[Montoya]

Originally Posted by johnjacob

When I buy my Swift I'll go for 195/55R15 if I can do so without voiding the warranty.

Even i am planing to do the same. Oh common Maruti do you only have 145 - 175 rubber with you. Just these tyres are going around on all Marutis. The Swift is heavier then even the Baleno it deserves 185s..

[johnjacob]

I just bought my newsstand copy of the May issue of Autocar India, and guess what? They have a preview of the Swift as the cover story. They call the Swift "the most important Indian car of 2005".

The AI folks did not get to see an Indian edition Swift, but instead were flown to Singapore to drive the Singaporean model. However, they were told of the differences between the Indian model and the international ones.
1. The Indian model won't have 60/40 split folding rear seats.
2. The Indian model will come with 185/70R14 tires (185/65R15 in Singapore, Australia etc).
3. The Singapore model weighs 1065Kg. In India, with the lightweight all-aluminium engine from the Esteem, this figure should be a little less (but still more than 1000Kg).
4. The Indian model will come with the Esteem engine 85 BHP (vs 83 for the Getz) and 10.6Kgm of torque (vs 11.8 for the Getz). The Getz weighs 1025-1050Kg - about the same as the Swift. So there shouldn't be much difference in performance.
5. The international model comes with a multifunction display that shows outside temperature, fuel efficiency and the time. The Indian model will have a stripped down (multi)function display that shows only the time!
6. No word on whether the Indian model will come with the excellent integrated in-dash slot loading CD-player found on the international models.
7. The Swift is wider than the Getz but shorter (in fact its wheelbase is even less than that of the Indica). Rear seat room and trunk space are less than that of the Getz.
8. The Swift has an excellent (if wallowy) ride even on the 15" wheels of the international version. In India, on 14" wheels, ride quality should be excellent.
9. Steering has much better feel than the lifeless steering in the Alto, WagonR and Baleno.
10. The top-end version of the Swift in India will come with ABS, EBD and front driver and passenger airbags. These will be an option on the middle version too (so we can conclude there will be three versions).
11. The base version of Swift is expected to cost Rs. 4.00 lakhs (Autocar India's prediction). Since Maruti expects to move 4000 Swift's a month, they must be planning to price it aggressively. (In comparison, Hyundai sold only 1600 Getz last month).

[GTO]

And Maruti appoints a 1000 member strong young team to market the Swift! Talk about yuppie!

Source : Economic Times Article

GTO

[iceman91]

a 1000 member team... so by any chance can we from team bhp strike a deal where we can canvas their cars?????

[v_s_natarajan]

no maruti ever for me

[anoops]

i owned a maruti, i own a fiat, looks like am going to own a maruti again!!

and unlike the getz (82bhp) am sure we can play around with the swift engine to deliver more. as its an esteem engine most of our indian modders will be used to it.....cant wait to get my hand on one!

[Technocrat]

I think the modders are already busy planning for the B-Swift

[iceman91]

nah the swift...need to go way above a b-swift...cannot let it down by going side by side with a b-zen!!!

[johnjacob]

Forgot to mention in my previous post...
Ground clearance on the Swift will be bumped up to 170mm from 140mm in the international version. So the Indian Swift won't have the squat, aggressive, sporty stance of the international version.

[I just can't stop poring and drooling over the ACI article ]

[iceman91]

170mm ouch!!! thats a bit too tall..well the coilovers will be easily sourceable so no worries

[Rtech]

Look at it this way, this car is going to be so much fun for the enthusiast. There is so much he gets to do to personalise it! Man, now what colour should I get....

[shankaranand]

I liked the orange colored one they showed on CNBC. reminds the color palio once hand, but looks very beautiful..

[Montoya]

Originally Posted by shankaranand

I liked the orange colored one they showed on CNBC. reminds the color palio once hand, but looks very beautiful..

Harries Car has the same colour

[Mpower]

I think the Swift will be a mini sports car. The design is sooo Italian. You could put an Alfa Romeo badge on it
and no one will suspect. Its just oozes style and flair.

Remember the engine is a stormer in the Esteem but the Swift weighs 200 kgs more. Ok small price to pay for safety.
I just hope the handling will be like when I first drove the Zen in 1993. Wooow !!! but I am sure it will be dumbed down in the
interest of ride quality. Now all I need to do is go to singapore and pickup some suspension parts. he! he!

[johnjacob]

Originally Posted by shankaranand

I liked the orange colored one they showed on CNBC. reminds the color palio once hand, but looks very beautiful..

That's the same colour shown in this month's Autocar India's Swift photos. Looks smashing!