For MT, my pick would be the Dzire. It’s astonishing what all the car offers at a great price.
BHPian Aditya recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Maruti Dzire
What you’ll like:
⢠5-star safety rating at the GNCAP! Safety features such as 6 airbags, 3-point seatbelts for all, TPMS, 360-degree camera, ESP, hill-hold assist, ISOFIX child seat mounts etc.
⢠Sharp & contemporary styling – the best looking compact sedan on sale today
⢠Smart-looking interior with a nice dashboard & fine ergonomics
⢠We feel the Dzire is well-priced for the package on offer
⢠Manual transmission with short throws is very slick, and a joy to use. Absolutely brilliant MT!
⢠Great drivability and light controls, along with a small footprint make it a joy in the city
⢠Choice of sporty MT and convenient AMT – take your pick. CNG variants available for those with high running
⢠3-cylinder engine is fuel-efficient; ARAI rating of 25.71 km/l for the AMT, 24.79 km/l for the MT and 33.73 km/kg for the CNG
⢠Suspension offers a compliant ride & neutral on-road behaviour
⢠Long list of features including automatic LED headlamps, LED DRLs, LED foglamps, cruise control, 9-inch touchscreen HU paired with an Arkamys sound system, rear A/C vents, wireless smartphone charging, footwell lighting, connected car features etc.
⢠Maruti’s widespread service network, excellent after-sales support & fuss-free ownership experiences
What you won’t:
⢠1.2L petrol is not fast & exciting enough for enthusiasts. Not as refined as the outgoing 4-cylinder, nor as powerful (power has actually dropped to just 81 BHP)
⢠Lacks the solid build of some rivals. Panel gaps could be tighter too
⢠Mediocre plastic quality (interiors) is typical Maruti-grade; very ordinary
⢠AMT can get jerky & slow. Some competitors offered smoother ATs (e.g. Amaze CVT, Aura AMT)
⢠382 litre boot is 5-10% smaller than all competitors. While cargo capacity is still fair, the boot lip is high, and the mouth is narrower than the others
⢠Light coloured interiors are prone to getting soiled easily
⢠Rear seatâs under-thigh support is mediocre for taller passengers
⢠Some misses (auto-dimming IRVM, front armrest, driving modes, smaller spare tyre on the Z trims…)
⢠L & V variants get horribly skinny 165 mm tyres. For safety reasons, please upgrade to at least 185 mm tyres if you buy these trims
⢠163 mm ground clearance (unladen) raises our eyebrows, although Maruti cars aren’t known to scrape speed breakers
Honda Amaze
What you’ll like:
⢠An all-rounded compact sedan with well-priced variants
⢠Spacious & practical interiors
⢠Suspension offers comfortable ride quality with neutral on-road behaviour
⢠Features such as cruise control, paddle shifts (petrol AT), LED projector headlamps etc.
⢠3-year unlimited km warranty, extendable to 5-years / unlimited km and Honda’s unique 10-year Any Time warranty
What you won’t:
⢠Diesel or CNG variants not available
⢠Petrol CVT is fair within the city, but rather mediocre on the highway
⢠Look closely and you’ll find a few faults in part quality, fit and finish (uncool for a Honda)
⢠Tall rear passengers will find headroom to be insufficient & the fixed headrests useless
⢠The 175 mm tyres are too thin, while the 35-liter fuel tank is too small
Hyundai Aura
What you’ll like:
⢠An all-rounder of a compact sedan. Very well-priced for what it offers
⢠Precise build & quality (including interiors) are easily the segment best
⢠Balanced road manners & easy-to-drive nature
⢠Features such as cruise control, wireless phone charging, rear view monitor & more
⢠Six airbags, ABS & ISOFIX child seat mounts are standard across all variants
⢠Hyundai’s competent after-sales, fuss-free ownership experiences & customisable warranty
What you won’t:
⢠Its hatchback sibling – the Grand i10 Nios – got just 2 stars in the GNCAP crash test
⢠Overdone styling – particularly at the rear – is polarising (it grew on us though)
⢠Narrow width makes it a 4-seater. Some competitors offer more spacious cabins
⢠Low speed ride quality is firmer than what one expects in a Hyundai. Bad roads are felt
⢠Some misses (auto-dimming IRVM, thinner spare tyre, non-adjustable neck restraints)
⢠Ordinary stereo. Hyundaiâs ICE hasnât kept up with the times (sound quality = 6/10)
Tata Tigor
What youâll like:
⢠Great styling. A chic-looking compact sedan. Solid build too
⢠Tata has put in a lot of effort on quality and it shows
⢠Well-priced for what it offers; undercuts all the direct competitors
⢠High quality, nicely designed cabin. Lots of storage and a segment best 419-litre boot
⢠Good driveability, a compliant ride & neutral road manners
⢠CNG available in the top variant, unlike other CNG models; available with AMT too
⢠Amazing 8-speaker Harman entertainment system. Sounds top class!
⢠Feature list with 2 driving modes, parking sensors, cooled glovebox, touchscreen ICE etc.
⢠4-star GNCAP safety rating is praiseworthy
What you won’t:
⢠Mediocre 3-cylinder engine. Lag behind the competition in refinement
⢠Concerns over long-term reliability
⢠6-month service interval is too frequent! A 1 year interval is the segment norm
⢠When driven hard, the AMT can’t match the smoothness & shift-times of a conventional automatic. Gets confused on climbs as well
⢠A rare Tata car that cannot seat 5 (best for 4 adults)
⢠Tata’s after-sales experience remains a gamble. Service quality is far from that of Maruti & Hyundai
Here’s what GTO had to say matter:
I don’t think I have ever voted for a Dzire before, but always a first time, right?
For MT, my pick would be the Dzire. It’s astonishing what all the car offers at a great price. An all-rounder if I ever saw one = safety, looks (I like the design), space, neutral suspension, driveability, practicality & fuel economy.
For AT though, I wouldn’t choose the Dzire or its AMT (I hate AMTs). Would get the Amaze CVT (also wait for the next-gen model whose launch is just around the corner!), or an EV from the same price band.
Here’s what BHPian Chetan_Rao had to say on the matter:
This could potentially become a straight DZire Vs. Amaze battle if Honda deliver a more mature Amaze in the upcoming launch.
Tigor is well-built but its powertrain can’t match the Japanese competition for finesse, and Aura is a bit quirky (though the cabin is likely the best quality of the bunch).
Here’s what BHPian Samba had to say on the matter:
My pick will be the Dizre MT. If AT, I will wait for the new Amaze to hit the market.
Maruti can totally conquer this market by just adding the 1.0 Boosterjet with the Dzire! Later they can bring a hybrid version too!
- 5* safety rating – Check
- Reliability- Check
- Strong service network- Check
- Resale value- Check
- VFM- Check
- Dzire CNG- Cab market – Check
Now if they add the 1.0 Boosterjet:
- Fun to drive – Check
- A proper AT- Check
With the 1.0 turbo, I am sure, few Slavia/Virtus customers will at-least take a TD before finalizing!
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
