[itwasntme]

Superbly summarised by Zappo.

Go for the petrol. The ZXI has everything and is an excellent and safe city car. For 300 km/month of city driving, the VDI with the far lower spec is simply overwhelmed by the ZXI.

[MaxX]

Originally Posted by Zappo

Lets get one thing out of the way first. Your dealer's salesman is talking through his hat. In fact he should be fired from his job just for this offence. He is spreading canards and has no idea about what he is talking. If anything till date we have had more problems reported with petrol Swift than the diesel one. Prominent one being the clutch issue.

So having got that myth out of the way, why do you really want the diesel? You said you drive only 10 kms in a day?!! That is a max of 300 kms a month. Even if you drive all the 30 days, otherwise it can be even less. There is a huge waiting period for the diesel car. And then on paying the top $$$ what do you get? A hatch that has almost no frills. The only gem being that engine.

On the other hand the petrol gets you all the bells and whistles as you yourself listed out. On top of that its no slouch either when compared to the diesel. IMO, in your case its not worth spending so much for a car whose top USP is FE and driveability (the driveability is countered well by the ZXi). You won't drive as much to justify the FE part of the diesel car but will get much less car for your money than what you could have had.

Think about it.

Thanks for the reply, The ZXi it is

Actually I meant 20km/day, but as someone said earlier 60km/day is the cutoff where diesel's are better. The Petrol was also felt quieter than the diesel.

Also regarding waiting we were told that petrol has a 1.5 month and diesel a 1.5-2 month waiting. So there is not much difference in that aspect.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Can't wait 6 months for a new car!

Cannot really understand this. A dealer here told me that VDi is available in 50 days & the petrol in 40 days. Why is it so different in bangalore ?

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Cannot really understand this. A dealer here told me that VDi is available in 50 days & the petrol in 40 days. Why is it so different in bangalore ?

John, I am guessing here, but I think it has to do with two things
1. A quota system: I think every city has a quota fixed by Maruti. I think compared to the available cars the demand is much higher in Bangalore in comparison to any other cities.
2. Blackmarketing: The higher demand is like a vicious cycle. Dealers, having seen the demand, syphon off the legitimately booked cars and lie to the customer about non-delivery, huge demands, production issues at Maruti etc. In turn they hoard these cars and sell them at a premium to someone who is willing to pay 20-30k or more in excess. This in turn creates further backlogs and also adds to some domino effect where people get swept away in a "wave" of Swift diesel and believe this must be the next big thing since their poochie learnt to go out and do poo poo on its own. And this adds to further demand in an already constricted market.

It has today reached a stage where a diesel swift in bangalore gets quoted at anything from 4 months to 6 months and sometimes even more. Maruti needs to look into the dishonest practices of the dealers first if they want to overcome customer dissatisfaction

Originally Posted by MaxX

Thanks for the reply, The ZXi it is

Actually I meant 20km/day, but as someone said earlier 60km/day is the cutoff where diesel's are better. The Petrol was also felt quieter than the diesel.

Also regarding waiting we were told that petrol has a 1.5 month and diesel a 1.5-2 month waiting. So there is not much difference in that aspect.

MaxX there is no cut-off shut-off anywhere to own a diesel. Thats a misconception dear. There used to be a time when maintaining a smokey, leaky diesel used to be a major heartburn. Plus the diesels used to be humongously costly to buy as well. In those days people used to say that for such a costly car to be bought and then maintained (even more costly) you should have a minimum XYZ kms of drive everyday. The idea being the cheaper diesel will even out the other issues.

Today the scenario is different. Diesels are as cheap if not cheaper to maintain as compared to petrols. On top of that they are not the plodding, smoking smelly things that they used to be. Today the only thing that remains to be considered is that whether you can not spend the same or even a little less money and yet get a car with more features than an equivalent diesel. And if the no. of kms run is abysmally low as in your case it probably makes sense to buy a petrol as you will not feel the pinch at all. Otherwise even a person running 30kms in a day will make a saving and may feel vindicated in buying a diesel (2 lts of diesel = Rs 67 per day whereas around 2.8 lts of petrol = roughly Rs.144 per day).

[MaxX]

Originally Posted by Zappo

MaxX there is no cut-off shut-off anywhere to own a diesel. Thats a misconception dear. There used to be a time when maintaining a smokey, leaky diesel used to be a major heartburn. Plus the diesels used to be humongously costly to buy as well. In those days people used to say that for such a costly car to be bought and then maintained (even more costly) you should have a minimum XYZ kms of drive everyday. The idea being the cheaper diesel will even out the other issues.

Today the scenario is different. Diesels are as cheap if not cheaper to maintain as compared to petrols. On top of that they are not the plodding, smoking smelly things that they used to be. Today the only thing that remains to be considered is that whether you can not spend the same or even a little less money and yet get a car with more features than an equivalent diesel. And if the no. of kms run is abysmally low as in your case it probably makes sense to buy a petrol as you will not feel the pinch at all. Otherwise even a person running 30kms in a day will make a saving and may feel vindicated in buying a diesel (2 lts of diesel = Rs 67 per day whereas around 2.8 lts of petrol = roughly Rs.144 per day).

