Swift VDi-Observations Feb 14 2007 Till Date - Team-BHP

xotiq · 8th February 2008, 16:49

Had a test drive of the Swift Diesel on Feb 01 2007 and took delivery of the vehicle on Feb 14 2007. Below are my observations.

Swift Diesel ddis-

(Scale of 1-5, 1 being lowest and 5 highest)
1-Lowest, 2-Usable, 3-Meduim, 4-Good, 5-Excellent

01-Feb-07 First Test Drive
In this introductory drive of the Swift Diesel, vdi version, I would concentrate on attributes specific to the diesel engined swift.

VEHICLE LOOK and FEEL [5]
The shape looks all too familiar, and i did not find anything different, now that the diesel engine has been slotted in. The paint scheme was great, shutlines were good, and within tolerable limits, and the doors had none of the flimsy build inherent in this class. The expanse of cabin plastics in grey / dark was not the right mood initiator for starting the test drive.

COMFORT, both front and rear. [3.5]
I drove the vehicle on smooth surfaced roads, and comfort was not an issue.....the front seat was just about enough and accomodative, however the leg space for the driver and front passenger was good. Rear is where the action gets high, it does feel slightly cramped vis a vis the front, and this cramped feeling is not only about leg space, but in general can give you a feel of sitting in a coop. Not sure, if this is something that can go off with time. We were 4 folks in the test car, and we did take the swift diesel on to some very bad roads, and i dont have any reason to complain regarding the ride quality and ground clearance...which seemed more than adequate. Yes, there was a tendency of feeling firm n crisp rather than small and silent fluid shocks as compared to cars like indigo and fiesta.

ENGINE [4]
The engine pulled rather smoothly, with a great sense of urgency showcasing 19kgm of torque. The gear shifts were precisely gated, and had a smooth and clear and direct, if rather short action. On starting, the cranking of the engine was muted, and bearable.....once we changed to higher gears and started driving, we did feel that we had a diesel engine up front, however to be honest, the sound was pretty low and vibrations to a great extent are completely damped, the steering boss and stalk had no tell tale signs of any vibrations filtering through. The gear handle was completely free of vibrations or rocking....which is the signature of many a diesel engine. In some diesel cars, i am sure you can feel / count the engine RPM by placing your palm on the gear lever :-)

STABILITY [4]
Had no issues with this, as we did take the vehicle above 90 and did some quick lane changes (with the indicator on and on a road without traffic). The only problem is the slightly outsize rear view mirrors, which is a touch too large and have a click folding action. Compared to other cars, some of which have a smooth action that enables the mirror to just fold on impact without shattering, this is something anyone driving the swift have to bear in mind.

SPACE [3]
Can we redo the boot space adding another 100 litres?? well then, the swift diesel would have been prefect. Else, for a family of 2, this car should not be lacking in space. However, placing the speakers on the door does not appear to be inthe best interest of acoustics.

A note on acoustics: Speaker placement and audio directional acoustics are certainly not amongst the best in swift. The front door has no provision for 4X4 speakers, the rear door does have provision for 16cm speakers, and anything bigger, u need to have the 9X6 size speakers configured on the rear parcel tray...which it turns out to as not the best angled place to have speakers !! Well, i cant, nether can we do anything to mitigate this i suppose.

MILEAGE [5] a guess at this point in time....watch this space.
Being a multijet common rail turbo and with all the tech things thrown in for good measure, I dont think mileage would be really an issue with the Swift Diesel. The sales team that accompanied the test car were mentioning 18-20 KMPL as the least. However, given the abundance of tech on hand and the jewel of an engine, i would not be surprised if the Diesel Swift went as far as 17-19KMPL in city and 22-24 on highways. The lower quadrant for mileage i believe would be about 15KMPL in city and 20KMPL on highways.

VFM-VALUE FOR MONEY [4]
With the onroad price of ldi-530000 and vdi-576000 in Bangalore, i feel that the swift diesel has been overpriced by about 10-15000 Rupees if not more. However, if 18-20KMPL is the mileage that we are talking about in real life, then your money is well spent.

