15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift

Stribog · 17th June 2020, 17:25

This car to me heralded a generational shift of India herself. Hyperbole? Read on before you come to that conclusion.

If the M800 was the first signs of India breaking away from the Ambassador / Padmini, stolid moribund Nehruvian era, the swift came when India had completed some 15 years after our reforms. We had grown at breakneck pace from 96 on. Malls, fancy hotels, coffeeshops (this was a biggie anywhere outside metro cities) were driving a consumer culture.

That's when this car dropped.

Mind you by that point we had a lot of imports that were hot (hotter even) looking and drove like a charm. You had the Lancers (I still dream about a tricked up yellow lancer), we were on the 2nd gen city but the 1st gen was such a head turner, Hyundai had its accent iterations but this along with the Scorpio were homegrown, desi, Indian products.

The Scorpio set hearts ablaze, I remember following the first few ones on the road on my puny Bajaj Aspire (I doubt even BHPians will remember this bike), as I loved the tail lamp, the butch suv looks but the swift appealed to the middle classes (Scorpio was far more expensive)

The black interiors simply screamed class, now remember this was relative to 2004-5, might not apply now. The car looked smashing from all sides and that engine! By 2004 I was driving my own car, a Santro Zing (another brilliant machine) and my father's, a Ford Escort, a late model, 2001 iirc before it stopped production. The zing was peppy sure, the escort had a much more powerful diesel but the first time I drove my friends Swift, I absolutely fell in love. That turbo lag was addictive (the one on the escort was painful and not fun), cornering her in the empty Chennai streets at 1 am was brilliant, and the price was eye watering.

Here was a Desi product that was well built, looked smashing and had solid internals and specs, not a very common thing for Indian automakers at that point.

I got the Autocar magazine for the month the swift review was out and devoured it cover to cover, I was tempted to sell my Zing and get the Swift but then I was 24 and my mom / dad / gf (now wife) all got together and put their foot down and said no, so I never did own a Swift sadly.

Wonder if Mahindra did something like this for the Scorpio.

Post script - Tata did make the brilliant Estate and Sierra but they sold only a handful and never made it to the mass market so I excluded them from the list of iconic desi cars. The Indica looked good but had horrible driving capablities (no offense to anyone), again so that also is dropped from my personal list.

DrCar · 17th June 2020, 18:46

The one car that still remains in heart even after you let it go physically is Swift. Had a 2009 Swift diesel,sold it due to maintenance related issues.

No other car yet manages to give the adrenaline rush that Swift can. Currently driving an Etios diesel but still remember the days when I was holding the steering wheel of Swift.

Souped my Swift with alloys, chrome accessories and amplifier.

Etios gives me peace of mind but Swift simply blew my mind.

My beloved Swift which is serving well now to its current owner:

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-img_20180808_152050.jpg

Everytime, when I see adverts of sellers posting an ad for selling his first generation Swift, I just hope that the seller would have planned his upgrade well, before letting go of his Swift.

TheVegabond · 17th June 2020, 20:13

The swift is India's own sports car. I call it poor man's Ferrari - no offenses. The sheer pleasure of driving it through busy Delhi traffic with minimal fus is something I have loved for long.

Is it only me or there are others who were disappointed by the upgrade to current generation? The body does not feel as robust as before and the low end punch the previous generation had is also missing.

Aniruddha_Ch · 17th June 2020, 21:22

In my opinion, back in 2005, Swift had been 1 car which have earned that respect for hatchback segment. Well this is the 2012 swift ZDI owned by family, which have turned 8 previous month. This we've bought after using 1st gen 09' Swift LDI for 2.5 years and 65k Kms. It's one car, which had been quite popular amongst my family and friends, like I've driven every engine in all the generations for considerable amount of time. My personal favourite would always remains:-

Petrol- 2008 facelifted 1st Gen 1.3 Zxi (purely for its engine)
Diesel- 2nd gen DDIS (somehow it's good all-rounder out of all generations)

Ownership had been quite trouble free, apart from Synchroniser rings issue and famous rattles. It had always been one dependable ride and never troubled on long roadtrips. Infact, major trips were undertaken once car crossed 1 lac.

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-img_20161127_161917167_hdr.jpg

1,70,000 Kms on odo, after visiting 17 states of India and Bhutan.

landcruiser123 · 17th June 2020, 22:53

Swift in 2005 was a revolution with dual airbags and ABS in a small hatchback. It was a trendsetter in bringing "premium" and "luxury" features to mass-market cars.

My dad skipped the Swift in favor of the Getz in 2006. I wonder what that would have been like although we never regretted that move except while filling fuel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JojyKerala

Not sure if Suzukis are sold in the UK but my cousin had a very bad image of the brand though he loved driving the Swift.

Worldwide, Suzuki is known to make cheap fuel efficient cars which are not very well built.

headbanger · 18th June 2020, 00:33

Still recall the first Gen swift in a very different tone of green color way back during its launch days. The reaction that it extracted form the audience was like wow, for the initial period of its launch it was quite a rage.

Call it the rattle queen or flimsy build, the car and of course the manufacturer has its share of issues, but you gotta give this car respect for the sheer numbers and following it got. The fact that it was fun to drive and had sharp chassis meant that it had got its fair share of enthusiasts as well. Being mod friendly just added the right amount of spice.
Maruti just munched milestones one after other with K12M and 1.3DDIS engines and swift/dzire combo was the the leader of the pack using this engine. This car is surely writing a legacy for itself.

PrasannaDhana · 18th June 2020, 08:38

One of the very rare Maruti cars that looked good, was fun to drive, was fast as well as fuel efficient.

Here is my darling

2007 Swift Diesel VDI

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-458195_4228176711222_813272797_o-1.jpg

There was no airbags on offer, no ZDI nomenclature and the top end was the VDI which came with ABS.

I totally loved the car all the 5 years I owned it. Bought it new for 6 lakhs OTR and sold it in 2012, after 90,000 km for 4.75 lakhs. A beauty, inside out.

I have regretted selling it so many times. I still am in touch with the details of the car. I came to know it has 3,15,000 km on odo now and the second owner is in no mood to sell it.

ds.raikkonen · 18th June 2020, 10:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

This is how I'd do up my Swift:
Attachment 2017694

Attachment 2017695

Attachment 2017696

Whoa this one is too good, especially the wheels and after market honeycomb grille, looks amazing!

Where can I get that honeycomb grille and wheels? Online perhaps?

Mafia · 19th June 2020, 01:15

Swift is one car that has really stayed the 'Hot hatch

sad that it is rated only 2 stars in NCAP crash test

skishorenaik · 19th June 2020, 10:38

5 years till date. zero issues. Average 20 kmpl (Diesel). Happy with my choice.
Thanks to Maruti for a reliable product...

rahulcmoulee · 19th June 2020, 11:17

I remember the Swift having just arrived at the dealership the day we went to take delivery of our first car the WagonR. It looked so radically different from anything else in the showroom and immediately caught everyone's attention. 15 years later it is still going strong and has a large fanbase. Great engines, fun to drive, efficient and even practical now.

Now if only they would bring that 1.4L turbo petrol here.

A pic of a very young me from the day in front of the icon.

arindambasu13 · 19th June 2020, 11:23

In keeping with the theme of this thread, could not resist posting the picture of my erstwhile Swift K12 purchased in 2012 and sold in 2019 in exchange for my current Honda City.

I put on the Lenso Samurais and 195 section rubber and the Swift remained an absolute looker for the rest of its stay with me. One of those cars which are very easy to deck up and lends itself to mods like very few others.

This picture is from the very first day that the Lenso Samurais and the Yokohama rubbers went on.

l1lll · 14th October 2020, 16:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by JojyKerala

Not sure if Suzukis are sold in the UK but my cousin had a very bad image of the brand though he loved driving the Swift.

