[sajo]

Originally Posted by theoriginal9321

Sajo, please post more pics of your car, looks really good in red!!

Thanks theoriginal9321. I will post more pics once I am back in India.

To tell you the truth, I am currently driving el-cheapo rentals in the US, and that really makes me miss my Swift even more. Sure, they will be faster, but they are simply no fun in any way.
The Swift , even with its tiny engine in comparison, is such an immensely happy car.

[sajo]

In a couple of days, it will be almost a year since I got my car. My spiritual successor to the Old jellybean Zen.
Posting my experiences below :

Some highlights :

(+) Bucketloads of fun.Its like owning an exuberant and lively puppy. A mighty fine engine+chassis+gearbox combo.

(+) Great little highway cruiser, quiet and comfortable when you want it, willing and eager when you give it the beans.

(+) Equipment levels may not be top of the line, but they are much better than most of the competition, and whatever there is, works well.

(+) Unexpectedly light on the pocket, relatively speaking. Easily does 21kmpl even on bad and potholed undivided highways. Averages around 14 in the city. All figures with AC.

(+) Hassle free service experience, and is not too expensive either. A service with oil change and oil filter replacement cost me Rs1300. As mentioned a few pages earlier, a complete C-pillar dent removal + paint job costs 3k, which I think is reasonable. The tail lamp assembly costs Rs.1500, which I do not know is expensive or not, because I have no idea how much the competitors offerings cost.


The not so bright-lights :

(-) The occasional rattle. The doorpads, dashboard and hatch door are prime suspects.I wonder if the manual winding windows in the LXi/LDi variants rattle as much. +points to Chowgule M.A.S.S. for fixing them promptly at every service, which lasts atleast until the next service.

(-) Harsh ride. The suspension is made of wood. Good thing is, because it is not much pliant , its pretty much planted and does not get bobby or unsettled. Consumer advice : For bad backs, get a Figo.

(-) Point 2 is the major cause of point 1. Much touted 'softened' suspension is 99% hype and 1% substance.

(-) Engine is still a bit peaky. I know its a small capacity engine, so bottom end is bound to be a bit weak. Maybe a case of mismatched expectations.

(-) Could do with a sportier exhaust note! I tend to get the feeling that the engine though good, may have silenced some ponies. Maybe with a headers+exhaust job could release them.

My running is not much , and I have managed to do just about 8,200 odd kilometers in almost 1 year of ownership. The car was idle for about 3 months in total during this period, as I was travelling for work. My first "real" service at the 10k/1 year mark was advanced by almost a month and did about a couple of weeks back because I had some more travel plans (which got cancelled at the last minute) and I didnt want to miss the service date by over 3 months.

Some pics :



8291 fun filled Kilometers!



At this speed, on a hot afternoon, the blower speed is enough to ruffle my hair. Performance of the AC ranges from good to adequate.









Catching up with the "Competition".






Now for the big question, relevant at this point in time : The Old Swift or Upcoming New one ?

Well, it all depends on how much you are willing to wait. I have had a chance to observe the new Swift at close quarters in Belgium a few months ago, so my opinion is based on that.
Performance and handling wise, I guess you are not going to gain or lose much. With the same engine, they would be evenly matched.
Interiors are good on the new one, but you are not going to miss much on the current one either. Ditto for space.
Price - the Old Swift definitely has an advantage.

Bottomline : If you want a good car which is not been rendered irrelevant in any way right now, get the current Swift. If you want a good car later in the
year (or even perhaps next year), get the New Swift. Simple as that. You cant go wrong with either.

That said, I simply adore the upcoming new Swift.

[sajo]

I forgot to mention in my earlier points, but since the past few weeks, I have been under inflating the tyres by a few PSI. Right now, I am on 28 psi.
The reason being, I have observed that it produces a bit less of a tyre rumble on smooth roads!


PS :Happy Birthday to my car today!!

[krish3]

Congrats on your cars first b'day. You've maintained it pretty well. And nice ownership report updated frequently

The swift may have lesser fancy features than competition, but has almost all useful/must have features at a good price. Its a perfect peace of mind car.

Enjoy more miles and years with your Swift.

[sajo]

Thanks Krish.

Originally Posted by krish3

The swift may have lesser fancy features than competition, but has almost all useful/must have features at a good price. Its a perfect peace of mind car.

Yep, I do think most Marutis are the 100cc Hero Hondas of the four wheeled world. Fill it. Shut it. Forget it. Also, thats the reason I wouldnt have bought a Maruti, but for this vehicle's fun filled character.

[sajo]

So I kept getting calls from the dealers folks, asking me if I have received Maruti's feedback form for my latest service. One lady even discretely hinted at giving them full marks in all respects, especially since I wasnt facing any problems with the car (because it didnt have any!).