Thanks for the info, I wonder why the salesman was scaring us then

Anyway, would also be taking a diesel car next year (probably an Optra Magnum as suggested by the salesman himself which he said was the most powerful car, more than the swift), for longer drives. There would probably be many more Diesel cars next to choose from next year anyway

[BijuPaul]

I’m for the Swift for two things,
1) The way it handles especially at high speeds.
2) Its Diesel Engine, So small but so smart.
I just love it.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Cannot really understand this. A dealer here told me that VDi is available in 50 days & the petrol in 40 days. Why is it so different in bangalore ?

With petrol costing the most in Bangalore, a lot more people decide to go in for a diesel car, is my understanding. Although, this doesnt discount what Zappo has mentioned in his post.

[akash_m]

The only reason one would buy any diesel car would be economy, nothing else IMO. The price gap in diesel and petrol is reducing rapidly. ZXi has host of features and is a superb car. Go for it!

[mobike008]

Max, if you use the car for only 20kms a day and that too in the city then its best to opt for Lxi or Vxi and save some more additional money that you can splurge on a good set of alloys and ICE

Regarding other smaller bells and whistles like keyless entry, insurance, mats, leather steering wrap, teflon coating, under body anti-rust coat etc, if you negotiate these may all come free of cost

[MaxX]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Max, if you use the car for only 20kms a day and that too in the city then its best to opt for Lxi or Vxi and save some more additional money that you can splurge on a good set of alloys and ICE

Regarding other smaller bells and whistles like keyless entry, insurance, mats, leather steering wrap, teflon coating, under body anti-rust coat etc, if you negotiate these may all come free of cost

Swift (even the Zxi) does not come with a music system.. the dealer told me a good one is around 15k and they provide it. What is ICE?

[kuttapan]

The small white thingeys that you get from the freezer compartment of your refrigerator...LoL..

Seriously speaking, IN CAR ENTERTAINMENT..

[sudarshansarma]

Guys take it from a guy who knows his stuff about ABS systems and other active safety(its my bread and butter) Abs works on drums as well. All that is required is a sensor that detects wheel lock up and an actuator to reduce braking pressure. Have discs or drums makes no diff. of course the benefits associated with discs play their own part in making a disc brake monitored by an ABS system more effective. But the Drum can come quite close to this. 2 channel ABS has been discontinued ages ago by all manufacturers(Read late 80's, 91, 92) due to stability issues. The swift also has EBD which distributes braking bias even more to assist the ABS system. So i think you are home with the active safety on the ZXI

[BUSA]

The price gap in diesel and petrol is reducing rapidly

Where did that come from, AFAIK petrol prices where hiked by Rs. 1 but diesels remain the same.

Do give me some insight and some feedback from existing Vdi owners regarding maintainance cost and such would be great!

Buddy, diesel maintanance is similar to petrols nowadays with the invent of modern CRDI engines. So dont worry about maintainance.

my parents think the Petrol is a better idea

I was in the same dilemma as you whether to opt for a ZXi(with all those bells and whistles) or VDi with ABS, i decided with the VDi with ABS and the reasons why diesel Swift is better then a Petrol Swift can be summarised in the following points.

• Swift Petrols engine is a G13BB which is potentially a 12+ year old engine now and too long in the tooth, it has poor low end torque and driveability.
• Petrol Swifts have premature Clutch Wear Problem, where the clutch lasts for hardly 15,000kms
• Maruti is soon going to replace the G13BB in the Swifts with a Mseries engine(M13A i think)
• Many Swift Petrol Owners want to upgrade to diesel, need i say more.
• Petrol Swifts wont have as good resale as Diesel ones.
• Petrol prices are going to get hiked in the near future wheras diesel prices dont have much chances of being hiked, reason is most of the transportation in out country is by road and trucks use diesels, some days back when government had hiked the prices for diesel the truckers went on a strike, leading to government reducing the prices to previous levels.
• Diesel Swift rattles less then Petrol Swift(dont know how far it is true)
• You can get ABS + EBD in Swift Diesel as well, Climate Control doesnot affect much, its more of a gizzmo, but airbags are useful God forbid that you ever need to use them. Other then this the petrol swift has no significant features over the diesel, wider tyres, parcel shelf and all the other small stuff can be added aftermarket. Trust me once you buy the VDi you wont feel the pinch for the extra features of the ZXi
• Diesel Swift have a better ride then their petrol counter parts.
• On absolute hard driving a Petrol Swift wont give you more then 8 kmpl, wheras a diesel will give you around 15.
• On normal driving the petrol will give you 9-10 in City and 13-14 on the highways, the diesel will give you 16-17 in City and 20-21 on highways.
• Diesel Costs Rs. 35, Petrol Costs Rs. 51
• So in Rs. 51 when a petrol swift goes 10kms, the diesel will go 22kms, thats more then double.
• Petrol Swift Torque is a measly 11.4KGM wheras the diesel Swifts torque is 19KGM
• Diesel Swifts engine was the Engine of the year in 2006
• And the biggest reason why i find the diesel better is the diesel is more fun to drive the petrol and wont be heavy on your pocket, will be easy to sell.

