[moralfibre]

The Buying Decision:

I sold off my beloved Fiat Palio 1.6 in Jan this year. It had covered over a lakh of kilometers since I bought it in Dec2006. The rising petrol prices were killing me and the long term maintenance was starting to get heavy on my pocket. The closure of my favorite Tata-Fiat ASC B.U. Bhandari automotive made the matter a little worse. I made a hasty decision and sold off the car. I was missing it. I hadn't thought about the replacement. I just had to let it go.

The daily ride was my trusty motorcycle and various family cars. I realized I needed a diesel car with a balance of performance and economy. Something that I could drive up to Kashmir with abundant service backup. Pat said my brain "The Swift Diesel". I had driven it before and it offered the perfect balance between, space, economny, ride, handling and service. The decision was made but I had a gut feeling that the new Swift was just around the corner and I should put my money on a new product rather than a 4 year old horse that was out to be replaced soon. Come March and I booked the "New" Swift VDi. The pricing, product, etc was unknown and I had made up my mind that I wanted the Swift and nothing else. There were a few contenders in this decision, the Fiat Punto, the Ford Figo, Nissan Micra but they failed in some department or the other in my requirement chart.

Briefly:

The Fiat Punto:
Positives: Brilliant car. Good space, ride and handling.
Negatives: SERVICE! RESALE! :(
Only if they had the negatives sorted it would still give the Swift a run for its money.

Ford Figo:
Positives: Absolutely VFM, big boot, adequate space.
Negatives: Spares availability outside Ford, unknown resale value, the engine performance is satisfactory vis-a-vis the Swift, it looks small on the outside.

To be honest the Figo is an equally a good product for the price. I could have had their top of the line Titanium version for the price of a mid-variant Swift.

VW Polo, Skoda Fabia, Nissan Micra: Expensive! The Germans offered just 3-pot noisy diesels. Not worth the money.

The wait was killing me and somewhere around June I had made up my mind to get the current gen model. But better sense prevailed and Maruti Suzuki finally disclosed the product to the automotive media in July. It was a beautiful car. The rear end was a little disappointing but I was pretty satisfied with what they had on offer.

The sales experience was bad. The bitter sales experience can be read here: Link.

Somewhere in the first week of September I had done the PDI and the car offered to me was satisfactory. The cup holder was broken but the sales guy promptly got it replaced. All in all I gave them a go ahead to register the car.

[moralfibre]

Price:

Ex-showroom: Rs. 5,65,531/-
RTO Registration: Rs. 43,637/-
Insurance: Rs. 15,531/-

Accessories fitted:

Only floor mats from the old Swift.
No mud flaps or new Swift floor mats are available.

Delivery experience:

09Sep'11: The car was to delivered at 4:00 pm. After having shown enough disappointment with the sales person, Mr. Shankar from Sai Service made a honest effort to improve my sales experience. Continuous calls for follow up were made by him to ensure that the delivery is done as expected. He was very courteous and did a good job. The car was delivered on time. He explained all documentation that was being provided. After performing the customary pooja. I was at the wheel of my very first Diesel car. The experience of driving out a brand new car is very exciting.



Filled in 5 liters of Diesel and I was off for a tyre upgrade to Darshan Tyres J.M. Road. The odometer showed 24 kms. I am sure the sales staff keeps it disconnected. The dealer yard in Wagholi is about 24 kms away. But I wasn't going to crib about it. The car didn't look abused at all.

Upgrades:

Bridgestone Turanza ER60 185/70/R14

The car came shod with 165/80/R14 MRF ZV2K tyres. Absolutely pathetic tyres for the size of the car. Our family Zen was upgraded to 165/60/R13 tyres when we had it for good road holding.

I realized that I would go broke if I upgraded tyres but I couldn't live with the stock tyres even for a day. I am told that the company has to save on excise and octroi by providing smaller tyres on cars. (subject to correction). The decision was made to have safety first. The VDi doesn't come equipped with ABS/Airbags and this was the least I could do to enhance the handling dynamics of the car.

