1700kms Review: Suzuki Swift! - Team-BHP

Gordon · 25th February 2006, 15:50

GETZ??!
Plans to buy a small car were already being made. A Qualis was already in the family and so we now required a small car. Several options like the Maruti Zen, Hyundai Getz, Fiat Palio, etc were available. We checked out each car at every showroom and at the end were very impressed with the Hyundai Getz. Well, all impressions were torn down when this new small BIG car enters the market. Maruti launched the Suzuki Swift in India.

First Impressions
We first seen the Swift at the Inorbit Mall, Malad. A green Swift was for display. There were a lot of people pouring in to see it. We took our chance when the crowd was busy with other things. Our first impression was that the car was awesome and the quality was good enough. Although, we didn't sit in the car, the rear seat looked cramped. But overall, it was convincing enough for us to pick on this car.

Delivered - A new addition to the family
Launched worldwide, the Swift has already won a lot of hearts. Including ours. The Swift is available in three models - Lxi, Vxi and the Zxi. The Zxi provided airbags and ABS. For us, the Vxi was perfect. The car was booked. A red color. Had a waiting period of around 2 months. D-day arrived. We got the car delievered on 16th December, 2005. Car was still on temporary registration. The dealer did the routine stuff before delivering the car to us. It was 2130 HRS, so we took the car straight home.

THE BIG DAY!
We took the car to a shop at Milan Subway to install the basic necessities for the car. These included the music system (Pioneer HU and Sony X-plod speakers), sun-films, steering cover, dashboard cover and seat covers. We picked interior/exterior and tyre polishes, which is exactly why you'll see it shining like crazy even today. Also replaced the headlights to white lights.

Exteriors
The exteriors of the car are to applaud for. It looks exactly like a toy car, specially from a top view. The wide body type looks gives this car something that none of its competitor can outperform. Currently, its the best looking car in the market. About its size, it looks as huge as an Esteem. Maruti should've also removed metallic red. Apart from the red, other colors like black, blue, grey and orange also look good. I'm still waiting for Maruti to launch a white Swift. There are some Swift's in Mumbai that have been painted white. I guess white would look BEAUTIFUL! And would sell superbly.

Interiors
The interiors of the car are SPACIOUS and there is enough legroom for both the front and rear seats, unlike what we thought earlier. It could easily accomodate five people. The dashboard has a strong feeling and is of good quality.

Other Features
The car also sports minor details like "Window Lock" and "Door Lock" buttons on the drivers side. The doors have a simple silver padding which gives it an elegant look.

COOL IT!
The air-conditioning is also good. Didn't expect a good a/c in a small car. There is a four-speed setting. Even on 1- or 2-speed, the cooling is good enough.

Run-in period
For the next 1000 kilometers, the car had to be driven at a maximum of 60kmph and not above that. Which is exactly why it once became a laughing stock on the Expressway. But once the run-in period was over, we took it to a decent speed of 120-140kmph the next time on the Expressway.

Performance!
Lets talk about the much awaited factor about ANY car. Well, the car has enough power for one to enjoy. It has the same Esteem engine and delivers about 87bhp. The pickup is good and you can get some awesome wheelspins in it

. The maximum speed we've ever taken this car to is 140kmph. The handling is great and the power steering really helps take the strain of your hands and wrists while parking.

Shortcomings...
Since the car is a little wide and gives a flared feeling, its scary driving it in traffic. The rear view mirrors are also a tad big and come out wide. Another problem is the rear visibility. The rear glass is tooo small and high due to which reverse is a difficult to judge.

Currently...
Till date, the car has run around 1700 kilometers. Got a best average of 12kmpl (A/C always ON). Car hasn't given any major problems as such.

Verdict
I'd recommend this car to anyone who wants to buy a small car. I feel its much better than its competition. The Vxi has served best for most people. Although the Zxi gives you airbags and ABS, which are very good safety features, it is expensive.

normally_crazy · 25th February 2006, 16:22

Nice job on the review Gordon ! detailed with pics - impressive ! Red looks smashing pal !

The last pic - looks like the expressway and the parking is horribly out of place and the right side door is open too

not a very nice thing to do !

