Aside from being one of the best-selling hatchback cars in the country, the Maruti Swift is also one of the most popular cars in the used car market. In fact, it is not uncommon for Swifts to change hands just hours after landing at a used car dealership. Despite being around for the better part of the decade, it still manages to attract the masses with its contemporary styling, efficient petrol and diesel engines and ease of maintenance. This avid interest in the Swift has also resulted in the stylish hatchback holding its value very well in the used car market. But would it make sense to buy a used Swift petrol or a diesel?
What Engine?
While scouting for a pre-owned Swift, you will come across three engine options. Amongst the petrol engines, there is the older 1.3-litre motor from the Maruti Esteem and the newer 1.2-litre K-series engine that made its way into the Swift’s engine bay in 2010. Between the two petrol engines, the K-series unit is the one we recommend as it’s a more modern unit with better fuel efficiency, without compromise on power.
What Fuel?
We performed a detailed analysis, comparing a new petrol Swift and diesel Swift to check which one made more economic sense. There, we concluded that unless you run your car about 1,800km a month, the petrol car was the most cost effective option. But, this was mainly due to the big difference in price (about Rs 1.49 lakh) between the top spec Maruti Swift ZXi (petrol) and Maruti Swift ZDi (diesel) hatchback variants and this made the break-even period for the diesel car a bit too long. But, as a used buy, the price difference between the two hovers around Rs 60,000 to Rs 75,000 for a two-or-three-year old car in their popular VXi and VDi trims. However, since the time we carried out that analysis, the price of diesel has shot up by over 10 percent, while petrol prices have escalated by around six percent. So, does that change anything? Let’s crunch some numbers and find out. In Mumbai, diesel is sold at Rs 57.61 per litre, while petrol commands Rs 77.78 per litre – a difference of Rs 20.17 per litre. Further, according to our tests, the diesel Swift returns 17.05kpl, while its petrol counterpart (K-series) manages around 14.8kpl. Do the math and you will realise that for every kilometre you travel, the diesel-powered car saves you approximately Rs 1.87.
Therefore, when it comes to a used Swift, driving just 50km a day will help you break even in about two and a half years. And this is without considering the fact that you will recover a portion of the difference when you sell the car. From the table it is clear that, with time, the price gap between the two diminishes. This means, if you’re on a budget and looking at older cars, the Maruti Swift Diesel should be the obvious choice.