The form asked me to rate them on broadly criteria like :

- Initiating the service visit
- Dealership service advisor
- Service facility
- Picking up the vehicle after service
- Service quality
- Service standards etc.

I did rate them a full 10/10 everywhere, not because they were exceptional, but because I have nothing to complain really.
Last time I rated them a few notches below in a couple of areas, and the service manager was on phone with me the very next day.

[FrozeninTime]

Well even I recieved similar form from Maruti.The manager of MASS where I gave my car last me call and asked me whether I had mailed the the form from Maruti.He was very anxious and asked how did I rate his MASS.I said I had given him a good rating and he shouldn't be concerned about it.

My experience with Maruti shall I say is bitter sweet.Yes they are good in some areas but fare poorer in crucial problem solving areas.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by FrozeninTime

My experience with Maruti shall I say is bitter sweet.Yes they are good in some areas but fare poorer in crucial problem solving areas.

I have a feeling you might be right. Hope I dont get to the stage when I need to check whether this is true or false.
But atleast, the service experience mostly hassle free, compared to my experience with Tata for the past few years.

[noopster]

Hey Sajo,

Hunted down this thread after your spotting of me in the Stickers thread to see what your ride was and I if had spotted it as well! Truly beautiful your baby is, congrats.

My old-engine Vxi is 5 years old now and I can't bear to part with her yet. Looking at your interior snaps, I guess the look and feel hasn't changed at all except the HU and the ACC unit which looks vastly superior compared to my 1DIN-with-khancha and plain old-fashioned AC! Not to knock the AC though, it's a real chiller!

I service my Swift at Chowgule as well, after not-so-great experiences with MyCar. Though it is hellishly convenient to drop it on the way to work and pick it up after, being so close to office and all, those guys screwed up my wheel alignment badly and put in all kinds of unnecessary and expensive additives in at the 40K service.

Keep posting- BTW how much have you covered so far? 2800 km in 1 year doesn't sound right!

Edit: 8700 km is (a little) better. Please ask mods to change the title!

[sajo]

Originally Posted by noopster

Hunted down this thread after your spotting of me in the Stickers thread to see what your ride was and I if had spotted it as well! Truly beautiful your baby is, congrats.

Thanks noopster!

Originally Posted by noopster

Keep posting- BTW how much have you covered so far? 2800 km in 1 year doesn't sound right!

Nope, I have covered around 8.7k so far. 2800 KMs was a couple of months after delivery!
That includes a few months of idling at home while I was working outside Pune. I expected my parents to use it, but they just found a nice parking spot and kept it there because they didnt want to lose it.

can't bear to part with her yet

Hint : The new Swift is just around the corner!

[fuel_addict]

Originally Posted by sajo

Easily does 21kmpl even on bad and potholed undivided highways. Averages around 14 in the city. All figures with AC.

Are you serious? 21kpl is more than what even MUL claims. I also wonder how you manage 14 kpl in a place like Pune. My ZXi with the old G series motor gives 9-10 kpl in Mumbai traffic.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by fuel_addict

Are you serious? 21kpl is more than what even MUL claims. I also wonder how you manage 14 kpl in a place like Pune. My ZXi with the old G series motor gives 9-10 kpl in Mumbai traffic.

Yes dude. 21kmpl, tankful to tankful on the notorious Pune Solapur highway. Elsewhere on the forum, you can find Ritz 1.2K owners reporting similar highway mileage.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by fuel_addict

Are you serious? 21kpl is more than what even MUL claims. I also wonder how you manage 14 kpl in a place like Pune. My ZXi with the old G series motor gives 9-10 kpl in Mumbai traffic.

I have the G series engine too an I get 12-13 kmpl in Pune. Drove ti in Mumbai for a week or so and got 11-12. If your daily commute is bumper-to-bumper you can expect that kind ofnumber else it's too low. Please get it checked.

Though honestly I have never got close to 21 even on highways. Best is 17-18.

[sajo]

Honestly, having driven both, the G13 was built with the purpose of sitting in your car going "POWEERRRRRRRR..." , a la Jeremy Clarkson.
The K12 is however, built for refinement , and mainly, aggressively tuned for fuel efficiency. You get that feeling everytime you put your foot down.
It has the potential buttt....
Everytime a few ponies try to rise, the ECU decides they have no business being here, and shoos them away.

So, if someone is expecting a rush like the older Swift, they are going to come out a bit disappointed. However, the engine transplant has overall made it a better car, given its incremental gains in other areas except outright power.

[shantyrocks]

Your reviews do define your love for your car!
21kmpl is excellent!! Never heard of any petrol car giving so much. what speed were you driving at when you got that kind of figure.