Maruti Suzuki Swift

The Maruti Suzuki Swift has always been one of India’s favourite cars 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 stylish family car. 

I have used the Swift as a manual and an automatic, for city use as well as over several intercity trips. Here’s a detailed review of this popular hatchback.

The Swift’s design has drifted slightly from the sporty look and it is now more modern and sleeker all around. The LED projector 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. New with the latest generation is a clamshell bonnet as well which gives the face a distinctive outline.

When you look at the profile, you get an idea of its compact size, and notice how these proportions are actually very city friendly. From the profile, you can also notice the dual-tone finish which is a part of its sporty appeal. In line with that theme, the Swift could really benefit with the inclusion of a 16-inch alloy wheel option which would make the car look so much more appealing!

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. Especially at the rear end, the sculpted bumper and smoked tail lights make it seem like some inspiration was taken from the MINI Cooper 3-door. While it does compete with cars like the Grand i10 Nios, the Swift, no doubt, is still one of the sportiest looking cars you can buy for a reasonable price.

Build quality is typical Maruti Suzuki fare. There are no notable issues with panel fitment or quality but it does feel a bit light and the doors don’t really have any sense of heft to them. This, however, has no bearing on the car’s structural integrity. Maruti offers the Swift in Sizzling Red, Luster Blue, Novel Orange, Bluish Black, Pearl Arctic White, Magma Grey, and Splendid Silver. The red, blue, and white shades also come with black two-tone options and my favourite colours would have to be the red or blue two-tone. Unfortunately, the dual-tone options are only offered with the fully-loaded ZXi+ variant.

Design & Quality

Swift’s cabin has always worn a sporty theme 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, the touch and feel of the cabin should’ve been better, especially when compared to the Grand i10 Nios.

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.

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 more premium experience was expected, but the Swift has managed to retain the sporty cabin look it always had.

Front Seats

Looks aside, the seating experience is plenty sporty too. The Swift still gets black fabric seats, they have good cushioning, hold you properly, and can easily accommodate people with larger frames. However, the side bolsters do feel a little too soft, and I would have liked them to have firmer cushioning.  As you might imagine, the sporty seating position also means the car sits low, so you do drop down into the seats a bit.

What’s surprising is the amount of seating space on offer. Thanks to the seat’s generous travel range, users over 6-feet tall can sit here comfortably. Even the pedal box isn’t cramped and you have a roomy experience in the front seat.

All the buttons are easily accessible, making the driving position very ergonomic, but I wish Maruti had offered a front armrest for better support and comfort over long-distance travels or long hours in the seat during city commutes, especially with the AMT.

Rear Seats

The Swift’s rear seat space is good enough for two 6 footers to sit one behind the other. In fact, since the Swift doesn’t have the sloping roof of its sedan cousin, the Dzire, the rear seat headroom is actually better here.

The seats are supportive enough for someone around 5.7ft tall though underthigh support isn’t as good as it is in the Grand i10. Outside visibility is good thanks to the large windows but forward visibility is hampered by the large front seat headrests.

Storage Options

In the Swift, you get all the basic storage options. The doors get 1-litre bottle holders with some space on the side for additional smaller items. Front passengers get a decent-sized glovebox, two cupholders in the centre console, and a tray which doubles as a wireless phone charger.

Rear passengers get a seatback pocket behind the front passenger seat but no armrest or cupholders. 

Charging Options

To charge your phone, you get a wireless phone charger in the front along with a USB port and a 12V socket. Rear passengers get one Type-C port and one USB Type-A port placed above the rear AC vents.

The Swift’s cabin certainly has room for improvement but the space is good for four passengers, it’s quite practical and it does that while being ergonomic. For a first car, this cabin will not disappoint.

Boot Space

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.

Opt for the Swift CNG and you have to stick to small-medium sized soft bags or backpacks. The CNG tank doesn’t leave much space for hard trolley bags or suitcases.

The Swift gets all the basic equipment needed for your everyday commutes, and it brings in some modern tech and feel-good features as well. Here is a list of all the basic features on offer:

Apart from these 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. 

This setup is paired with a 6-speaker sound system, which provides a decent sound quality. While this screen is easy to use, the user interface feels dated, and I feel the Swift, along with other Maruti models, can benefit from a more modern-looking interface.

There is a wireless phone charger as well, which is a nice feature to have, but in my experience, when you’re using Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, the wireless phone charger tends to stop charging due to the phone overheating. A vent near the charger would have made the execution more usable.

Standard safety features of the Swift include 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability program (ESP), hill hold assist, rear parking sensors, rear defogger, and ISOFIX child seat anchors.

Other features include a rearview camera, ESP and connected car tech to monitor the car’s health, location and driving patterns.

The latest-generation of the Swift has not been crash tested by NCAP but the Dzire, which is based on the Swift has received a full 5-star crash safety rating from both Global and Bharat NCAP.

Engine Performance

The Swift comes with a 3-cylinder 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated (NA) petrol engine that can be had either with a manual transmission or with an AMT (automated manual transmission). Codenamed Z12, this engine replaces Maruti Suzuki’s famous K12 engine and the Swift is the first car to get this new-age engine in India. This engine is also offered with a factory-fitted CNG kit, and the CNG variants only get a manual transmission.

1.2-litre Petrol

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.