The availability of performance tyres in the market today is scarce. Making the ISI mark mandatory for all tyres has made it very difficult to find good performance tyres. The Swift was going to be my highway ride as well. The current conditions of roads made me go for comfort oriented tyres with a higher side profile. So I chose the Bridgestone Turanza ER60's for the car. I somehow didn't want to go as wide as 195 hence stuck to 185/70/R14.



Drove the car for 76 kms from evening to late night within the city. Loved it. The tyre upgrade was well made decision. I didn't lose ride comfort.

[moralfibre]

The Car:



Looks:

The Gen 3 Swift shares similar looks as its predecessor but make no mistake, Suzuki tells us that this is an all new car. Unlike other Maruti Suzuki facelifts, this doesn't just carry a headlamp and taillamp update. The Gen 3 Swift was built on an entirely new platform. They retained the looks of the outgoing version and altered it. Suzuki thought that an all new look would disturb the cult fan following of the outgoing version.

The bumper and bonnet is slanted to make it look lower. The old version had a brick against the wind look. The rear is a bit of disappointment being wider and bloated. The tailgate ends pretty higher than the old one and increases the loading height for trunk. The boot is much smaller than the old one (or at least looks like it). The headlights and taillights have been pulled further. Overall the looks are neat.

It not difficult for a trained eye to distinguish between the old and new Swift. I do get stares from onlookers noticing the new Swift since it is relatively a rare sighting.

I came across about 8 new Swifts in Pune and all of them were White!!

Engine:

The same 1.3 DDiS engine has been retained. On paper there is no change to the engine stats vis-a-vis the old Gen Swift. BUT, all Swifts old and new that comply to BS4 norms have a laid back turbo kick in. People call it linear but the acceleration felt on the butt dyno makes it feel slightly slower. A one second difference in acceleration hasn't affected city driving and being my first Diesel, I am simply loving the torque on offer. I haven't yet revved past 2100 rpm except for on one occassion to feel the turbo kick in.

Took the car on the old Bombay Pune highway on day 2 of ownership as I had to drive to Bombay for some work. I haven't really stretched the car on the highway since I had to keep slowing down and accelerating to keep the car revving between 1000 to 2000 rpm. It does 80 kmph at 2000 rpm in 5th gear.

Have been idling for a minute before starting and after stopping the car. Perhaps I am just being paranoid about the turbo. The car has returned an impressive 17.3 kmpl on tankful to tankful method in its first cycle. The MID shows the mean average to be 17.8. Quite close to being accurate.

Ride and Handling:

The new Swift comes with what Maruti Suzuki calls Rally based suspension. It has a good balance between ride and handling. The car is chuckable around corners and does hold its ground. However I found the ride to be slightly bumpy. I attribute it to the tyre pressure but haven't gotten around checking it yet. My bad. Haven't yet done high speeds to see how it feels when the speedo goes beyond 100 kmph. More on that later. But the rear suspension is better than the out going version. The old one used to bottom out at high speeds on uneven roads. Ride over bad roads is smooth.

Steering response is nice. I was a bit apprehensive that the EPS unit would be less fun but there is adequate feedback and it doesn't feel light like the VW Polo. The steering is height adjustable and that helps in getting a perfect driving position.





The brakes feel a little tough and require a bit of a pressure before bringing the car to a halt. This was during the initial phase. After wearing out a bit (in 600 kms), the brakes are biting well. Perhaps they required running in to before they behave themselves. As of now the brake rating would be average. Stopping a diesel car is quite different ot a petrol. The Swift does take some effort in coming to a stand still.

[moralfibre]

Interiors and Features:

Step inside and you are greeted with all new interiors on the Swift. A few bits are picked up from the outgoing model. The dashboard is nicely laid out with enough storage space. Thankfully they have all Black interiors against Brey, Breige, and what not being offered by competitors. VDi version loses the stereo, steering controls, Climate Control. Rest everything remains the same. Each door pocket has a bottle holder capable of storing 1 liter bottles. As stated by many who've been inside the Swift, the power window switches look out of place. The ORVM adjustment switch is very flimsy and I am guessing it will break soon. Portable ash tray missing. AC switches and knobs are well built.

