Maruti Dzire Expert Review

Performance

Ease of driving. Dzire is based on this philosophy and that is still the baseline. Despite the new 3-cylinder engine, the drive remains largely effortless. The new engine, in fact, offers initial performance which allows the Dzire to get off the line with less effort and feel quick and agile in traffic. However, that is where the advantages of the new engine end. 

The older 4-cylinder engine had a more liner performance, which means it was more effortless to drive on the highway and make quick overtakes with. The new Dzire starts to feel slow and strained while going for overtakes at higher rpms. And this is when the lack of refinement of the 3-cylinder engine, as compared to the 4-cylinder also becomes evident. If you drive the Dzire for the first time, you won't know the difference. However, knowing how good the K12B engine was, one can only wish for it to make a comeback.  Like before, you still get two transmission options. One is the tried and tested five-speed manual and the other five-speed AMT. The manual is the better transmission to drive. The light and predictable clutch and the sure-shifting gearbox make it easy to drive. While the AMT does take the effort of shifting away from you - the issue is that it tries to keep you in a higher gear than required. It shifts to 3rd at 30kmph, 4th at 40kmph and 5th at 60kmph. Driving naturally, you would shift to 3rd at 45kmph and 4th at 60kmph. Because of this quick upshifting logic, there is a lack of usable power from the engine and the gearbox either has to downshift or the car will take its own sweet time to get the car up to speed. 

The plus side to this is the fuel efficiency. The claimed figures for both AMT and the manual stand close to 25 kmpl and in the city, both will return close to 15 - 16kmpl with a gentle right foot.