[indrasis_gun]

First of all, I am not a good writer at all. Also I have very less experience (now 23 years of age). So I will try my best to compile the long term ownership report of my Swift VXI 2017 model. At the time of writing this review she has clocked 56,000 kms. I will try to be as neutral as possible. Suggestions as well as criticism are welcome. First of all, a photo of our Swift on Agra Lucknow Expressway.

Odometer


Positives:

• The 1.2L K -series engine: a jewel of an engine
• I like how she looks although it is subjective.
• Excellent handling.
• She is extremely reliable and fuss free ownership.

Negatives:

• Seat belts and driver airbag are the only safety elements
• Brakes are not that much powerful although it has improved greatly after I changed tyres to broader and softer ones
• Interior plastic quality is very poor. Everything flexes and rattles have started which service centers cannot fix.

Alternatives Considered:
We live in such a town where in 2017 only dealers with service centers available were Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. We had a budget of approximately 6 lacs and wanted only petrol cars. Within this budget only two options those we considered were Swift and Grand i10. But even though the Grand i10 had much better quality inside out, after test drive I concluded that the Swift was much more connected to the driver. So we finalized on the Swift VXI in Pearl Arctic White colour. We visited the only Maruti Suzuki showroom of our town and asked for the quote. They informed us of waiting period of one month. We then contacted a Maruti Suzuki showroom in Siliguri which is 150 km far from our hometown. They had one ready in stock. We went there the next day and saw the car in person. Everything was alright and she was manufactured in June 2017. We took the quotation and finalised the deal. The same day we took delivery of her. It is like going to market to buy stuffs.

On-Road Price:
Total On-Road Price: 6,42,000
Cash Discount: 20,000
Accessories worth 10000 was free.
Effective On-Road Price: 6,22,000

Accessories purchased from showroom:
Door Visor, Mudflaps, Steering Cover, Seat Cover, Parking Sensor

Overall showroom experience was 10/10. I recommend Sevoke Motors to everyone in Siliguri.

Extended Warranty and Service Package:
We have taken extended warranty for two years after one month of purchase by paying additional 8,000. No service packages were purchased.

Engine:
As GTO has mentioned in the official review, the 1.2L K12 engine is a jewel of an engine. The idling rpm is around 750-800. With little to no accelerator input the car moves from standstill without any juddering. Moderate speedbreakers can be crossed in 2nd gear if you are willing to wait for two seconds while accelerating. Else you will have to use 1st gear. The engine is less responsive below 1500 rpm. Once past 1500 it is fairly responsive to throttle input and once past 2000 rpm it is extremely fun to drive all the way upto 6000 rpm. I am a sedate driver and never revv above 5000 rpm in most scenarios. In 5th gear 80 kmph comes at 2000 rpm and 100 kmph comes at 2750 rpm. In highways I try to maintain speed in the range of 90-100 kmph. The top speed I have achieved till now is 130 kmph on Agra Lucknow Expressway. I am more than happy with the performance on offer. But if you are a pedal to metal type of driver, you have to work with the gearbox.

Clutch and Gearbox:
The clutch is light but has a long travel range. At 55,000 km it is showing no signs of failure. But as I learnt to drive in this car, I expect it to last less compared to similar Swifts. Once I have adjusted the position of the clutch pedal from MASS.

The gearbox is extremely slick and sure slotting. One should never miss a gear in this car. I absolutely love the gearbox for its smoothness.

Usage Pattern:
Tha car is only used in highways. We always drive with AC on. I will give the details of the places we visited in this car at the end of this ownership report.

Safety:
She has only seatbelts and driver airbag as the safety equipment. I try to drive as cautiously as I can keeping this in mind and pray to God for keeping us safe.

