What is it?

It is Maruti Suzuki’s offering for its Swift Dzire fans who drive a lot of kilometres each month, but do so mostly in stop and go traffic. The Swift Dzire AMT also works for those who don’t exactly love driving but end up driving a lot anyway, and would rather have convenience and ease of driving over driving pleasure. Finally, the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire AMT is the second only affordable diesel automatic in the country; the first of course was the Tata Zest AMT.

How is it on the inside?

The Dzire AMT is practical, reasonably spacious and because it is only available in the top of the line ZDI trim, it is also well equipped. Features first. It comes with keyless or push button start, gets a single zone digital climate control system, and has a decently well specced audio system with USB and AUX inputs and Bluetooth telephony. It also gets steering mounted controls, a height adjustable driver’s seat and a trip computer that throws up info on average fuel economy and range. There’s also ABS, and driver and passenger airbags on the safety front. And to reduce parking woes, the Dzire AMT gets rear parking sensors as well.

What’s equally appealing about the Dzire’s cabin is its practicality and ergonomics. It comes with two cup holders upfront (the passenger side is a push-out type), bottle holders on all four doors, and there’s some storage in the centre console too. And, it has comfy seats and a couple of charging ports. But, when it comes to space, the Dzire AMT doesn’t do all that well. The elbow and legroom upfront is fine, but at the rear, shoulder room as well as headroom is tight. It also has one of the smallest boots, hatchbacks included.

How is it to drive?

As we said at the start of the review, one shouldn’t buy a Dzire AMT if it’s driving pleasure one seeks. Now the engine is the famed 1.3-litre Fiat Multijet unit. So, no problem there. It only makes 74bhp and 190Nm of torque under the Dzire’s hood. It is the automated manual transmission or AMT that the Dzire is mated to that takes some of the fun out of driving. The AMT, a 5-speed unit, is the same gearbox from the regular manual diesel Dzire. But, robots and hydraulic actuators handle the clutch operation and shift gears automatically. So all you get are two pedals – an accelerator and a brake.

Drive the Swift Dzire AMT in normal or D mode, and it feels fine at slow city speeds. There’s a bit of shift shock given AMTs can never shift as seamlessly as regular automatics, but it isn’t uncomfortable. The throttle response is well configured to give the car predictive acceleration and unless you floor the throttle, the Dzire AMT works perfectly fine, even when cruising calmly on the highway.

Floor it though, and the shift shocks turn more pronounced. The lack of swiftness (for the lack of a better word) in shift times – both up and down the gearbox – also gets in the way of spirited driving. One can always move the gear shifter to the left to engage Manual mode, but apart from better control over revs, it doesn’t really improve the driving experience much.

The ride quality of the Dzire is impressive, nonetheless. At slow speeds or high, the bump absorption, the stability, and the vibe-free and quiet nature of the suspension, is right up there with the best in class. As a result, the Dzire tackles road joints, potholes, and rumbler strips at city speeds, and undulations, surface changes and square-edged flyover joints on the highway at speeds, without bother. It makes for a surprisingly comfortable car.

Should I buy one?

As a car that costs Rs 10 lakh on the road in Mumbai, there’s very little to fault with the Dzire AMT. It has pleasant, well-built interiors; it has the prerequisite feature list; and even though it isn’t exactly spacious, it has a practical and comfortable cabin. It rides well too. But, what matters most is that it is affordable for a diesel automatic. And, it is extremely fuel efficient. Plus, because the Dzire AMT’s gearbox is essentially a manual ‘box, it will be more reliable and less expensive to maintain. So, yes, as we said at the start: If you are a Dzire fan who drives a lot in stop and go traffic, get one. Also buy the Dzire AMT if you don’t exactly love driving but end up driving a lot anyway.

Where does it fit in?

Given that the only other diesel automatic at this price point is the Tata Zest AMT, the Dzire really is in a class of two. So, if you must have a diesel auto and have around Rs 10 lakh to spare, you can either buy the Dzire, or the similarly priced and specced Zest. That’s it. No confusion.

Photos by Kapil Angane