The new Maruti Suzuki Swift 2011

The euro Spec swift

‘First impressions are the best and the lasting impressions’ I have heard. And so it is true. And here is a car that proved me wrong.  When I first laid my eye on this car I didn’t find anything much special about it. Yes, I could see some changes with this vehicle getting a new set of attractive headlamps (big too!) and it fits the car as perfectly as should the boots to your feet. Like I always do, the first thing I noticed about the car was its looks. It looked awfully similar to the old swift from far away. Where is the change? I kept on asking myself. But as I got closer the changes were right there to be seen. You might just not notice if this car was parked somewhere in the lot, you might think it’s the good old swift but a closer look would change that. And all it took for me to fall in love with this car was just a drive…

Suzuki swift was first launched in the 1980s, but the swift we know was launched recently in 2005. When first launched it faced a lot of criticism for being a very ‘different’ car and it was this difference that made the car unique. Since its launch it not only did introduce Suzuki as global car makers but also helped them plant their root deeper in the auto market. Ever since its launch the sales only went up high and the fact that it rides amazingly well only helped up the procedure.

So how hard it would have been for Suzuki to design a replacement for a car that saw such success. The designers went with a very safer course of action. They designed a whole new car that looked ‘almost’ as similar as the old one. Like I said earlier, one look at the car and you might just not believe that it’s a new car at all, but if you take a closer look you can see the changes clearly from the headlamps to all the character lines.

The first thing we notice about this car is its headlamps, the new swept back headlamps gives the car a fresh new look and a feeling to go with it. The whole front when looked closely has more of a round look that goes hand in hand with the freshness of the headlamps. Moreover it has a whole new grille that doesn’t look outdated. The ride height is noticeably increased giving a larger gap between the wheel arch and the wheel. The back is very European and eliminates the cliché.

The real work Suzuki did was on the interiors and once I got into the car it was a whole new feeling. Surprisingly I didn’t even feel like I was in a Maruti. The effort they put in this car was clearly evident here. Black was always my favourite colour and I was really happy that the new swift got a full black interiors which gives the car a rich feeling (not literally). One of my favourite parts about the car is its new steering that fits right into your hand.  It felt like as if the whole interior was inspired from the Kizashi (a D segment car Maruti-Suzuki launched earlier this year). The pedals are more drivers oriented and the whole interiors look as if it’s just designed for the driver. And I found the switches even more attractive than any other cars in this segment. The interior is really fresh and the 2^nd tone, chrome, only adds to its freshness. The seats are really supportive and are really comfy promising the added enjoyment for longer drives with this car. The silver colour dials are really attractive with the orange backlight and doesn’t give the impression of being too aggressive. The whole cabin felt spacious than the older version. In the rear, the legroom is 20 mm more than the old swift. Even though it can’t be called massively spacious but it still is better than the former one. The wheelbase of the car is increased by 40 mm to a total of 2430 mm. the front seat has been recessed at the rear giving a feel of even more space. This new car is 115mm longer than the old car, a total of 3695 mm. The width of the car is increased by 5mm which makes it a total of 1695 mm. The height, however, stays the same at 1530 mm.

For me, the boot was a let off. Suzuki concentrated so hard on the interior space that they actually didn’t do anything about the boot. The boot in this new swift is 211 litres while the old one had 230 litres. Looks like you will have to sacrifice few of your Louis vuitton while going out with this car. The boot doors are high loading lips. But, the rear bends are slightly shorter than the old car giving an impression of more space in rear. The car in the global market and in our market is just the same except that the wheel has been downsized to 15 inches. And the ride height has been increased to meet the harsher Indian roads.

One problem I felt with the older swift was that it had harsh suspension. There were times when the co passengers would shout at me to go slow just because of the suspension. But this car has a very new suspension which is way better than the last one. It has a supple set of suspension that assures us that it can be taken to any possible roads. Another important change in this car is in its weight. It is 30 kg lighter than the old swift, thanks to the high strength steel and the four layer polymer fuel tank. All this helped in a better power to weight ratio promising more power and control. This vehicle is equipped with a new generation ABS and airbags to go with it. The cabin sound is reduced by 3 decibels and it has an increased use of sound dampness.

The high end petrol or the so called ZXI has an 1197 cc low cylinder k-series engine which is exactly same as the old car. The only addition to the engine is VVT (variable valve timing).  It produces about 87 ps of raw power at 6000 rpm. The last version of swift had about 85 ps. There had been a slight improvement in the torque too; this new car has 114 nm torque at 4000 rpm. The kerb weight is about 1000kg. One of the great improvements this car had was in the power to weight ratio. It has about 91 ps per ton which with no doubt is the best in the segment. Now talking about the diesel version of this car (which of course will be ‘people favourite’), it has a 1.3 litre fiat multijet engine which produces about 76 ps at 4000 rpm. This diesel engine had been remapped to get 6% more fuel efficiency while the power and torque remained the same as the old car. The petrol car gets a power hike and with that also has 4% hike in efficiency. Thankfully, unlike the old car, this new one doesn’t have that numb feeling. As mentioned earlier, Maruti-Suzuki did a great job with the suspension. It gives the car more planted and mature feel.  But that doesn’t mean the drive had been changed, it only got better.

