we were expecting. Finally, after a thorough discussion, we dropped the idea as it wasn't a 'safe' buy and was not even fulfilling our very first requirement.

The particular year (2017) when we were looking for a new car was not a great time for AT buyers as most of the new products weren't launched (New Ecosport, Venue, etc), some good cars didn't have ATs by then (Nexon, Brezza) and some were on their last legs (Xcent, Amaze). Due to this, our list was pretty small and from that small list, the Dzire fulfilled all our needs and was well in our budget.
So, it was the Dzire again!

Booking the new Dzire and bidding goodbye to the old one!
The very next day after the Linea episode, we called our SA with the booking papers and the car to have a final and thorough test drive before signing on the dotted line. We already liked the car and after the TD, we were convinced that this was the right one for us.
We gave a cheque of 11k and booked the Dzire ZXi+ AMT in the oxford blue shade. A good thing which happened at the time was that GST was levied on cars and if you remember, while prices of some cars had gone up, prices of some had considerably came down. Dzire was among the cars which benefited from GST and the prices came down by Rs.48,000!
After some days we saw a brand new Blue Dzire on the road and somehow, dad didn't like the colour, so we decided to change the booking. If not blue then which colour? To decide this, we went to the dealer to see all the colours in person. We liked the silky silver of all the shades and changed the booking by sending an email to Maruti regarding the colour change. Because of the colour change, the waiting period came down from 4 months to 3 months!
Dealer experience was pretty good and as we knew the SA pretty well, he didn't call us a million times to ask whether we were buying the car or not! (Some NEXA SAs still call us to ask whether we are still interested in buying the Baleno!). In fact, we called him twice or thrice for test drives and finally booking it. Maruti updated everything through message and emails.
As the date for the delivery came close, we posted the ad of our Dzire on OLX but eventually sold the car to a known pre-owned car dealer @3.5L. It was an emotional day for us when the car finally left.The white Bull was a very loyal companion and will always be missed! The person whoever has bought our car is very lucky as it was very well kept and had absolutely no issues. We got a spare car (SX4 petrol) from the dealer till the delivery of our new car as we knew the owner well.
No matter what others say, this would still be a good looking car in my eyes!


The D-Day:
So after the endless wait of 3 months, finally the SA called us to take our baby home on 10th October, 2017 in the afternoon! We were all happy and excited. Our exams were going but I used to come in the morning itself but my brother's exams were in the afternoon. So, only me and my dad were there for the delivery as even my mom was out for some work.
As planned, we reached the dealership with a gift for our SA at the given time and saw the car for the first time, we were awestruck as the car was just polished and looked gorgeous.
We checked for any scratches, dings or defects but luckily, there were none. We then went up, finished the paper work which took about half an hour and came down with all the important papers, manuals of the car and the infotainment system and a box of chocolates. A guy explained us all the features of the car and also about the AMT gearbox which I found very informative.Took a picture with our SA while taking the typical 'Big key' and we left.
The delivery experience was pretty good and everything went as expected. We were looking to buy a set of mats but our SA suggested us to not buy anything from the dealer so we didn't.

The first picture of the car-


(From L to R) My dad, the 15 y/o me and our trusted SA-


Baby comes home:


Car=Maruti Suzuki Dzire
Variant=ZXi+ AGS
Colour= Silky Silver
Finance=SBI (9% interest rate)
Dealer=Sai Service Andheri East
Total OTR price=Rs.9,50,000
Extended Warranty=12,500
Total warranty period=4 Years from the date of purchase (2 MW + 2 EW)
Insurance=Zero depreciation from New India Insurance
The manufacturer warranty expired on 9/10/19 and the extended warranty will expire on 9/10/2021.

[Nazaar25]

As of today, the car has completed 2 years 5 months and 29 days with us and have clocked 30100 kms.

Sharing the journey so far with the Heart Car!

