19th June 2011, 08:25
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19th June 2011, 08:47
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19th June 2011, 09:51
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| BHPian | The Delivery Experience - a WONDERful one With 5 minutes to 11 AM, I got a call on my cell from the sales rep and he said "Sir Gaadi Ready hai Appki" and i replied that i am on my way We like punctuality so we reached the showroom spot on at 11 AM and among 3 white cars, this car was standing tall in the middle and at that point i felt so many emotions simultaneously in one moment "Pride, Anxiety, Excitement, Relief, Happiness and others which cant be described in words" I said to my father - "Dad, there it is" and he said "Easy big boy, we got a task at hand and lets finish it before we party" We went in, the sales rep greeted us and quickly got the KIT which contained
As i signed the documents after carefully reading it, Dad was busy doing the PDI Documentation Check We got the paperwork completed in 10 minutes, just to add, a. There is one checklist where it is mentioned clearly what documents are being handed over to you and also if vehicle has everything as per the brochure for the trim you have opted for, read it very carefully and do tick-marks to track it and only then sign that document because once you sign that, legally dealer is no longer responsible b. I also checked if the VIN on the invoice is same as the one i had seen in the car and also checked if the Tax paper as well as registration papers had the same number, everything matched Now with Documentation out of the way, he asked me to select the fragrance for the complementary perfume and i chose Cologne I had purchased my own "Ganesha Idol" and i got it fitted along with perfume bottle on the dashboard I also did a quich check if VIN number on car is matching with the papers and if the License plates have the correct number and also that all ordered accessories are fitted correctly I must admit one thing - Quality of MGA accessories is better than aftermarket ones when it comes to basics Car Basics 101 Now that all the formalities were over, the Adviser jumped in to explain each and every button in the interior and also each and every valve / container in the engine bay My piece of advise - Even though we may know a lot about the cars, it's a good practice to be a cautious listener as it will help you understand each and every function clearly without scrolling thru pages of the bulky manual later He was very patient in the way he explained the working and also had a knack to explain stuff with minimum fuss, i liked it! Now the sales rep asked "Sir Ribbon Laga doon", i said "Naa...it looks too fancy IMHO" so he said "Haar to Laga lo" and dad said "Ok", they quickly got a nice Garland and got it fixed, then as usual a Coconut was broken to pieces to mark this auspicious moment and then came a bag of surprises
 , i requested him to stand in the pic along with us, he was a little hesitant in the start but then he agreed)The lady took the pic and quickly got a photo print of it from inside and put it in the frame 5 liters of petrol was added to the car and i made the final sign in the register indicating delivery completed, Now there was only one thing left to do, Sagar bought the keys to me and i handed it over to dad saying "Happy Birthday Dad, Thanks for everything" The adviser, lady and sales rep wished him and even though he will never say i knew he was emotional and wanted to escape the moment So we inserted the key, engine came to life and we drove off into the traffic A journey that started in February,
I leave you with below pic for now which speaks for itself, but as they say - This is not the end but the beginning of a new Era, an era of accessories / upgrades / challenges etc which will be captured as part of further posts Cheers Last edited by shridhar.s.i : 27th June 2011 at 22:01. Reason: Added edited pic |
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27th June 2011, 16:43
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| BHPian | Overall Picture Hello, We already have so many detailed reviews on this car that it would make no sense to reinvent the wheel but what i am going to do is place my point of view on different aspects of the car (Since this car will soon go out of production to make way for the upgraded Swift, so it will help only existing owners or prospective used-car buyers looking for a Swift) In a Nutshell What you will like 1. Punchy and refined K series engine 2. Short gear throw 3. Decent low end torque to sustain city drive 4. Road manners 5. Powerful AC What you may complain about 1. Very hard suspension setup 2. Skinny Wheels for a car with such handling / engine combo and size 3. Fit 'n' Finish of Interior trim and interior feels dull..all monotone grey and black The Engine "Foot to the pedal and it goes Vrooom"  I have always driven diesel cars including TATA Estate, Indica Dicor and Accent Cdri so this was the frst Petrol i got my hands on Hence i was cautioned while using the