Commented on own review
Apr 08, 2006 10:05 AM
The engine is not overstressed as I thought. I just was expecting much more from swift. But as far as hatch backs are concerned, there is no other car currently available in the market that can compete with swift. Buy it and you will enjoy it. I have four cars and Swift is my favourite.
You might... want to check Aveo. It is a very good car but little upmarket.
I will update my owners experience after second service.Read More
Commented on pulsarian's review
Aug 01, 2005 09:27 AM
Swift will sure be unbeatable if option of 1.6 baleno engine was given.
Nevertheless, a good car for the price.
Commented on own review
Jul 07, 2005 07:09 PM
If you are looking for a car for city driving, there are the choices (best from every manufacturer) -
1. Fiat Palio - Good car but ..... Fiat Dealers........ I want a car to drive and not to worry about.
2. Opel Corsa & Corsa Sail - Decent car but cramped interiors. Good suspensions though. Op...el cars are always the costliest to maintain. My friend had a Astra and used to spend 20K for every service.
3. Hyundai Getz - Very neat car and good interiors. I dont like the texture of the interiors. Knowing that Swift ZXi gives Airbags and ABS at 30K less than top end Getz, I definitely feel Getz is no value for money.
4. Suzuki Swift - Good car, new looks (inclined towards spotier). Decent interiors.
Of the only two viable choices (Getz and Swift) which car would you choose from?
I would go in for MUL instead of Hyundai. Lately I was very annoyed with the marketing strategy of Hyundai. While looking for Honda City or Hyundai Accent, Hyundai dealer called my friend and said not to buy Honda City since Honda is going to discontinue the model. What a nonsense........ After that my impression on Hyundai changed --- a false player in the market.Read More
Commented on own review
Jul 07, 2005 06:47 PM
I always hated MUL for its flimsy build and very poor interior quality. Hyundai small cars are even more flimsy but interiors are good.
Apart from above mentioned drawbacks, I never had any problem with the MUL especially engine. I had driven both carbeurator and MPFI esteem. Though carb version ...sucks, MPFI is a delight.
Suzuki Swift is quite different one from MUL. LXi is just 20K more than top end Zen and Wagon-R and you get a much better car for that price. And more importantly, Swift is not a Tin-Sheet car.
The power to weight ratio is an issue in Swift. But, it is not competing with Ikon or any other sedan. So guess, its OK. It is definitely faster than Getz and others in same class. I guess we don't have that much choice in hatchback range.
By the way, new Honda City iDSI engine is just 77 bhp. Honda City is doing good so is Swift.
There are few things that I hate in MUL-Swift (definitely not the engine). Agreed, except for looks and equipments, there is nothing to say WOW about it. But it is the best compromise available.
For your info... If Honda had a small car (like Jazz), I would have definitely gone for Honda or toyota.Read More
Commented on pcsaketh's review
Jul 07, 2005 03:35 PM
All honda engines are imported and not manufactured in India. Hence, New or old does not matter. But all maruti engines are manufactured in india. And hence, new engine means lots of new investment and hence the increase in cost. Importing will also shoot the engine price.
A Honda 2.4 VTec engine... with gearbox would cost 4+ lakhs. MUL esteem engine with gearbox, you can get it under 1 lakh.
If you are pitching 2.4 VTec with 1.3G from MUL, it is pointless. Tell me a better engine in its price range in India.
Regarding the profit MUL would achieve with the esteem engine is VERY VERY true. But thats how business worksRead More
Commented on own review
Jul 07, 2005 03:25 PM
Hi Haq,
Sorry about the incident. Can you do an analysis and find out why the car rolled. Ideally, a good car must never roll at any speeds. There must been some other technical problem. This could help many others.
Commented on own review
Jul 03, 2005 10:04 AM
I am hearing lot of problems regarding delivery. I guess MUL never expected so much of booking. Their target was 4000 cars per month. Around 40,000 vehicles have been booked as of now - its their 10 months target. Obviously, the company could not handle such a volume. I hope this does not attribute ...to degradation of Quality of the vehicles delivered.