First things first, How is it to look at?
I'll not say much on this as looks are subjective and will let the pictures do the talking but I do believe that it is the best looking Compact Sedan along with the Tigor.
The bulge on the fenders and bonnet adds some muscle to the front:


Clean inoffensive design and the rims compliment it well-


The rear reminds me of the 2004 dophin Honda City!
It looks smart, modern and is a departure from the odd looking previous iterations:


The BIG wide grille adds to the street presence but chrome could have been a little lesser, especially on the upper part:


A closer look at the lights-



ORVMs with integrated turn indicators:


The handles have a nice design and are fairly well built:


The stubby antenna:


Bumper, what's that?!


Rims look nice and sporty: (Sorry for the dirty wheels)


The camera is neatly placed under the wide chrome bar.
The lights for the number plate are halogens (will be putting LEDs):


Shut lines are comparatively wide around the bonnet, front doors and just toooo wide around the trunk!


One with the elder brother:

[Nazaar25]

How is it on the inside?
Open the relatively light doors which open in a 3 stage action by unlocking the car from the key or by pressing the request sensor on the door. They close with a reassuring sound (not a European 'thud' though) due to the generous use of rubber beading on the door lines.
Visibility all-round is great as the A pillar is not that thick and windows are large enough.
Dashboard Design:
Although the dashboard is shared with it's hatchback sibling, this time around, MUL has made a lot of changes to differentiate it from the Swift. Like the previous one, the black+beige color scheme is used to brighten things up and coming to the design, It looks fresh and clean with wooden and silver accents used at apt places.
It is an ergonomically designed dashboard as the lower portion is slightly scooped out to liberate more knee room for the front passenger and also, all the buttons and stalks are easy to reach and nothing is hidden or difficult to operate even on the go.
Quality:
In terms of quality, it's a mixed bag. The top, middle portion of the dash and door pads are made with good quality of plastics. It's a major step up from the previous one and finishing feels good. The leather wrapped steering wheel, gear knob feel very premium and front doors armrest are fabric padded which feel nice but gets dirty very easily. The plastic panels in the lower portion are flimsy and even the fittings feel a little loose and also, some plastics used around the window switches, gear knob and the horn pad itself scratch very easily. Luckily, nothing rattlles and parts like the glove box which open/shut have small soft rubbers on the lid which prevent it from rattling. It's a similar story with the switchgear quality as well. While the switches for the A/C control, steering controls, indicator/wiper stalks and ignition button feel premium to use, the window switches and stalks to browse through the MID feel equally cheap. A good thing is that there are no rough edges or unfinished bits anywhere in the cabin.

The dashboard looks plush and bright:


The center console is slightly tilted towards the driver.
The sweet looking leather wrapped (slightly) flat bottom steering:


The steering only gets adjustment for rake.
The buttons are well damped and feel good to use but the ones on the lower part for accepting/rejecting calls and voice assistant are a bit shaky:


The speedometer is quite easy to read and looks quite similar to the one on the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X!
Sadly, it doesn't get the Baleno's fancy colour MID which is now added in the 2020 facelifted Dzire.
But nevertheless, it gets all the necessary features like 2 trip meters, distance to empty, average and instant fuel efficiency.


The two stalks to browse through the MID do look & feel old school but are very easy to access:


The short and smart looking gear lever:


The infotainment system which is an absolute dust magnet!
It gets all the connectivity features like AUX, USB, Bluetooth, Android auto, Apple carplay and also an in-built map which is a very useful feature.
In terms of animation, user interface and touch response, it's good but feels basic when compared with Hyundai's or Ford's screens. I wish it had some customization options like multiple theme colours, feature to set custom wallpapers,etc. There are no physical buttons to use the system apart from the ones on the steering. These capacitive buttons are nice to use and I don't find the volume control to be fiddly as said said in some reviews. Long press the power button to switch it off and short press to mute.
The system is moody as it works alright on most days but lags on some.
Sound Quality: Sound quality from the 6 speakers (2 are tweeters) is good for a average listener like me but if you are a audiophile like my brother, then you might find it just adequate.
As per him, the sound should have been more crisp at higher volumes and the overall volume should have gone a little higher.


Camera resolution is quite good but the lines aren't adaptive:


The automatic climate control:
A/C is quite strong and cools the cabin in no time which is very important in Mumbai!
Switches are well damped and the rotary knobs makes it easier to control the A/C on the go. Screen is visible even in bright sunlight.