pedal, as the engine response will be much quicker and my frinds were not wrong a bit because when i sat in driver seat and gave a gentle tap to the accelarator for the first time it was still more and the vehicle accelerated so fast that my adrenaline almost kicked in - scary initially but then once i got the feel of the car it felt very manageable and inspired confidence The NVH levels are OK, not as silent as a Hyundai or Chevy but better than VW Polo But here is something to think about, most of the cars being offered in the hatchback category in this pricerange are close to 65-70 PS, but SWIFT comes with a nice 4 cylinder configuration pumping 85 PS, only 5 PS short of a 90 PS engine which is considered a performance option on offer in hatchback market, and the FE figures reported are not bad either for this car, hence IMHO this is the best hatchback engine and is killer deal considering the pricepoint Just to add a couple of more points, The OEM Battery is Amaron, i have always believed in this brand as they make some really good batteries which last long, really long  Styling and Design I need not say much here, this car has been my favorite since i joined my graduation, The car has bold lines,  A little flared wheel arches,  Aggressive front Jaw and a Muscular stance overall,  Bold and Bulky rear profile  When i first saw this car back in 2005, i felt it was "INSPIRED" by Mini Cooper because notice carefully and you can see that the rear window design and the front Bonnet is quite a match (Pun intended)  Ride and Handling I. Suspension Even before i bought this car i was advised by fellow BHP'ians and my friends that Swift is not really a passenger's car and it is more of a driver's car, i did not know at that time what they really meant but after driving the car on some rough patches i clearly understand the concept. To put it simply the setup is "hard" and yes it improves handling when you are cornering at speeds above normal but it also has an inverse effect when you drive the car thru potholes or rough roads, the drive gets too bumpy and you literally can feel every crater on the road, not a really good thing when your family is with you, i mean you can even be confronted with questions like "Beta, Pakka Nayi Gaadi Hai Na" or "Dude, i hope Maruti did not forget to fit a coil spring in your car" and explaining the technicalities to them is an uphill task But if you want to respond to them in a polite way take them on a winding uphill road and let the car do the talking, it does so well in drive department that you are always instigated to push it a little more, But since car is in the RUN-IN period, got to hold on to my nerves II. Tyres and Wheels  The Lxi comes with Steel Wheels - R14 5J, The Tires are 165/80 R14 and have enough tread while cornering, a tyre upgrade is recommended but please do not go for very low profiles as it will further bring down the ride quality  III. Ground Clearance The ground clearance is good as far as 1 or 2 members are driving, with car on full load the ground clearance dips down a little, even though they claim it to be 170mm at minimum ground clearance, in actuals it gets below that for sure  IV. Steering  The Accuracy of the steer is very good and it drives where you want it to go and the position is just right but the Electronic Power Steering feels dead and the response from it is almost nil, also the turning radius is not the best in class; i mean driving this car made me realise that the length of the car is not inversely proportional to turn radius but also the angle your wheels can give during the turn make the difference. They could have made this the ultimate city car if they improved this factor a little more V. Gearbox  This is one one off the smooth and sportiest gearboxes around, the throw is short and the slotting is good which makes it much easier for drivers But there is also something strange i have noticed, during a cold start the vehicle wont directly fall into reverse gear even when we press the clutch completely, we need to put it in first release clutch gently and then take it back to reverse gear, is this common? And yes the rounded gear shift lever looks cool and fits well in palm with great gripping VI. Body Roll - Surprisingly i feel this factor to be very evident in this car, i dont know if it is because of my driving style or the suspension setup Air Conditioning The Lxi trim comes with manual HVAC and like all other Maruti Cars, this one is also a Gem  , although i have not installed sun-ban film yet, the cooling is very quick and the rear passengers also can feel the AC at work, the front windshield demister was found very effective especially while driving in heavy rains where visibility is reducedThe AC control buttons are easy to use and are of good quality, built to last as they may say  The Side vents close completely,  I would have loved the same on central vents as well though, the adjustment for air throw is very limited on central vents  What i am wondering is the fuel lid does not have any information regarding octane details etc, Maruti needs to be more informative  The features dearly missed are A rear wash+wipe , Rear demister Heated ORVM's as in Hyundai i10, but you dont get the complete package anyways in any car so i will give it a pass Last edited by shridhar.s.i : 27th June 2011 at 21:21. Reason: Added more notes and pics |