Wiper and headlight stalks are placed as per Right hand drive norms. Lane change indicators are useful although I would have preferred them to blink for longer than four clicks.

The car has the best speedo console I came across recently. The MID is bright during the day and fades to the instrument lighting colours the moment you switch on the lights. There are two switches on the console. The left side switch is used to go through Trip A and Trip B reading while a longer press would reset any of the trip meters. The RHS switch toggles between the range, real time Fuel consumption and average fuel consumption of the car. Clockwise motion of the RHS switch brightens the speedo and vice versa. Note: The brightness indicator on the MID looks exactly the same as the on in the Honda Civic. Thank you Maruti Suzuki for retaining the good old temperature gauge.

The new Swift is supposedly longer and wider. I somehow cannot comprehend a "10 mm" (1 cm) increase in any dimension. The backbenchers get 20mm (2 cm) of extra knee room. Not sure how to check this out but the car feels roomier than the old one. The rear windows are still small and I guess people won't feel much of a difference in the back seat. The boot is just about fair and I can stuff my Maruti 800 more than this one. The loading height is bad and you will require quite some effort to plonk in your suitcase if you are of the shorter variety.

This version gets a pair of keyless entry remotes. The buttons on the remote are just about ok. Not as good to touch like the VW Polo or the Fiat Punto. The doors autolock at a preset speed (20 kmph in my case). You can reset it to your liking with a long procedure they have detailed in the owners handbook. The door locks are newer with a chrome pull handle.

In summary the interiors look much nicer and do show a welcome change compared to the old one. Someone made a valid statement: You spend more time watching interiors of a car than its exterior.

Brilliant instrument cluster. The MID misses the outside temperature gauge. Perhaps available in the Z spec.



Control for resetting a triggered alarm, front fog lights and headlight leveling mechanism. A direct lift from the old Swift.



New and improved Aircon vents. The center ones cannot be shut completely:






Nice center console. Maruti should stop telling their sales staff to call it a "Waterfall dashboard". 12V socket available. The other circular part holds a USB port in the Z spec Swift.



Silver inserts break the monotony of the Black dashboard:



Each door panel carries sufficient storage space. Can hold 1 liter bottles. Here's the front and rear:




Power window switches and ORVM adjustment joystick. VERY POOR:



Nice steering wheel. The horn button is placed in the center.



Center hump in the rear not so intrusive. Fifth passenger will have a little discomfort though:



Being a classic car fan, I love the steering grip:



No height adjustment for the seat belts:



Poor seat back rest adjustment lever:



Quite some space available in the glove compartment:

[moralfibre]

Driving Impression:

As I mentioned earlier, this is my first Diesel car. And need I say that I am just loving the torque delivery. The engine red lines at 5000 rpm but I haven't yet gone over 3000 rpm. Drove the car for 1000 kms over a week and I have enjoyed the low end torque. There is a difference in power delivery as compared to the old Swift but that hasn't compromised the drive ability of the car in city traffic. The chassis balance along with power delivery is perfect.

The turbo kicks in at about 2200 rpm and the acceleration from there onward is nice. Drove the car to Lavasa yesterday (17Sep'11) and it held its line along corners. It wasn't gasping for power while going up the twisties. The clutch is light. Gearshift are butter smooth. Love the short shifter and the improved shifting mechanism. The old car had a poor shifter and I hated it. The car has shed some weight from its predecessor but hasn't lost its balance in the bargain.

The engine is very fuel efficient and I have managed to get 17.3 kmpl so far. The MID shows a close 17.9 kmpl so far. For someone used to filling up every 5-6 days in a Palio, this was quite an impressive figure.

