New Maruti Swift: 5 things you need to know

The Maruti Swift has long been one of India’s favourite hatchbacks – and for good reason. It’s practical, fun to drive and delivers superb value for money. After a long wait, Maruti has finally lifted the wraps off the latest generation of the India-spec Swift and we have compiled a comprehensive list of the top five things you’d need to know about it.

1. It’s more spacious
Based on the Heartect platform, the new Swift is 40mm wider and boasts a 20mm longer wheelbase, along with a claimed 24mm more headroom. The result is a more spacious cabin. Adding to the practicality is the boot which – at 265 litres – is a good 58 litres larger than that of its predecessor. In terms of exterior dimensions, the new Swift is 3,840mm in length, 1,735mm in width and 1,530mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,450mm and ground clearance of 163mm.

2. The engines are carried over as is
While the new Swift looks distinctly different, things are more or less the same in the engine bay. The car will continue to be powered by the same 1.2-litre, 83hp/113Nm petrol engine and 1.3-litre 75hp/190Nm diesel engine as the outgoing Swift.

3. Automatic gearboxes are finally available…and on both engines
In keeping with the growing popularity of automatic gearboxes, the new Swift will get Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) variants for both the petrol and diesel engines. The AMT gearboxes are five-speed units, like the manual gearboxes they are based on. There is a catch, however – the automatic versions are not available in the fully loaded Z+ trim and are offered in mid-spec VXi/VDi and ZXi/ZDi form, only.

4. It is feature-and-equipment-loaded
The new Swift will come generously equipped with features and equipment, especially in the top-spec variant – SmartPlay infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, projector headlamps with LED DRLs, two-tonne alloy wheels, navigation, reverse camera, push-button start and automatic headlamps. In terms of safety, two airbags and ABS will be standard, across the range.

5. Bookings are now open
Maruti has not officially launched the car yet, so we don’t have a definitive price; Maruti has, however, started accepted bookings for the new Swift with an initial payment of Rs. 11,000. The Swift is bound to be very popular – we wouldn’t be surprised if the wait time for deliveries stretches into months.