India’s hottest hatchback has been on sale since 2005 and received a facelift in 2014, which is the current avatar of the car sold now. Yes, we are talking about the Maruti Suzuki Swift which got a host of cosmetic updates in Europe and Japan in mid-2013 and made its way to India by the end of 2014. Suzuki has stuck with the formula of continuity and has not changed anything in terms of overall design but has added a few elements both inside and outside to give the car a fresh appeal.
Exterior
The Maruti Suzuki Swift in terms of external design remains the same as before but now gets a slightly redesigned bumper. Unfortunately the new L-shaped LEDs in the European model are not offered in the Indian market but we expect that they will begin offering it as a surprise option ( at significant cost) sometime in 2015. The fog lamp housing is redesigned and gets a silver bezel around it. The Japanese automaker has also put out a new mysterious violet colour with the availability of other five standard colours. For non-alloy wheel versions, the wheel covers are different from the ones offered on the previous model.
Interior
The major changes are in the cabin of the Swift keeping it up-to-date with the technological features offered with most cars today. The interior of the Maruti Suzuki Swift facelift now features cruise control, keyless entry and a button start to keep it on par with the competitors. The top-spec versions of the car continue to get features like climate control, faux leather seats and a music system with Bluetooth, AUX and iPod compatibility, ABS and airbags as seen on the previous model.
Engines and gearbox
The Maruti Suzuki Swift continues to employ the 1.2-litre petrol mill and the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine. The former produces 85bhp/114Nm while the latter does 74bhp/190Nm. Both engines are mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. Maruti Suzuki is expected to offer an AT transmission for the Swift in 2015 making it a highly competitive offering in the segment.
Price and competition
The Maruti Suzuki Swift is priced in the range of Rs 4.42 lakh to Rs 6.95 lakh and competes with the Hyundai Grand i10, Nissan Micra and the Renault Pulse in the Indian car market.