I cannot comment on the delivery aspects since I did a stupid thing of changing the color from Garnet Orange to Red 20 days after booking. 20,000 cars were booked in this period and apparently, they will be given priority for delivery before mine. I will have to wait atleast till october for delivery.Read More
Commented on rohitchau1's review
Jul 03, 2005 09:44 AM
I know quite some people who booked Swift ZXi and due to the dealership and delivery problems, they changed their decision and started looking for other cars. After setting your mind on Swift, the only other car that you would be interested is Getz. They had their reservations about Getz before Swif...t. But after release of Swift, they started accepting Getz as a good alternative. So, you can expect Getz sales boosting indirectly for couple of months.
But I am still sticking with the swift atleast for now. I have waited for 8 months for Swift and I think I can wait for another month or two for Swift. If only Getz had that two front airbags........ I value safety very much. Well who knows, monsoon has started to show. If it becomes worse, I might need a vehicle very urgently and might go in for Getz.Read More
Commented on pcsaketh's review
Jun 30, 2005 12:24 PM
Its real fun debating..... :-)
Bringing a new modern engine means lots of work and money involved and there must be return of investment for it. Think from a company perspective. In case of Swift, a higher spec modern engine would have raised the cost by more than a lakh and prospective buyers wi...ll be very less. Then where is ROI.
MUL is currently investing in 1.25L multijet (CRD) engine (designed by Fiat). We can expect Swift powered by 1.25 MultiJet in mid 2006. It is a very modern engine but still not for enthusiast. Until then, it is only Modified Esteem engine.
Its true, except for 800, MUL was never the first to introduce technology in India. It always follows other manufactures in terms of technology and innovation.
1. Dawoo (Cielo) was the first to introduce MPFI engine in India. MUL introduced MPFI much latter for esteem to compete with Cielo.
2. Wagon R was ready in MUL stables for years but still did not release it until Santro became a success. Guess, MUL did not want to take risk in releasing a TallBoy design unless they know the market for sure.
3. Never the first to come with Airbag. But surprised to see airbag options in Wagon R and Swift whilst no other competition offers. Well, seems like trend is changing.
MUL always needed some benchmark to meet. For Swift, Getz is the benchmark. Things might change when Fiat Idea enters Indian market.
As for esteem engine, well it is not very modern. It is not a lean burn as Honda City iDSI and hence cannot take advantage of 93 octane fuel. But it is a really good engine made of all allumanium.. Thinking me as a pro-esteem? Well, I am since I have driven it so much.
In Compact car segment, name one manufacturer in India that provides a modern engine? All small car comes with simple MPFI engine which is not very hightec as iDSI or VVTi. One cannot justify the cost involved for a car of smaller dimension. But its the way it is.......... Why only MUL? Down with every manufacturerRead More
Commented on dinu6364's review
Jun 28, 2005 09:22 AM
I really doubt if Honda Jazz will hit the indian roads in near future. A hatchback cannot be priced over 5.5L in India else it would be a failure. Honda city is selling very well and and I doubt if Honda will release a compact car of much lower price with same looks. It would really take out the pre...stige of Honda City.
And about Fiat, if I am correct, Fiat Idea would be released before Panda. Fiat cars are very good but for its service. If only fiat could strengthen its dealership.... I just love palio 1.6 GTX.Read More
Commented on pcsaketh's review
Jun 28, 2005 09:05 AM
The new MPFI esteem engine is not very old. The only thing that MPFI esteem engine carried from its predecessor is the dimensions of the bore and nothing else. It has a modified head with 16 valves and direct fuel injection instead of carbeurator. The old esteem engine developed 62 bhp while the MPF...I engine developed 85bhp. So present esteem engine is not very old.Read More
Commented on pcsaketh's review
Jun 28, 2005 01:17 AM
When going for a new computer with higher processing power, you will see and feel the difference. But in case of automobile industry, it is not the same case.Ford Mustang GT of 80s developed more power and torque than most modern cars and is still more pleasure to drive than many cars.
Whether s...wift must come with better engine? Ofcourse Yes. Swift is a much capable car and demands to be driven but the smaller esteem engine limits its capability. While hunting for a hatchback compact car, you don't have much choice and have to live with it.
Banding a car as not good enough since it does not come with a modern technology engine is not OK.
Ofcourse, VVT engine in european model of swift would have been better but would have increased the cost of the car by a lakh or more. Then story of Swift would end up similar to Getz (Overprized).
Regarding Quality: True, MUL does not deliver quality product in first attempt. Almost all maruti cars had problems when released. Esteem had few problems in engine, wagon R had problem with gear box,... I just cross my finger that it is not the same with Swift.
As for Hondas and Toyotas, I still could not figure out how they could give a class leading interiors at that price but MUL and others could not. I had driven New Honda City GXi a lot and I would admit, after seeing the interiors of Honda city, it is very difficult to accept interiors of any other carRead More
Commented on pcsaketh's review
Jun 27, 2005 10:34 AM
Please consider the price factor before making the comparison. The global image of Suzuki is a small car manufacturer. Suzuki never did good in big cars. But Honda, Toyota and others are known for big cars.
Its the same story in India. Maruti small cars are very good (On par or better than its ri...vals). Swift again comes in small car category. You cannot compare Honda City with Swift.
And about esteem engine, well, anyone who owned a MPFI esteem would say, 'the best ever' on indian road. Again do not compare VVTi or VTec. They come with a price. In its price range, esteem engine is the best available in the indian market. How does a new technology engine matter to a normal driver. All you need from an engine is reliability, good power, good torque characteristics , good milege (in its class) and maintainability . Tell me any one of these missing in modified esteem engine for Swift.
Maruti Sales dropped not because of Honda and Toyota but because of Tata and Hyundai. Infact, Tata Indica made the biggest impact in the small car market. It does not boast a very modern engine either. It is the price-value factor that wins in India. Hyundai accent sales has dropped considerably in past years because of Tata Indigo and new Honda City. It again attributes to price-value factor. It is the same reason why Getz did not do well in India.
And I guess in price-value factor, Swift definitely scores.Read More
Commented on dinu6364's review
Jun 27, 2005 10:06 AM
I can really understand the attitude of the Maruti dealers. They have won a Jackpot and don't really care that much for a swift buyer as the car is selling like a hot cake. Walk in a Maruti showroom saying you want to buy a Baleno and see the treatement. It would be in a different class all together....
But this doesn't make swift a bad car. In a compact car market, I could not see a better competition for Swift currently.
Story of Palio, well everybody know about it. Getz is too overpriced. Top end Getz nearly 70K more than ZXi Swift but lacks airbags, seat belt pretentioners, automatic climatic control, etc. You must appreciate Maruti for doing an very good work in localising the components for Swift and transfer the price benefit to the customers.
Test drive the swift and you will change your opinion on swift. The car is very composed and 'Excellent'. Two factors that attributed for sales of Swift is its looks ofcourse and its driver friendly attitude. Good power train, good suspensions, excellent torque characteristics for city driving and good braking combined with good pricing. I bet you could not ask for more.
As with diesel technology, Maruti is developing a 1.25L MultiJet Diesel. The engine design is by Fiat and it is the smallest CRD in commersial market. Maruti is developing under license from Fiat and has localized the components for price benefits which Fiat could not do. We can expect the 1.25L MultiJet to be available in mid 2006.Read More
Commented on own review
Jun 14, 2005 02:40 AM
Acceleration (For confident overtaking)
(Taken from OverDrive May 2005)
Model/Speeds - 0-100 20-80(3rd Gear) 40-100(4th Gear)
Swift 11.7s 13.77s 18.88s
Palio(1.2) 16.4s 17.8s 30.59s
Petra ... 11.6s 12.7s 19.7s
Ikon(1.3) 14.54s 15.5s 25s
Ikon(1.6) 11.9s 13.1s 18.8s
Getz 14.5s 15.1s 21.26s
Accent(GLE) 13.12s 14s 22.9s
Zen 18.2s 16.1s 23.95s
WagonR 14.3s 13.5s 21.8s
Esteem 11.5s 15.7s 24.6s
Corsa(1.4) 14s 14.8s 23s
Corsa(1.6) 12.2s 12.6s 19.3s
Indica 14.32 16.7 25.5s
Indigo 14s 14.4s 20.7s
Swift is faster than small cars but when compared to Corsa, Esteem, Petra or Ikon, Swift does lack the power. 1.6L Baleno engine would have been ideal for Swift but I guess I am asking for too much.Read More
Commented on own review
Jun 14, 2005 02:12 AM
This is just a compilation of data from various sources.
Length (For leg room and boot space)
Swift - 3695mm
Palio - 3763mm
Getz - 3810mm
Zen - 3535mm
Wagon R - 3495mm
Sail - 3759mm
Indica - 3660mm.
Sail and Palio are longer than swift by 70mm and Getz is longer than Swift by whole 10cm.... That explains extra space in Getz.
Width (For shoulder room in rear seat)
Swift - 1690mm
Baleno, Honda City -1690mm
Zen, Wagon R - 1495mm
Santro - 1525mm
Getz - 1665mm
Accent - 1670mm
Indica - 1625mm
Esteem - 1575mm
Palio - 1620mm
Kerb Weight (How strong the vehicle is)
Swift - 980Kg (LXi)
Esteem - 875
Wagon R - 755
Zen - 755
Indica - 980
Accent - 1020
Getz - 1050
Santro - 845
Palio - 1015
Note: Engine of Swift weighs much lesser than Getz, Accent and Indica.
Ground Clearence (Need for Indian roads)
Swift - 170mm
Getz - 160mm
Santro - 172mm
Accent -172mm
Zen - 165mm
Wagon R - 165mm
Esteem - 160mm
Corsa - 190mm
Sail - 132mm
Palio - 170mm
Indica - 170mm
Indigo - 165mm
Tyres (Braking and drivability)
Swift - 165/80 R14, 185/70 R14 (ZXi)
Palio - 165/80 R13, 175/65 R14(GTX)
Ikon - 175/70 R13 (1.3 Nxt), 175/65 R14 (1.6)
Getz - 155/80 R13 (GL) , 175/70 R13 (GLS)
Accent - 155/80 R13 (GLE, GVS), 175/70 R13, 185/60 R14 (GTx, Viva)
Esteem - 155/80 R13, 175/70 R13 (VXi)
Corsa - 175/70 R13
Indica - 165/65 R13
Indigo - 175/65 R14
The tyres of LXi and VXi variant of Swift is wider than entry level Getz (155mm), Accent(155mm) and Esteem(155mm) and is on same as entry level palio and ikon (165mm).
Turning Diameter (For City driving)
Swift - 9.4m
Palio - 10.2m
Ikon - 10m
Santro - 8.8m
Getz - 10m
Accent - 10m
Zen - 9.8m
Wagon R - 9.2m
Esteem - 9.6m
Sail - 10m
Indica - 9.8m
Indigo - 10m
Read More
Commented on own review
Jun 14, 2005 01:29 AM
Other cars I have driven in past and how it compares with Swift. I am not comparing the design, style and safety. I believe, currently, there isn't much of competition for Swift in design and style and very few competition for safety.
Esteem
Esteem has good acceleration but bad torque characte...ristics. Very bad suspensions and uncomfortable seating positions. Nowhere near Swift except for boot space and acceleration.
Zen
City driving in Zen is much easier than Swift since Zen is a very small car. Apart from that, Zen does not have a chance near Swift
Wagon R
Wagon R has much much better interior space and boot space with 50/50 folding seats. The power is decent but gear shift not as good Swift. Ride, Suspensions, steering and braking no way near Swift
Alto
Alto is very cramped. It is not justifiable to compare it with Swift.
Santro
Thoughtful interior but very very flimsy build quality and out of comparison in all other aspects.
Ikon
Very aged model but equivalentely good or better in all aspects except for safety features. 1.3 does not have enough power
Baleno
Much better than Swift in all aspects except for looks and safety features. Interior is not as good as Swift. Ofcourse, Baleno is altogether in a different class.
Opel Corsa
Very cramped interior. Not much to say in comparison except for suspensions
Indica
Good storage space, thoughtful interior, similar boot, good suspensions and ride. But you will need a driver to enjoy this. Driving indica is not as pleasant as Swift.
Fiat Palio
Closest rival for Swift in terms of capability though interiors is not as good as Swift. A very competent car and used to be my favourite. I just love the 1.6. But, Fiat dealer network is a let down. Can't buy a car with not so good servicRead More
Reviewed Maruti Suzuki Swift
Jun 13, 2005 12:25 PM
67279 Views
(Updated Jul 03, 2005 10:09 AM)
Ever since I read about Swift, I have been waiting for its launch in India. I need a car very badly but then I decided to wait for Swift. After its launch, I drove the demo vehicle at least 4 times before writing this review.
Looks
Well, there is nothing to write about it. Haven't seen any...Read more
