The original Dzire was one of Suzuki’s weirdest products. Built to comply with an Indian market tax loophole for sedans under four meters in length, it offered a clunky four-door form factor best described as ‘Suzuki Swift from Temu.’ The 2017 upgrade was a little more attractive, basically a chibi-fied Lightning McQueen. It was a lot better to drive, as well, though the AGS transmission—a manual transmission with a roboticized clutch—left a lot to be, uh, desired. It was economical, sure, but it wasn’t a particularly intuitive or fun transmission.
With the latest generation, however, Suzuki has started with a clean slate. Gone are the cartoonish looks, replaced by sharper sheetmetal. Out goes the four-cylinder K-series+AGS, replaced by a new three-cylinder Z series engine with hybrid boost.
Do these changes elevate Suzuki’s tiny sedan from curiosity to contender? Let’s find out.
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Styling
The Dzire’s new looks mark a clean break from the ‘Lightning McSwiftie’ looks of the old car. The styling is more buttoned-down, more reserved, and more mature than before. The car is infinitesimally taller, but doesn’t look it, as the rear pillar gives it a sleeker roofline. There’s still a bit of curviness to the lines, but it’s less caricaturish and more corporate. The rear end still carries a lot of similarities to the old Dzire, with that abrupt rear cut and small, wide-set taillights. It’s still a love-it-or-hate-it feature, but we’ve gotten used to it at this point.
The new front end is sharp, but a little too similar to Thai-market Toyotas. Not unattractive, but not as distinctively Suzuki as the old car.
The entire package sits on two-tone 15-inch wheels with an odd spoke design, with silver rim accents that simply accentuate how tiny fifteen inches feels in this day and age, even on a subcompact car.
Interior
The Dzire’s interior is familiar Suzuki fare, with a traditional dash built around a sporty flat-bottomed leather-wrapped steering wheel. Manual controls everywhere—hallelujah. You still get the expected central touchscreen, but with shortcut buttons built into its lower margins. Cabin materials are relatively good. Lots of plastic, yes, but in a good mix of colors and textures. The gray-ish wood grain, for one, almost feels premium. The beige fabric seats, on the other hand, are not so much. While they’re supportive enough, the light fabric isn’t the easiest to keep clean. A darker color and maybe leatherette side bolsters would be appreciated here.
Cabin space is reasonable for this size of car. While the Dzire is a tiny sedan, it is based on a platform that’s a class above the likes of the Mirage G4, which means superior elbow room. There’s even room for a fold-out center armrest in the rear seat. The short wheelbase and length, however, give it merely acceptable legroom and a tiny 384-liter trunk compared to the cavernous 450-liter trunk in the G4 or even larger sedans.
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Engine performance
Of course, this being a tiny sedan, it gets by with much less engine than those larger competitors. The tiny Z12E engine makes just over 80hp (exactly 60kW) and 111.2Nm of torque. Mated to a continuously variable transmission, it gets the Dzire from 0-100kph in around 13.4sec. About average for a 1.2-liter CVT. While the older AGS was faster, the new CVT is pleasingly smooth in comparison.
There’s also a 3hp hybrid assist motor here—basically a reversible generator replacing the old alternator—a quirky system reminiscent of Indian market do-it-yourself hybrid conversions. The tiny lithium battery under the driver’s seat holds just enough charge to give you a few seconds of boost every now and then, and it doesn’t impact the driving experience all that much.
But it does impact the fuel economy, as that battery helps bolster the regular 12V battery in providing auto-stop-start functionality in traffic. In our time with the car, we easily managed over 15km/L in mixed driving, up to 19km/L when traffic was light, dipping down to 12km/L with slightly heavier traffic. It will be interesting to see how that compares to the non-hybrid Mirage G4 in the same conditions, the only other small sedan in the same economy ballpark. But we’re guessing the Suzuki will be slightly better.
Ride and handling
In terms of driving appeal, there’s no contest. Suzuki has always made phenomenal handling little cars, and the Dzire is a ‘D-light’ to drive. Granted, the 185/65 R15 CEAT AssuraDrive tires are more oriented towards economy and comfort than sport, but they do a decent job of keeping you upright, and the light body and steering of the Dzire make it a breeze to maneuver down a twisty road. The suspension strikes a decent balance between firm and supple, though the rear beam axle can get flinty over ruts and bumps. No, it won’t fulfill your Rallye Swift fantasies, not with the given powertrain and tires, but it is relatively painless to drive.
In the city, the Dzire’s small size and good sightlines make it an unimposing car to drive—perfect for driving schools, really. The only sore point is the small rear window, but Suzuki has you covered here, with a rear parking camera and proximity sensors.
Extra features
Beyond the parking assists, you also get hill-hold, brake assist, and standard cruise control on both Dzire variants. Rear A/C vents, USB charging, keyless entry, and centralized locking also come standard, yet weirdly not speed-sensitive door locks. The GLX gains a push-to-start ignition, automatic climate control, and a bigger nine-inch center touchscreen and two extra speakers—bringing the speaker count to six. The menus on that screen are big and bright, though vehicle functions and data displays feel severely limited. Playing music through Android Auto or Apple CarPlay produces acceptable, though not exceptional, sound.
The feature list is more impressive on the safety side, with electronic stability control and side and side curtain airbags standard across the range. Thus equipped, the Dzire finally qualifies for a full five-star safety rating on the Global NCAP.
Verdict
The Dzire Hybrid is a neatly packaged little car that should appeal to first-time buyers and drivers who want something easy to drive—and more importantly, easy to park. But bringing this in as a premium variant makes it a tough sell against bigger competitors that offer more space for less money. And we’re not even talking about the Chinese hybrids and EVs at that point!
The value of that hybrid system is also questionable. While it does demonstrably save fuel, the older non-hybrid Dzire was already quite efficient and cost considerably less. Without any government incentives being given to mild-hybrid systems, you don’t even get the price cut and coding exemption to justify that extra cost. Instead, having a base non-hybrid manual model would widen the appeal of the Dzire, both for eco-conscious buyers and for those looking for something a little more exciting than your common small car.
SPECS: 2026 Suzuki Dzire GLX CVT Hybrid
Price: P998,000
Engine: Z12E 1.2-liter engine + 12V hybrid-motor assist
Power: 80hp
Torque: 111.2Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable
Layout: FWD
Seating: 5
Score: 7/10
More photos of the 2026 Suzuki Dzire GLX CVT Hybrid:
