Toyota Platinum Etios vs Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire – Which one is better choice?

If you are looking to buy a mid-range sedan, both the Toyota Platinum Etios and Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire are amongst the strongest contenders. The newly launched Toyota Platinum Etios is an updated version of the previously launched Etios. The Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, on the other hand, is the sedan variant of the Swift hatchback, and has a strong foothold in its own segment.

Does the newly launched Platinum Etios fair well against Maruti Swift Dzire, the undisputed king of the compact sedan segment? Which of them should you chose as your next ride? Let’s take a sneak peek through both of them so that you can make an informed choice.

Toyota Platinum Etios vs Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire

Design:

Both of these cars looks alike as their hatchback counterpart from the front profile, the difference can be seen only after the C pillar. The Etios looks far better balanced with better integrated boot, whereas the Dzire’s boot seems like an afterthought due to short and stubby design. In terms of dimensions the Etios is longer than the Dzire. The slight advantage of Etios in terms of dimension, translates into longer wheelbase. When it comes to the boot size the Etios clearly has the advantage of carrying more luggages due to the bigger boot.

Interiors:

Once you step inside, Etios Liva is quite spacious, with good quality of plastics, decent looking interiors, two tone seats on the high end variants, a nice dual tone dashboard which houses large AC vents which keeps the occupants cool even in the scorching heat. However the awkwardly placed speedometer and MID is a sore to the eyes. The rear seat of the Platinum Etios is quite roomy with ample amount of leg space and headroom.

Swift Dzire on the other hand is just like the Swift, but the interiors are finished in dual tone, the black and beige interior is a welcome change over the Swift. One can easily understand the Dzire shares some parts from the Maruti parts bin, including the power window switches and other switches. The rear legroom is not as quite roomy as the Platinum Etios and only 2 occupants can seat comfortably. However, the legroom and the headroom is just decent if compared with the Etios.

Engine:

Both the compact sedans are equipped with petrol and diesel engines. The Dzire is equipped with a VVT 1.2 liter petrol engine, which churns out 83bhp and 115nm of torque. The VVT engine is quiet joy to drive, with minimum or no vibrations, the engine loves to be revved to its limit. The engine is further connected to a 5 speed transmission, which transfers the power to the front wheels. The Dzire is also equipped with a fiat sourced 1.3 liter multijet diesel engine, and it makes maximum power of 73.9bhp and maximum torque of 190nm, just like the petrol engine the diesel engine also loves to be revved but slight turbo lag affects the low end performance of this diesel engine.

On the other hand the Platinum Etios is equipped with 1.5liter petrol and a 1.4liter D4D CRDI diesel engine. Both the engine churns out 89bhp of power, 132nm of torque and 67.07bhp of power and 170nm of torque respectively.

On the engine front both the cars are equipped with nice engines and they perform brilliantly on the roads. The power delivered by Dzire is slightly better, but additional weight of about 100 Kg offsets that difference brings the power to weight ratio of these two compact sedans to same level.

Handling, Safety and Performance:

The Swift Dzire got all its handling DNA from its sibling the Swift, and just like the Swift the Dzire is also a great handler, it tackles corners with ease, the body roll is quite less than the Etios. While on highway the rear occupants are comfortable with very less or no vertical movement. The suspension of the Dzire is quite stiff and while on low speeds potholes tends to filter inside the cabin, but as the car builds up speed the suspension works like charm. On the safety front the compact sedan’s top models are equipped with ABS and dual front airbags. However, we would have appreciated Maruti even more if they have had equipped the low end models with ABS and airbags.

The Toyota Platinum Etios on the other hand is also a nice handling car, but the softly sprung suspension doesn’t inspire confidence while on high speed. The Etios also has quite a bit of body roll around the corners and the rear occupants can feel the vertical movement of the sedan. However, while on low speeds the Toyota is quite comfortable. In terms of safety the Platinum Etios is better with ABS and airbags standard across the range.

So, if you are on a budget and looking for a compact sedan then the Swift Dzire is a good choice, but the lack of storage spaces, cramped interiors and small boot lets it down. However in terms of handling and performance the Dzire is way ahead of the Etios. On the other hand the Etios recently got a facelift which has made the car slightly better looking. In terms of space, bigger boot and safety equipments the Platinum Etios is a better choice.