Second Report on New Maruti Swift Dzire Zdi

Our first monsoon casualty! A branch had fallen on the Dzire & caused considerable damage. The rear windscreen was shattered, the boot lid dented & the roof had suffered some damage too. We got in touch with Maruti’s workshop, who informed us of the unavailability of the rear windscreen glass. The wait, coupled with the process of getting it fixed, took 15 days, & the hefty bill of Rs 21,161 came as a bit of a shock. It’s interesting to note that the rear windscreen cost us just Rs 1809, while the denting, painting & labour comprised the rest of the bill.

As soon as the car came back, I took it to Nashik for one of my now rather infrequent trips home. Thanks to the late hour, driving out of Mumbai was hassle free, & it did not take me long to appreciate the finer points of the Dzire. The 1.3 Multijet unit is smooth & complements the overall character of the Dzire quite well. While it felt a bit hesitant at lower rpms, I had no reason to complain once past 1900rpm, when the turbo kicked in. Hereon the Dzire displayed a strong pull, with a very instantaneous response to the throttle inputs. Out on the highway, it felt right at home. The suspension set up seemed to have struck the right balance between softness & stiffness. The steering, though light at city speeds, provided decent feedback at highway speeds.

It was pouring cats & dogs all through my drive, but the Dzire gave me no reason for worry. The grippy 185 section tyres worked nicely on the wet surface, inspiring confidence. The wipers did a good job of keeping the windscreen clear while the rear windscreen defogger worked overtime. The headlights were decently bright & the fog lamps helped in lighting the sides pretty effectively.

I found the driver’s seat a very comfortable & supportive place to be, & the two tone interiors worked well for the cabin. However, the beige floor mats seemed to highlight every little speck of dirt. Our Dzire is the ZDi variant, which comes with a factory fitted music system that supports MP3 & has Aux in & USB connectivity. However, I like being spoilt for choice when on a long drive & could have done with Bluetooth connectivity too.

But I ought not to complain. With the highway being empty, the Dzire gobbled up the kilometres to Nashik happily without burning a big hole in my wallet, despite some spirited driving. All this & the drive back to Mumbai was done in less than half a tank of diesel!







Main Features :

Odometer: 9,500km

Price: 8.74 lakh (on road, Mumbai)

Test economy: 17.2kpl

Repair costs: Rs 21,161

Faults: None

Cars , Maruti. , Random , Reviews

New Maruti Alto 800 is coming soon

Maruti’s all new Alto 800 is now inching closer to launch.

The new Alto 800 will be based on the existing Alto platform & will be powered by the same 796cc three cylinder motor (F8D) from the Alto, which has been modified to meet the latest emission norms. The new Alto 800 will slot in below the Alto, is expected to have all new interiors, & will be a tad more spacious than before. The design is rather basic, with the nose getting high mounted headlights, a slim, slot like grille & a huge secondary air inlet opening above & below the bumper. Maruti has provided a wider, U shaped rear windscreen for better visibility, & there is a wide tailgate for better accessibility to the cargo bay.

The new 800 is likely to share a lot of running gear with the current car. It will also have a basic but cost effective MacPherson strut setup in front & a coil spring torsion beam axle at the rear. Expect better interior packaging to liberate a few vital centimetres. Crash protection should be better than the old car too, thanks to the Alto’s more up to date chassis.

Maruti is targeting a sub Rs 2 lakh price for the new Maruti 800 to distance it from the Alto by at least Rs 40,000 & put it smack into Nano territory.

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All new Wagon R Pro

Maruti has launched a limited-edition Wagon R, the Wagon R Pro. This is another move by Maruti to push the petrol-only Wagon R in a market which has now severely tilted towards diesel cars.

This limited edition Wagon R comes with a host of upgrades such as a double-din music system with speakers, a rear spoiler, bumper protectors, body graphics, seat covers & side mouldings. The installation of these accessories will be carried out at Maruti’s authorised dealerships. These accessories when purchased outside, will cost you Rs 30,000, but Maruti is offering them at Rs 20,000 for a limited time.

The top-end Maruti Wagon R VXi is priced at Rs 4.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) & Maruti is currently offering a cash discount of Rs 30,000, bringing the price down to Rs 3.95 lakh. The Pro edition costs Rs 4.45 lakh, & Maruti is offering the same Rs 30,000 cash discount that it offers on the standard VXi on the Pro as well.

WagonR Pro additional feature list

Nippon D Din music system with bluetooth

Rear upper spoiler

Art leather seat covers

Leather steering sheel cover

Security system

Bumper corner protector

Body side Mouldings

Basic mats

Wheel caps

Car perfume

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