The stalks feel premium and sturdy:


Too many blank spaces!
The first button is for the after market ambient lights, the second one to switch on/off the four parking sensors and third for the headlight leveling:


The world famous window switches from the Dinosaur age!
They feel very plasticy and cheap but we are used to them from 10 years now.
Also, only the driver's window switch is illuminated


The ignition button feels good to use and is thankfully illuminated!


All the storage places in the car:
There are in total 3 places dedicated to keep your smartphone, 2 12V charging ports, 4 one litre bottle holders and 4 cup holders and some other places to keep small items.


The small glove box which is just good enough to keep the papers and some wires:


The upper one is the front door and you can clearly see the kind of discrimination done with the rear ones! Grow up MUL!


The quality of the sun visors have vastly improved from the previous generations and is no more a cardboard covered in cloth but it still doesn't get lights or even a mirror for the driver side!


Thankfully, two lights are offered.
Those are the mics for the voice assistant which we rarely use:


ORVMs should have been a little bigger in size.
Wide angle mirror is a must:



Comfort & Space:
The front seats are quite comfortable with good support for the lower back and good amount of bolstering to keep you in place on those twisty ghat sections. Seat squab is adequately long and offers good thigh support and as I mentioned earlier, the glove box area is scooped out which liberates more knee room for the front passenger. Seatbelts are not height adjustable but are set at a height where it's comfortable for everyone. No front armrest is a shocking omission especially in an AT where your left hand is doing nothing. For now, pillows do the work for us but an aftermarket armrest (with good fitting) is on the cards after the lockdown.
Coming to rear seats, it's as good as the front ones in terms back support, knee room, bolstering and the recline angle is nice and laid back but it falls short when it comes to thigh support as the seat squab is a bit short. Our 1st gen Dzire's seat squab was longer by 10mm. They did it to create more 'sense of space' by actually reducing the actual comfort!
Nevertheless, there is good amount of knee room, head room and the width is good for 2 adults and a small adult or a kid and it only gets two adjustable headrests. The floor hump is a little high but not that wide.

Ride quality:
The suspension is set up on the stiffer side which is a little unusual for a car which has no sporty intentions. Due to this, the ride feels slightly jittery at slow speeds but it gets better as the car picks up pace. The firm suspension really shines at highway speeds as the ride feels very composed and sorted.
Even at city speeds, it does absorb most of the bumps but the sharp ones do filter into the cabin and as it's just a 900 kilo vehicle, it jumps a little if you go over a big bump without slowing down.
We've done multiple trips to Goa, Alibag and millions to Lonavla and the car has proven to be a comfortable and able cruiser.


The pedals are well placed out and as it's an automatic, there's good amount of space to rest your left foot:


The lever for reclining and height adjuster feel plasticy but are sturdy enough:


The armrest is set at a perfect height:


These are not just blowers but are proper air cons which help in cooling the cabin quickly:


The parcel tray is made of plastic and there is no place to keep anything. Notice the anchor points for the ISOFIX child seat:


Cargo space:
The boot capacity is 378L which is just enough for our needs.The opening is adequately wide and big but the loading lip is a little high. The wheel wells do intrude in the boot space but you can still pack in a lot of luggage with a little bit of planning. Also, the metal hinges do intrude in the luggage space and hence, all the things have to be kept accordingly. There is no dedicated place to keep the tools so it has to kept at a place where it cannot move to prevent it from rattling.


The super light boot lid with no carpeting either:


Exposed wires and bolts around the light look really cheap!
Also, there's a hook just beside the light:


The button to open to the boot if you have the key with you:


165/14" section spare wheel:

[Nazaar25]

(Note: As I am just 17 years old, all the driving related information is written by taking inputs from my dad & brother)

The Heart of the matter!

