The Suzuki Swift Dzire has touched down in South Africa. The Dzire is essentially the sedan version of the Swift and looks to be a budget-friendly offering from the Japanese manufacturer.

The Suzuki Swift Dzire makes an interesting case for itself. I was on a trip to India not so long ago (check out the Suzukis from the Delhi Auto show here) and Suzuki as a brand is massive. When I say massive, I mean massive. How does 23 ooo units a month for the Suzuki Alto sound? Out of the top ten vehicles sold in India, six are Suzuki including the top four. Clearly, Suzuki South Africa wants to replicate that sort of success and is embarking on a massive product offensive in 2014.

I attended the launch of the Suzuki Swift Dzire in Cape Town.The launch also gave me a chance to drive the Suzuki Swift 1.2 – an affordable addition to the Suzuki Swift range. You can read my impressions of the Suzuki Swift 1.2 here.

The Swift Dzire is a booted version of the Swift and the boot offers a credible 300 litres of carrying capacity. Visually, I think the Swift Dzire looks quite cute and my launch unit was in the same colour you see here. Unlike most little sedans which are quite bland, I think the little Dzire is bit more pleasant.

Like the new Suzuki Swift 1.2, there are two specification levels with the choice of an automatic gearbox.

Suzuki Swift Dzire engine

The engine is the same as the new Swift, with a 1.2-litre four-pot motor doing duty. With 63 kW and 113 Nm, the Suzuki Swift Dzire has just enough power to be acceptable. However, with a 17% power loss at Jhb altitude and passengers, I’m not sure a fully-laden Swift Dzire would have enough to power to climb hills.

At sea level, the 1.2 motor has enough poke and overtaking trucks on the open road to Malmesbury only required a downshift from fifth to fourth gear. Fuel economy is pretty good, with Suzuki claiming a commendable 5.7l/100km.

The best thing about the Dzire is that it has a higher than normal ground clearance as well as high profile tyres. This means its capable of handling poor road conditions and potholes are dealt with easily. Now that’s forward thinking.

Practicality

When I wasn’t driving, I chose to spend my time in the back of the Suzuki Swift Dzire sedan. I’m a tall person and I found the rear legroom adequate, with the headroom being decent. Suzuki is to be commended for thinking like this and I can think of many sedans which are a little cramped in the back. The boot looks decently sized enough to hold two seats of golf clubs.

Summary

The Suzuki Swift Dzire is a worthy addition to the Suzuki Swift range. The Swift has always been criticised for having an impractical boot and now the critics have one less thing to moan about. The engine has more than enough poke to get around at sea level and the car still retains that fun-to-drive attitude which Suzuki is known for.

Suzuki Swift Dzire price in South Africa

* Atwo-year/30 000 km service plan and a three-year/100 000 km warranty is included. There’s also a three-year/unlimited distance roadside assistance package thrown in.

Suzuki Swift Dzire Gallery