Does Maruti Swift really deserve this much HYPE ?

pillainp · 21st August 2006, 20:31

Right!
I think the Swift is a terrible idea.

WHY?
It is a car that is in many respects ahead of its time, and it is a car that has been sacrificed to the gods of economy, when in fact it would have performed much better with a slightly larger engine with or without turbo (FE would not have been affected dangerously with a 1.5/1.6L engine).

It is a victim of over-hype (if there is such a word); people expect far more than the car is meant to deliver.

BUT... I regularly drive a NHC 2004 and a Santro 2001, and I would far far rather be driving the Swift.

The NHC feels too low to the ground, and though comfy, it lets me see the suspension (underwear) of the cars and buses ahead of me.

The Santro has seats harder than a horse's kick, and cramped driver leg-space. Also, it feels like a snail with the AC on.

SO... What does the Swift really give me?

A pretty good driving experience for its class.

A realistic mileage.

A pretty good ownership experience (Thanks in no small part to the dealer and the service system).

Probably the best driving seat in the class.
I hear a lot of complaints regarding the lack of seat height adjustment in the VXi and LXi, but I don't really care. I am 6 feet tall, and do not need it. (You want a higher seat, buy the ZXi, or buy a Jeep).

What more would I want?

Climate control across the range.

A little more quality control on Maruti's part.

Little else.

So does the Swift deserve the hype?
To me, it does, because it has given me a car that is great to drive, great to travel in (my family says so) and pretty kind to my pocket.

Would I buy it again?
Yes, but Maruti really needs to look into the quality issues raised on this and many other forums by discerning users.

Would I recommend it to others?
Already have, and around 5 of them have bought already. VXi's all since the ZXi is a little over the top in terms of price.

NPP

lurker · 3rd September 2006, 21:44

Maruti Swift:
Steering clear of the stepney problem!

Veeresh Malik

Maruti has willy-nilly decided to replace the differently-sized stepney of the Maruti Swift model, but communication gaps between Maruti, its dealers, and the end-customers remain. While some dealers have decided to make a clean breast of it with their customers, others are trying their best to gloss over the matter, giving stepney replacement to those who demand it, and leaving out those who have not come to know of the development as yet.

Much unneccessary confusion is being created in the motoring market by this business of smaller tyres being provided as "spare" for motor vehicles. This is largely due to the issues surrounding the Maruti Swift, where initially the car was sold with four full-sized pneumatic tyres and one smaller "get-home" tyre as a spare. Typical of Maruti, they did this quietly till somebody chased the issue further, through the Department of Heavy Industries and ARAI.

While this may or may not be an accepted practice in other countries, fact is that the homologation rules in India require that all five tyres (or three in the case of scooters), need to be of the same size, make, specifications, brand. The logic behind this is also simple—road quality as well as repair facilities within India are still not at the level where we can do without the safety of a decent spare. In any case, when we paid for our car or scooter, we paid for a proper spare tyre, and we are entitled to it.

So, if you are the owner in India of a Maruti Swift (or other car/scooter) which does not have a proper spare tyre which is exactly the same as the other tyres then please demand and get a replacement from the manufacturer right away. And if you have any trouble, please send us a written and signed complaint giving us specifics on the vehicle as well as the resolution sought, and we shall take up the matter further.

Veeresh Malik
veereshmalik@gmail.com

Karuna Chanana has decided to take her fight to Maruti Udyog. After Consumer VOICE reported the differently-sized Maruti Swift Stepney case in Consumer VOICE (July 2006) issue, this spirited consumer from Delhi who owns a Swift VXi contacted her Maruti dealer—Rana Motors in Delhi—to tell them that she had not received any communication from them about Maruti's decision to replace the stepney free of cost, to its customers. "I feel Maruti should have put out advertisements in national newspapers announcing their decision, as dealers are unilaterally deciding on their own whether to inform their customers or not."

When Consumer VOICE contacted Maruti offices in Delhi to ask if the problem was restricted to the Maruti ZXi model, or was more widespread, we got an ambivalent answer from Siddhartha Bag of the Customer Relationship Management Department of Maruti, "There is no problem with the stepney, we are only delighting our customers by giving them a free replacement." "The stepney issue is only with the alloy wheels of the Swift ZXi, but if customers of other models also want their stepney replaced, we can do it for them," added the Maruti representative.

sandeep108 · 4th September 2006, 13:12

This is really quite a stupid issue. Actually my dealer replaced the under-sized stepney with a new alloy one, but guess what? I now have much less boot space. It does not matter so much as I generally very rarely have much luggage, but for heavy duty shopping trips, the difference is certainly felt.

Since Maruti has supplied tubeless tyres, with the ZXI it was quite ok for a 'get home' tyre. My experience with tubeless tyres since past 3-4 years has been that they never suddenly deflate, but only overnight and sometimes only to some extent. I was running with a nail each in 2 of my tubeless tyres for 1 month when it struck me that every week when I checked the tyre pressure, 2 tyres were always at 20-21 psi instead of 29 as the other 2 were. On getting it checked at the tyre dealer, there were 'punctures' due to nails. There has never really been any question of getting stranded anywhere on tubeless tyres - beyond 50-80 km away from any repair facility.

OTOH without being asked I was given it (at the scheduled free service) at a cost of about 8k to Maruti (they had to change the boot carpet, etc. as well). So I have kept it, maybe if one of the wheels crack or something it may come useful. But if Maruti had asked whether I wanted a tyre at 8k or something else (say further free services), I might have opted for the something else.