Considering the above points i think a Swift diesel is a much better bet then the petrol, if MUL gets the Mseries then its a different story but i would surely never put my money on that G13BB, its old and its time to say good bye to it. Many people on the forum have booked SX4 ZXi with all those features but opted for the Swift DDIS and not regretted their decision, people booked VXi have changed their mind to LDi, and once you get the diesel you would be naturally driving more since you need not think twice before taking any journey. You can read about peoples review on the Swift Diesel in the Long Term Ownership Thread here

Now its upto you, the Swift Diesel wont dissapoint in anyway, its a very fun to drive car and will keep you smiling at the bunk as well

[MaxX]

Originally Posted by BUSA

Where did that come from, AFAIK petrol prices where hiked by Rs. 1 but diesels remain the same.



Buddy, diesel maintanance is similar to petrols nowadays with the invent of modern CRDI engines. So dont worry about maintainance.



I was in the same dilemma as you whether to opt for a ZXi(with all those bells and whistles) or VDi with ABS, i decided with the VDi with ABS and the reasons why diesel Swift is better then a Petrol Swift can be summarised in the following points.

• Swift Petrols engine is a G13BB which is potentially a 12+ year old engine now and too long in the tooth, it has poor low end torque and driveability.
• Petrol Swifts have premature Clutch Wear Problem, where the clutch lasts for hardly 15,000kms
• Maruti is soon going to replace the G13BB in the Swifts with a Mseries engine(M13A i think)
• Many Swift Petrol Owners want to upgrade to diesel, need i say more.
• Petrol Swifts wont have as good resale as Diesel ones.
• Petrol prices are going to get hiked in the near future wheras diesel prices dont have much chances of being hiked, reason is most of the transportation in out country is by road and trucks use diesels, some days back when government had hiked the prices for diesel the truckers went on a strike, leading to government reducing the prices to previous levels.
• Diesel Swift rattles less then Petrol Swift(dont know how far it is true)
• You can get ABS + EBD in Swift Diesel as well, Climate Control doesnot affect much, its more of a gizzmo, but airbags are useful God forbid that you ever need to use them. Other then this the petrol swift has no significant features over the diesel, wider tyres, parcel shelf and all the other small stuff can be added aftermarket. Trust me once you buy the VDi you wont feel the pinch for the extra features of the ZXi
• Diesel Swift have a better ride then their petrol counter parts.
• On absolute hard driving a Petrol Swift wont give you more then 8 kmpl, wheras a diesel will give you around 15.
• On normal driving the petrol will give you 9-10 in City and 13-14 on the highways, the diesel will give you 16-17 in City and 20-21 on highways.
• Diesel Costs Rs. 35, Petrol Costs Rs. 51
• So in Rs. 51 when a petrol swift goes 10kms, the diesel will go 22kms, thats more then double.
• Petrol Swift Torque is a measly 11.4KGM wheras the diesel Swifts torque is 19KGM
• Diesel Swifts engine was the Engine of the year in 2006
• And the biggest reason why i find the diesel better is the diesel is more fun to drive the petrol and wont be heavy on your pocket, will be easy to sell.

Considering the above points i think a Swift diesel is a much better bet then the petrol, if MUL gets the Mseries then its a different story but i would surely never put my money on that G13BB, its old and its time to say good bye to it. Many people on the forum have booked SX4 ZXi with all those features but opted for the Swift DDIS and not regretted their decision, people booked VXi have changed their mind to LDi, and once you get the diesel you would be naturally driving more since you need not think twice before taking any journey. You can read about peoples review on the Swift Diesel in the Long Term Ownership Thread here

Now its upto you, the Swift Diesel wont dissapoint in anyway, its a very fun to drive car and will keep you smiling at the bunk as well

All valid points

Booked the ZXi today as per the recommendations of the people before you. I didn't find the petrol that sluggish and after hearing about how someone we know life's got saved cause of Swift's airbag, the ZXi it was

Petrol cost doesnt really matter too much, as its not going to be used that much.. anyway fuel costs can be written off as expenses. In any case, gonna go for a large car in diesel next year

The dealer is giving free teflon coating, steering wheel cover, mats n some other small things. Is an anti-rust coating required?

Have chosen a red swift and they have some good black art. leather seat covers. For ICE, I went through another thread and will ask for a Pioneer 7950UB HU with JBL 937 in the back and JBL CS2165C at front. Does anybody know the approx cost if this is taken from the dealer (with warranty and bills)?

[gnanek]

I personally suggest Swift VDI, it's a super vehicle.

As details given BUSA, Swift VDI is TOP rated choice w.r.t Engine.. really doing good....

Go for the one.. and enjoy the exp'nce