A bit late to this thread, but they are sold in the UK. They are considered a cheap brand (not poor quality, but not fashionable at all). People who understand cars do agree that they are good bang for buck. So this could be a reason why he did not want it.

Kpzonwheels · 14th October 2020, 22:18

Late post alert !

My membership was approved recently. Brought back many memories with our swift while going through this thread. Bought in 2012, when waiting time was 4 months. Exchanged with baleno in 2019 with 140000 Kms on odo. It was very much reliable and fun to drive.

Swift 1.3 MJD

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-img_20201014_220600.jpg

magic number on odo

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-img_20171224_180555.jpg

sayakc · 14th April 2021, 07:43

At the outset, let me state that I am not much of an driver. My driving experience is quite limited and I have travelled to only a handful of places in this huge country of ours. But, like many, I am willing to discover. Our car completed 1 lakh kms yesterday. As such, this seemingly humble milestone for many, is quite noteworthy for me. And to celebrate that I have written this short post.

***

Our 12.5 years old Maruti Swift, the only car that I have owned and driven extensively completed 1 lac kms yesterday! We purchased it on 21-Sep-2009 and for the past several years it has always put a smile to our faces.

Still remember the day we got the keys to the car. I was learning to drive from the motor training school during that time. The 'motivation' to buying the car was, I felt, if I didn't pursue my driving interests further due to the lack of a car then I might not be able to take up the steering wheel again.

Discussed with my girlfriend, now wife, on which car to purchase. We were undecided between the i20 and Swift. However, the i20 was much higher and so we decided to book the Swift. We went to the showroom (Machino Techno) and booked the car without even taking a test drive.

It was purchased before we got the keys to our apartment. And for my son, its his big brother and I love it how my son pampers it at times (he pastes red tape on the scratch marks )

Remember a lot of drives in it. Through NH34 to my hometown, Cooch Behar, in 2011 and 2012 (IIRC)- took us 24 hours one way. Then on, decided won't take NH34 ever after. So, it wasn't until 2016 that we started taking the road once again - after the SH7 was constructed and most of NH34 was four laned. We rarely use the car for city duties. I have a motorcycle to do that. And even that at close to 60K mileage and 10 years on the clock isn't getting younger.

Lets hope to continue this association in the days to come. And without further ado, let me leave you this collection of photos that I have captured from many of the road trips!

***

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-car.jpeg

Car completes 1,00,000 on 12-Apr-21

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-01_puri_2013.jpg

On Puri Konark Marine Drive. Jan, 2013.

Garpanchakot, Monsoon 2015

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-03_garpanchakot_2015_a-portion-fort.jpg

Look at the condition of the fort during those days.

Bishnupur, Aug 2016

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-05_garpanchakot_autumn-2016.jpg

Garpanchakot, Autumn 2016. Kash flowers blooming.

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-06_gangtok_oct_2016.jpg

Enroute Gangtok, Oct 2016 (Puja Holidays)

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-07_enroute-hansulibank_oct_2016.jpg

Enroute Hansulibank, Late Oct 2016

Biharinath, Dec 2016

Ajodhya Pahar, April 2017

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-matelli.jpg

Matelli Tea Estate, Dooars, May 2017

Hansulibank, Oct 2017

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-12_lungthung_nov_2017.jpg

Lungthung, Old Silk Route, Nov 2017

Matha, Dec 2017

Tiger Hill Dec, 2017.

Jhargram, May 2018

Chamong Chiabari, Oct 2018

Pelling, Dec 2018

Baranti, Jan 2019

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-shillong.jpg

Shillong, Mar 2019

Dooars, May 2019

Murguma, Oct 2019

Buxa, Oct 2019

Arunachal, Dec 2019

Kuldiha, Jan 2020

Gorubathan, Oct 2020

Rishyop, Dec 2020

Asanboni, Feb 2021

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-28_mp_mar_2021.jpg

Clicked at AHD Uluberia, enroute MP, March 2021

15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift-log-sheet.jpeg

I maintain a log sheet of all our holidays. An excerpt of that.