Well, this test drive was the outcome of many such test drives to find a replacement for our tata indigo, and am really not completely decided on the swift diesel yet.....maybe another test drive, or the Renault Logan can help me out.
__________________________________________________ ______________________
14-feb-07: Further to this review, i have taken delivery of my swift vdi., and here are some observations.

The vehicle pulls strongly in almost all gears....however, seems like the clutch is a little over sensitive.....and have to be careful when depressing.

mileage or kmpl: am not sure abt this, just filled in the tank with shell diesel....lemme give you some idea on this when the next visit to the pump is due.

first 100 kms drive: nothing that i can remember, no shakes n rattles, though the EPS (electronic power steering) feels a little over assistive during slow drives.
__________________________________________________ __________________________
_

09-apr-07: Just completed the first service at 1000kms, then went for a 1000km long drive !!

first service at 1k was nothing much to worry, oil change, filter cleanup and the normal tightening of doors and fixing some rattles.....that had me spending about 600 rupees.....Neat

Mileage: First observation after 1k service, my first reading was 19.66kmpl............and by the next observation, the mileage was 20.54kmpl.......done with a fair level of accuracy........now this mileage is GREAT !!................having driven on highways over the course of 2 days.
__________________________________________________ __________________________
__

12-Jun-07: Completed the second free service at 5300km, had the ECU module tuned, wheel balancing, and the normal routine inspection with topup of fluids. Had a chance to talk to a manager from Maruti Udyog, and told him about concerns regarding high speed stability, skittly ride and others....got a patient hearing.....not sure if anything can be done regarding this. Have the CRDI rail system checked as a precaution for possible leaks from diesel backflow.

Mileage in City with AC was 15. Also been for another drive of 800 kms.....which included very steep inclines......am not saying that the VDi does not have torque to climb, but had a certain delay...which i hope should be mitigated post the ECU tune up.

Got HID (High Intensity Discharge) Bi Xenon lights fixed, with a light output of 8000K. Advantage is a wider spread of coverage with pure whitelight/daylight which would aid in night driving.

Jan 15 2008: Installed a sharp in dash 7.2" dvd screen with usb. Fixing the set was easy, but the support screws provided are bare minimum on the dash board assembly. Promised my wife not to get distracted looking at the screen :-). Acoustics are definetely not a Swifts strong point.

For the same review at mouthshut, posted Feb 01 2007
MARUTI SUZUKI SWIFT Review

For a complete review on HID,
TIPS ON MODIFICATIONS AND ENHANCEMENT IN CARS Review

Feb 08 2008, Odo reads 10500, missed using the diesel devil while i was out of country. Time for 3rd service.

AirWind · 9th February 2008, 10:19

Very well written! and yes, true to its name it is very swift indeed!

Did you say your VDi was delivered within 13 days? ie., test drive on 01/Feb and delivery on 14/Feb - thought it had a 3~6 months waiting time last year; any idea what the scenario is now? any discounts being offered? just checking if the craze over and if I can trade in my VXi for a VDi... i am also eagerly looking at FIAT to launch the Palio MJD - pity no signs however...

Two reasons to keep me away from the Swift is the rattles and poor build. I disagree with you on the doors and build quality, it may be a superior Maruti but definitely its flimsy comparing a Palio or a Getz...

Enjoy maadi :-)

Jaggu · 9th February 2008, 11:01

Nice review, could you give more details of your bixenon INSTALL (on How to) with pics if possible

xotiq · 11th February 2008, 22:47

Airwind, on my visits outside, i had heard a lot of praise about the Fiat 1.3 gem, so the first thing i did was book the as soon as it was launched. Its almost a year to date now, and i still remember, the dealer offered me a black vdi which they had kept ready as the display vehicle...which was enticing as they said they can deliver that in 2 days flat. Not liking this, went for something else, and got it on 14th. Yes, by the time i went for my first service, wait times were a month, which extended to 3 months by the third service. Not really sure about the 6 month wait !!

Jaggu,

Please check the hyperlink for the HID review i have posted on mouthshut. Will try to take some snaps and upload soon.