The Dzire uses the 1,197cc Kseries VVT 16 valve motor which makes 82 horses and 113nm of torque. As said even in the TBHP review, it's a gem of a motor!
Press the ignition button and brake and the engine comes to life without any vibrations whatsoever.The low end power is superb and it makes the car very zippy in town and also helps save a lot of fuel.
The highway performance is great and the build up of power is progressive & linear in nature. Our Dzire MJD's mid range was a tad better due to the turbo boost and more torque but this one is no slouch. Power is served up in a linear fashion unlike our previous Dzire and the engine is punchy throughout the revv range (thanks to the power-to-weight ratio of 95). It feels nice and relaxed at triple digit speeds.
The top end (from 4000rpm to 6300rpm) is enjoyable as the motor is very revv happy. The exhaust note gets absolutely audible which is a treat to the ears and the car becomes a tiger! Maruti has conservatively set the redline at 6300rpm and there's a abrubt power cut if you go beyond that. Engine braking is strong in 2nd and 3rd gear. Overall, it's an all-rounder engine and is at home in city as well as on highways.


Insulation sheet is there:


Not offering a simple engine sheild in a country like India is sheer stupidity!


NVH:
As a typical Japanese 4 cylinder petrol engine, it's very refined and there's no vibrations anywhere. You start hearing the motor after 3500rpm but the engine note is sweet so we don't mind it. What's not so sweet is the amount of wind and tyre noise that starts creeping in after 100kph. Overall, cabin insulation could have been a tad better at higher speeds.

Automated Manual Transmission:
The AMT or the AGS in Maruti speak is a semi automatic and not a proper one like a CVT or a DCT. To simplify things, just assume that the AMT is an Italian person named Magneti Marelli and we've paid him Rs.47,000 to change gears, he's a bit lazy but does the work rather well!
Talking about smoothness, gearshifts are noticable from 1st to 2nd & 2nd to 3rd but after that, things become a lot more smoother and offcourse, lifting off before it changes the gear just like a manual car eliminates any sort of jerk or head nod. The gearbox is fairly responsive and gives a downshift whenever needed and holds the gear if you keep the A pedal pressed but slotting it in 'manual mode' is better if driving in a spirited manner and especially while going uphill where the AMT seems a little confused. One interesting thing we discovered is that the gearbox (in the 'D mode') downshifts if you tap the A pedal two times simultaneously. In the 'manual mode', it will not upshift by itself which is a great thing. It takes a second to upshift after tapping the lever so lifting off is best but downshift is instant.
The creep function helps a lot in stop/go traffic as the car starts moving at 7/8 kmph just by releasing the brake. Although the car doesn't come with a hill hold feature, you can use the creep function as one by slowly releasing the brake on the slope and the car will neither roll back nor move forward. While parking on slopes, slot the shifter in D mode so that it engages the 1st gear (just like you would do in a manual car) and switch off the car.

Press the brake to shift between the modes:


Stability, Handling & Steering:
The car is quite stable at triple digit speeds. Although, It doesn't feel as solid as a European car but it's fairly stable and composed. The firm suspension set up helps a lot in this regard as it handles all the rough patches on our highways pretty well.
Handling is pretty good due to the stiffer springs, Yokohama rubber, light weight and small dimensions. It changes direction effortlessly. After taking the delivery of the car, we immediately changed the tyres as we had read in the TBHP review as well as in other reviews that the Bridgestone Ecopia tyres which came with the car were not grippy as they were designed to deliver fuel economy. We upgraded to Yohohama Earth1s which are very grippy and inspire a lot of confidence while cornering.
The steering is light in town and weighs up alright at high speeds but offers very little feel or feedback. It's butter smooth and is a boon in the city but lacks the fun factor. Weirdly, the return to centre action is very weak and it only comes back if the speed is above 20kmph. I really don't understand why have they done this! In comparison, our previous Dzire's steering was way better.

Braking:
Braking is great and a million times better than our previous Dzire! The light weight helps and in emergency situations, the car stops without any drama. ABS is a little sensitive but is not intrusive and helps a lot in stopping the car in a straight line on loose and wet surfaces. The only thing is that the brake makes a squeaky noise sometimes while releasing it which is yet to be resolved.

Ground Clearance:
When we first read that the GC is 163mm, we thought it would be a disaster on our adventurous Indian roads but luckily, it's nothing like that. The car comfortably glides over the mountain like speed breakers and bumps. It only scraped twice and that too, when the car was packed with passengers.

