Maruti Suzuki Swift LXi

[shankar.balan]

My wife has a Maruti Suzuki Swift 2006 LXi Model which has now done about 10000 kms.
She refuses to drive so whenever we do use it, I end up behind the wheel.
My impressions of this car.
POSITIVES
1. Rather good looking car especially if one has the contrast A and B Pillars and maybe a contrast roof as well.
2. Very peppy and responsive
3. Superb EPS
4. Very easy and comfortable in the city- especially parking and managing traffic
5. Spacious enough with the rear seat down – fits 2 golf bags and trolley well.
6. Enough headroom and legroom etc in front with the seats pushed back.
7. Decent storage spaces for knick knacks
8. Controls within easy reach
9. Decent quality product and finish etc
NEGATIVES
1. Not very Fuel efficient in the city though such a small car – we get about 9 kmpl
2. Not enough space at the back if one is in the back seat – no rear headrests in LXi is irritating
3. Irritating confined feeling when looking out of rear windows
4. Cheap and silly sounding Original Horn – MUST Change
5. Lousy tyre size – feels very insecure while cornering fast-ish
6. Cries a bit while climbing my office basement incline when the AC is on – the minute the AC is switched off, it goes up quickly!
7. Very expensive outside rear view mirrors – and the most irritating thing is that the left mirror doesn’t come as standard fitment – one has to install it separately at one s own cost.
8. Maruti and their dealers have some bad, cheap habits like charging for everything including basic carpets, foot mats and mud flaps for heaven’s sake!
9. Once this car starts rattling, it is pretty difficult to find the source of the rattle and arrest the same – Ive been trying for nearly one year to locate one particular rattle and haven’t succeeded – nor has the garage!
OVERALL
1. Pretty good choice for the city
2. Would definitely prefer the Diesel version since fuel economy will be a little better
3. Ideal runabout for basic shopping, visiting people in town, taking one dog at a time to the vet etc, but certainly not my ideal choice for long distance driving and certainly not a car I personally will feel like “living in” for a long time.