City Performance

Evidently, the engine and transmissions are focused on city driveability. There is enough low-end torque for you to easily cruise around. In fact, you can drive in 2nd gear continuously without needing to change gears frequently. 

The engine also handles load pretty well and does not get loud. It sounds good, and you can push it to 80kmph in 2nd or 3rd gear, and it will not sound stressed. Your city drives are exciting as you get instant power to overtake others, and at no point does the Swift feel underpowered in the city.

With the manual, you get a light clutch, and the gear throws are also smooth. The AMT offers a similar experience as the gears change smoothly at slow speeds, and it further adds convenience to your drives. You can easily get a fuel efficiency of around 15-16kmpl in the city. For heavy city commutes, we’d definitely recommend the AMT but if you do prefer the control of a manual, the Swift MT won’t feel cumbersome to drive.

Highway Performance

While the city drives are effortless, the highway drives are acceptable. You can get to cruising speeds of 70-80 kmph with ease, but beyond that, gaining speed takes time. Here, overtakes will require some planning, and occasionally you’ll need to downshift to gain some speed.

Even the AMT feels slow here. If you’re driving in a relaxed manner, you won’t have any issues. But anything more than that will make the gear shifts feel slow and jerky. I recommend you use the manual mode for quicker gear changes.

When driving on elevation or in ghats, the Swift requires you to frequently change gears in order to maintain momentum. In this regard, the key difference vs the older engine is how the older engine sounded less stressed and more involved when you had to push it. It certainly isn’t a deal breaker though.

The upside to this performance is a high fuel efficiency. You can get around 20kmpl easily, and if you’re cruising at speeds of 80-90kmph, you can get a great mileage of around 24kmpl.

Note: Swift CNG Performance

The experience is quite similar to the standard petrol, just the engine gets slightly louder under load. Inside the city, you won’t notice the drop in power, and you can easily cruise around.

However, the highway drives will become even more dull, and you’ll need to better plan your overtakes. Getting to high speeds will also take more time, and the engine will feel stressed beyond the speed of 80 kmph.

Ride and Handling

The Swift has always been a very comfortable car and continues to offer good ride comfort in its current version. It drives over small potholes and speed breakers with ease, and the cabin’s movement is very well controlled. Even over sharper speed breakers and deeper potholes, the side-to-side movement of the passengers is limited. High speed bumps are a bit more perceptible though especially if you have 3-4 people on board.

Handling

On the handling front, the Swift does a good job of balancing ease of use with fun. The steering is responsive, it has enough weight to inspire confidence, and it can be fun to drive around corners. The body roll is also controlled well during quick lane changes. 

• The Maruti Swift 2025 is available in four variants: LXi, VXi,  ZXi, and ZXi+.

• The automated manual transmission (AMT) is available in the VXI, ZXI and ZXI+ variants.

Maruti Swift LXi variant

• The Maruti Swift gets LED tail lights from the base variant, along with 14-inch steel wheels and body coloured bumpers.

• Covers all basic needs, including manual AC, power windows, central locking, adjustable headrests, 

• Standard safety features include 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, hill hold assist, and reverse parking sensors.

Maruti Swift VXi variant

• Sports better looks, courtesy of wheel covers, chrome inserts, and body coloured door handles and outside mirrors, along with indicators on the mirrors.

• The entertainment package starts from here with a 7-inch touchscreen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and 4 speakers.

• Improved convenience with electrically-adjustable outside mirrors, manual day/night IRVM and a front USB port

• Opt for the VXi (O) and you also get push-button start with a smart-key and electrically-folding mirrors.

Maruti Swift ZXi variant

• Looks are enhanced by LED headlamps and DRLs and painted 15-inch alloys wheels.

• Inside, you get driver seat-height adjustment and a boot lamp, along with two tweeters added to the sound system.

• Adds feel-good features like a wireless phone charger, auto headlamps, auto AC with rear AC vents, rear USB type-A and type-C charge ports. 

• Also gets a rear washer/wiper and adjustable rear headrests, which should’ve come as standard in our view.

Maruti Swift ZXi+ variant

• Gets LED fog lights and ‘precision-cut’ 15-inch alloy wheels to uplift the looks.

• The interior feels better with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and coloured MID.

• Infotainment system upgraded to a 9-inch touchscreen with surround-sense powered by ARKAMYS.

• Cruise control, auto-folding mirrors get added, while the dual-tone colour options are finally unlocked too.

CarDekho Recommends:

• If you’re on a tight budget, you can go for the LXi and add your preferred features as accessories/aftermarket fitments, including a music system.

• The VXi is a good variant with useful features but does command a big premium for the features gained vs the LXi.

• Our recommended variant is the one-below the top ZXi as it offers a good balance of premium features and looks.

The Swift 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, there is room for improvement in the cabin quality, and it does not have great 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.

Other Options To Consider

Hyundai Grand i10 Nios

Reasons To Consider

• Better looking cabin and better interior quality

• CNG gets dual-cylinder technology

Reasons To Ignore

• Doesn’t look as sporty

• Not as fuel efficient

Tata Tiago

Reasons To Consider

• Better infotainment experience

• More affordable

Reasons To Ignore

• Touchcreen is prone to glitches

• Cabin space isn’t as roomy, especially for tall users