[Fuldagap]

The new Swift is 100 kgs lighter. That is a feat in itself as far as engineering is concerned. Not many companies can boast doing weight reduction how Maruti Suzuki does it. It translates into greater power to weight ratio and higher fuel efficiency despite a seemingly weaker engine.

Here's what Maruti said about the new swift:

When it comes to manufacturing cars, saving weight is a top priority, and nowhere is this journey better chronicled than in one of India's top selling car models, the Maruti Suzuki Swift. Over two decades, Maruti Suzuki has managed to shave off 100kg, says CV Raman, executive committee member and former CTO, Maruti Suzuki India.

New Swift's CO2 emissions down to 95.6g per km from 147g

Lightweighting plays pertinent role in EV energy conservation
“Since the launch of Swift in 2005, we have changed the powertrain and platform of the brand twice. With the new Heartect platform underpinnings, the fourth-generation model is the lightest yet,” said Raman in the keynote address at our sister publication, Autocar Professional’s Vehicle Lightweighting Conference.


Highlighting a massive reduction of 47 percent in carbon emissions, Raman said that the first-gen model used to emit 147g CO2 per km, which has now come down to 95.6g per km. “The fuel efficiency of the new model has improved by 50 percent. We have been able to achieve this by making use of lots of alternate materials in manufacturing,” he added.

In his presentation, Raman revealed how new grades of steel like Advanced High-Strength Steel (AHSS) and Ultra High-Strength Steel (UHSS) are helping car manufacturers usher in an era of robust, lightweight vehicles that improve fuel efficiency and lower emissions without compromising on safety. “We have improved the usage of AHSS and UHSS in structural parts as they have significantly higher minimum tensile strengths. While we have enhanced the share of UHSS and AHSS from 6 percent to 17 percent and 2 percent to 4 percent, respectively, in the current [Swift], the share of HSS has been reduced to 23 percent from 42 percent,” Raman revealed.


By using fewer materials, lightweighting strategies play a key role in making manufacturing processes more sustainable. Raman also underlined that automakers are exploring lighter materials beyond steel to lower the weight of automobiles. “Even though automobiles used to be exclusively made of steel, manufacturers are now shifting to aluminium, the most rapidly developing lightweight material, as well as magnesium and thermoplastic materials that provide higher efficiency and crash performance,” Raman mentioned.

Autocar Link

[Nithesh_M]

Once people experience the long term reliability of an Alto, Wagon R or Swift it is very hard to make them move to another brand or even another new product from the same brand.

I've been trying to make my father in law switch his 2010 Alto k10 for a new car but he says it is his first car he bought when he retired and 14 years later its not given him any trouble to warrant a replacement. He's not worried about the scrappage policy either.

That's why these cars are a brand in themselves.

[wheelspinner]

Originally Posted by Fuldagap

The new Swift is 100 kgs lighter. That is a feat in itself as far as engineering is concerned.

Does that mean they reduced the build quality even further

I have seen you can just push the thin body panels of the Swift inwards by applying a little pressure with your hands.

[Fuldagap]

Originally Posted by wheelspinner

Does that mean they reduced the build quality even further

I have seen you can just push the thin body panels of the Swift inwards by applying a little pressure with your hands.

That is what I hear from the erstwhile Ambassador aficionados too. Engineering, physics, metallurgy sometimes surprise the 'common' sense in us.

Maybe some metallurgy expert from amongst the bhpians is better placed to answer this, given Maruti speaks about tensile strength and all.

As far as reducing the weight of an automobile is concerned, it is always an uphill task and very few companies are able to successfully do it without compromising on desired factors.

If the Marutis are unsafe, they will perish away or would already have. What is quality for a welder might not be quality for an engineer in the same company.

[Revvatron]

Originally Posted by wheelspinner

I am surprised about the market sentiment. They took one of the best hot hatches in India, put an inferior 3 cylinder engine with lower power figures, and likely more vibrations. Yet, people keep buying more of it.

You would be surprised as to how many of them don't even know about 4 cylinder or 3 cylinder stuff. When I discussed same thing in my office people were like what is this 4/3 cylinder thing you keep talking about
And I don't blame them because requirements are different for each of them. They want fuss free car with good mileage, swift satisfies that.

[drwat]

A test drive day out- 8 cars and a surprising winner!