17th June 2020, 17:25	#31
Stribog BHPian Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Chennai Posts: 802 Thanked: 3,395 Times	Re: 15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift This car to me heralded a generational shift of India herself. Hyperbole? Read on before you come to that conclusion. If the M800 was the first signs of India breaking away from the Ambassador / Padmini, stolid moribund Nehruvian era, the swift came when India had completed some 15 years after our reforms. We had grown at breakneck pace from 96 on. Malls, fancy hotels, coffeeshops (this was a biggie anywhere outside metro cities) were driving a consumer culture. That's when this car dropped. Mind you by that point we had a lot of imports that were hot (hotter even) looking and drove like a charm. You had the Lancers (I still dream about a tricked up yellow lancer), we were on the 2nd gen city but the 1st gen was such a head turner, Hyundai had its accent iterations but this along with the Scorpio were homegrown, desi, Indian products. The Scorpio set hearts ablaze, I remember following the first few ones on the road on my puny Bajaj Aspire (I doubt even BHPians will remember this bike), as I loved the tail lamp, the butch suv looks but the swift appealed to the middle classes (Scorpio was far more expensive) The black interiors simply screamed class, now remember this was relative to 2004-5, might not apply now. The car looked smashing from all sides and that engine! By 2004 I was driving my own car, a Santro Zing (another brilliant machine) and my father's, a Ford Escort, a late model, 2001 iirc before it stopped production. The zing was peppy sure, the escort had a much more powerful diesel but the first time I drove my friends Swift, I absolutely fell in love. That turbo lag was addictive (the one on the escort was painful and not fun), cornering her in the empty Chennai streets at 1 am was brilliant, and the price was eye watering. Here was a Desi product that was well built, looked smashing and had solid internals and specs, not a very common thing for Indian automakers at that point. I got the Autocar magazine for the month the swift review was out and devoured it cover to cover, I was tempted to sell my Zing and get the Swift but then I was 24 and my mom / dad / gf (now wife) all got together and put their foot down and said no, so I never did own a Swift sadly. Wonder if Mahindra did something like this for the Scorpio. Post script - Tata did make the brilliant Estate and Sierra but they sold only a handful and never made it to the mass market so I excluded them from the list of iconic desi cars. The Indica looked good but had horrible driving capablities (no offense to anyone), again so that also is dropped from my personal list.
	() Thanks

17th June 2020, 18:46	#32
DrCar BHPian Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: Mumbai Posts: 216 Thanked: 915 Times	Re: 15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift The one car that still remains in heart even after you let it go physically is Swift. Had a 2009 Swift diesel,sold it due to maintenance related issues. No other car yet manages to give the adrenaline rush that Swift can. Currently driving an Etios diesel but still remember the days when I was holding the steering wheel of Swift. Souped my Swift with alloys, chrome accessories and amplifier. Etios gives me peace of mind but Swift simply blew my mind. My beloved Swift which is serving well now to its current owner: Everytime, when I see adverts of sellers posting an ad for selling his first generation Swift, I just hope that the seller would have planned his upgrade well, before letting go of his Swift.
	(1) Thanks

17th June 2020, 20:13	#33
TheVegabond BHPian Join Date: May 2020 Location: New Delhi Posts: 163 Thanked: 473 Times	Re: 15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift The swift is India's own sports car. I call it poor man's Ferrari - no offenses. The sheer pleasure of driving it through busy Delhi traffic with minimal fus is something I have loved for long. Is it only me or there are others who were disappointed by the upgrade to current generation? The body does not feel as robust as before and the low end punch the previous generation had is also missing.
	() Thanks

