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Here is a little exercise that you can do for fun. Go down to any major street and take a pan shot of the traffic. You will notice that at least one of the cars in that traffic is a Maruti Suzuki Swift.
Such is the reach of this little urban run around that change the hatchback segment forever. The reason for this reach you ask? Well the answer is Maruti Suzuki sold 12000 odd units of the Swift almost every single month from the 2005 to 2011. More than 600,000 of the original Swift have been shifted into the market.
But as competition got fiercer, more and more cars with better features invaded the Swift’s territory. The sales of the Swift looked in trouble. The Swift was still outselling the competition by a huge margin but instead of 12K units, it started to show signs of slipping to four figures. The market demanded more features, more space, more fuel economy and Maruti Suzuki finally responded with the– All new ‘More’ Swift.
The all new Swift looks more Sporty
The story that started way back in 2005 has received a new lease of life. Maruti Suzuki has finally launched the 2011 Swift in India and that too with a huge bang! On the day of the launch, Maruti Suzuki had 50,000 pre bookings for the Swift and already a waiting period of three or more months.
Maruti Suzuki is expecting to sell 18K units every month from here on. That 5K more than the previous Swift and second only to the Maruti Alto. So will this little hatchback re-revolutionalize the hatchback space? Has the King of the Hatchbacks finally returned? Let’s find out:
Stretched head lamps make it more sporty
For those who think that this Swift sort of looks similar to the old one thus making this update a facelift, let me point out this is a whole new platform. Each and every component is brand new and this new Swift is a whole new car. One doesn’t spend 534 crore rupees on a facelift !
The changes of the frot bumper are very subtle
Design wise, the new Swift has been given a complete make over although the essence of old car hasn’t been completely changed. The new Swift gets a whole new set of head lamps which are stretched back into the body to make it look more sporty. The front bumper has also been modified to incorporate the headlamp changes. The new Swift is also 5 mm wider than the old one.
The signature alloys really blend with the design
The new Swift is 90 mm longer than the old one and that is quite evident in the side profile. It unmistakably looks longer, bigger and bolder. The new signature alloy wheels blend in with the overall design very nicely. Another significant change in the side profile is the addition of electric ORVM with turn indication which make the car look more premium.
The flare of the wheel arches is more prominent than the older one. The new Swift also looks a bit jacked up than the older one as the space between the fender and the wheels has been increased. Some part of the rear overhang mixed with the quarter glass for some strange reason reminds us of the Nissan Juke (see the image above).
The ground clearance has been increased. The tiny spoiler catches your eye.
At the rear, the tail lights have been stretched into the body as well. The new tail lamps cluster completes the ‘stretch’ of the design. You also get a tiny spoiler at the rear for better aerodynamics.
Nissan connection doesn't end there - tail lamps remind us of the Nissan 370Z
Overall, the design effort is subtle and significant and certainly makes the car look more sporty and ‘ready-for-action’
A new waterfall dashboard with a new steering wheel
On the inside, you will notice a whole new dashboard layout along with a new steering wheel design. The steering wheel gets aluminum spokes instead of plastic ones to make it look more premium.
You will also notice that the plastic quality has gone up by a huge margin. There is a generous dash of silver over the carbon black interiors.
The dial cluster is a bit bland
Hop inside the rear seats and they don’t feel cramped anymore. You get ample space in the front and rear. It also feels roomier inside than the old Swift although the height of the car is not changed.
The rear seats are not cramped anymore; at least not as much as before.
And then you lift the tail door and you notice the most important flaw in the new Swift. It has appalling boot space for a car this size. Forget travel bags, you will struggle to fit your monthly shopping in the boot.
The boot space is appalling; wheel arch intrusion is minimum, but does not help
On the feature front, you get steering mounted controls, climate control, stereo with 6 speakers and USB and Aux compatibility, Dual SRS airbags, boost assist braking system and ABS.
The engines are more fuel efficient and tug less weight
On the engine front, Maruti has worked on increasing the fuel efficiency of the car. It is powered by the same 1.2 K series engine that delivers 87 PS @ 6000 rpm and 114 NM of torque @ 4000 rpm. The fuel efficiency has gone up by 4% to 18.6 kmpl.
It goes from 0-100 km/hr in 12.6 sec. The diesel engine is the same 1.3L DDiS engine from Fiat which generates 75 PS of power at 4,000 rpm and 190 NM of torque @ 2000 rpm. The fuel efficiency has been increased by 6% to 22.9 kmpl. It goes from 0-100 km/hr 14.8 sec.
Electric OVRM with turn indicators
The Swift is now offered in a total of 6 variants – 3 variants in petrol (LXi, VXi, Zxi) and 3 variants in diesel (LDi, VDi and a new ZDi) and 5 color choices – Red, Grey, Blue, Silver, White and Black.
The glove box is quite big
Leaving aside the boot space, the new Swift is ‘More’ on ever aspect than the older one. Considering the old one was hugely successful, we have no doubts that this new one will also do well; except for one major factor.
There is more space and comfort in the front as well
The very next day the Swift was launched, Honda India decided to launch the new Jazz at an entry point of 5.5 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi). Thus, a typical buyer who has opted in for the middle or the top variant of the Swift (Petrol) will certainly re-consider his decision.
New Swift comes from the company that knows the market like the back of its hand
But we don’t expect the Swift numbers to be hit very hard because out of the 50,000 booking that Maruti has received, only 20% are for the petrol Swift. The rest are all for the diesel engine which the Jazz doesn’t offer.
It will be exciting to see what the August sales numbers for B segment hatchbacks are because the Swift is sure to make a huge dent in the market. For now, we can safely say – the King has returned
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