Kitna Deti Hai?
City=10-12 kmpl
City+highway mix=15 kmpl
Highway=18-19 kmpl
Fuel tank capacity- 37L

Headlights:
It comes with a LED+projector set-up. Throw is excellent, projector cut line is well defined and the beam is evenly distributed. Due to the pure white colour, visibility suffers in rain & fog but in normal conditions, it's pretty good. Even though it's a single projector unit, the high beam is effective and extends over the low beam. These lights help a lot in night driving as they're very bright and cover a large area. It comes with DRLs which dim a little after switching on the headlights but you can't switch them off. The blingy headlights attract a lot of eyeballs!
Low beam:


High beam:


The Chinese LED foglamps perform pretty well:


The accesories/change log:
1) Yokohama Earth1 185/65 R15 88H tyres (direct exchange with the new ones by just paying Rs.500 per tyre)
2) Nappa leather seats Rs.14,000
3) 7D mats Rs.5,500
4) Ambient lights for front and rear both (one color) Rs.1,500
5) LED fog lights (Chinese) Rs.1,500
6) Wide angle mirrors Rs.300
7) Broadway IRVM (lifted from our previous car)
8) Removable sunshades Rs.500
9) 3M sun control film (20% tint) for the windows and windshields Rs.15,000
10) Reflective IND number plates with plastic frame Rs.650
11) Key cover Rs.200

The 7D mats & ambient lights:
It's a pain to keep these mats clean but then, it's totally worth it!


Issues/Major part changes:
1)Full Steering unit changed- In mid 2019, the steering started to feel a little rough, sticky and also started to make a noise while turning to the left. My dad reported the problem to our service advisor when he took the car for the periodic service but the advisor just said that he'll look into the matter but did nothing. With time, the problem increased and one fine day, my dad took the car to the service center to get it thoroughly checked this time. They checked it and said that the whole steering unit needs to be changed! Our service advisor ordered the whole part and told us to bring the car after one week. After a week, the whole unit was changed and the problems were solved. Everything was done free of cost.
It was a disappointing experience as it was Maruti's and the dealer's responsibility to recall the car and replace the faulty part.

2) Squeaky noise from the brakes- In the initial days of the car, the brakes used to make a squeaky noise while releasing it. They did fix it but a little noise is still there. Maybe it's related to AMT, I am not sure but they say that it's there on all the AMT Dzires. This only happens when lifting off from stand still and not while moving.

3)Both side request sensors- Both the buttons have been changed in monsoons (one in 2018 and the other in 2019) as they almost stopped working and had to be pressed very hard to unlock. I don't know if this is common but these things should be water, dust, etc proof. I hope they survive the coming monsoon

Service experience with Sai Service Andheri (E):
Service experience has always been good and since we are dealing with the same service center from a decade now, we know a lot of people there which is a big plus. Normal services are done without any hassle and common parts are always available. Only when there's a specific problem with the car is when you have to sit on their heads to get the work done and sometimes they do push you to get certain unnecessary and expensive things done. My dad checks the service bill thoroughly and being an engineer, he inspects the car himself so they don't even try to inflate the bill! After every service, they call us to take our feedback which is a good thing. Overall, If I have to rate the overall experience, I would rate it a 8 out of 10.

So, what do we like about the car:
•Engine- the K12 is an excellent engine! It's powerful, smooth, refined and efficient too!
•Seats- Seats are well bolstered and are very comfortable.
•Ergonomics- Ergonomics are spot on and all the things fall into hands very easily.
•Packaging- They have successfully carved out a lot of passenger & cargo space in a relatively small car.
•Design & street presence- The car looks nice & proportionate and the shiny rims and blingy LED lights help it stand out in crowd.
•Ride & Handling- Ride feels mature and handling is good.
•Fuel efficiency- The good low-end and light weight helps a lot in terms of FE.
•Headlights- It illuminates the road pretty well and also makes the car look more expensive than it actually is!

