New Maruti Dzire Reimagined As A Sporty Sedan [Video]

Each time, Maruti Suzuki has tried to go the performance route, it’s come a cropper. However, there’s no dearth of imaginative enthusiasts in India, who keep dreaming up high performance and sporty Maruti cars. One such endeavour is this render from SRK Design, which depicts what a RS version of the new Maruti Dzire would look like.

As the render indicates, the Maruti Dzire RS will sit lower to the ground, with front and rear bumpers also reprofiled for a sportier look. The bonnet is blacked out for most parts, and the grille gets dechromed with matte finish. The matte black treatment stretches upwards to the roof, and gives the Dzire RS a sporty look.

The car is finished in a dual tone, green and black paint job, which seems straight out of a custom paint shop. The Dzire RS rides on low profile tyres shod on sporty alloys that are larger than stock, and this helps them fill out the wheel wells nicely.  Side skirts run across the profile of the car, and the RS treatment for the Dzire culminates in a large boot lid spoiler.

Overall, the render is a very nicely executed job that shows what an imaginative mind can create with a car that’s basically meant to transport families in the most fuss free manner possible. Not that the new Dzire isn’t a looker but nobody really thinks of the car as sporty – something that SRK Design has beautifully managed to imagine, and reproduce.

As things stand currently, the only engine that Maruti Suzuki can claim as sporty is the 1 liter-3 cylinder turbo petrol motor that’s found on the Fronx. The new Dzire – in comparison – gets a 1.2 liter-3 cylinder naturally aspirated engine called the Z12, which is clearly developed for fuel efficiency than performance.

In fact, the Z12 motor’s 3 cylinder layout is meant to make it compact enough for deployment on a range extender hybrid version of the Dzire, which is said to be in the works. And it’s not just the Dzire that will get a range extender hybrid but also a slew of Maruti cars including the Fronx, Swift and even the Ertiga. So, the Dzire RS is likely to remain in the realm of imagination for a long time to come.

The last time we had something really sporty in the sub-4 meter compact sedan space in India was from Volkswagen, who launched the Ameo with a 1.5 liter TDI turbo diesel engine, and paired that strong motor with a 7 speed twin clutch DSG automatic gearbox. A close second would be the Ford Aspire – whose 1.5 liter turbo diesel engine, although less torquey than that on the Ameo, was a very brisk performer thanks to the very low turbo lag.

Can mass market car makers be blamed for not building enough sporty cars in India?

Not really. Most attempts at building sporty cars for India’s affordable segments have failed. Maruti tried offering a RS version of the Baleno hatchback. It bombed. Similarly, Maruti once tried to make the S-Cross sporty by offering a 1.6 liter turbo diesel engine with a class leading 320 Nm of torque. The crossover found so few takers that Maruti dumped that engine in a hurry, choosing to go with the less powerful 1.3 liter diesel.

Other car makers have failed too. Fiat’s Abarth range on the Punto didn’t work, and even Tata Motors’ attempts with the Tiago and Tigor JTP twins, and more recently the Altroz Racer, have come a cropper. Only Volkswagen – with the Polo GT TSI, Kia with the GT Line of Sonet and Seltos SUVs, and Hyundai – with the i20 N-Line, have tasted some success at building sporty cars for the mass market.