Swift Indeed!. Review on Maruti Suzuki Swift

I got my Swift VXi delivered 4 days before the expected delivery date of 6th June. It was in the very first lot. I wanted to write a review all this while but waited to judge the car better. After 6 months and 7k kms, and two long trips, I guess its time I share my experience with others. In one line: It was a very correct decision and I am a satisfied user.

Since I booked it before the launch, I did not have to experience the pain of waiting. And I got the color I love: Orange. I am slightly disappointed with the choice of colors by Suzuki. It’s a sporty vehicle and colors like Gold and Grey look better on Sedans. The bright yellow used on Zen might have been a better option along with few more solid sporty colors. But I like the Orange one very much and got it.

Power: Superb. The car responds to the pedal very very promptly and zips you to the desired speed in no time. You do not need to change gears very frequently. It behaves like the classic two stroke bikes. I have crossed 100 in second gear and could have gone further. Yet the RPM remains well below the danger zone. The gear ratios are superb and enable the car to take on any car side by side. With the well placed gear ratios, load does not impact the performance/pick up at any stage. We have once traveled with six adults-including me- and it did not show any sign of tiredness when we were negotiating the steep curves of a ghat. The very reliable Esteem engine-1300cc; now tuned to greater torque is extremely responsive.

Handling: The car is fun to ride, easier to negotiate the chaotic traffic in and out of the city. I love the ease it offers while overtaking on roads with no dividers. The well curved front makes it very simple to drive on a crowded road with a lot of people walking in all directions. High speed handling is superb and I was very comfortable in maintaining a steady speed of 130 all the while changing music on car audio and even receiving calls on my cell without hands-free. The fun starts on curves! Negotiating sharp curves at high speeds was never so fun before. I have tried that with Getz and WagonR and was scared with both. Zen is much better than the two, I don’t know about Santro. The breaking is reliable and steering is well buttered. It does not give you the 'hollow' or vague feel that you get with the mechanical power steering on cars like Getz, even though it’s very very smooth.

Mileage: many people scared me off with figures like 10-11 (city) and 14-15 on highways. I was actually able to test the mileage first during my trip to Pune from Bangalore and later during a 9 day road trip within Maharashtra. While Bangalore to Pune was a high speed drive at 125+ most of time whenever the road was good, the average speed during the other trip was around 85kmph. Bangalore to Pune I got 16.6 km per liter and it was 17.7 in the second trip. I was able to get 13.3 in Pune-tankful to tankful, but I will test more for it. Most of the time during these tests, the AC was on. During city driving it was always on.

Mileage Update: The 17.7 kmpl figure was that for the first part of the 9 day trip. The next tankful was still going on while writing the review. I topped the tank today and the figures are 18.6kmpl (641.5kms in 34.48ltrs).

Looks: its there for everyone to see, I won’t comment much on that. I like very much the way this babe looks and that’s one of the major reasons behind my decision to buy this car. I think it’s sexy. In fact this car sports a genuine personality which Getz lacks- in my opinion.

Comfort: This is only area where it reminds you that you are riding a hatch and not a luxury car. But not much to complain here, it’s much better than other compact cars. I drove alone from Bangalore to Pune and there was no back pain or any kind of tiredness. The other 9 days trip was with family-including my 4.5 month old daughter and she apparently loved it. I have done long trips only in 800, and Zen and so can't compare with other cars in competition. Overall, it’s comfortable for a hatch. The bumps sound louder than you physically feel them. The luggage space is not great; but again, it was enough for us to carry our stuff needed for a 9 day outing. The AC is simply GREAT. The inside is practical and not very good or flashy to say. Sits are comfortable and well placed. Steering position is also fabulous.

Price: I booked the car without knowing the cost. I had some set expectations and they surprised me by offering it cheaper by at least 30k than the expected price. So nothing to complain about.

Maintenance: Two visits to service center- both for the free service routines. No additional instructions needed. No problem so far.

After Sales Service: Maruti keeps calling me from their Head office once a month. They do a detailed feedback check and listen to what you are saying. Once, since there was nothing to complain- I said I wished I could get more mileage. They instructed the dealer and the dealer called me many many times to come and get my car tested. I could not make it and finally asked the dealer to write in the remarks that I am satisfied.

Overall, its a great car to own. Its way ahead of others in competition on the grounds of performance and looks. There are people who love to hate it, for obvious reasons, but I will recommend this car to any one any day. The waiting period itself is a proof of how the car is performing after 6 months of launch. They first said its just the hype created thru marketing and wait for 2-3 months and see. Now its been more than 6 months and the demand is ever increasing. Decide on budget and looks; performance you can take for granted.

Drawbacks: Rolling noise, Thick A columns, lesser rear view area. Strange noise while closing front doors with windows rolled down.

Also, they could have added rear window wipers in the VXi version which is not possible to get retro fitted.

Strengths: Power, Gear Ratios, Handling, Steering, Brakes, Sporty Gear Shifter. AC, Looks, Mileage, Comfort, Price and much more