Apr 24, 2008 03:13 PM
25724 Views
*Requirements
*I spent a good 6 years in the US and came back to Chennai to settle down. For immediate needs, purchased a Bajaj XCD (review available in bike section). After settling down, next thing to do is to get a car. Between the time I came to Chennai and decided to purchase a car, it has already been a good 7 weeks and in this time, already the Hyundai Accents and Civics started looking very big for me (These are in the mid size car segment in the US). My basic requirement is to take me from point A to point B, I don’t anticipate heavy driving, purely city driving with very rare (actually none at all) long drives. It should comfortably accommodate 4 adults and 1 kid. Of course, good mileage, good after sales service, good looks. I am not a guy who would want peak performance from the car since I know I cant zoom in top speed. Neither would I make 0 to 60 in xxx seconds. No sir. I just love to drive around in the comfort of a car, with AC on and my family safe inside. I want to spend less than 5 lakhs and at the same time, I was scared to drive any of the bigger cars in Chennai traffic. I was mentally comfortable once for a small car.
*Plus Points (My opinions only)
*After Sales - I have owned a Maruti Omni long time back and I know the after sales service is very good with Maruti. You have a Maruti service station literally every street. Maintenance is also very low. Judging by this, I figured after sales for Swift would also be well supported. Looks - Swift looks refreshingly new. It kinda looks like the Cooper Mini cars found in US roads. I liked the way it looked. Mileage - Heard from other users that mileage is not bad at all. I hear people consistently mentioning in the range of anywhere in 12 to 16. Some even said 18 but then again, it may be a specific case. 12 to 16 seem to be the average most are getting. Features - The ZXi has all the necessary features I was looking for in a car (I ended up buying VXi though J). Performance - Though not one of the main factors I was looking at, performance is really good. The engine is very responsive and perky. Interiors – Definitely not the best in its class but at the same not bad too. It is neat. Lacks the artistic touch but does give a decent look.
My Deciding Factors
*Cost – I got my VXi version of Swift for exactly 5 lakhs with ABS included. I was hell bent on not purchasing a car without ABS and Air Bags but since Air Bags are not even an option (booo) in VXi, couldn’t get that. ZXi wasn’t available to purchase. Please Maruti. Have the option in case someone wants to be safer. Not fair if you don’t even give the option.
Looks – Loved it loved it loved it. Saw the new color (Sunlight Copper) and booked it without even having a test drive.
I have good trust in Maruti’s after sales service. I also trust Maruti to provide a vehicle with low maintenance charges.
My Car (after purchase)
*It has been almost 2 months since I purchased the car. You might have wondered earlier that I am quoting mileage from other users. Reason is, I don’t take the car out much often and in this 2 months, I have driven the car only for 400 odd KMs. The day we purchased the car, I filled the tank and now the tank is somewhere just below the half capacity. Cant judge the mileage accurately with this.
In this 2 months, I have been only to short drives here and there except for the occasionally 20 km one way trips in good roads. In those roads, the drive was peppy, car was really smooth, gear shifts were easy, drivability and handling were pretty good. Loved it even more when driving it. AC is very good. Cools the cabin in a very short time. I heard complaints from rear passengers that AC is not reaching them sometimes. May be those are REALLY hot days.
The rear side of the car is slightly wider than the front part. You have to be a little careful if you are a zig zag driver zooming in and out of the traffic. Front part might squeeze in but you might put a huge scratch on the rear. Be mindful of this fact.
Also, the rear window is little too small (I hear you laughing. “Who cares to look whats coming behind?’ you ask). Well. I do and I don’t like the fact that the view is not as good as I want it to be. Blind side on both drivers and passenger side are too much. You could easily forget someone is next to you (slightly behind) and go into their lane.
Apart from these 2 issues, I don’t see any major issues with the car.
Competition I researched before purchasing
Looked at every other car in the small car segment; the popular Hyundai Santro to the newly christened Chevy Spark.
Initially I wanted to buy the i10 but after driving the car and general view, I felt it is much too over priced for a diminutive car. It looks a redesigned Santro at a much higher price. Didn’t want to spend that much and end up with a much smaller car. Swift was a bit bigger than the i10.
Never really felt too good about Santro either. Didn’t like the design. Zen ruled itself out of the competition mainly due to the design. For me, it looked ugly. Then again, someone else might like that design and might hate swift but hey…each have their own set of eyes and taste.
Palio was good. Really good but considering maintenance, mileage and after sales; it was a big NO-NO. Tata Indica didn’t have ABS / AIR BAGs even as an option.
Well yeah. After much consideration, went ahead with Swift and BOY AM I HAPPY? One of the best decisions I have made I would say. Love the car, love to drive, love to be in it all the time.
Summary
Well. If you are looking at a budget of around 5 lakhs, want a comfortable car for 5 people, want good performance, mileage, handling from the car, want to be seen in a good looking car, I would really recommend Swift.
