The other day, Suzuki had a big setup at Kyalami Racetrack as an announcement went out that Suzuki will be the vehicle and Proteas ODI partner for Cricket South Africa. As the vehicle unveilings with new liveries happened, the updated Dzire made a showing and thus was confirmed for South Africa this year. Though unveiled in India in late 2024, here's what we know of the Dzire spec for that side of the world and what we could expect for South Africa.
Related: Everything you need to know about the Suzuki Dzire
The Looks
The updated Dzire's styling distances itself from the Swift with a backside strapped onto the rear you saw with previous iterations, to create something more bespoke. The extra compact body looks sleeker, and the side profile tapers off smoother into the rear end. You do see some styling genetics reminiscent of the Swift. The front end keeps the large airdam but marries the LED headlamps with a gloss black trim piece to the air dam. The rear end contains redesigned tail lamps and a subtle ducktail on the boot lid. The updated Dzire is certainly more eye-catching.
Inside, the dash is lifted right out of the Swift, but at least in the press images we saw for the Indian market, it contains woodgrain trim and beige hard plastics. Now this may change for South Africa, and we'll see what sort of colour and trim combos we'll get at launch. The latest Swift's cabin is pretty to begin with and is pleasant to interact with the climate controls and infotainment system. Interestingly, the press images show a sunroof, which we didn't expect for this sort of vehicle since it falls under the budget segment. South Africans do love a good sunroof, so this may be a requested feature for a top-spec model, perhaps. There looks to be the same 9-inch infotainment system you'd find in the Swift GLX trim, so potentially we may see the same setup for the South African market.
Potential Powertrains
So far, for the Indian market, the Dzire comes with the same 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine you'd find in the Swift, making 60kw / 112Nm. Power is sent to the front wheels via either a 5-speed manual or AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) for the Indian market vehicles, but we'd likely see some sort of spec for the South African market. Though considering the Swift comes with a CVT transmission locally as opposed to the AMT, perhaps we may see the local Dzire specced with the CVT instead.
Safety
On the other side of the world, the Dzire comes specced with:
- ABS, EBD
- Hill Hold Assist
- 6 airbags
- Stability Control
Also, the Indian market spec has been crash tested and received 5 stars for adult occupant safety and 4 stars for child occupant safety.