The first thing you notice once ‘in’ this car is its colour contrast. The chrome coloured lines that begins from the door even extends to the dashboard giving it a look what my friend would call ‘classic’. The new black on silver design steering wheel is also a great improvement. To be honest, the older swift had a very dull interior, but this one may well have the best looking interior in its class. It looks equally good on both interiors and exteriors. The petrol version has a top speed of 170 and gives out an average of xx. The company promises an economy of xx on the highway and xx on city roads. However, the zdi version (diesel) of this car will give an economy of 23 kmpl in highways and 18 kmpl in our city roads producing a top speed of about 155 kmph. This factor sure will attract many buyers considering most of us around do look at the fuel gauge a lot.

The main pros of this B+ segment car are that it has a powerful engine which gives an amazing feeling of power output. And even though some of us may argue that it had been priced a little too high, I would disagree. This car is really worth your money and when compared with some of its rivals it is cheaper. And if you are someone who has a light wallet ZDI is the car for you. It had been priced too competitively and considering its economy, it is worth the buy. And the fact that almost every corner in India has a Maruti service station eliminates any worry of getting stuck anywhere. Unlike the previous car, this new one is really loaded with features ranging from a decent sounding music system to airbags for safety. If you are looking for a hatchback that’s less than 7 lacks and above 5 lacks, this is the car for you.

Like anything else, it does have some cons. Not many, but still it has its own negatives. When looking at the other cars in this segment and the comfort that we seek at the back seat, the rear feels a little cramped. Even though it is better than the old one, it still is small for Indian buyers. Going further to the back, it disappoints me even more. The boot space is ‘very’ small and looks like Maruti doesn’t expect us to carry many bags with us. Like in the old swift, the rear windows are small and some people might find it a little uncomfortable.

So how well does this drive? Well, better. Way better than the older version. The engine is more powerful, the handling had been improved and it drives extremely well in our roads. The last version had a slight problem of power lag (diesel variant) but the new one doesn’t seem to have that ‘much’ of a lag. Though while driving the diesel variant I still felt some considerable lag. But once you rev it up it shoots forward with all its might. The diesel gives out 75 ps of raw power and a top speed of nearly 160 kmph while the petrol engine generates 87 ps reaching a top speed of 170 kmph. It has better handling and ride quality. It gets planted at real high speed and gives a feel of better control. The ZXI has better ride at lower speed and Suzuki has a new technology called EDC or engine drag control which controls the engine rev when breaking at high speeds which works in sync with ABS and EBD. Another thing that amazed me was the balance that the chassis had. The grip of the car is also better when compared to the old version. I could take every corner with maximum confidence just because Suzuki has ensured that the cornering is awesome and accurate. It takes about 12.87 seconds to reach 100 from zero. And hitting the rev limit is as easy as its drive. Just one gentle push and the vehicle just zoom forward. The 15 inch MRF zvtv 185/65- R15 wheels add enough comfort to its ride. All in all, the driving is just awesome and best in the class. If you are a true petro head and loves driving, it won’t take much time for you to fall for this car.

So, what all does this car have? Does it have enough goodies for the money you are paying? Yes. It does, and it comes real packed.  The high end versions (ZXI and ZDI) come loaded with all the luxury features. It comes with an above average sounding music system that has two tweeters in A pillars and 4 other speakers.  It also has a multi info display that shows all the information that you might need like time, temperature, fuel efficiency, distance to empty etc. it comes with a new key and with it a keyless entry. The music system has aux and usb connectivity. However, it does not come with an option of Bluetooth connectivity. The safety features are also good, it comes with two airbags. The only thing that feels like had been taken from the older version are the power window switches. The steering mounted controls add a nice touch and works really well too eliminating the need of risking safety while stretching to put on your favourite soundtrack.  The air conditioner is powerful in enough to keep you cool on the hot days of summer. It also comes with an automatic climate control. The seats are really comfortable too; the large, wonderful, accommodating, comfortable seats make sure you are not tired after long drives. It provides great side and under thigh support. The driver seat comes with a height adjust and provides enough foot space.

This new car’s gear doesn’t have a botchy feeling that the old car had. The vibration from the engine is very low and the ESP is also improved. While driving at city traffic the car feels nimble and really light helping us to tackle the traffic easily. And once you get away from all the traffic to the highway it feels really awesome and performs really well.  Moreover, the turning radius is about 4.8 meters which means turning at small roads wouldn’t be much of a problem.

So we have heard it all and known it all, but what is the verdict? Should you close your eyes and buy this car? Well, if you are young, want a car that responds to almost every intention of yours, this is the car for you. If you love driving and wants to go many distances without making many stops for gas, this is the car for you. This car will impress any ages and any gender. It handles like a dream and drives really well on almost all our surfaces. The diesel version gives you high efficiency and great driving experience. But, having said all these, if you are someone who travels in the back seat and doesn’t care anything about its drive or handling, this is just not the car.

Swift is always Swift. The new car or the new version shows the same promise that the older version had shown. This car is better than the old one in many ways, it handles better, it drives well, and it has more features, more comfort, more appealing looks and many more. The only down thing about the new car is that it has smaller boot. But if you don’t mind space in the rear and the amount of luggage you can carry, and it’s all about how well the car drives, then this is the car for you. With this vehicle priced so competitively, it sure will make a great effect in the sales of other cars in this segment. Once again, kudos to Maruti- Suzuki.