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Emissions have always been one of the worst nightmares of auto-manufacturers and with BS-IV emissions homing in, it was time to head back to the drawing boards once again. Maruti Suzuki however had a pretty easy solution to tackle the problem. With their entire line-up already BS-IV ready, it was only the best selling Swift range that needed to be brought upto speed.
Instead of tinkering with the current G13B engines, Maruti Suzuki went ahead and plonked in the scrumptious K12M unit from the Ritz. Now many might think of this as a downgrade from a 1.3 litre engine to a 1.2, but when you look at the amount of technology that?s infused into the K12M unit, the G13B feels plain dated. Power output is down by 3 PS at 85 PS while torque remains the same at a 113 Nm.
However, the driving characteristics have been changed drastically. While both the Swift and the D'zire were extremely fun to drive cars, the new engine has inculcated a fresh lease of life into both the cars. The first thing that you notice when you fire up the engine is the new found refinement. NVH levels have been considerably worked upon with no vibes whatsoever even at high rpm's. From what we drove of it, outright performance seems to be quicker than the old car and mileage figures seems to have gone up as well. The suspension has also received minor tweaks giving the car a fine balance between ride and handling. The gear ratios are very well matched making city driving a breeze. On the highways though, overtaking long trailers needs downshifts and planning. But once in the powerband, the car simply surges ahead. At the moment Maruti Suzuki seems to have made its success story even better. Watch out for a full blown review coming up soon! |
