Suzuki Dzire Review: 1.2GL - Small. But Perfectly Formed

I feel I need to be honest from the start. I'm not a fan of a small sedan. I love Suzuki cars and for a year of my life could be seen happily at the wheel of a Grand Vitara, so my problem here really is the very concept of a tiny saloon. Even the medium sized saloon struggles to be relevant in the world of the compact SUV.

But kudos to Suzuki for bringing us a second Dzire which genuinely has more points of distinction over the current generation Swift than the previous pairing.

Looks a bit Uber

I don't mind the styling this time around, which I concede is the barest of compliments but considering my reservations it really is a plus. It's a cute thing this, a jellybean with wheels and styled with a European brush.

Hints of Kizashi and will swallow 378 litres

The rear haunches have a whiff of Kizashi (bless you!) about them and that's a good thing - I always felt that was a sedan that deserved to sell better. I particular enjoy the chrome accents upfront including around the fog lamps, and can forgive the wheel covers but what you ultimately get is a funky little taxi I'd feel more comfortable with hailing from my smartphone as opposed to owning everyday. It's not you Dzire. It's me.

I will add that the deep red metallic paint job does a great job of raising the overall premiumness of the little sedan.

All the small things

Suzuki does little right. I don't mean they do a lot wrong, I mean they do small things VERY well, most notably packing lots of space onto a tiny footprint. That defining boot swallows 378l, that's up 26% on the old car.

The cabin is spacious, well-appointed and despite dark tones, welcomes enough natural light in to generally have a cheerful ambience. More silver accents live here with AC vents (also at the rear) reminiscent of the polygonal (well done car designers, you found a new shape!) grille.

Good fit and finish with an acceptable amount of standard tech

There's an interesting new instrument array up ahead plus and a center armrest with integrated cupholders. That helm is tilt adjustable and safety gets two more ticks thanks to rear Isofix mounting points and a pair of airbags upfront.

The pews are satisfyingly comfy if not high on bolstering and the materials used throughout are a tactile pleasure. Buttons and switchgear are typically Japanese so you'll find them precisely where you'd expect.

Speaking of expectations, the Dzire is more than capable of meeting yours marked multimedia with the usual array of connectivity a la Bluetooth, USB etc. via steering wheel mounted controls.

Enough grunt to pull the skin off a rice pudding

Under that shiny bonnet (yours in an extensive palette of Oxford Blue Pearl, Sherwood Brown Pearl, Gallant Red Pearl, Arctic White Pearl, Silky Silver, Magma Grey and Midnight Black) lives a 1.2-litre petrol-powered engine.

It's naturally aspirated so adjust expectations accordingly. That equates to a humble 61kW and 113Nm via your choice of 5-speed manual or AMT (automated manual) - thankfully our car welcomed me to row my own.

It's worth mentioning that at 890kg this new Dzire is a good 75kg lighter than its predecessor, so Suzuki are quite proud of their claimed 4.9l/100km consumption figure. At 5.7l/km without even trying, I like to think I got close. Real close.

She goes well enough and let's off a bit of a din, and handling is precisely what you'd expect from a low of power, narrow-of-tyre, lightweight urbanite.

Okay, let’s wrap this up

If I've come across as overly critical I don't mean to, the Dzire is a very neat prospect and deserves to perform well in the B-Segment sedan segment. It's competent, stylish for the most part and feels less derivative than before. It possesses enough shunt for the city life it was intended for and is a frugal thing to boot (pun), sadly it's just wasted on me.

I enjoy a good hatchback and require a saloon of more stature personally, and for everything else there's an SUV. But if you're in the market for a vehicle of this ilk, I can highly recommend the Dzire highly for its competence and value.

Suzuki Dzire 1.2 GL Manual Spec:

Suzuki Dzire Pricing:

*includes 5-year/200 000km warranty and a 2-year/30 000km service plan.