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Suzuki puts its new Dzire’s Auto Gear Shift tech thru its paces on the racetrack

By Gerard
.
June 6, 2018

It was in April of this year when Suzuki Philippines gave the public a preview of the latest-generation Dzire subcompact sedan. From a rather odd-looking previous model, the new one sports a look that is more tasteful and dare we say, more thought out.

Two or so months after that preview, Suzuki let a select group of motoring media try out its newest baby on no less than the Batangas Racing Circuit recently. From the get-go, you can see that the car is now more well-thought of in terms of design. Rather than simply looking like a hatchback with a trunk tacked on, the new model seems more integrated, more cohesive.

But what Suzuki really wanted to highlight with this test is the new Auto Gear Shift technology. The new transmission, Suzuki says, combines the ease of driving an automatic with the fun of rowing thru a manual gearbox—minus the clutch pedal. Car nuts may recall the BMW Sequential Manual Gearbox when using this tranny.

One can simply leave the transmission in automatic and it will take care of upshifts and downshifts. Put it in the M setting, however, and you can row thru those gears via the up- and downshift toggles. You can practically exploit the rev band and shift as you would with a stickshift. The only difference here is that you don’t need to depress a clutch pedal when doing so. This brought out the 1.2-liter, 82hp engine’s punchy nature, especially when on the boil.

Being on the racetrack allowed participants to fully explore what this car and transmission can do. The gearbox gives one the best of both worlds. And while it seemed to be tuned more for fuel economy, the real test will be when it is taken out onto gridlocked traffic.

Apart from putting the car thru its paces, the participants got to try out the new car’s cabin. Although it’s a subcompact offering, Suzuki did throw in thoughtful touches like a dedicated call button and audio controls on the steering wheel, as well as a multimedia display to keep drivers connected and entertained while on the move—in a safe manner, of course.

The Suzuki Dzire will be unveiled to the public later this month.

Photos by: Paolo Lesaca

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About the Author

Mr. Gerard Jude Castillo
Gerard has been a self-confessed car nut ever since he was a little boy. As a grown-up, he indulges in his passion by collecting toy cars (which he started since childhood) and reading up on the latest cars out there.  As Associate Editor, he will ensure that you get your fill of the latest cars in the market, as well as a load of automotive features.