8th February 2008, 16:49	#1 (permalink)
xotiq Newbie Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: bangalore Posts: 4	Swift VDi-Observations Feb 14 2007 Till Date Had a test drive of the Swift Diesel on Feb 01 2007 and took delivery of the vehicle on Feb 14 2007. Below are my observations. Swift Diesel ddis- (Scale of 1-5, 1 being lowest and 5 highest) 1-Lowest, 2-Usable, 3-Meduim, 4-Good, 5-Excellent 01-Feb-07 First Test Drive In this introductory drive of the Swift Diesel, vdi version, I would concentrate on attributes specific to the diesel engined swift. VEHICLE LOOK and FEEL [5] The shape looks all too familiar, and i did not find anything different, now that the diesel engine has been slotted in. The paint scheme was great, shutlines were good, and within tolerable limits, and the doors had none of the flimsy build inherent in this class. The expanse of cabin plastics in grey / dark was not the right mood initiator for starting the test drive. COMFORT, both front and rear. [3.5] I drove the vehicle on smooth surfaced roads, and comfort was not an issue.....the front seat was just about enough and accomodative, however the leg space for the driver and front passenger was good. Rear is where the action gets high, it does feel slightly cramped vis a vis the front, and this cramped feeling is not only about leg space, but in general can give you a feel of sitting in a coop. Not sure, if this is something that can go off with time. We were 4 folks in the test car, and we did take the swift diesel on to some very bad roads, and i dont have any reason to complain regarding the ride quality and ground clearance...which seemed more than adequate. Yes, there was a tendency of feeling firm n crisp rather than small and silent fluid shocks as compared to cars like indigo and fiesta. ENGINE [4] The engine pulled rather smoothly, with a great sense of urgency showcasing 19kgm of torque. The gear shifts were precisely gated, and had a smooth and clear and direct, if rather short action. On starting, the cranking of the engine was muted, and bearable.....once we changed to higher gears and started driving, we did feel that we had a diesel engine up front, however to be honest, the sound was pretty low and vibrations to a great extent are completely damped, the steering boss and stalk had no tell tale signs of any vibrations filtering through. The gear handle was completely free of vibrations or rocking....which is the signature of many a diesel engine. In some diesel cars, i am sure you can feel / count the engine RPM by placing your palm on the gear lever :-) STABILITY [4] Had no issues with this, as we did take the vehicle above 90 and did some quick lane changes (with the indicator on and on a road without traffic). The only problem is the slightly outsize rear view mirrors, which is a touch too large and have a click folding action. Compared to other cars, some of which have a smooth action that enables the mirror to just fold on impact without shattering, this is something anyone driving the swift have to bear in mind. SPACE [3] Can we redo the boot space adding another 100 litres?? well then, the swift diesel would have been prefect. Else, for a family of 2, this car should not be lacking in space. However, placing the speakers on the door does not appear to be inthe best interest of acoustics. A note on acoustics: Speaker placement and audio directional acoustics are certainly not amongst the best in swift. The front door has no provision for 4X4 speakers, the rear door does have provision for 16cm speakers, and anything bigger, u need to have the 9X6 size speakers configured on the rear parcel tray...which it turns out to as not the best angled place to have speakers !! Well, i cant, nether can we do anything to mitigate this i suppose. MILEAGE [5] a guess at this point in time....watch this space. Being a multijet common rail turbo and with all the tech things thrown in for good measure, I dont think mileage would be really an issue with the Swift Diesel. The sales team that accompanied the test car were mentioning 18-20 KMPL as the least. However, given the abundance of tech on hand and the jewel of an engine, i would not be surprised if the Diesel Swift went as far as 17-19KMPL in city and 22-24 on highways. The lower quadrant for mileage i believe would be about 15KMPL in city and 20KMPL on highways. VFM-VALUE FOR MONEY [4] With the onroad price of ldi-530000 and vdi-576000 in Bangalore, i feel that the swift diesel has been overpriced by about 10-15000 Rupees if not more. However, if 18-20KMPL is the mileage that we are talking about in real life, then your money is well spent. Well, this test drive was the outcome of many such test drives to find a replacement for our tata indigo, and am really not completely decided on the swift diesel yet.....maybe another test drive, or the Renault Logan can help me out. __________________________________________________ ______________________ 14-feb-07: Further to this review, i have taken delivery of my swift vdi., and here are some observations. The vehicle pulls strongly in almost all gears....however, seems like the clutch is a little over sensitive.....and have to be careful when depressing. mileage or kmpl: am not sure abt this, just filled in the tank with shell diesel....lemme give you some idea on this when the next visit to the pump is due. first 100 kms drive: nothing that i can remember, no shakes n rattles, though the EPS (electronic power steering) feels a little over assistive during slow drives. __________________________________________________ __________________________ _ 09-apr-07: Just completed the first service at 1000kms, then went for a 1000km long drive !! first service at 1k was nothing much to worry, oil change, filter cleanup and the normal tightening of doors and fixing some rattles.....that had me spending about 600 rupees.....Neat Mileage: First observation after 1k service, my first reading was 19.66kmpl............and by the next observation, the mileage was 20.54kmpl.......done with a fair level of accuracy........now this mileage is GREAT !!................having driven on highways over the course of 2 days. __________________________________________________ __________________________ __ 12-Jun-07: Completed the second free service at 5300km, had the ECU module tuned, wheel balancing, and the normal routine inspection with topup of fluids. Had a chance to talk to a manager from Maruti Udyog, and told him about concerns regarding high speed stability, skittly ride and others....got a patient hearing.....not sure if anything can be done regarding this. Have the CRDI rail system checked as a precaution for possible leaks from diesel backflow. Mileage in City with AC was 15. Also been for another drive of 800 kms.....which included very steep inclines......am not saying that the VDi does not have torque to climb, but had a certain delay...which i hope should be mitigated post the ECU tune up. Got HID (High Intensity Discharge) Bi Xenon lights fixed, with a light output of 8000K. Advantage is a wider spread of coverage with pure whitelight/daylight which would aid in night driving. Jan 15 2008: Installed a sharp in dash 7.2" dvd screen with usb. Fixing the set was easy, but the support screws provided are bare minimum on the dash board assembly. Promised my wife not to get distracted looking at the screen :-). Acoustics are definetely not a Swifts strong point. For the same review at mouthshut, posted Feb 01 2007 MARUTI SUZUKI SWIFT Review For a complete review on HID, TIPS ON MODIFICATIONS AND ENHANCEMENT IN CARS Review Feb 08 2008, Odo reads 10500, missed using the diesel devil while i was out of country. Time for 3rd service.

