My beloved Swift LDi

[ece2k2]

Hi Friends,

First of all, thanks to all the bhpians for guiding me indirectly/directly in finalizing this car and helping in souping it up with accessories. This is going to be pretty long thread with regular updates from me from time to time, including a 1200+ km trip experience. I am planning to add info in a phased manner and we will first start with some pics of the car.

to be continued

- karthik.

[ece2k2]

Started driving with 118 NE 10 years back at Coimbatore (took it for a spin just a couple of times though). After I landed in a job at Bangalore, I actively started my driving with a used Matiz from 2004 to 2006. Though I was happy with the car, it was a pain driving Matiz in Bangalore city with A/C on - extremely sluggish even with nominal load. Then graduated to a used Fiat Siena 1.6 during Aug 2006. This upgradation was awesome in terms of pickup, space, luxury and suspension. But the service was very much lacking throughout my ownership - we know about the Fiat *** afterall. Due to ever increasing fuel costs and Fiat service headaches, I decided to change my car 4 months back. I also got a decent price for my Siena, so sold it off first. Then bought the Swift LDi at Bangalore ... I finalized the Swift LDi due to two reasons: First being an economical diesel option and next being that I could get the car with a waiting period of under 10 days thro a reference at Bangalore (Getz D at that time was said to have 3 months waiting and the much expected Fabia let me down in terms of pricing). Unfortunately, the only color option that was available for Swift LDi was silky silver, though my preference was White since I have a silky silver swift petrol back home. But did not regret about this limitation and went ahead with the decision.

Back at Coimbatore, we had a Santro which my dad was using. During 2005 when I got married, I required a second car at Coimbatore (for my regular visits to Coimbatore at that time). So bought a Swift Vxi during Nov 2005. Since I do not visit Coimbatore frequently, we sold the Santro and we ended up having a Swift Vxi at Coimbatore ...

So, having a Silky silver Swift Diesel at Bangalore and a Silky Silver Swift Petrol at Coimbatore

[Team_Godspeed]

Nice car dude
could you tell me how long it took for them to deliver the car

[Rahulkool]

Nice choice man ..... and alloys looks nice, somewhat different design than the usual stuff

and as you own both petrol and diesel you can compare them both perfectly

[abhinav.gupta88]

Hey really nice car. Really Nice alloy wheels. Any Other mods you planning or have already done?

[ece2k2]

Originally Posted by Rahulkool

Nice choice man ..... and alloys looks nice, somewhat different design than the usual stuff

and as you own both petrol and diesel you can compare them both perfectly

Thanks Rahul!

Sure, here goes my comparison and all are imho:

1. Swift P is smooth all the way in the rev range as it is a petrol and Swift D screams if we give more than necessary throttle. During steep ghat climbs, my wifey was telling that the Swift D sounded like a Jeep at times and ofcourse this is my first Diesel car which might be a reason for me to overrevving it without respecting the torque delivered

2. Swift P engine tends to get "off" at almost each and every stop due to the poor low end torque. So, I end up clutch riding or racing the engine many a time in Swift P to keep it going in stop-go traffic. Swift D has loads of torque, so just put the car into first or second gear and enjoy the pulling without any throttle. This is the biggest advantage of Swift D and Swift D comes out as a winner in city drives.

3. Swift P's suspension used to make more noises when going through potholes and Swift D is less noisier - this may be my perception or due to the fact that Swift D has a more heavy front suspension setup

4. In highways, Swift D needs a little more planning than Swift P. If you are in turbo band, then Swift D performs as good as Swift P if not better. But, if you are in low revs, Swift D needs to be pushed more harder to make tight overtakes. But Swift D is more fun to drive even in highways, where you can enjoy the rush of turbo.

5. Swift D is more fuel efficient. Numbers are: Swift P - 13 (city), 17 (highway). Swift D - 15 (city), 21 (highway)

6. I cannot make much difference about the handling. Both handle extremely well till 100 kmph for sure. IMO, ability to take bad roads is better with Swift D. But my Swift D has better tires and alloys, whereas the Swift P is fully stock

7. New Swift D is rattling more than my much older Swift P

My pick is Swift D though it is pricier by 50k than Swift P for its inherent advantages including economy. Please let me know if you want to know something specific.

