The Swift is Maruti's large(r) hatchback which combines a dose of sporty design, spacious interiors and frugal engines. Though it is the oldest car in its class, the Swift is still very popular in its segment. The Swift has a please-all design on the outside with large swept back headlamps, a tapering hood, raked windshield, almost flat roof and a relatively stumpy rear.
The Swift was one of the first cars in Maruti's lineup to feature the 'waterfall' dashboard design where the centre console seems to flow onto the floor. Being a slightly older car, the Swift is not as spacious as its modern competition, especially for the rear passengers. At 204 litres, the Swift has one of the smallest boots in this category.
Maruti Suzuki is offering the Swift with two engine options: an 1197cc, 4-cylinder petrol and a 1248cc, 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel. Both the engines are available with a 5-speed manual transmission. The engines on the Swift are not the most powerful in their segment, but they are adequately peppy. They are very efficient too, the VVT petrol-powered Swift returns 20.4kmpl and the DDiS diesel-powered Swift returns 25.2kmpl, as per ARAI.
The Swift has 10 variants to choose from. The entry level LXI (O) variant costs Rs 4.80 lakh, while the top-of-the-line ZDI costs Rs 7.46 lakh.
The Swift, because it has not been updated in a while (since 2011 in fact) has seen competition grow all around it. It now competes with cars which are not exactly the same size and even cars from Maruti's own stable overlap it.
Tata Bolt: One of Tata's first products to come out after its Horizonext overhaul program, it looks fresh, has many good features while also continuing Tata's trend of producing spacious, value-for-money cars. Its older platform, not so competitive pricing, 210-litre boot and after sales service reputation let it down.
Ford Figo:One of the strongest competitors to the Swift on paper, the Figo is known for its design, interior space, some unique features and its focus on safety. Subpar interior quality, lack of basic assist systems like parking sensors and Ford's after sales service experience let the Figo down.
Other competitors include the Fiat Punto Evo, Renault Pulse, Toyota Etios Liva, Nissan Micra and Mahindra Verito Vibe.
The Maruti Suzuki Swift may be a best seller but it is living on borrowed time. It is one of the oldest cars in its segment and feels quite dated as compared to the competition. It still has the charm of being a good looking, good handling package with the advantage of being powered by some of the most frugal engines in the segment. The good news is that there is a new Swift headed our way soon.
