The Hyundai Getz may have had the first mover’s advantage in opening up the new B+ segment of cars, but Maruti have delivered a killer blow with a gem of a car in the Swift. It not only has eye-catching appeal but also a sweet sounding price tag to go with it.:  The Swift looks awesome with its concept car like design, which can be compared to that of a Mini, with outrageous 1.5-box proportions and design elements, from its stacked and wrapped head and tail lamps to its high waist with a near vertical nose. The Swift has a wider and slightly shorter wheelbase than its rival, the Getz, which adds considerably to its sporty looks. Its wide shoulders and hips giving it a really aggressive look. The Swift’s modern design is matched with good safety features. It suspension is set up with McPherson struts up front and a semi-independent torsion beam at the rear. The Swift ZXi includes ABS and twin airbags as standard safety features. The build quality however is a bit patchy with uneven panel gaps. The Swift ZXi has big 185/70-R14 tyres, which have been specially developed by JK Tyres for the Swift and inspire confidence at higher speeds. But the lower versions of the Swift are fitted with higher-profile 165/80-R14 tyres which make for a softer ride in the city. The quality of plastics, steering wheel, fabrics, controls and instruments are good and feel classy. It is a more driver-centric interior with good headroom. The rear seats are not particularly well shaped and you are a bit cramped for legroom. However, the front seats are comfortable and generously wide. The Swift’s adjustable headrests at the rear are a good addition but you cannot adjust the seat’s back angle. The high dashboard cowl and attractive central console give the Swift a big car feel. The electronic climate control gives you accurate control of the cooling. The Swift’s designers in their quest for style seemed to have overlooked the practicality aspect. The very high waistline makes for a dark and somewhat claustrophobic cabin and the general theme of black in the upholstery and plastics does not help. Moreover the fat C-pillar and the rear window converging into a slim strip add to the woes. The Swift looses out massively in the boot region as it is just too small with suspension intrusions and a very narrow parcel shelf which is not available in all versions.  The Swift gets a deeper breathing version of the Esteem’s 1.3 litre petrol engine, which puts out a healthy 87.5 bhp and 11.52 kgm of torque. The engine feels a tad sluggish to start with, but picks up speed beyond the 40 kph mark and gets considerably quicker than its competitors as the needle moves upward. This initial sluggishness of the Swift can be put down to the longer gear ratios of the car. These longer ratios however help the Swift to deliver good fuel economy. The Swift delivers an impressive average of 11.5 kpl in the city and 14.5 kpl on the highway. The Swift has a considerable degree of enthusiasm about it with its short and wide wheelbase, lower profile tyres (for the Zxi version) and stiff springs which make it a bit edgy on a broken road, but very eager to attack corners. It feels quite stable going into a curve but braking hard for a bump or in the middle of a corner makes it tail-happy. The Swift has another problem - the steering. It’s quite slack around the straight-ahead position, and you really need to yank it to point the car into a curve. The electric power steering gets a fair bit of blame for this and although it has been considerably improved and is now mounted directly on the steering rack instead of the column, it still feels lifeless and imprecise.    The combination of the Swift’s futuristic looks with its performance and fuel economy make it a great city car. The Swift is sporty to drive and has a rich feel to its interiors with solid build quality. However, it is not very practical: its boot is too small and seating five is not very easy. Also, the rear seat is a single piece which robs it of the versatility of a split seat. Nevertheless the Swift is a great buy given its great performance and fuel economy as well as its very competitive price tag. |
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