Is swift D a good car for a lady beginner?

[speed_devil]

hello folks, i recently booked a white swift vdi with abs for my girlfriend. my gf recently learnt to drive and is not very comfortable driving. now when we took the test drive of the swift i found it very comfortable to drive with the torque and all. But my gf did not drive. she just sat in the driving seat and said she could not view the road properly. I think it might be due to her height she's only 5feet 3inches tall.

Now the car looks good on all other parameters to me, im only worried as to how easily will my gf be able to adjust to driving it and master it. The car will mostly come in jan so have lot of time to teach my gal about the fine points of driving. But then i wanted to know do you guys think swiftD is a good first car for a lady begginer?

Looking for your feedback people.. especially from lady drivers or begginers..

[Eddy]

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-car/26129-hatchback-first-time-driver.html


Might answer some of your queries

[v1p3r]

No, visibility is not great, and there is too much torque.

[speed_devil]

@eddy im looking more for swift D specific reviews..

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

She is particular about having a diesel car?

If its just for her daily commute, i think the i10 makes more sense. Should be better to drive for a lady.

[Amey]

Just hope she handle the torque well and also the turbo lag thing.Otherwise i dont see any problem.If she is short, visibility can be an issue.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by speed_devil

@eddy im looking more for swift D specific reviews..

Yup.. it mentions that Swfit might not be great for a first time driver because of poor visibility and its dimensions.

Add to that the torque of a diesel and a slightly heavier clutch, and she might not enjoy the drive.

[speed_devil]

[quote=CrAzY dRiVeR;623239]She is particular about having a diesel car?

The reason we are going for the diesel is apart from her, myself and her dad will be drivng it occasionally. And we also plan to have long drives in it.

[ancer]

well based on what you say i think a old honda city should be a good car to learn, its driving seat is quite high up and she should be able to see all corners of the car besides its a lot cheaper than a new swift. other wise you can get a drivers cushion for the swift which will put her higher up on the seat enabiling her to get a better view of the road.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by speed_devil

The reason we are going for the diesel is apart from her, myself and her dad will be drivng it occasionally. And we also plan to have long drives in it.

Have seen ladies driving the Swift diesel, so, its all upto whether she is confident enough or not. All the other opinions may/may not matter in the end.

Off Topic: Which branch of engineering?

[thefreak]

In my books a Swift D for beginners is a strict no no.

Reasons are already stated above:

1. It has poor visibility up front
2. It is extremally torqy and may take some getting used to.
3. Reversing the vehicle is basically done in good faith. It is an extremally difficult car (view is shoddy) to reverse and add to that the difficulty that beginners feel in reversing and it can be more than a handful.
4. It is quite a wide car. Getting used to it may be more difficult than say an Alto/Zen or a Santro.

Originally Posted by ancer

well based on what you say i think a old honda city should be a good car to learn, its driving seat is quite high up and she should be able to see all corners of the car besides its a lot cheaper than a new swift. other wise you can get a drivers cushion for the swift which will put her higher up on the seat enabiling her to get a better view of the road.

Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion. I dont agree with this. For beginners the smaller the car the better it is. Alto/Estillo/Wagon R/i10/Santro make more sense. Wagon R and Estillo have relatively high seating poistions and are easier to handle. Same for Santro. Dont know about i10 as I have not drive it.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Just a few thoughts...

How can one have too much torque? This is not some high-performance thing that runs away with you if you so much as breathe on the gas pedal!

That torque will save a beginner from stalling many a time.

My wife showed an interest in keeping our old Indica for herself to learn; she was nervous about trying on the brand-new swift. I told her: the Swift is easy to drive, but you need experience just to keep that old Indica running sometimes. She didn't need stuff like remembering to turn off the AC before any acceleration is possible doing a U-turn on the East Coast Road. Even I didn't need that.

(BTW, I have to say that apart from the hight issue, what difference does it make that it is a woman driving? There are short guys too.)

I also have to say that small cars are not necessarily easier to drive than big ones. But they are easier to get through small gaps in cities. The Swift is good for this, but one of the narrower cars mentioned might be even better.

Has she done that sitting test in other cars? It is a very good place to start: ability to reach the pedals without sitting on top of wheel, comfortability with view... Make sure she sits properly, as she would when driving. There is a beginner's tendency to lean forward.

[WhiteKnight]

No one remain a beginner for long.

I think you should give less priority to the "beginner" part and focus on your other requirements, such as " long drives" etc. Only thing you got to ensure is that she is strong on fundamentals of driving before getting on the road on her own. Seems you do have time, please use it.

Enjoy the drive

[balechaparka]

Swift D is very easy to drive ,I am also a learner and went for driving class 7 months back.November 02 took the delivery and November 06 took the vehicle to my native 400KM highway(NH48) +Ghat section.
I did not find any difficulties in driving and need to take care during turbo charge in highway.As WhiteKnight said learn the fundamentals first and go ahead and enjoy the swift D.Already covered 1200KM.

[snaronikar]

I have seen couple of ladies driving sedans (Logan & Indigo) almost falling on the steering wheel. They were not able to reach out the pedals and see the front. Hope the same thing should not happen. Why not cancel this booking and go for WagonR / santro which are better for ladies ?