<p>The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India is known for setting new benchmarks. With the introduction of Auto Gear Shift (AGS) technology, car buyers can now have a new driving experience. After tasting success by introducing AGS in the Celerio, Alto K10, and WagonR, Maruti has finally introduced it on the Swift Dzire.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Dzire which comes in both petrol and diesel engine options, and manual and automatic transmissions, now comes with AGS technology, becoming the first diesel car — and the fourth model in Maruti Suzuki’s portfolio — to be offered with this technology.<br /><br />The gear-lever unit, placed between the two front seats, looks exactly like a traditional automatic transmission unit. <br /><br />On the right side of the unit, there are three slots: ‘N’ for neutral, ‘D’ for drive and ‘R’ for reverse. On the left, there is one slot marked ‘M’ for manual. On changing the gears, the digital display on the dashboard gives the number of the gear.<br /><br />We test-drove the Swift Dzire on a Tuesday morning with normal weekday traffic.<br /><br />We drove over a distance of around 200 km in a variety of terrain and traffic conditions. Beginning with Bengaluru, we zipped through NH 4 for a good 50 km up to Dobbspet. We then took a left deviation to head towards Shivagange, a hill temple.<br /><br />On the highway, though the traffic was not very intense (We were told that traffic is not very intense on NH 4 on Tuesdays), the need to apply brakes and slow down arose several time. On applying brakes, we realised that the speed drops down several notches suddenly and takes time to pick up speed (which is not the case with cars equipped with manual gears).<br /><br />In our case, for instance, we were speeding at 120 kmph on the highway, and had to slow down behind a truck. The speed dropped down to 40 kmph and it took some time to pick up speed again. This happened a few times on the highway stretch of our drive. If you are driving long distance, a continuous, constant speed is ideal. But then Dzire is supposed to be a city vehicle.<br /><br />One leg showOn the deviation from the highway towards Shivagange we traversed through the rough and smooth, straight and winding and normal gradients, which we considered ideal for testing. We were able to manoeuvre the car smoothly. With left leg at rest, both hands on steering, with full attention one can concentrate on driving.<br /><br />The AGS proved to be a blessing in disguise for us. The day-long drive on varied terrains in the city and on the outskirts was devoid of tediousness associated with conventional driving. This technology is particularly good for those who are new to driving around a dense traffic city like Bengaluru. AGS, a two-pedal technology, enables customers to drive with comfort and convenience, especially in congested city conditions.<br /><br />One has to just push the accelerator and the car does the rest. Based on how much you press the accelerator, the car will move to a higher gear, the highest being fifth. It is certainly a fun vehicle to drive. The diesel variant of Dzire AGS is one of the peppiest engines in the segment. A slight pedal to the accelerator will push the car as compared with the petrol variant. As expected, the diesel engines makes a mild drone in the initial stage. Once you set on the highway, with the higher speed, the noise subsides.<br /><br />The much-awaited Maruti Swift Dzire is available only on the top-end ZDI diesel variant of the Dzire, it is priced at Rs 8.67 lakh (ex-showroom Bengaluru). The Swift Dzire 1,248 cc diesel automatic is claimed to return a whopping mileage of 26.59 kmpl, which is same as that of the manual transmission. The engine produces 74 bhp@4,000 rpm and 190 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm.<br /><br />Launched in March 2008, Maruti Swift Dzire has been the segment leader ever since its launch and it is the only sedan to have crossed a million unit sales mark.<br /><br />The company has sold over 12 lakh units of the Dzire ever since its introduction.<br /><br />Our verdictThis is an ideal vehicle for upwardly mobile cityfolk, who are looking for hassle-free driving with minimal physical and mental exertion. It is also ideal for weekend getaways. <br /></p>
<p>The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India is known for setting new benchmarks. With the introduction of Auto Gear Shift (AGS) technology, car buyers can now have a new driving experience. After tasting success by introducing AGS in the Celerio, Alto K10, and WagonR, Maruti has finally introduced it on the Swift Dzire.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Dzire which comes in both petrol and diesel engine options, and manual and automatic transmissions, now comes with AGS technology, becoming the first diesel car — and the fourth model in Maruti Suzuki’s portfolio — to be offered with this technology.<br /><br />The gear-lever unit, placed between the two front seats, looks exactly like a traditional automatic transmission unit. <br /><br />On the right side of the unit, there are three slots: ‘N’ for neutral, ‘D’ for drive and ‘R’ for reverse. On the left, there is one slot marked ‘M’ for manual. On changing the gears, the digital display on the dashboard gives the number of the gear.<br /><br />We test-drove the Swift Dzire on a Tuesday morning with normal weekday traffic.<br /><br />We drove over a distance of around 200 km in a variety of terrain and traffic conditions. Beginning with Bengaluru, we zipped through NH 4 for a good 50 km up to Dobbspet. We then took a left deviation to head towards Shivagange, a hill temple.<br /><br />On the highway, though the traffic was not very intense (We were told that traffic is not very intense on NH 4 on Tuesdays), the need to apply brakes and slow down arose several time. On applying brakes, we realised that the speed drops down several notches suddenly and takes time to pick up speed (which is not the case with cars equipped with manual gears).<br /><br />In our case, for instance, we were speeding at 120 kmph on the highway, and had to slow down behind a truck. The speed dropped down to 40 kmph and it took some time to pick up speed again. This happened a few times on the highway stretch of our drive. If you are driving long distance, a continuous, constant speed is ideal. But then Dzire is supposed to be a city vehicle.<br /><br />One leg showOn the deviation from the highway towards Shivagange we traversed through the rough and smooth, straight and winding and normal gradients, which we considered ideal for testing. We were able to manoeuvre the car smoothly. With left leg at rest, both hands on steering, with full attention one can concentrate on driving.<br /><br />The AGS proved to be a blessing in disguise for us. The day-long drive on varied terrains in the city and on the outskirts was devoid of tediousness associated with conventional driving. This technology is particularly good for those who are new to driving around a dense traffic city like Bengaluru. AGS, a two-pedal technology, enables customers to drive with comfort and convenience, especially in congested city conditions.<br /><br />One has to just push the accelerator and the car does the rest. Based on how much you press the accelerator, the car will move to a higher gear, the highest being fifth. It is certainly a fun vehicle to drive. The diesel variant of Dzire AGS is one of the peppiest engines in the segment. A slight pedal to the accelerator will push the car as compared with the petrol variant. As expected, the diesel engines makes a mild drone in the initial stage. Once you set on the highway, with the higher speed, the noise subsides.<br /><br />The much-awaited Maruti Swift Dzire is available only on the top-end ZDI diesel variant of the Dzire, it is priced at Rs 8.67 lakh (ex-showroom Bengaluru). The Swift Dzire 1,248 cc diesel automatic is claimed to return a whopping mileage of 26.59 kmpl, which is same as that of the manual transmission. The engine produces 74 bhp@4,000 rpm and 190 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm.<br /><br />Launched in March 2008, Maruti Swift Dzire has been the segment leader ever since its launch and it is the only sedan to have crossed a million unit sales mark.<br /><br />The company has sold over 12 lakh units of the Dzire ever since its introduction.<br /><br />Our verdictThis is an ideal vehicle for upwardly mobile cityfolk, who are looking for hassle-free driving with minimal physical and mental exertion. It is also ideal for weekend getaways. <br /></p>