17th June 2020, 21:22	#34
Aniruddha_Ch BHPian Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Mumbai/Pune Posts: 113 Thanked: 441 Times	Re: 15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift In my opinion, back in 2005, Swift had been 1 car which have earned that respect for hatchback segment. Well this is the 2012 swift ZDI owned by family, which have turned 8 previous month. This we've bought after using 1st gen 09' Swift LDI for 2.5 years and 65k Kms. It's one car, which had been quite popular amongst my family and friends, like I've driven every engine in all the generations for considerable amount of time. My personal favourite would always remains:- Petrol- 2008 facelifted 1st Gen 1.3 Zxi (purely for its engine) Diesel- 2nd gen DDIS (somehow it's good all-rounder out of all generations) Ownership had been quite trouble free, apart from Synchroniser rings issue and famous rattles. It had always been one dependable ride and never troubled on long roadtrips. Infact, major trips were undertaken once car crossed 1 lac. 1,70,000 Kms on odo, after visiting 17 states of India and Bhutan. Last edited by Aniruddha_Ch : 17th June 2020 at 21:42.
	(1) Thanks

18th June 2020, 00:33	#36
headbanger BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 552 Thanked: 1,544 Times	Re: 15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift Still recall the first Gen swift in a very different tone of green color way back during its launch days. The reaction that it extracted form the audience was like wow, for the initial period of its launch it was quite a rage. Call it the rattle queen or flimsy build, the car and of course the manufacturer has its share of issues, but you gotta give this car respect for the sheer numbers and following it got. The fact that it was fun to drive and had sharp chassis meant that it had got its fair share of enthusiasts as well. Being mod friendly just added the right amount of spice. Maruti just munched milestones one after other with K12M and 1.3DDIS engines and swift/dzire combo was the the leader of the pack using this engine. This car is surely writing a legacy for itself.
	() Thanks

18th June 2020, 08:38	#37
PrasannaDhana Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: TRICHY - TN Posts: 2,923 Thanked: 18,375 Times View My Garage	Re: 15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift One of the very rare Maruti cars that looked good, was fun to drive, was fast as well as fuel efficient. Here is my darling 2007 Swift Diesel VDI There was no airbags on offer, no ZDI nomenclature and the top end was the VDI which came with ABS. I totally loved the car all the 5 years I owned it. Bought it new for 6 lakhs OTR and sold it in 2012, after 90,000 km for 4.75 lakhs. A beauty, inside out. I have regretted selling it so many times. I still am in touch with the details of the car. I came to know it has 3,15,000 km on odo now and the second owner is in no mood to sell it.
	(2) Thanks

19th June 2020, 01:15	#39
Mafia BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: BLR MCT Posts: 962 Thanked: 900 Times	Re: 15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift Swift is one car that has really stayed the 'Hot hatch sad that it is rated only 2 stars in NCAP crash test
	() Thanks

19th June 2020, 10:38	#40
skishorenaik Newbie Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: BENGALURU Posts: 2 Thanked: 3 Times	Re: 15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift 5 years till date. zero issues. Average 20 kmpl (Diesel). Happy with my choice. Thanks to Maruti for a reliable product... Attached Thumbnails
	(2) Thanks

19th June 2020, 11:17	#41
rahulcmoulee BHPian Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 297 Thanked: 964 Times View My Garage	Re: 15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift I remember the Swift having just arrived at the dealership the day we went to take delivery of our first car the WagonR. It looked so radically different from anything else in the showroom and immediately caught everyone's attention. 15 years later it is still going strong and has a large fanbase. Great engines, fun to drive, efficient and even practical now. Now if only they would bring that 1.4L turbo petrol here. A pic of a very young me from the day in front of the icon. Attached Thumbnails
	(4) Thanks