It has been sometime that my family and I have pondered upon replacing our beloved beater- A Datsun Redigo AMT. At 70k+ kms on the odo, predominantly on Thane and Mumbai roads, we doubt the further longevity of the vehicle and would be happy to pass on to an owner who would take that plunge, care for our beater and cross 1L kms. As the search for a city car begins, the family is joyous and suddenly it's a 100% attendance for dinner table discussions . Budget is set out for 12L on-road and every family member is pushing his own agenda creating a miniature election within the household.

Options considered- Hyundai twins- Nios and Exter, Nexa trio- Ignis, Fronx 1.2 and Baleno, Arena- Swift, Tata Punch and Honda Amaze.
I called up all the dealerships and checked for availability of a test drive vehicle on Sunday and tentatively drew up a schedule to test drive all the vehicles sequentially with a lunch break to enjoy some south indian food and discuss the initial observations.


- Modi Hyundai, Thane
At walking distance from my home, Modi Hyundai had a soft corner. Stepped in to be greeted by the Creta followed by the Ioniq and then the Nios. Nios Sportz AMT was supposed to fit the bill. Extensive reading on this very forum created perspectives that it is one of the best AMTs to own in the market and we liked the way it looked. Also the teal shade ensured my wife was happy with it. But I wasn't impressed after the test drive.
Deal breaker after the test drive- The steering. Maybe I am spoiled by our Ecosport but even our Redigo's steering feedback and the ability to be light enough to park and weigh up as the speed reaches 80 kmph felt much better than the Nios. I just couldn't convince myself to live with that lifeless steering for the next 10 years. However, remember the soft corner for Hyundai? What soft corners do is that they help you give a benefit of doubt. I thought it might be the test drive car and thus hopped on to the Exter and instructed my mind to experience it fresh. Result- Same steering experience with Exter and to make things worse- I felt Exter was not as responsive to throttle inputs as the Nios. I stepped away from the showroom with disappointment.

We stopped for some coffee and proceeded to Tata

Tata Punch- Petrol AMT.
As the Punch wears the crown of sales charts, we were excited to experience it and also to buy a Tata. Afterall, after the Tata Indica we never considered Tata Motors in the last 15 years.
Test drive experience- The car felt well built, the doors had significant weight and the interior well laid out. Seat height was just right with easy ingress and egress, something we valued, as I am 6.1 ft followed by mom at 5.11 ft, father at 5.10 ft and wife at 5.9 ft.
We liked the ride quality and everything the car had to offer except the elephant in the room- Engine. At about 11L on road for the variant of choice, the engine that does not respond, the gear box that jerked just like the Datsun, we decided to move on and return if at all we conclude that this is all we are going to get.

Nexa- Ignis AMT
I must say it was one of the best dealership experiences and the staff was well informed, also provided detailed answers to all our questions.
Test drive experience
Entire family appreciated the advantages of a tall boy design (not enumerating as its implied).
As I stepped off the brake pedal, car creeped forward smoothly, some input on the gas and it made progress just as expected, some additional input and now we are progressing rapidly. It felt like the car is just inviting you to push it hard. The steering was so much better than the Hyundai experience and I was impressed with that driving experience. The smile that one experiences from driving was back on my face. We noted the points to consider- same old parts from Maruti's bin. The rear design that we did not like and the fact that the car looks old and might not age well since we plan to keep it for 10 years at least.
Subsequently, we test drove the Fronx 1.2 Delta AMT and Baleno 1.2 but the Ignis stole my heart with what it had to offer. Also at a price that made it true value for money.

Honda Amaze
None of the family members wanted a compact sedan and I had to pursue them by advertising CVT.
Test drive- Oh boy! The smoothness of that CVT was superb! However, the car did feel a bit old. Lack of rear adjustable headrests even in the top spec, front armrest etc. were few points to consider. The fact that a new gen is due was also something on our mind.

