Buying a Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire in 2016 was quite a leap from an 800, which was the daily driver in our family for over seven years. I always had the Ford Aspire on my bucket list, particularly the diesel as it was turbocharged. But apparently, I failed to convince my father to get one as he ended up getting the naturally aspirated petrol Swift DZire and my turbo dream went for a toss.
If it weren’t for the Swift DZire, Ford’s decision to exit India in 2021 would have been another setback. It took me a while to appreciate how well put together the sub-4 metre sedan was and it has grown on me over the years for its consistency. It’s always amazing to be greeted every time by the well-aged interiors, with the driver’s seat and the steering set to my liking. What I also like is that the facelift has a push-button start/stop button and keyless entry, not to forget, electronically adjustable ORVMs which are a boon in city traffic. Did I mention that there’s no ‘Dad’s Gift’ sticker on the rear windscreen?
Suzuki’s lineup has evolved with the addition of hybrids over the years. The Swift DZire is famous for returning high fuel economy figures with ease and dominating the sub-4 metre segment, so much so that the carmaker had to launch the Tour S variant specifically for the commercial market. A CNG version of the same became a hot favourite among taxi drivers, which was replaced by the 3rd-generation DZire only in 2023. What also worked in its favour was the engine refinement and the slick-shifting manual gearbox, making crossing through stop-and-go traffic a walk in the park.
Dual-tone interior back then was a luxury Overdrive
Yes, there are flaws. For instance, every time you turn the ignition off at a red light, it’ll take the Bluetooth music system ages to connect again and play your track. You don’t want to try this during a phone call, trust me. Then, the interior is tarred with hard plastic bits that take away the lush quotient. Bonnet visibility is poor and the non-telescopic steering wheel, when tilted down to the lock, hides the already tiny MID. Illumination from the halogen headlights isn’t great either and the need for LEDs is desperately felt, especially on the highways.
What else do you guess? It’s the turbo and no brownie points for guessing that right. Overtaking with four onboard is a risk, let alone in hilly terrains where I have driven it the most. The 1.2-litre petrol mill gets loud, really loud after the 4,000 rpm mark, almost running out of breath. Push past that and it becomes floaty, with the steering feeling light and disconnected when doing triple digits on the highway.
A reverse camera came in the MGP accessory kit Uday Singh
Sure, it has got its set of pros and cons but you have to admire how simple things were in those days. The no-nonsense approach prevails and it is a workhorse for sure. In the Swift DZire, Maruti Suzuki struck the right notes by providing it with almost all the essentials that would make your daily commute super fun. All in all, it is the ‘Dhoni’ of compact sedans that is reliable and will get the job done without burning a giant hole in your pocket.
1,28,000 kilometres and counting.
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