The New Swift: Is the Price Right?
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The Swift stood for a value for money product in the premium hatchback segment. In fact it is the consumer who always pitted the Swift against the competition. Basically the Swift was the yardstick for the segment. Now with the new Swift in town, we have decided to do the same and see if the new Swift has the potential to take over the mantle.
Talk about the Swift and all you would find is a massive number owning or aspiring to own them. Its not only the good looks of the car, it has a lot to do with when "You're the Fuel". Not only has the Swift been a fun car to drive, but, its responsive engine and cheap spares were good enough factors to take the country by a storm which it did. The first version of the Swift back in 2005 took the country by a storm. Not just was it an instant hit, it became the ultimate hot hatchback with a decent feel at a really affordable price tag. With the first generation petrol motor being a naturally aspirated 1.3 liter mill, the kick was good enough. However, with next-gen technologies and manufacturers working on the more powerful while being more fuel efficient engines, the birth of the KB12 series engine took place. With a decent figure of 17.5 kilometers to a liter and 85 PS of power, the new kid on the block sure packed a punch. At Rs.4.09 lakhs, ex-showroom delhi, the LXi version was available with a 1.3 liter motor.
However, despite having the premiumness a hatchback should have, it lacked some significant features which came up in the other models of different makes as the competition grew. With more manufacturers wanting to have the biggest slice in the hatchback segment for themselves, Maruti Suzuki had to do something more. Enter the new Swift. The LXi trim available for Rs.4.22 lakhs, offers the same design style as the old one, however, small details have been taken care of and it surely is way ahead of what the old one ever could be. Also, this time around, the KB12 gets a Variable Valve Timing making it more efficient. We don't have the tested figures yet, however, the ARAI claimed figure is 18.6 kilometers to a liter. Not only that, the new Swift is also lighter, longer and lighter by 20 kilos making it faster off the block. As for the interiors, the plastic quality is way better. But, then again, why are we telling you this? What matters more is the tilt steering and height adjustable driver and passenger seats and the tachometer which runs standard across all models.