9th February 2008, 10:19	#2 (permalink)
AirWind BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 140	Very well written! and yes, true to its name it is very swift indeed! Did you say your VDi was delivered within 13 days? ie., test drive on 01/Feb and delivery on 14/Feb - thought it had a 3~6 months waiting time last year; any idea what the scenario is now? any discounts being offered? just checking if the craze over and if I can trade in my VXi for a VDi... i am also eagerly looking at FIAT to launch the Palio MJD - pity no signs however... Two reasons to keep me away from the Swift is the rattles and poor build. I disagree with you on the doors and build quality, it may be a superior Maruti but definitely its flimsy comparing a Palio or a Getz... Enjoy maadi :-) __________________ AirWind Swift Vxi Bright Red, Bangalore

9th February 2008, 11:01	#3 (permalink)
Jaggu Team-BHP Moderator Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,549	Nice review, could you give more details of your bixenon INSTALL (on How to) with pics if possible __________________ The strength to change what I can, the inability to accept what I can't, and the incapacity to tell the difference. -Calvin

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11th February 2008, 22:47	#4 (permalink)
xotiq Newbie Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: bangalore Posts: 4	Airwind, on my visits outside, i had heard a lot of praise about the Fiat 1.3 gem, so the first thing i did was book the as soon as it was launched. Its almost a year to date now, and i still remember, the dealer offered me a black vdi which they had kept ready as the display vehicle...which was enticing as they said they can deliver that in 2 days flat. Not liking this, went for something else, and got it on 14th. Yes, by the time i went for my first service, wait times were a month, which extended to 3 months by the third service. Not really sure about the 6 month wait !! Jaggu, Please check the hyperlink for the HID review i have posted on mouthshut. Will try to take some snaps and upload soon.