Build Quality, Fit and Finish:
Build quality is light but its panels are heavier than those of Baleno, New Swift and New Dzire. The fit and finish is not like Hyundai, but not bad either. Interior is well screwed together. Rattles from door pads have started after 35000 km. I am yet to find a proper solution for this. The bad roads of North Bengal are also a contributor to this. Paint layer is very thin and a slight scraping can peel off paint from the body. But I like the pearl effect of the colour very much.
One photo of the Dashboard


Suspension, Handling:
The suspension is stiff inside city and good at highways. I prefer stiff suspension any day over softer ones as this aids handling. You will always feel undulations of roads inside the cabin. But with increase of speed this reduces to a great extent and you will love the suspension. The car is very stable upto 120 kmph. I ahve upgraded the stock MRF tyres from 165/80R14 to Yokohama Earth 1 in 185/70R14 size which enhanced the handling of the car in great extent. I always love the way I can attack those curves in hills. Body roll is very well controlled too.

Steering:
Steering is very precise. It is not feather light in parking speeds but not heavy either. In highway it weighs up sufficiently and is a joy to use.

Wheels and Tyres:
As mentioned earlier, I have upgraded the tyres to Yokohama Earth 1 in 185/70R14 size after 27000 kms with the stock MRF tyres. The tyres are softer and gives much better comfort than the MRF ones. It enhanced the look and handling of the car greatly. Till now I have not faced a puncture in the Yokos. I have also installed alloy wheels purchased from www.alloywheelskart.com at the time of changing the tyres. Please comment on how they look.


Interior Space, Comfort:
The front seats offer excellent support. Everyone in our family are of medium build and we find the car sufficient for us. But the rear seat is strictly for 2 adults or 2 adults with 1 kid. Adjustable head restraints are available in both front and rear seats. A rear armrest would have been nice. All doors can hold 1 L bottle. The art leather seat covers which we have installed have seat back pockets which are very useful. The left side can holder is my personal favourite.

Driving Position and Visibility:
I really miss the seat height adjustment. The frontal visibility is poor for my height (I am 5'3''). But now I got used to it. The all three mirrors offer excellent view of the happenings behind. The ergonomics are spot on. The headlight dipper stalk makes loud noise during high beam low beam switch which I absolutely hate.



Lights:
The stock headlight bulbs were insufficient for highway drives. So changed them to Philips Rally 100/90 W bulbs with Philips wiring kit just after purchase of the car which have tremendously improved visibility in night. Till now there is no sign of yellowing of the headlights or any damage to the reflectors. The fog lights are useless, as they light up those area which I cannot see from the driving seat.

AC:
The AC is absolutely chiller. In daytime we keep the blower in 2 and in night in 1. Only when we visited Khajuraho in summer, we had to continuously use blower 3 and 4, such was the heat. The temperature hit 48 degree C then at Khajuraho.

Audio System:
The car came with a nice stereo with cd, usb, fm. We have upgraded that to Sony XAV W651BT touchscreen unit with bluetooth. This sounds better than the stock unit. The speakers are stock. I wanted to upgrade them as well but refrained from doing so, fearing the opening of door pads may further increase the interior rattles.

NVH:
The noise insulation from engine is good. But at high speeds, wind noise comes inside the cabin. The tyre noise of the Yokos are lesser compared to the stock tyres but they are not silent at all. Inside city the car is pure silent. But at highways you will get engine noise inside the cabin. Vibration is absolutely absent throughout the rpm range.

Braking:
The braking performance has improved greatly after upgrading the tyres. Till date I have missed the ABS thrice. The brakes actually bite after 1.5 inches of travel of the pedal which took a lot of time to get used to. All I can say is the brakes are adequate but not extra-ordinary.

Fuel Efficiency:
As we travel only on highways, I will only mention the efficiency with 100% AC calculated in tank full method. The fuel efficiency vary vastly depending on the driving style. Normally I drive within 90-100 kmph range. At this scenario, the average fuel efficiency we get is approximately 19-20 kmpl. Spirited driving drops the efficiency to 17-18 kmpl range. The MID shows approximately 0.5 kmpl more than the actual efficiency.