Also where are the pics in the wilderness shot ?

yogi1771 · 25th February 2006, 16:35

well maintained car dude how often do u polish ur car and which tyre polish u use

nitrous · 26th February 2006, 14:52

Quote:

Another problem is the rear visibility. The rear glass is tooo small and high due to which reverse is a difficult to judge.

Reverse SENSORS is a MUST for every Swift owner, IMO.

Quote:

The last pic - looks like the expressway and the parking is horribly out of place and the right side door is open too not a very nice thing to do !

What would Team-BHP be without u, gautam??

Gordon · 27th February 2006, 16:36

Quote:

Also where are the pics in the wilderness shot ?

Thats somewhere in Panvel.

Quote:

well maintained car dude how often do u polish ur car and which tyre polish u use

Car is washed everyday, but a thorough wash every week is done. Machine-polish is done once in six months for the Qualis and will be the same for this car too.

We use STP Tyre polish.

muni · 27th February 2006, 16:48

nice pics and a happy owner u are but could not help notice one thing..

The Pic at the showroom has the Number plate visible where as you have blocked it in all the other images where it can be seen. caught u!!

GTO · 27th February 2006, 18:05

I barely read your review, but the photographs are among the best seen on Team-BHP so far. Great job!!

*Clicked on 5 stars rating for this thread*

GTO

trinadha · 27th February 2006, 19:58

great post.wonderfil pictures u must be a pro.
veryrarely i saw any car being maintained this well.Five stars from my side tooo.how do you wash the car without or with car wash .and does washing the car only with water help /or spoils the body(rusting) and the paint.

kb100 · 27th February 2006, 20:24

AMAZING SNAPS... amazing car.... WELL DONE PAL!

revtech · 27th February 2006, 20:36

nice review dude.where well written to the point and supplemented well with pics.

you said you changed your lights to white lights.so which ones did you put.details on the same would be helpful.

rev

satyamenon · 27th February 2006, 22:22

awesome pics... nice review too.... 5 stars from my side for the pics alone.

Gordon · 14th May 2006, 11:07

Sorry. Hadn't replied earlier. Opened the topic again to post some pics.

Quote:

Originally Posted by muni

The Pic at the showroom has the Number plate visible where as you have blocked it in all the other images where it can be seen. caught u!!

Thats the temporary number, so didn't bother to blank it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by revtech

you said you changed your lights to white lights.

The white lights are from Philips.

Quote:

Originally Posted by trinadha

how do you wash the car without or with car wash .and does washing the car only with water help /or spoils the body(rusting) and the paint.

We use car shampoo once in a week. It helps once in a while. If it is really dirty, just water won't help. Use a car shampoo.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyways, another Swift Vxi has just joined us. And its red!

Here is another pic of our car.

lamborghini · 18th July 2006, 21:44

Nice review bro and awesome pics.
BTW, i have a feeling the swift on the left is yours.
Am i right?
Cheers

ravibhat · 2nd August 2006, 21:18

This is nice review.

About my swift ->

I own Swift VXI Crystal Gold purchased in March 2006, with few really
nice accessaries ( 4 Stickers, seat coveres, alloys, pioneer mp3, wood
finish inside stuffs ... ). My car looks very good ( at least for me and my family ). But I had big disappointment with my Swift since it had very bad pick up during first 4000 KM run during 2nd free service they checked valve clearence test and said fixed the bad pick up issue. Service guys from BIMAL @Bangalore never agreed my vehicle had bad pickup during first service, Pratham motors agreed and after they serviced my vehicle now pick up has improved for some extent, but still my vehicle is not like others. We have to drive swift in 1st gear If there is speed bumper or steep curves / up and down roads... I am preparing my 6000KM ownership experience with swift and posting the review in Team BHP very soon.

Ravi.

kiranpashtakar · 3rd August 2006, 15:02

[quote=ravibhat]This is nice review.

About my swift ->

But I had big disappointment with my Swift since it had very bad pick up during first 4000 KM run during 2nd free service they checked valve clearence test and said fixed the bad pick up issue.

