Does Maruti Swift really deserve this much HYPE ?

[mangywarez]

I am writing this after going after each and every Maruti dealers swift demo vehicle in Mumbai.
I would like to bring forth the fact that the swift is no doubt a vehicle with good engine acceleration ratios and a good power steering (which sometimes acts funny), but if you look at the overall built quality it lacks the touch of perfection that a Hyundai Getz has.
For e.g. look at the door trim shoulders on which the power window buttons are fixed, they look so flimsy and you can almost peel the cover of that trim shoulder to expose what’s inside. When i questioned about this to the dealer, he said it has been abused since that was a demo car, so i took him to a brand new swift which was to be delivered that afternoon, same condition there, then upon looking at every car I found the same condition of the arm rest / trim shoulder. The dealer was fuming with anger when i should this to some of his customers who were taking their delivery.

Secondly try sitting in the rear seat and you will come to know how unfit the swift is ergonomically. When seated in the rear put your arm on the armrest / doors trim shoulder and try to work on the power window button. You will find that the power window button is placed way behind, which can only be activated if you lift your arm from the arm rest and move it behind and lean a little sideways or else you have to do that with your other free hand.

This second flaw in the design got me irritated and I started looking for some more flaws.
Surprisingly I found the overall fit and finish of the sheet metal; I mean the styling to be full of flaws. I mean nothing was maintaining a single uniform distance. If you look at the behind the distance of the gaps between the tailgate and the C pillar is much smaller and the gaps between the taillight and the tailgate (exactly where the Suzuki logo is affixed) is too wide.

There are many more things to notice but I don’t think a single dealer is going to give me a demo ride of his swift.

PROS: - Good Engine (sometimes underpowered with 5 people)
CONS: - poor build quality, no touch of perfection. Interiors is sluggish and dull, rear seats are bench type, which in the European model are 60:40 which can be used quite decently when compared to its tiny boot.

My verdict :- Go for the lxi and put your add-ons. I mean the power windows / arm rests / alloys.


Please do visit the maruti showrooms and try to see all these flaws and then decide upon which vehicle to buy.

Awaiting your reviews after your visits and demo rides :

[Rtech]

I'm waiting for the existing Swift owners here to give their views.

However, I must say the quality of the interior materials as well as the rubber beadings etc. is a real let down. It appears Maruti has cut corners a bit too fine in order to bring its price down.

[ported_head]

The other day, I saw a Swift with HR registration. At first I thought that this was probably registered to one of those who stayed in the exotic car village somewhere in Haryana. But Swift was too petty a vehicle to deserve such status. Then it struck me, it was probably registered to MUL in Gurgaon. And then the integrated cd player caught my eye. It looks fantastic, the interiors and overall fit and finish of the car seemed quite a few notches higher, it was immediately evident. The panel gaps were smaller too.

And on the fender, there was a piece of tape covering what seemed like probably a VVTi badge, or it's Suzie equivalent.

[johnjacob]

Originally Posted by ported_head

And then the integrated cd player caught my eye. It looks fantastic, the interiors and overall fit and finish of the car seemed quite a few notches higher, it was immediately evident. The panel gaps were smaller too.

And on the fender, there was a piece of tape covering what seemed like probably a VVTi badge, or it's Suzie equivalent.

Wow, is MUL going to launch a Swift with a turbocharged Baleno engine good for 150bhp?

Well, it doesn't hurt to hope! Could you get pics, ported_head?

[turbo_lover]

yeap/...i do agree with you mangywarez in terms of interiors the car has poor fit and finish ...buttons look very plasticky ...clearly MUL sacrificed build quality to get to that competetive price...
besides balenos...i have found all suzuki cars sluggish once loaded.. switch on the A/c to instantly lose power....

exterior -still no dbout the car looks goood than the rest ...what we point as below standard is purely crap for general public who go for the swift...

for them its new..looks good..is cheap to buy and even cheaper to run
most of all its a Maruti...

[ported_head]

Originally Posted by johnjacob

Wow, is MUL going to launch a Swift with a turbocharged Baleno engine good for 150bhp?

Haha, you think? It was probably one of the first Swifts imported into India for benchmarking, or calculating % savings in costs by indigenisation, or cost cutting.

Could you get pics, ported_head?

Well it looks just the same as the Indian one.
If anything, it was without alloys, and running JK Tyres, plus I think it was running lesser GC than the Indian one.

[LandCruiser]

IMHO: I didnt like the rear looks of Swift. Back seat occupants will find it difficult to be seated there for long time.
I hear the engine is good. Two of my colleagues went to book a swift and decided to buy Ikon flair. (Flair on road price 5.25L!!!)
Still i would say Swift looks fresh and do well in sales at least until more super minis come in.

[johnjacob]

Originally Posted by ported_head

Haha, you think? It was probably one of the first Swifts imported into India for benchmarking, or calculating % savings in costs by indigenisation, or cost cutting.

Wow, thanks for dunking me headfirst into a tub of ice-cold reality water!

[Surprise]

Originally Posted by mangywarez

. For e.g. look at the door trim shoulders on which the power window buttons are fixed, they look so flimsy and you can almost peel the cover of that trim shoulder to expose what’s inside.