I'll be able to write more on the driving bit once I do a long drive in the car. Most of its running has been within city limits and during the running in period.

Future Planned Upgrades:

- ICE:
Pioneer 5350 HU
4 x Powerbass co-axials

- Sunfilm:
Still haven't been able to go through the sun film thread. Any suggestions on RTO approved films that wouldn't hamper visibility at nights?

- Seat covers:
Stanley

- Mud flaps: Not yet available from Maruti.

Other Swift reviews available:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...di-2011-a.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-team-bhp.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-team-bhp.html

[moralfibre]

First Service - 18Sep'11

Odo reading: 952 kms

I wanted to get over the running in period as soon as possible. Finally I gave up on waiting for 50 more kms and booked a service appointment on Friday. The systems used by Sai Service for handling service appointments is nice. I got a reference number and got a confirmed booking for Sunday morning 8:30 am. Sundays are preferable because I never leave my car alone for service at authorized service centers. I take a day off and spend my time around the workshop making friends with mechanics and learning new things.

So I reached the service center at 8:30 am. The service adviser promptly made a job car and by 8:45 am the car was parked in the washing area. Not much had to be done except the usual checks. I requested an oil change and the service adviser mentioned that an oil change is done at 1000 kms for all Maruti Suzuki diesel cars. I added an oil filter change along with it.

The car was out of the service bay at 9:45 am. I had cleared my payment and obtained a gate pass by then. Total cost:

Oil: 15W40 / 3.1 liters - Rs. 868/-
Oil filter: Rs. 375.96/-

Total: 1243.97/-

[vigsom]

Congrats MF, on a very sensible choice ; and good colour too.

My reco for the sun film would be Garware Classic Lite vlt 50% for the sides and vlt 70% for the rear ; I have got this installed on a friend's Swift

[bigvishnu]

Congrats MF on the new ride! lovely review. I must appreciate your guts to go book the car in march when nothing about the 'new car' was known!

[psbali]

Congratulations moralfibre. You have got yourself a really good car and no doubt about that. But would like to especially mention that you have penned a very impressive review. Few pages down and I forgot that I am reading an ownership review. It almost felt that I am visiting a thread in the official reviews section

And yeah even I have seen couple of new swifts only in white color till now.

By the way, do you think that new swift needs a racechip in it and that it can even handle the extra power like a Fiat would?

Goes without saying, Enjoy your ride mate.

[C300]

Another swift in Pune. Congrats MB and a correct decision to go for Swift Diesel. A quick question - Was the tyre upgrade in exchange of the stock tyres? What was the cost?

[Durango Dude]

@Moral Fibre: Congrats on the New Swift VDi and also the Swift 1k kms. I think you should have invested in the ZDI model instead of the tyre and ICE upgrades and thereby have all the safety features and also the car wouldn't have felt under tyred.

[MutantX]

Congrats Moralfibre! a wonderful car indeed. I have booked my Vxi and awaiting delivery by the end of next month.

@Durango Dude, i too was in a similar dilemma (Zxi Vs Vxi Vs Vdi). Sounds crazy but all these varients fall between 5.5L - 6.5L. Taken the plunge and booked the Vxi as I get a clean dash where I can install my HU and ICE of my preferred choice. I am sure I will upgrade my tyres on day 1.

[venki.bala]

MoralFibre, Congratulations. The white colour looks great. Did you pay any premium. One of my colleagues had to shell out 25K to get a VDI here with in a month of booking date in Hyderabad. For ZDi ongoing premium is abt 50K. Crazy.

[swiftdiesel]

Congrats on the New Swift and I'm glad you've made a sensible decision to bin those rubbish stock MRFs. Turanzas are one of the best in the market and you won't have no regrets. Enjoy the Swift! That engine is a gem, trust me!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Congrats moralfibre!

All the new Swifts i have seen as white too. Havent been able to see any other colour till date. Wonder if its due to user preferences, or production constraints.

Have you received any qoute from Stanley for the seat covers?