And what we don't:
•Safety- 2 stars NCAP (this is Swift's ncap score which is essentially the same car) rating is just gross for a car which costs a million rupees!
•Sheet metal quality-The sheet metal used is very thin and parts like the fenders can be pressed with a thumb and hence, you have to drive very carefully as even a small hit results in a dent.
•Steering- This is one area where the previous Dzires were much better!
•Lacks some features- Colour MID, front armrest, auto dimming IRVM, dedicated Sport mode & a cruise control.
•Infotainment system- Feels a little basic and lags sometimes.

Neutrals:
•The AMT gearbox- It's definitely not perfect in any way but is not that bad either. In fact, once you know the formula to drive an AMT, the driving experience becomes fairly smooth.
Overall Plastics- Plastic quality is good at most places and cheap at some.
•ORVMs- They should have been a little bigger but it's not a huge problem.

Conclusion:
To start off, the Dzire gets a lot of things right, it has a great engine, a decent automatic gearbox, good space, enough features, drives well and looks good for a change! Maruti has absolutely nailed it when it comes to packaging and it feels like a bigger a car in every way. The ownership experience has been pretty good so far with some hiccups and after staying with the Dizzy (just kept the name!) for 2 and a half years, I think these things need a major improvement- Safety (by leaps and bounds!), Body panels (should be much more sturdier) and lastly, plastic quality at some places.

That was all about my newly named baby, the Dizzy! This might be the first time where the name is kept at the end of the review and don't get me wrong, the meaning of the name has nothing to do with the car
Will keep you guys posted!

Until then,
Stay safe, stay home but keep revving!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

Wish I could've written like you when I was 15 . Going straight to our homepage .

[BZ25]

Great work man! As a fellow 17 year old, I can say that your writing skills are excellent! People keep mocking Suzuki's because they are 'tin cans', but the fact of the matter is that they are excellent all-rounders, and your Dzire is an example: Spacious, relatively well equipped and quick. Hope you have some wonderful miles with this car! (When you turn 18)

[manduks]

Brilliant write-up! You have described the car very well with the level of detail one would expect to see in a top automotive magazine. Great work!

I too own the VxI Dzire AMT purchased in Oct 2017. Prior to this I had the manual Dzire ZXi which I had for 2.5 years and had to trade-in for an automatic thanks to Bangalore's terrible traffic. My shortlist was similar to yours and had pretty much the same reasons to go with Maruti. The other advantage for me was that the Maruti showroom and workshop were 300 meters away from home so it was an easy enough decision.

I only wish they had used better metal as it is prone to dents and i have spent a fortune getting those fixed. The safety aspect has me petrified at the moment. The AMT is quite useful and the head-bob is much less than what a lot of people talk about. Co-passengers barely notice it.

An aftermarket armrest is the best investment since you go on lots of long drives. I bought one that comes without screws and can simply be made to sit over the handbrake without compromising my ability to use the handbrake. I added the Sony-XAV5000 Head Unit to take advantage of Apple Car Play and am very happy with it.

Wish you more happy and safe drives in your Dizzy

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Nazaar25

Hello BHPians!

Hope you all are safe.
I saw this lockdown as an opportunity to pen down the long awaited review of my Dzire because right now, I have all the time of the world and writing my first ownership report on TeamBHP seems like the best thing to enjoy as well as kill a lot of time. Inspired by all the impeccably detailed reviews written on the forum, I've tried to cover each and every aspect of the car and have made it as detailed as possible! I hope you guys like the write up

What an amazing review/write up Nazaar25! Superb I must say. Very good photography & you've matched the overall layout, pictures, structure with typical official reviews on TBHP. Great. I'll say you've gone a couple of steps further than even TBHP official reviews in detailing hidden items about the car - pros/cons both at places that nobody ever pays attention to.

Our thoughts match a lot on the looks also. I personally love the current DZire for its looks. The Tigor is one sexy looker too. However - DZire is the one that actually looks more "Complete". In fact very rarely does it appear like a sub4m car at all. They've got the design proportions spot on. It looks contemporary & very European from outside. One can almost call it a "timeless" design. Its hard to believe that this generation has its ancestry in the practically ugly looking previous 2 generation DZires!

I hope this dull lockdown year passes fast & you get your driving license soon . That way we'll be able to read more write ups from you including a lot of driving experiences as well! Stay safe mate. Take care.

