Nov 18, 2009 05:22 PM
11068 Views
(Updated Nov 18, 2009 05:28 PM)
First let me give you all readers a brief introduction about how I have been closely associated with the Swift. Three of my very close friends own Swift VXi and I have almost as much access to them as of my own car.
So I have been drving the Swift for about 2 years.
The car
Looks – The Swift was the first car in India which came up with a non-conventional looks, though it was very stylish, when it came to the market people had mixed feelings( though this may be biased based on my personal observation). I suppose it had cues of that of the highly successful Volkswagen Bettle or to some extent to Fiat’s Mini cooper. The car looked nostalgic and classy in all sense.
It was definitely a head turner when it was launched 4 years ago. Though I personally felt the bulged arches could be easily scratch prone as the distance between the A pillars doesn’t give an accurate assumption of the broad track it takes, but still it is very easy to maneuver this vehicle.
On the Inside – I am one of those guys who have hardly ever been chauffeured, so front seats are where I belong to. The dash is very neat with chrome surrounded dials along with lot of indicators and a buzz for door ajar.
The controls are very refined; I must say the most refined car I have driven. The gear shift is a class apart from what competitors have( it has very short throw gearshift and has great precision) and since it is cable actuated there is just no vibration felt on the gear lever. Moving on to the clutch, this again is again the best. It is completely fatigue free even if you are struck in the traffic jam for hours.
The steering is having good grip and is a fun to drive, the electronic power steering maybe not good at feedback from the road, but then who wants feedback in Indian roads. It goes straight to wherever pointed.
The Ride and the Drive –
Engine- People say that this is the same engine as that of the Esteem, but my personal feeling is, the Maruti people must have done some wonders to this engine. The engine is very smooth and is happy to be revved hard. Though may not be as silent as the K series engine in the Ritz but still it’s a worthy contender.
I must say that the engine may not be sporty in lower rev range but is aplomb in higher revs. If driven carefully it can return you a fuel efficiency of 15kmpl with the AC, but in practice the swift owners don’t get this economy as the swift demands to be driven with excitement. Altogether this engine should serve the purpose of most of the users from family man to the spoilt kid with rich daddy. As far as the handling is concerned there is just no body roll and it can be thrown around corners at break-neck speed. This has been achieved by Maruti Suzuki by putting in a very hard suspension setup.
The ride may not be at all comfortable to ones who will be chauffeured.
The nagatives –
Most of you reading this review will be looking for this.
The swift has a very weak body, its bumpers comes off with even the slightest of impacts. The dash and other plastic fittings as well as the doors start to rattle with time, thanks to the hard suspension.
Reversing the car is a big problem, as it has the most tiny rear glass I have ever seen( maybe A-star can give it a solid fight)
Fuel efficiency is not as par with the New K series engine that has been introduced on the Ritz.
The rear feels dark, uncomfortable and claustrophobic with really tiny windows to peek through.
The build quality of dash is very poor, as well as the door handles (try pulling apart the bottle holder at the front door, it feels so very cheap).
Overall
But inspite of its shortcomings, it is an awesome car to buy if you really want to enjoy driving in sub 5L braket. But I will say no to the person who wants himself to be chauffeured in this car
