SUZUKI SWIFT VS HYUNDAI GETZ and others. Review on Maruti Suzuki Swift

CAN MOUTHSHUT REPLACE THE PHOTO OF WAGON-R WITH SWIFT (DO THEY KNOW WHAT I MEAN?)

Well all the new launches seem to happening either in the B+ Segment or the SUV segment, for a while it looks that the C-Segment was forgotten after the launch of the radical New-Honda City in 2003

Presenting is a new contender in an expanding B+ Segment, from none other than our own Maruti. Its competition ranges from the tiny Zen/Altos to the likes of Ikons and Fusions. What an encompassing range. Actually the B+ Segment is for cars having length between 3.6 to 4 meters in length . So this includes Indica(3.66 m) , Swift(3.7 m) , Sail(3.75 m) , Palio(3.77 m) and the Getz(3.81 m) .The other car Fusion is over 4 meter in length and so it is clearly a C Segment car

SWIFT is a bulky, radical , stylish and craving for attention. Lets see how it stacks against competition

Looks: The swift is very different, I wouldn’t say its elegant. But it possesses a lot of character and the headlights are just awesome. On the road it has a presence, which the Getz lacks. Although both Getz and Swift are almost same in height the Swift looks taller, because its more boxy than the aerodynamic Getz. It actually is not that monobox shape like Getz or the Honda City. So that way it manages to differentiate itself . The slightly curved rear makes it look like an ambassador. I’ve seen the Mini-Cooper which the swift is inspired from, I must say that swift looks much better than that monster. The way Suzuki has been able to give that touch of sharpness to a bulky and muscular hatchback is also impressive.

The Getz on the other hand is much sober and also looks pretty elegant from the sides, the Swift has looks like the Fusion which come due to its flared wheel arches and I dear say that Fusion and Swift have similar headlamps.

You wanted a three box car? --Park a Swift in front of an Esteem, the Esteem would look thin and smaller than the muscular Swift and all those silly impressions of prestige and status would look funny and baseless.

Interiors: Swift has very basic interiors as compared to the Getz. The quality looks rather ordinary and also there is lack of storage space as compared to the smaller Wagon-R .The boot space is shallow and same like Zen. In terms of space it has excellent width and elbow room as it is a pretty wide car (At 1690mm it is as wide as Baleno, City, Qualis and Corolla). But it has lesser leg room at the back. Otherwise the seats are perfect for long drives. Getz would get a nod above Swift both in terms of space as well as quality of interiors. But still Swift is more spacious than Esteem and Ikon and its better to go for a stylish & bulky hatchback like Swift rather than an outdated, small and cramped sedan like Esteem

Performance: A car to enjoy driving? Swift is much better than Getz. Swift is swifter than the Getz. The Swift gets a highly revised engine from the Esteem that develops 87 bhp at 6000 rpm and 11.3 kgm of torque at 4500 rpm, while the new-gen engine of the Getz develops 83 bhp and 11.8 kgm Before the launch, news was that Swift would also have a 1.5 ltr option as the Baleno but it wud have made it expensive. A diesel model is expected by 2006 end.

The Getz is certainly still the more refined of the two. Swift’s ride quality is pretty fine as it’s a bulkly hatchback although the Getz is even heavier. As a whole the Swift has better performance and ride and handling more suited to Indian roads.

Mileage: Nothing to chose from in this category, the Swift should give you around 12 mileage maximum , pretty same as the Esteem.

Price: Swift looks very reasonable price closed to 4 lacs for the base model, whereas the Getz which was at least 60,000 costlier looks overpriced(I still remember Hyundai ‘s statement that getz competes against ikon and esteem) . Verdict is clearly the flashy swift, wins in looks, value for money and attractive packaging.

Comparison: Dimensions in mm, Price in lacs.

SWIFT GETZ     ESTEEM      PALIO     FUSION

LENGTH 3695 3810     4080     3763 &n
bsp;   4025

WIDTH 1690     1665     1575 &n
bsp;   1620     1720

HIEGHT 1530     1515     1395 &n
bsp;   1440     1540

PRICE 3.96 – 4.96 4.5-5.2     4.26-5.5     3.7-5 6-7.2