After Sales Service:
All services of the car has been done in Prova Automobiles, Coochbehar which is a MASS. Till now only works done on the car are as per the service manual. The service costs are by no means cheap in Maruti nowadays. The only major replacement done till date are front brake pads (at 28000 kms). I now fill Shell fully synthetic 5W-40 engine oil even though the Manual suggests 0W-20 as it makes the engine smoother and the high speed performance increases to some extent. The service costs are mentioned below. This also includes the washing charges which is Rs. 454 and the charges of change of front bumper which was done due to a mishap.









Modifications done till date:
1. Auto dimming IRVM: Based on the diy of a4anurag Sir, I installed the auto diiming IRVM with the help of my father.


2. DRL with indicators: Installed from MASS by their electrician.
3. Sony Touchscreen Head Unit: Based on the diy of Parag Sachania Sir, I installed this myself.

4. Footwell lighting: Installed from MASS by their electrician

5. Gear knob from Ciaz: I installed it myself based on the diy of a4anurag Sir.
6. Armrest: Bought from Amazon and installed myself.

7. Reverse Camera: Bought Esky 180 degree rear view camera from Amazon and installed from MASS by their electrician.
8. Philips Rally 100/90 Bulbs with Philips wiring kit: Installed from MASS.
9. Steering Mounted Controls: Bought from Aliexpress and installed myself.



Places Travelled in Swift:
1. Shillong, Cherrapunjee
En route Cherrapunjee


2. Agra
3. Khajuraho
4. Dooars
At Murti

5. Darjeeling
6. Puri
7. Kalimpong

En route Kalimpong
8. Bhutan
At Dochula Pass

At Chelela Pass

At Paro with yours truly


Finally signing off with a group photo of four of us with Mount Jomolhari in the backdrop, shot in Chelela Pass, Bhutan:

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Long-Term Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[a4anurag]

Thank you for the long-term report with all details that one looks for especially the service related costs which help other users too to get an idea what it could cost for that service. Great modifications too.

Keep updating the thread as you clock more on the odometer.

Originally Posted by indrasis_gun

Modifications done till date

You can get the seat from ZXi/ZDi and fit it. That seat has height adjustment.

[indrasis_gun]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

You can get the seat from ZXi/ZDi and fit it. That seat has height adjustment.

Thanks for your suggestion Sir. But I have searched in our hometown. But MASS are least interested to order the same. Also there is no independent MGP shop here. So I have learnt to get used to the relatively low seating position.

[bkc]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Thank you for the long-term report with all details

Are you missing your blue swift? How does creta fare in fun to drive factor, compared to swift?

My 2015 swift is currently doing 89000kms, Will definitely post the ownership report soon.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by bkc

Are you missing your blue swift? How does creta fare in fun to drive factor, compared to swift?

Swift was a different car altogether. So much of R&D on it with all those DIYs. Reliable and peaceful ownership. But overall I like how the Creta had been with me in these 2 years and 70,000 km. Powerful and fuel-efficient too.

Hyundai and Handling, they don't go in the same sentence. Creta doesn't have that handling which the Swift had. Creta isn't a corner-carver but overall handling is pretty neutral. The engine is excellent so is the chassis. Only major letdown is the brakes. Wish Hyundai checked how the brakes function in reality (especially B2B traffic and panic situations). Pedal judder and pedal going hard when required get on my nerves.

Originally Posted by bkc

My 2015 swift is currently doing 89000kms, Will definitely post the ownership report soon.

Please do. More the merrier.

[bkc]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Swift was a different car altogether. So much of R&D on it with all those DIYs. Reliable (especially B2B traffic and panic situations). Pedal judder and pedal going hard when required get on my nerves.

Yes, very good DIY's. Try removing ABS fuse and see if the pedal judder exists.
Definitely, brake issues are irritating, I have few issues on my Micra CVT too. I shall write about it soon, after working on it.