Maruti Swift
So much has been said about the looks and those 3 cylinders. BHPians have expressed their views and majority of those views also meant that I ain't boarding this ship. With reluctance we head to Maruti Arena. Let me put it this way- We did not hate the way it looked and can live with it for a decade. The smoked effect on the head and tail lights is good and adds to some character.
Test drive experience.
The front seats were comfortable. The side bolstering was very useful since majority of the cars we test drove, did not have a good front seat. The dashboard tilt towards the driver is done so well that instinctively the phone went where it should have so did the wallet and keys. Ergonomics- Good. A lot of things that I hate Maruti for were absent in this car- Eg: I hate absence of firewall insulation, bonnet insulation, boot cover, wires hanging around, at least some basic layer for underbody protection, no space to tug the rear selt belts, boot lamp at times restricted to top variants etc. Oh and I hate that door flex on operating those windows. Well I curse Maruti everyday for this. But....
Swift had all this in place. Majority of my hate points were taken care off by Maruti in this new gen. So far so good.
As I step off the brake pedal, the car takes off smoothly and silently. Very minimal vibrations inside the cabin as well. With every throttle input the car made good progress. The steering is so light at city speeds but still provides feedback. At 80 kmph it weighed up so well. The brakes were progressive as well. IMHO one can feel the additional low end torque in play. It probably has helped in reducing that AMT jerk from 1st to 2nd gear. (I may be wrong about this) but the gear shifts were barely noticeable no matter the scenario.
But remember where Hyundai had a soft corner, the scenario was otherwise with MSIL. So I requested if we can have a 25 kms long test drive on EEH and few city roads. The sales person obliged and we crossed the Mulund Toll. The car built speed and we were cruising on a sunday early evening at about 90 kmph. The passengers inside were so comfortable. We also liked the speakers provided. The ride quality was stiff. We love stiff suspension set-ups. It meant the minor undulations can be handled at speed and with confidence. We did not scrape any speed breakers with full load and Thane has some crazy ones. I stepped out satisfied with the car. Swift did better than Ignis and had so much to offer.

With best possible objectivity, the Swift came out to be a winner! Never expected this and yet to bite the bullet due to absence of that cylinder, decrease in power, parts from same Maruti bin etc.
However in reality, the car did its job so well!! Here I say it- It was fun to drive and as mentioned in the official review- It is brisk and probably that brisk behaviour is all we need in our cramped cities.
What also helped is test driving all the cars back to back and taking notes after every drive.

[JediKnight]

Originally Posted by Fuldagap

The new Swift is 100 kgs lighter. That is a feat in itself as far as engineering is concerned.

A super light car is a safety hazard in case of a head on collision with another vehicle even if it is structurally sound. This is due the impulse transfer to the lighter vehicle in a head on collision with a heavier vehicle. This does not show up in the test scores but can have major real life ramifications.

[Carma2017]

Originally Posted by wheelspinner

Does that mean they reduced the build quality even further

I have seen you can just push the thin body panels of the Swift inwards by applying a little pressure with your hands.

This is a bit of naughty reporting. The weight reduction from a first/second gen Swift is close to 100kg. The weight reduction from previous generation Swift to 2024 version is about 20kgs (923kg to 905kg) only I guess. Here I am comparing a ZXi Spec 2024 version and ZXi+ spec 2021 version.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Fuldagap

That is what I hear from the erstwhile Ambassador aficionados too. Engineering, physics, metallurgy sometimes surprise the 'common' sense in us.

Maybe some metallurgy expert from amongst the bhpians is better placed to answer this, given Maruti speaks about tensile strength and all.

As far as reducing the weight of an automobile is concerned, it is always an uphill task and very few companies are able to successfully do it without compromising on desired factors.

If the Marutis are unsafe, they will perish away or would already have. What is quality for a welder might not be quality for an engineer in the same company.

Maruti and Mahindra are two brands that have increased the sales of certain models through significant weight reduction, it made the vehicles better to drive , increased FE as well.

With the current safety standards, emissions etc getting the vehicle to lose weight is a big deal indeed. But given 920 kg of Swift, I think it should fare better in terms is crash safety.

One thing I always appreciated with Swift (yet to drive this new gen) is that they always 'Stay' in your hand when you are driving in a hurry to some place, you can trust that it will handle it, I can't say the same thing about other hatchbacks of this kind.

[volkman10]

Maruti Swift VXI variants account for 60 percent of bookings.

Maruti has received over 40,000 bookings for the new Swift; entry-level LXI variant accounts for 11 percent.

- Top-spec Swift ZXI, ZXI+ contributed 19 percent
- Swift AMT variants account for 17 percent of total bookings
- Swift CNG launch in the coming weeks

Link:

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by drwat

With best possible objectivity, the Swift came out to be a winner! Never expected this and yet to bite the bullet due to absence of that cylinder, decrease in power, parts from same Maruti bin etc.
However in reality, the car did its job so well!! Here I say it- It was fun to drive and as mentioned in the official review- It is brisk and probably that brisk behaviour is all we need in our cramped cities.
What also helped is test driving all the cars back to back and taking notes after every drive.