- Karthik.

[TOR]

Congrats on the new car ece, nice alloys am sure you will be posting about the buying experience the expenditure on the same.Please post some interior pictures too and would also like to have some info on the beige seat covers...ICE?

drive safe!

[PatienceWins]

Excellent pictures, comparison and write up.

Nice place and road. I believe it is somewhere in Nilgiri. Where exactly is this?

[ece2k2]

Originally Posted by abhinav.gupta88

Hey really nice car. Really Nice alloy wheels. Any Other mods you planning or have already done?

Abhinav, Thanks! Infact I had just one design option for the alloys in Lenso for 14", so I picked it up. Only other planned mod is to add the amp to the ICE and possibly a sub if I feel the need for one.

[ece2k2]

Originally Posted by Team_Godspeed

Nice car dude
could you tell me how long it took for them to deliver the car

Thanks man. i booked it during Feb 2nd week and got it delivered on Feb 28th. Though there was one more car that was shipped to the dealership on Feb 20th, the showroom manager was very kind by requesting me to hold the purchase till Feb 25th to get a more newer car (manufactured in Feb 2008 instead of the one that was available but was manufactured in Jan 2008).

[ece2k2]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Excellent pictures, comparison and write up.

Nice place and road. I believe it is somewhere in Nilgiri. Where exactly is this?

thanks & you got it right sir! this was enroute to kothagiri and some pics from kodanadu ...

[ece2k2]

Car on road cost including one year extended warranty: Rs 5.52 lakhs

Nippon keyless entry @ dealership: Rs 6k
Steering grip @ dealership: Rs. 500
Underbody coating with 10 years warranty @ dealership: Rs. 2k

Mudflaps during first service @ dealership: Rs. 270

Michelin XM1+ 185/70/R14 tires @ Sai Iyengar Sons CMH Road branch: Rs.3450 each
Lenso 14" alloy rims @ Sai Iyengar Sons CMH Road branch: Rs.3810 each (with the nuts for mounting the tires)
Buyback price of stock tires: Rs. 1000 each

Eclipse CD3200 headunit: Rs 11600 (bought at US)
Hertz DCX690: Rs.3600 (discount sale by Gunbirji)
Illusion Audio Electra EL6.1 front components @ EVO (Satya's shop): Rs.6700 (including installation)
Installation charges for Headunit and rear speakers (with speaker cables and MDF tray for rear speakers) @ EVO (Satya's shop): Rs. 1700
Hella 90/100 bulbs for headlight with Roots Relay @ EVO (Satya's shop): Rs.1300

Pensee Art+Natural leather combination seat covers with home installation: Rs. 7000 (got the quote directly from Pensee leathers office)

- SKB.

[ece2k2]

Originally Posted by TOR

Congrats on the new car ece, nice alloys am sure you will be posting about the buying experience the expenditure on the same.Please post some interior pictures too and would also like to have some info on the beige seat covers...ICE?

drive safe!

thanks TOR. I have given the expenditure list in a different post. Interior pics are coming up soon - still to take pics. The camel color seat covers are custom made ones by Pensee Leather @ Bangalore. The seat cover has art leather for the major portion and perforated natural leather has been used for the body contact areas of the seats. Frankly, I feel that this seat cover is better than the G-Sport ones in terms of cushioning and feel. I have the g-sport art leather seat cover in my Swift P.

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by ece2k2

thanks TOR. I have given the expenditure list in a different post. Interior pics are coming up soon - still to take pics. The camel color seat covers are custom made ones by Pensee Leather @ Bangalore. The seat cover has art leather for the major portion and perforated natural leather has been used for the body contact areas of the seats. Frankly, I feel that this seat cover is better than the G-Sport ones in terms of cushioning and feel. I have the g-sport art leather seat cover in my Swift P.

Can you please give the contact details of Pensee leather?

Edit:

I got it from :: PENSEE Leathers ::

The Camel one looks good.

[shuvd]

Congrats on your new ride. Alloys look HOT!
Get yourself a Pete's Tuning box now!