19th June 2020, 11:23	#42
arindambasu13 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,582 Thanked: 2,450 Times	Re: 15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift In keeping with the theme of this thread, could not resist posting the picture of my erstwhile Swift K12 purchased in 2012 and sold in 2019 in exchange for my current Honda City. I put on the Lenso Samurais and 195 section rubber and the Swift remained an absolute looker for the rest of its stay with me. One of those cars which are very easy to deck up and lends itself to mods like very few others. This picture is from the very first day that the Lenso Samurais and the Yokohama rubbers went on. Attached Thumbnails
	(1) Thanks

14th October 2020, 22:18	#44
Kpzonwheels BHPian Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Kannur Posts: 117 Thanked: 177 Times	Re: 15 years of the Maruti-Suzuki Swift Late post alert ! My membership was approved recently. Brought back many memories with our swift while going through this thread. Bought in 2012, when waiting time was 4 months. Exchanged with baleno in 2019 with 140000 Kms on odo. It was very much reliable and fun to drive. Swift 1.3 MJD magic number on odo Last edited by Kpzonwheels : 14th October 2020 at 22:20.
	(2) Thanks

14th April 2021, 07:43	#45
sayakc BHPian Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Calcutta Posts: 481 Thanked: 3,042 Times View My Garage	At the outset, let me state that I am not much of an driver. My driving experience is quite limited and I have travelled to only a handful of places in this huge country of ours. But, like many, I am willing to discover. Our car completed 1 lakh kms yesterday. As such, this seemingly humble milestone for many, is quite noteworthy for me. And to celebrate that I have written this short post. ***** Our 12.5 years old Maruti Swift, the only car that I have owned and driven extensively completed 1 lac kms yesterday! We purchased it on 21-Sep-2009 and for the past several years it has always put a smile to our faces. Still remember the day we got the keys to the car. I was learning to drive from the motor training school during that time. The 'motivation' to buying the car was, I felt, if I didn't pursue my driving interests further due to the lack of a car then I might not be able to take up the steering wheel again. Discussed with my girlfriend, now wife, on which car to purchase. We were undecided between the i20 and Swift. However, the i20 was much higher and so we decided to book the Swift. We went to the showroom (Machino Techno) and booked the car without even taking a test drive. It was purchased before we got the keys to our apartment. And for my son, its his big brother and I love it how my son pampers it at times (he pastes red tape on the scratch marks ) Remember a lot of drives in it. Through NH34 to my hometown, Cooch Behar, in 2011 and 2012 (IIRC)- took us 24 hours one way. Then on, decided won't take NH34 ever after. So, it wasn't until 2016 that we started taking the road once again - after the SH7 was constructed and most of NH34 was four laned. We rarely use the car for city duties. I have a motorcycle to do that. And even that at close to 60K mileage and 10 years on the clock isn't getting younger. Lets hope to continue this association in the days to come. And without further ado, let me leave you this collection of photos that I have captured from many of the road trips! ***** Car completes 1,00,000 on 12-Apr-21 On Puri Konark Marine Drive. Jan, 2013. Garpanchakot, Monsoon 2015 Look at the condition of the fort during those days. Bishnupur, Aug 2016 Garpanchakot, Autumn 2016. Kash flowers blooming. Enroute Gangtok, Oct 2016 (Puja Holidays) Enroute Hansulibank, Late Oct 2016 Biharinath, Dec 2016 Ajodhya Pahar, April 2017 Matelli Tea Estate, Dooars, May 2017 Hansulibank, Oct 2017 Lungthung, Old Silk Route, Nov 2017 Matha, Dec 2017 Tiger Hill Dec, 2017. Jhargram, May 2018 Chamong Chiabari, Oct 2018 Pelling, Dec 2018 Baranti, Jan 2019 Shillong, Mar 2019 Dooars, May 2019 Murguma, Oct 2019 Buxa, Oct 2019 Arunachal, Dec 2019 Kuldiha, Jan 2020 Gorubathan, Oct 2020 Rishyop, Dec 2020 Asanboni, Feb 2021 Clicked at AHD Uluberia, enroute MP, March 2021 I maintain a log sheet of all our holidays. An excerpt of that.
	(3) Thanks