[indrasis_gun]

Originally Posted by bkc

My 2015 swift is currently doing 89000kms, Will definitely post the ownership report soon.

Waiting for your ownership report Sir. By the way, yours is petrol or diesel one?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by indrasis_gun

By the way, yours is petrol or diesel one?

IIRC he owns a diesel. It is a ZDi.

Originally Posted by bkc

My 2015 swift is currently doing 89000kms

[self_driven]

@indrasis_gun

Hello buddy! Thanks for sharing a crisp and to-the-point review. As an owner myself, I agree with all the things you've observed during your ownership. Mine is a 2014 Zxi, but is way behind yours in kms department, with only 30k kms on the clock. No issues faced till now apart from engine vibrations at idle due to low RPM (issue highlighted in official review thread, other members also face this) and some occasional rattles from the door pads.

56k kms in 2 years is a lot of running, why didn't your opt for a diesel vehicle?

I'd also love to know about the armrest that you've installed in your car. Has it been bolted to the handbrake area? Does it fit snugly without any movement (when arm is placed) and can the front seats be moved freely with the armrest in place?

And yes, the alloys look really nice. Good choice!

[bkc]

Originally Posted by indrasis_gun

Waiting for your ownership report Sir. By the way, yours is petrol or diesel one?

Anurags right, it's a diesel.

Indrasis, regarding your brake play, try adjusting the handbrake play. One adjustment will be below the handbrake lever, another inside the rear drum brakes.
Adjust the rear drum ones to minimum and you'll have the brake play reduced.

[CornerCarver]

A very well written ownership Indrasis. Congratulations on completing 50K on your machine buddy. I own a 2012 Red VXI and can pretty much relate to every detail posted here about this corner carver. The engine, handling, mileage, maintenance are all in sync and combine together to create this frugal yet fun to drive mode of transport/ adventurer.

Nothing can beat that NA 1.2L motor ready to attack the curves on the hills.

The only grouse in this beautiful package are the shoddy brakes and threadbare safety equipment.

Wish you more Mile munching and Corner Carving.

P.S.- DIYs done by you shows how much you pamper her. Great job. And Yes, the alloys are looking just superb on your Swift.

[indrasis_gun]

Originally Posted by self_driven

@indrasis_gun

56k kms in 2 years is a lot of running, why didn't your opt for a diesel vehicle?

Actually during buying the car we did not realize that we would use it so much. Now we prefer this over trains sometimes.

I'd also love to know about the armrest that you've installed in your car. Has it been bolted to the handbrake area? Does it fit snugly without any movement (when arm is placed) and can the front seats be moved freely with the armrest in place?

I have bought that from Amazon. It is wooden one wrapped in PU leather. It is just kept on the handbrake region. Fitting is perfect, no movement and rattle of any kind, fitted without any nut, bolt or screw. Costed 1500 approximately. Front seats can move freely.

And yes, the alloys look really nice. Good choice!

Thanks a lot for your kind words.


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[indrasis_gun]

After a wonderful 60,000 km with the swift, we exchanged her for a new swift zxi+ in silky silver colour on 7th January, 2020. Sold her in the True Value for 4.30 lac with exchange bonus. Considering the mileage, I think we have got a very good price as we have bought her for 6.22 lac after discounts.

Till the last date, it was a wonderful and peaceful ownership. She did not kept us stranded even once anywhere. I will really miss you dear.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by indrasis_gun

After a wonderful 60,000 km with the swift, we exchanged her for a new swift zxi+ in silky silver colour on 7th January, 2020.

Congratulations sir on the new acquisition. Wishing you millions of happy (s)miles with the new Swift. Do post a separate review thread for the new one and if possible with a comparison.

Good, you went for the MT variant and not the AMT one.

PS: Do add a couple of pictures of the new steed.