Maruti Suzuki, India’s biggest car maker, has introduced the fourth-generation all-new hatchback Swift to woo the buyers in the fiercely competitive hatchback segment in the country. The car is priced between Rs 6.49 lakh and 9.50 lakh.
Although hatchbacks of all brands have been losing ground to other body styles, particularly crossovers, the Maruti Swift hatchback continues to be popular among the aspiring buyers.
In fact, the Swift is one of the Maruti's best-selling models, selling over 15,000 units per month. Since its launch in 2005, more than 29 lakh units of the car have been sold in the country. The company has invested Rs 1,450 crore in developing this new Swift, including localizing the new Z-Series engine.
The Exterior
Though the Swift looks like an evolution of the third-generation, the clean design has made way for sharp cuts and creases. It now sports new smoky LED projector headlamps with boomerang LED DRLs, glossy black radiator grille, LED fog lamps, LED tail lamps and 15-inch precision cut two-tone alloy wheels. The car is offered in 6 single-tone colour options - Luster Blue, Novel Orange, Sizzling Red, Pearl Arctic White, Magma Grey, and Splendid Silver. There are also three dual-tone colour options available, namely, Luster Blue with Midnight Black roof, Sizzling Red with Midnight Black roof, and Pearl Arctic White with Midnight Black roof.
The car measures 3,860 mm in length, which is 20 mm more than the outgoing car, 1,735 mm in width and 1,520 mm in height, which is 10 mm less than the outgoing car. It has a wheelbase of 2,450 mm and a ground clearance of 163 mm, which are identical figures to the outgoing car.
The Interiors
The all-new dashboard is quite attractive, featuring a layered design with a free-standing screen sitting atop, which is similar to Baleno’s. The interior wears an all-black theme and some silver trims and textures on the fascia and door pads look quite pleasing. While the fit and finish is great, the hard plastics are a bit of a downer.
The instrument cluster is new and the analogue dials are easy to read, and the needle looks premium. Getting in and out is easy and comfortable with enough space in the front and the headroom is adequate. The seats offer good support overall. The driver seat has got height adjustment and can slide back far enough even for tall occupants to feel comfortable. The three-spoke, leather-wrapped steering is perfectly sized, while the horn pad is easily reachable with your thumbs. The steering is adjustable for height but not reach. Still, it is easy to find the perfect driving position. It offers a great frontal view.
The car provides enough storage spaces. It has got a fairly sized glovebox, front door pads that can hold a 1 litre bottle along with some other items, two cup holders in the centre console and a wireless smartphone charging pad at the base of the centre fascia. It has also got a shallow storage space under the handbrake and a slot to keep a smartphone on the centre console above the rear A/C vents. The rear doorpads can hold a 500 ml bottle each. The Swift comes with a climate control unit and has physical switches. In the ZXi and ZXi+ variants, air vents have been provided at the rear as well. In fact, on a hot May summer day while test driving the car, the A/C functioned very well to keep the air cool. The Swift has a boot space of 265 litres. The rear seat is split in a 60:40 ratio. And folding the backrests down gives the car more luggage space.
The Drive Experience
The all-new Swift is powered by an all-new Z12E petrol engine, which according to ARAI gives 24.8kpl for the manual and 25.75kpl for the AMT. The new Z-series engine is a three-cylinder unit that displaces 1,197cc, identical to the outgoing K-series four-cylinder unit. It is equipped with an electric water pump for better engine cooling and a Lambda air-flow sensor for up to 12 per cent lower CO2 emissions and higher fuel efficiency. Although the Z12E’s output of 82hp and 112Nm torque does not impress you at first when you compare it to the outgoing K12M engine, which made 8hp and 1Nm more. However, the Z-series unit is focused on drivability, and the company claims that low-end torque has improved by 3.5 per cent and overall acceleration by 10 per cent.
After pressing the light clutch, you hit the engine start/stop button and as you ease off the clutch, the car rolls on smoothly without any fuss. Throttle response is good and power delivery is linear. Driving in and around the city at low speeds, the car feels smooth and it is very easy and fun to drive around the city without any hitch. On the highway run, the Swift is comfortable even though it is slow in providing the power to speed up and overtake other vehicles safely. But overall, Swift is undoubtedly a brisk performer. The power delivery is linear and those looking for performance may be a bit disappointed. Yet it is not slow but with proper use of the gears, it can get peppy.
For me the engine sounded very sporty when revved and it is definitely one of the best-sounding motors. It is indeed a joy to rev hard and drive fast. The company has equipped the Swift with an idling start/stop function to improve fuel efficiency. This feature worked seamlessly as we tested the car and it can be turned off by pressing a button on the centre fascia. The car gets a very user-friendly electric power steering, which is light and very comfortable. The compact dimensions of the car, light steering and a tight turning radius of 4.8 metres make the Swift very easy to drive in the city. On the highways at higher speeds, the steering weighs up well and it is a joy to cruise along comfortably. The Swift is equipped with disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear and they work very well, providing a smooth drive, without any worry.
Should I buy one?
With the new three-cylinder engine, improved drivability, the 5-speed MT and 5-speed AMT to choose from, precise steering and sharpened driving manners, comfort and practicality, the new Swift is here with compelling appeal to take the sales game forward.