21st August 2006, 20:31	#196
pillainp BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 325 Thanked: 170 Times	Right! I think the Swift is a terrible idea. WHY? It is a car that is in many respects ahead of its time, and it is a car that has been sacrificed to the gods of economy, when in fact it would have performed much better with a slightly larger engine with or without turbo (FE would not have been affected dangerously with a 1.5/1.6L engine). It is a victim of over-hype (if there is such a word); people expect far more than the car is meant to deliver. BUT... I regularly drive a NHC 2004 and a Santro 2001, and I would far far rather be driving the Swift. The NHC feels too low to the ground, and though comfy, it lets me see the suspension (underwear) of the cars and buses ahead of me. The Santro has seats harder than a horse's kick, and cramped driver leg-space. Also, it feels like a snail with the AC on. SO... What does the Swift really give me? A pretty good driving experience for its class. A realistic mileage. A pretty good ownership experience (Thanks in no small part to the dealer and the service system). Probably the best driving seat in the class. I hear a lot of complaints regarding the lack of seat height adjustment in the VXi and LXi, but I don't really care. I am 6 feet tall, and do not need it. (You want a higher seat, buy the ZXi, or buy a Jeep). What more would I want? Climate control across the range. A little more quality control on Maruti's part. Little else. So does the Swift deserve the hype? To me, it does, because it has given me a car that is great to drive, great to travel in (my family says so) and pretty kind to my pocket. Would I buy it again? Yes, but Maruti really needs to look into the quality issues raised on this and many other forums by discerning users. Would I recommend it to others? Already have, and around 5 of them have bought already. VXi's all since the ZXi is a little over the top in terms of price. NPP
	() Thanks

3rd September 2006, 21:44	#197
lurker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tura Posts: 1,592 Thanked: 1,423 Times	Maruti Swift: Steering clear of the stepney problem! Maruti Swift: Steering clear of the stepney problem! Veeresh Malik Maruti has willy-nilly decided to replace the differently-sized stepney of the Maruti Swift model, but communication gaps between Maruti, its dealers, and the end-customers remain. While some dealers have decided to make a clean breast of it with their customers, others are trying their best to gloss over the matter, giving stepney replacement to those who demand it, and leaving out those who have not come to know of the development as yet. Much unneccessary confusion is being created in the motoring market by this business of smaller tyres being provided as "spare" for motor vehicles. This is largely due to the issues surrounding the Maruti Swift, where initially the car was sold with four full-sized pneumatic tyres and one smaller "get-home" tyre as a spare. Typical of Maruti, they did this quietly till somebody chased the issue further, through the Department of Heavy Industries and ARAI. While this may or may not be an accepted practice in other countries, fact is that the homologation rules in India require that all five tyres (or three in the case of scooters), need to be of the same size, make, specifications, brand. The logic behind this is also simple—road quality as well as repair facilities within India are still not at the level where we can do without the safety of a decent spare. In any case, when we paid for our car or scooter, we paid for a proper spare tyre, and we are entitled to it. So, if you are the owner in India of a Maruti Swift (or other car/scooter) which does not have a proper spare tyre which is exactly the same as the other tyres then please demand and get a replacement from the manufacturer right away. And if you have any trouble, please send us a written and signed complaint giving us specifics on the vehicle as well as the resolution sought, and we shall take up the matter further. Veeresh Malik veereshmalik@gmail.com Karuna Chanana has decided to take her fight to Maruti Udyog. After Consumer VOICE reported the differently-sized Maruti Swift Stepney case in Consumer VOICE (July 2006) issue, this spirited consumer from Delhi who owns a Swift VXi contacted her Maruti dealer—Rana Motors in Delhi—to tell them that she had not received any communication from them about Maruti's decision to replace the stepney free of cost, to its customers. "I feel Maruti should have put out advertisements in national newspapers announcing their decision, as dealers are unilaterally deciding on their own whether to inform their customers or not." When Consumer VOICE contacted Maruti offices in Delhi to ask if the problem was restricted to the Maruti ZXi model, or was more widespread, we got an ambivalent answer from Siddhartha Bag of the Customer Relationship Management Department of Maruti, "There is no problem with the stepney, we are only delighting our customers by giving them a free replacement." "The stepney issue is only with the alloy wheels of the Swift ZXi, but if customers of other models also want their stepney replaced, we can do it for them," added the Maruti representative.
	() Thanks

4th September 2006, 13:12	#198
sandeep108 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,050 Thanked: 302 Times	This is really quite a stupid issue. Actually my dealer replaced the under-sized stepney with a new alloy one, but guess what? I now have much less boot space. It does not matter so much as I generally very rarely have much luggage, but for heavy duty shopping trips, the difference is certainly felt. Since Maruti has supplied tubeless tyres, with the ZXI it was quite ok for a 'get home' tyre. My experience with tubeless tyres since past 3-4 years has been that they never suddenly deflate, but only overnight and sometimes only to some extent. I was running with a nail each in 2 of my tubeless tyres for 1 month when it struck me that every week when I checked the tyre pressure, 2 tyres were always at 20-21 psi instead of 29 as the other 2 were. On getting it checked at the tyre dealer, there were 'punctures' due to nails. There has never really been any question of getting stranded anywhere on tubeless tyres - beyond 50-80 km away from any repair facility. OTOH without being asked I was given it (at the scheduled free service) at a cost of about 8k to Maruti (they had to change the boot carpet, etc. as well). So I have kept it, maybe if one of the wheels crack or something it may come useful. But if Maruti had asked whether I wanted a tyre at 8k or something else (say further free services), I might have opted for the something else.
	() Thanks