Maruti All New Swift

Maruti launched the Swift in the Indian market , the company has launched its first proper upgrade – the all-new Swift. The current or the outgoing version was the leader in its segment and the new one betters the old one in all parameters. Priced from Rs 4.22 lakh to Rs 6.38 lakh and available in both petrol and diesel versions , is the all-new Swift worth the wait and the hype? Bunny Punia has the answer!

Looks and design: Suzuki it seems wanted to keep the same legacy and heritage of the original Swift and hence the design hasn’t been radically changed. First look and you will almost mistake it for the old one. However , spend a few seconds and you notice the changes. For starters , the new Swift is longer by 90mm , wider by 5mm and has a 40mm longer wheelbase too. The head lamps are bigger and stretch further back into the body. The top end versions get gorgeous 15-inch alloy wheels , the bumpers are new and the tail lamps too get a better treatment. On the whole , the new Swift certainly looks younger and modern and should be well accepted by new customers.

Interiors: The increase in wheelbase and width of the car means that one of Swift’s worst shortcomings of interior space has been addressed to an extent. There is more kneeroom for rear passengers and finally , the Swift can take in five passengers with ease. The design of the console and fascia is something that strikes you immediately – the steering design too is changed. Infact , there are far more changes on the inside than the outside! The Panasonic sourced audio system for instance looks smashing and so does the speedometer console. However , the overly black theme remains which might not be to everyone’s liking. This is one area where Maruti should have worked – lighter colors always impart an airy feel to the interiors. Other changes include the newly designed front seat , driver information display etc. To summarize , the interiors gain space and new age design though are overly black!

Engine , performance , economy: The new Maruti Swift comes with the same engines are before though with slight changes. The petrol engine is the same KB12 series unit that displaces 1197cc with 87PS of power and 114Nm of torque. The unit is refined and now gets variable value timing. It also sports better fuel economy too with an ARAI rated figure of 18.6kmpl - same as the Chevrolet Beat petrol. The diesel unit is again the same Fiatderived unit though with slight changes. It develops 75PS of power and 190Nm of torque with ARAI rated economy of 22.9kmpl – something that is still not close to the likes of the Nissan Micra! Maruti surely have disappointed the enthusiasts by not offering the bigger 1.6-litre engine – something that both Skoda andVolkswagen offer in the Fabia and the Polo respectively! The Swift continues to come with a 5-speed manual transmission.