I haven't test driven the new Swift but many people who test drove pointed out that new Swift is pretty good. Yes the minor vibrations can be felt and the engine isn't smooth as K12 at higher revvs. The latter dilutes some of the sporty character of Swift.

But to be honest its good that from driving and handling perspective Swift retains its character and continues to be fun to drive. With Swift, there is no fun in hitting high 3 digit speeds or 0-100 figures but its more about pushing through corners is what is more satisfying. Of course for a non-enthusiast, the KMPL figures and Swift brand name should do more than good.

[fhdowntheline]

I had a short drive of the Swift ZXI+ 2024 yesterday. It was a refreshing take on manual transmission driving, and the clutch/gearshift smoothness compared to my present Tiago was next level. Even the driver seat felt quite comfortable. The only thing I was not too impressed with is the rear leg space, and the fact that one of the speakers was rattling a bit when the music volume was cranked up. Tiago's Harman is in a different league altogether. All in all, it felt like a refined (yes, for a 3 pot) , slick city car.

[BlueKatana]

Glaring Omissions made on the Indian-Spec Swift

There are a ton of feature omissions done on the Indian-Spec Swift. What we essentially receive is an extremely watered-down version of the Swift we get overseas. These are the following differences I observed:

Upper/Lower Grille

The Indian-Spec Swift receives an unpainted lower grille, it is black and has a matte finish.


The JDM-Spec Swift receives a lower grille painted in grey with a gloss finish. The upper grille too uses a different design for the JDM-Spec Swift.


Alloy Wheels

The Indian-Spec Swift gets 15-inch machine-finished alloy wheels, unchanged from the 2nd-gen which had freshly received an upsize to 15-inch from the 14-inch provided on the 1st-gen Swift.


The JDM and Euro-Spec Swifts both get better and larger 16-inch machine-finished alloy wheels.


Side Skirts

The Indian-Spec Swift misses out on side skirts.


The JDM and Euro-Spec Swifts both get integrated side skirts.


Boot Lid Spoiler/HMSL

The top portion of the boot on the Indian-Spec Swift gets no interesting design, and it houses the same HMSL used in the previous gen Swift.


The boot on the JDM and Euro-Spec Swift gets an integrated spoiler design that houses a sleeker HMSL.


Rear Wiper Assembly

The rear wiper assembly on the JDM and Euro-Spec Swift has a sleeker design and looks better integrated.


The rear wiper assembly on the Indian-Spec Swift looks comparatively cheaper. It also misses out on an intermittent function which the Euro and JDM-Spec get.


Rear Bumper/Rear Fog Lamp

The Indian-Spec Swift misses out on a rear fog lamp.


The Euro-Spec Swift gets a rear fog lamp.


The JDM-Spec Swift has a sportier bumper design.


Interior

The interior on the Indian-Spec Swift has a single tone colour scheme.


The interior on the JDM and Euro-Spec Swift use a dual tone colour scheme with white accents to bring out airiness.


Steering Wheel

The steering wheel on the Indian-Spec has black stitching and a gloss black panel on the bottom.


The steering wheel on the JDM and Euro-Spec has white contrast stitching and a silver-finished panel on the bottom.

Other Omitted Features
- 360-degree Camera
- Variable Intermittent Wipers
- Vanity Mirror for Driver-Side Sun Visor
- Height-Adjustable seatbelts


I have not listed the entire list of omitted features as some of them would not be applicable for the Indian market, however, I believe that Maruti could've included some of these items into the Swift, at least on the higher variants.

Apologies for low quality pictures as they were all taken from the internet.

[N4Revv]

It could have been a one liner post, "NO Comparison". These cheaters cut costs at places where its a matter of safety concern. I remember there was a same comparison thread between Indian made and JDM gen 2 swift. They provide least value for money cars and till now I haven't bought any of Maruti cars. My 1st one was original Palio, then original Figo and then Honda City type 3.

[buzzy_boy]

The entry level Swift sells for ~19,000 GBP in the UK. That's approx. 19,00,000 INR. However, adjusted for PPP, it is ~5,75,000 INR.

The base Swift in India has an ex. Showroom cost of ~ 6,75,000. So, basically, Maruti are ripping off the Indian customer because they can!