Have you tried the following
1) fuel from diffrent pumps
2) Speed/Extra premium
3) Fuel Additives

Never go to bimal again, they are highly inefficient not the pratham is highly efficient they are better than mandovi and sagar, their mechanics are knowledgeble.
Hope this helps... keep us posted

25th February 2006, 15:50	#1 (permalink)
Gordon Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 2,011 View My Garage	1700kms Review: Suzuki Swift! GETZ??! Plans to buy a small car were already being made. A Qualis was already in the family and so we now required a small car. Several options like the Maruti Zen, Hyundai Getz, Fiat Palio, etc were available. We checked out each car at every showroom and at the end were very impressed with the Hyundai Getz. Well, all impressions were torn down when this new small BIG car enters the market. Maruti launched the Suzuki Swift in India. First Impressions We first seen the Swift at the Inorbit Mall, Malad. A green Swift was for display. There were a lot of people pouring in to see it. We took our chance when the crowd was busy with other things. Our first impression was that the car was awesome and the quality was good enough. Although, we didn't sit in the car, the rear seat looked cramped. But overall, it was convincing enough for us to pick on this car. Delivered - A new addition to the family Launched worldwide, the Swift has already won a lot of hearts. Including ours. The Swift is available in three models - Lxi, Vxi and the Zxi. The Zxi provided airbags and ABS. For us, the Vxi was perfect. The car was booked. A red color. Had a waiting period of around 2 months. D-day arrived. We got the car delievered on 16th December, 2005. Car was still on temporary registration. The dealer did the routine stuff before delivering the car to us. It was 2130 HRS, so we took the car straight home. THE BIG DAY! We took the car to a shop at Milan Subway to install the basic necessities for the car. These included the music system (Pioneer HU and Sony X-plod speakers), sun-films, steering cover, dashboard cover and seat covers. We picked interior/exterior and tyre polishes, which is exactly why you'll see it shining like crazy even today. Also replaced the headlights to white lights. Exteriors The exteriors of the car are to applaud for. It looks exactly like a toy car, specially from a top view. The wide body type looks gives this car something that none of its competitor can outperform. Currently, its the best looking car in the market. About its size, it looks as huge as an Esteem. Maruti should've also removed metallic red. Apart from the red, other colors like black, blue, grey and orange also look good. I'm still waiting for Maruti to launch a white Swift. There are some Swift's in Mumbai that have been painted white. I guess white would look BEAUTIFUL! And would sell superbly. Interiors The interiors of the car are SPACIOUS and there is enough legroom for both the front and rear seats, unlike what we thought earlier. It could easily accomodate five people. The dashboard has a strong feeling and is of good quality. Other Features The car also sports minor details like "Window Lock" and "Door Lock" buttons on the drivers side. The doors have a simple silver padding which gives it an elegant look. COOL IT! The air-conditioning is also good. Didn't expect a good a/c in a small car. There is a four-speed setting. Even on 1- or 2-speed, the cooling is good enough. Run-in period For the next 1000 kilometers, the car had to be driven at a maximum of 60kmph and not above that. Which is exactly why it once became a laughing stock on the Expressway. But once the run-in period was over, we took it to a decent speed of 120-140kmph the next time on the Expressway. Performance! Lets talk about the much awaited factor about ANY car. Well, the car has enough power for one to enjoy. It has the same Esteem engine and delivers about 87bhp. The pickup is good and you can get some awesome wheelspins in it . The maximum speed we've ever taken this car to is 140kmph. The handling is great and the power steering really helps take the strain of your hands and wrists while parking. Shortcomings... Since the car is a little wide and gives a flared feeling, its scary driving it in traffic. The rear view mirrors are also a tad big and come out wide. Another problem is the rear visibility. The rear glass is tooo small and high due to which reverse is a difficult to judge. Currently... Till date, the car has run around 1700 kilometers. Got a best average of 12kmpl (A/C always ON). Car hasn't given any major problems as such. Verdict I'd recommend this car to anyone who wants to buy a small car. I feel its much better than its competition. The Vxi has served best for most people. Although the Zxi gives you airbags and ABS, which are very good safety features, it is expensive. __________________ Team-BHP.com > Motorbikes > Yamaha Cafe Racer

25th February 2006, 16:22	#2 (permalink)
normally_crazy Team-BHP Moderator Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,694 View My Garage	Nice job on the review Gordon ! detailed with pics - impressive ! Red looks smashing pal ! The last pic - looks like the expressway and the parking is horribly out of place and the right side door is open too not a very nice thing to do ! Also where are the pics in the wilderness shot ? Last edited by normally_crazy : 25th February 2006 at 16:24.

