Maruti Swift

Maruti Swift has always been the hot-hatch in India since its launch almost two decades ago, and the new generation continues to be a popular model. With its modern design, daily use features, and a more efficient engine, the Swift has now made its transition from a sporty hatchback to a family car. It is priced from Rs 6.49 lakh to Rs 9.60 lakh (ex-showroom), and competes with the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios. Let’s see if all the changes have made it a better offering or not.

The Swift’s design has drifted slightly from the sporty look and it is now more modern and sleeker all around. The headlamps have become sleeker and have a smoked effect to them. You also get LED DRLs, and 15-inch dual-tone alloy wheels to show the modern factor. 

When you look at the profile, you get an idea of its compact size, and notice how this size is actually very city friendly. From the profile, you can also notice the dual-tone finish which is a part of its sporty appeal. 

The Swift has always had a sporty road presence, but this new generation and the new design it comes with, has made it even more noticeable. The previous generation was more sporty to appeal to an enthusiast, and the new one’s modern design is more suited for a family.

Swift’s cabin has always been dark and the same can be seen in this generation as well. But, just because it's dark doesn’t mean it looks dull. Given the size and the price of this hatchback, the cabin actually looks very plush. However, it doesn’t feel that way.

The plastics used on the dashboard and doors feel scratchy and the quality of the buttons in the centre console and on the steering wheel is okay at best. The cabin quality isn’t so bad, but it was expected to be better.

But, to add a premium factor to this cabin, the dashboard, steering wheel, and doors get chrome inserts, and the door pads have soft touch padding, which elevates the cabin experience. You also get some gloss black elements here and there, and a textured finish on the dashboard which further enhances the premium look.

Overall, given the price of this hatchback, a better cabin quality was expected, but the Swift has managed to retain the sporty cabin look it always had.

And that can be felt when you sit in the driver seat and get a sporty driving position. The Swift still gets black fabric seats, but they have a good cushioning, they hold you properly, and can easily accommodate people with larger frames.

The rear seats, however, are not so accommodating. These seats are sufficient, but only for two people. There is no compromise in legroom, knee room, and even headroom, but the underthigh support is not up to the mark.

Two people will be comfortable here, but not three, because if three people sit here, their shoulders will overlap, which will cause discomfort. Also, there is no headrest for the middle passenger, and the lack of a centre armrest further takes a toll on passenger comfort.

Features

In terms of features, you get a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which is the same unit found in other Maruti cars like the Brezza and Baleno. It runs on the same operating system, its user interface is easy to use, and it also supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which run smoothly.

The good thing about this screen is that it runs lag free, but the bad thing is that the chunky bezels around this screen makes this 9-inch unit look small. 

Other than this screen, the Swift also gets a wireless phone charger, and other basic features like automatic climate control with rear AC vents, cruise control, and push button start stop. 

This feature list still misses out on a few things, and if Maruti offered a digital driver’s display, ventilated front seats, and leatherette upholstery, then this list would have felt more complete. The price of the top-spec Swift is closer to the top-spec variant of the Hyundai Exter, which offers much better features.

Practicality & Charging Options

For practicality, the front doors have 1-litre bottle holders, and there is some space on the side for smaller items. There is an average sized glovebox, and the front passengers get two cupholders in the centre console.

The rear doors have 500 ml bottle holders, a slot above the rear AV cents to keep their phone, and a seat back pocket behind the front passenger seat. However, the rear passengers do not get any cupholders, which is a miss.

For charging options, apart from the wireless phone charger, the front passengers get a USB type-A port and a 12V socket, and the rear passengers have a USB type-A and a USB type-C port.

Now, let’s talk about the safety quotient of the Swift. You get safety features like 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability program (ESP), hill hold assist, ISOFIX child seat anchors, and rear parking sensors come as standard. The higher variants also offer a rearview camera, which works fine in the day, but at night or in low light conditions, its feed becomes slightly grainy.

However, its safety isn’t limited to the features. The last generation Swift was crash tested at Global NCAP, and it only got a 1-star safety rating, but we do have higher expectations from this new generation.

This hatchback comes with a boot space of 265-litres where you can keep two suitcases (small and medium) and two or three soft bags depending on their size. Due to the shape of the boot, big suitcases don’t fit here, so we recommend that you only keep cabin-sized luggage here.

If you have more luggage or are shifting a lot of stuff, you can fold the rear seats in a 60:40 ratio, which will allow you to keep more bags. Lastly, due to the low boot lip of the Swift, keeping luggage inside is pretty easy and does not require much effort.

The Swift now comes with a new engine. It is still a 1.2-litre petrol engine, but the older 4-cylinder one has been replaced by a new 3-cylinder unit. This engine has its pros and cons, and let’s look at the cons first.

This new engine is not as refined as the old one, and when you are at low speeds or in traffic, you will feel some vibrations in the footwell. It is also less powerful, and while the power is sufficient for a city commuter, it does have an effect on the performance, and it does not feel as fun to drive as before, especially on the highways.

Now let’s talk about the pros. This new engine is better for city drives, and there you do not feel any dip in performance. In the city, you can easily drive on 2nd gear without having the need to change gear constantly. The other good thing is the fuel efficiency, which is better than before. We had the AMT variant for this review, and Maruti claims a fuel efficiency of 25 kmpl with this powertrain.

We performed our own test, and the Swift AMT returned around 16 kmpl in the city and around 22 kmpl on the highway, which are actually very good figures.

Out of the manual and AMT, we would recommend the latter, as it offers a good mileage, its gear changes are noticeable but not jerky, it’s more convenient in the city, and you get a manual mode if you want more control.

When driving in the city at normal speeds, potholes and speed breakers are absorbed nicely, and much of that is not transferred to the cabin. For a city car, it has a pretty good ride quality, which will keep all the passengers comfortable.

But, on the highway, the potholes and uneven patches are felt inside the cabin a lot, and you will have to slow down the car to avoid the jerks. The ride quality of the Swift is better in the city than on the highway, but since you will drive it mostly inside the city, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Lastly, the handling of this hatchback won’t disappoint you either. When taking corners, it feels light, planted on the road, and the steering is also pretty responsive. It’s not like you’ll get an enthusiastic feeling, but for a small family hatchback, the handling is pretty fun.

Is the Maruti Swift suitable for your family? It offers a modern design, premium looking cabin, good features, good mileage and a comfortable and smooth drive experience in the city. But at the same time, it is not as fun-to-drive as before, there is room for improvement in the cabin quality, and it does not have enough space for five passengers.

If you have a small family or if you are looking for a sporty hatchback for yourself, then yes, it is suitable for you, because it offers a good package and can fulfill almost all of your needs. But, if you have a bigger family and space is more important to you, then we would recommend you to increase your budget, and go for the Baleno, Fronx or the Brezza instead.