Originally Posted by GTO

Wish I could've written like you when I was 15. Going straight to our homepage

Well technically he is 17 when writing this. However even at 17 I think my writing skills were enough only to somehow make me cross the line in exams. Nothing beyond. And his attention to detail & car specific things is really awesome in'nit? I suspect exposure to TBHP's standards over years has played a part in that.

[sgm]

Excellent write up Nazaar25. Wonderful to see that you have put in a lot of details and that too at such a young age. Dzire a real value for money package and peace of mind offered by Maruti makes it a better proposition.
My dad has a 2018 Dzire AMT. The AMT is tuned nicely in Dzire for regular day to day usage. We have a Celerio and I find it very jerky compared to Dzire, so Maruti has improved their AMTs leaps and bounds from their first AMT model.

[Nazaar25]

Originally Posted by GTO

Wish I could've written like you when I was 15 . Going straight to our homepage .

Thank you very much!
Coming this from you is a BIG thing for me

Originally Posted by BZ25

Great work man! As a fellow 17 year old, I can say that your writing skills are excellent!

Thank you for the kind words! I can't wait to experience that sweet K12 motor (but I have to!).

Originally Posted by manduks

Brilliant write-up! You have described the car very well with the level of detail one would expect to see in a top automotive magazine. Great work!

Thank you so much!
Even I want to an armrest which is a direct fit. Will be looking for it after the lockdown!

Originally Posted by Reinhard

I'll say you've gone a couple of steps further than even TBHP official reviews in detailing hidden items about the car

I am going to show this to my dad first as he is a Big fan of TBHP reviews! And indeed, it is you guys, the TeamBHPians who have played a major part in my writing and detailing.

Originally Posted by sgm

Excellent write up Nazaar25. Wonderful to see that you have put in a lot of details and that too at such a young age.

Thanks a lot man!
Indeed, AMTs have improved by leaps and bounds in these years and I hope they keep on improving.

You all have made my day

[zaphodb]

Pretty extensive write-up. Kudos.

the bad ASS meant we had to remove the VWs from the list

Not sure why you say that. Volkswagen's service shouldn't be "bad" in Mumbai. Friends who've got VW in Pune are more or less satisfied here in Pune. Do you have any first hand bad experience?

[Nazaar25]

Pretty extensive write-up. Kudos.

Thanks a lot!
Our very close family friend had many bad experiences with VW service. Once when his car met with an accident (not total loss), the car was with them for 6 months for repairs!

[charanreddy]

Automated Manual Transmission:
The AMT or the AGS in Maruti speak is a semi automatic and not a proper one like a CVT or a DCT. To simplify things, just assume that the AMT is an Italian person named Magneti Marelli and we've paid him Rs.47,000 to change gears, he's a bit lazy but does the work rather well!

That’s very imaginative !

Originally Posted by GTO

Wish I could've written like you when I was 15 . Going straight to our homepage .

+1. You have got good articulation and writing skills for a 17 year old. Build on it !


The Dzire is a good option( short of great) which does many things right. The interiors, engine, fuel efficiency, VFM quotient , service makes it a compelling option to consider for many families and non super enthusiasts , hence it’s success. I was seriously sold on it the first time I saw it on the VFM quotient alone. Many more happy miles and years on your Dzire and hope you can put some miles on it in the post covid world after getting your license of course.

[Sahilrai166]

Excellent Write up buddy. Top trims equipped
with the Projector headlamps and DRL's look gorgeous. Wish you safe and happy miles with the Dzire.

[Nazaar25]

Originally Posted by charanreddy

+1. You have got good articulation and writing skills for a 17 year old. Build on it !

Many more happy miles and years on your Dzire and hope you can put some miles on it in the post covid world after getting your license of course.

Thank you, Charan!
After getting my driving license, I don't know if I will ever be off the wheel!

Originally Posted by Sahilrai166

Excellent Write up buddy. Top trims equipped
with the Projector headlamps and DRL's look gorgeous. Wish you safe and happy miles with the Dzire.

Thanks a lot, Sahil!
Even after 3 years of it's launch, this car still attracts a lot of attention!