27th February 2006, 16:48	#6 (permalink)
muni BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 325 View My Garage	nice pics and a happy owner u are but could not help notice one thing.. The Pic at the showroom has the Number plate visible where as you have blocked it in all the other images where it can be seen. caught u!! __________________ When I have a flyswatter in my hand, everything around me looks like a fly.

27th February 2006, 18:05	#7 (permalink)
GTO Super-Admin Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 12,196 View My Garage	I barely read your review, but the photographs are among the best seen on Team-BHP so far. Great job!! Clicked on 5 stars rating for this thread GTO __________________ GTO Change the way you think, and watch the world change around you. Please don't PM for support. Use the Contact Form instead. Please read the NEW Team-BHP FAQ section for all your queries.

27th February 2006, 20:24	#9 (permalink)
kb100 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Cbe for a breather! Posts: 1,288	AMAZING SNAPS... amazing car.... WELL DONE PAL! __________________ *A closed mouth gathers no Feet.*

25th February 2006, 16:35	#3 (permalink)
yogi1771 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 439	well maintained car dude how often do u polish ur car and which tyre polish u use

27th February 2006, 19:58	#8 (permalink)
trinadha BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: HYDERABAD Posts: 186	great post.wonderfil pictures u must be a pro. veryrarely i saw any car being maintained this well.Five stars from my side tooo.how do you wash the car without or with car wash .and does washing the car only with water help /or spoils the body(rusting) and the paint.

27th February 2006, 20:36	#10 (permalink)
revtech Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Vero Beach, FL Posts: 1,651 View My Garage	nice review dude.where well written to the point and supplemented well with pics. you said you changed your lights to white lights.so which ones did you put.details on the same would be helpful. rev __________________ Revin Beyond Limits !!

27th February 2006, 22:22	#11 (permalink)
satyamenon BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Jersey City Posts: 107	awesome pics... nice review too.... 5 stars from my side for the pics alone. __________________ Horn not working ! Watch for finger !

18th July 2006, 21:44	#13 (permalink)
lamborghini Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: South Mumbai/Smithfield, RI, USA Posts: 2,652 View My Garage	Nice review bro and awesome pics. BTW, i have a feeling the swift on the left is yours. Am i right? Cheers __________________ ¢нєєяѕ ℓαмвσ lamborghinirules@gmail.com

2nd August 2006, 21:18	#14 (permalink)
ravibhat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,443 View My Garage	Swift VXI (( My Limited Edition )) This is nice review. About my swift -> I own Swift VXI Crystal Gold purchased in March 2006, with few really nice accessaries ( 4 Stickers, seat coveres, alloys, pioneer mp3, wood finish inside stuffs ... ). My car looks very good ( at least for me and my family ). But I had big disappointment with my Swift since it had very bad pick up during first 4000 KM run during 2nd free service they checked valve clearence test and said fixed the bad pick up issue. Service guys from BIMAL @Bangalore never agreed my vehicle had bad pickup during first service, Pratham motors agreed and after they serviced my vehicle now pick up has improved for some extent, but still my vehicle is not like others. We have to drive swift in 1st gear If there is speed bumper or steep curves / up and down roads... I am preparing my 6000KM ownership experience with swift and posting the review in Team BHP very soon. Ravi.

3rd August 2006, 15:02	#15 (permalink)
kiranpashtakar BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bangalore/Hyderabad Posts: 205	[quote=ravibhat]This is nice review. About my swift -> But I had big disappointment with my Swift since it had very bad pick up during first 4000 KM run during 2nd free service they checked valve clearence test and said fixed the bad pick up issue. Have you tried the following 1) fuel from diffrent pumps 2) Speed/Extra premium 3) Fuel Additives Never go to bimal again, they are highly inefficient not the pratham is highly efficient they are better than mandovi and sagar, their mechanics are knowledgeble. Hope this helps... keep us posted