Maruti Suzuki Dzire Tour launch in April 2012

Maruti Suzuki has named the taxi version of the Dzire sedan the ‘Dzire Tour’ and priced it at Rs. 5.91 lakh for the LDi diesel variant and Rs. 4.88 lakh for the LXi petrol variant. The Dzire Tour will be sold only to taxi/fleet operators and will be available from April 2012 onwards.

Looks, space and comfort

The Dzire Tour sedan is essentially the pre-facelift version or the first generation Dzire sedan. Unlike the new Dzire which measures less than four meters in length, the Dzire Tour is a full size car with a large boot space of 464 litres.

The Dzire is spacious for four adults and with a large boot space should serve long trips too. The Dzire may still not be an ideal taxi because the rear seat is best for two adults unlike other cars such as the Tata Indigo XL and Mahindra Verito which has space for three adults.

Performance

The Dzire Tour LXi variant is powered by the 1.2-litre K-series petrol motor puts out 86 bhp of power while the Dzire Tour LDi is powered by the 1.3-litre DDiS motor churns out 74 bhp of power. Both the motors will be mated to 5-speed manual transmission.

Features

The Dzire Tour is offered only in two variants: LXi petrol and LDi diesel. Both the variants get manual AC, power steering as standard features. The Dzire Tour also comes with black bumpers, outside rear view mirrors, steel wheels and black door handles.

Price comparison

Maruti Suzuki has priced the Dzire Tour competitively as the Dzire Tour LXi is Rs. 6,000 less than the Mahindra Verito base D2 diesel variant and Rs. 16,000 less than the Verito G2 base petrol variant.

When compared with the Tata Indigo XL petrol, the Dzire Tour petrol is Rs. 1.41 lakh cheaper making it an excellent value for money; in diesel variants, both the Dzire Tour and Tata Indigo XL are priced at Rs. 5.91 lakh. Also read: New Maruti Dzire, Video Review!

Summary

Maruti Suzuki cars have been mostly preferred by private buyers except for its MUVs such as the Omni and the Eeco which are preferred as taxis. Now, the introduction of the Dzire Tour will most likely become a big hit for it is a reliable car with less maintenance cost and large boot which are two key aspects to become a taxi.

(Source: Autocar India)