May be I will take a look and comment on this

Originally Posted by mangywarez

Secondly try sitting in the rear seat and you will come to know how unfit the swift is ergonomically. When seated in the rear put your arm on the armrest / doors trim shoulder and try to work on the power window button. You will find that the power window button is placed way behind, which can only be activated if you lift your arm from the arm rest and move it behind and lean a little sideways or else you have to do that with your other free hand.

I have been using Swift for the past 25 days. None of the co-passengers have complained about feeling uncomfortable in operating the power windows. Iam not saying what you have said is wrong. But if it is not felt by the user, I didnt feel that as a usability problem. Other point is that how often are we going to operate this.

Originally Posted by mangywarez

I mean nothing was maintaining a single uniform distance. If you look at the behind the distance of the gaps between the tailgate and the C pillar is much smaller and the gaps between the taillight and the tailgate (exactly where the Suzuki logo is affixed) is too wide.

Great. You did all those micro analyzing. In how many cars (other than Swift) you have measured this and found to be perfect? If this was not obvious, really I don't worry about that. But would be happy, if this was taken care which producting by the manfacturers

[muni]

i guess it is hyped and it looks like there are some compromises on the quality front which has been done to keep it at price.

As of now am least bothered abt the consistency of the panel gaps( maybe would be bothered if they were so very obvious without havin to look for it)

Ergonomics i dont think it is much of a problem though on the quality, it does look that it has been built for its price.

what worries me most is the rear seat legroom and the seat feels like bench with less of a thigh support. lack of rear 60:40 splits is a major minus when there was so little of boot space available. a serious drawback.

It looks stunning and wide but it comes with some space compromising thanks to the way it has been designed for style where it is not wide where it was supposed to be .


To top it takin 50 K and delaying deliveries is adding to the Hype.

all in all SWIFT is slighltly hyped. No doubt abt that afterall we all are indians and we know what we did to Sania mirza, yuvraj Singh, Virender sehwag, Irfan Pathan, Sachin Tendulkar and blah blah blah..


Hurry Home

[Surprise]

Originally Posted by muni

all in all SWIFT is slighltly hyped. No doubt abt that afterall we all are indians and we know what we did to ---, ------, ------------ , -------------, Sachin Tendulkar and blah blah blah..


Hurry Home

Hey man, that made me sad.

PS: We ourselves putting our hands in creating hype by more discussions on SWIFT

[Xsailor]

Yo Guys
Have completed 27 days with the Vxi and clocked about 700 odd klicks on the odometer. Here goes..

@LandCruiser
I had a choice between the Flair and Swift and decided against the Flair for the following;
Mine is a small family - do not need the boot so luggage space was not much of a criterion. As for pick-up/drops to the Railway station/Bus Stand/Airport, prefer getting a cab for self/relatives/friends to fulfill the dropping off/pick up needs. Most of the devils travel with way too much luggage anyways.
The Flair engine IS underpowered for a sedan. With my Six foot 90 kgs frame, I find the Ikon very low in seating and difficult to get in and out. Also, the steering wheel, whichever way I adjusted the driver's seat, always scrapes my thighs.
I guess we also base our decisions on things which matter to us the most - in general, the Swift hits the bull's eye for most of the buyers (that in itself is an achievement) and so the hype.
PS: Try checking out the door release lever knob and the fitting of the flair - The swift power window control panel compares like Darth Vader to Mother Teresa.

@Surprise
Agree 100%. What is this micro analyzing gonna fetch us, BTW? A better car? A perfect car?

@mangywarez
Different strokes for different folks! Try reaching for the power window switches on a Ikon 1,6 on the driver's side.

I have always felt that everything in this world is built to a price - You always get what you pay for. With the Swift, you do not get the feeling of being cheated or being under cut. Indeed, this is my humble opinion.

Cheers

[navin]

ok surprise i did not check any swift but i took the same yadstick to our NHC. remember my FIl is looking at a swift and if it turns out to be a bummer i'd be a bit hot under the collar.

the NHC 's panels (I checked 2) are also not perfect. I dont know if they are more perfect than the swift or less but they are not perfect. then i checked my Octy which was a lot better and then I checked my 1996 Astra and it was better than the NHC. does that make the Astra a better car than the NHC?

BTW you forget another (over hyped) indian? :-) bring it on guys i got my asbestos suit on already! :-)

[ported_head]

I have been noticing those NHC panel gaps too off late, seems like I have too much time on my hands. For all the din that the interior creates, they could have spent some time aligning the sheet metal.

And no point even bothering about the Indica. I saw a few and I thought that the hood wasn't properly closed. Then people wonder why Tata's elictricals are flimsy, too much water seeps in through the panel gaps.

Why do Indians have higher tolerances than the other countries?

[Steeroid]

If the car is over-hyped, sales will taper out once the initial buzz is over. I belive that most of the enthusiasm for the Swift is on account of its fresh looks, and once a lot of these vehicles hit the roads it will become a common sight. That is when people will start analysing the vehicle on its strengths and weaknesses.

Right now too many people want to be seen in one. If the car outlives the buzz, then its a winner. If not, we have another overhyped product....much like the cricketers mentioned by someone here (the hotly debated one included!)