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27th June 2011, 18:52
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| BHPian | Interiors Visibility The Swift has a very practical "A Pillar" design which gives a clean view of the front  But the "C" Pillar is too thick and while taking the car in reverse out of parking lots, the IRVM practically becomes useless because of this, you are left to the mercy of ORVM and instincts hence parking sensors are highly recommended for this car  Ingress and Egress The Doors open wide hence getting in and out of the car is not a problem, but the rear seat feels a little low and getting out at times may involve Yoga steps Interior Space Legroom / Headroom / Shoulder room Rear Legroom is not the best in class but as far as the claustrophobia goes, i do not agree with people who mention it because i feel the rear window is big enough to give you that roomy experience The car has decent headroom and shoulder room and also the width of the car from inside is decent The shoulder room for rear seating is decent, they claim we can seat five but for "comfort" reasons i say we can have two full grown adults and at most a kid back there Foot Pedal Room The pedals are organized well and chance of you missing a pedal or stepping on a wrong one are less BUT Dead pedal is dearly missed, we need to hunt if we can have an aftermarket version fitted provided we can find some space for it  Seating The Front seats felt very comfortable even while fitting in big guys like me, the lumbar and neck support is also very good and also the adjustable front headrests come in very handy The Lumbar support on rear seats felt good but head restraints are duly missed on base model, i will have to find a way to get them fitted from Showroom The Rake adjustment is smooth, The Reclining lever also works well and slotting is good, below are the 2 extreme positions  Bootspace In case you want to carry a couple of Big bags then it is OK but i admit that the space comes at a premium and with my plans of a SUBWOOFER going in there with an AMP, we are talking "REAL PREMIUM"  Storage Spaces This car has enough storage spaces for an average family but for people who like to have a beverage party in the car or an "office on wheels", this car is not for them 2 Front cup holders, Removable Ashtray fits into them but smoking is strictly prohibited in my car so it will work more like a "Bubble gum" box  One rear cup holder  Doors have map pockets, but they are not really deep neither can the fit bottles easily, this surprises me because we have come to see cars smaller than this have this facility, this is not cool  The glove-box has decent depth but in the dark a light is dearly missed, also they could have added a glove-box on top dashboard area and also a sun-glass holder could not have cost them much, the Skoda's are very good at this  Front Seat rear pockets are very thin and cant even hold much more than a magazine or a newspaper and i am scared to load them to the brim as they may even tear off giving in to the weight  The Storage space on Central Console is decent and has good depth to and the inclination will prevent stuff from falling out  If you dont intend to go for a Double deck or a Touch based console, the second half of AV deck provision can be used to place IPOD or a couple of CD's  Getting the Basics Right The Door handles are chunky and grabbing them does not make you feel as if they are delicate  Open the door and you can see a simply laid out Door panel with Manual Window Lever Provision for Speaker Door Lock and handle  Getting a few basics wrong The Arm handles on doors are fixed, they could have gone with a folding arm handle option  Also the seatbelt holders do not have height adjustment, how much does it really take to incorporate such basic but useful features  Ergonomics The Manual Control Lever for ORVM's feels skinny but gets the job done  The ORVM's are big and give a clear view of things going on behind our backs  The Wipe / Wash lever is simple and aptly placed on left side of Steering wheel with easy access and control  The Lights Lever is also neat and houses the Fog lamp controls as well and clicks give good feedback, what i cant understand though is why cant we start the foglamps before we turn on the headlights  The instrument cluster is neat and being Lxi, Tachometer is missing The Indicator lights are crisp and clear and informative enough to understand what they really mean  The Remote Fuel lid opener and Boot opener are strong and the feedback from them is good, though i always get worried about the positioning as there is a very good chance we may step on it and possible bend / break it  The Cabin lights are adequate and are 3 position adjustable  As usual the warning Hazard Lamp is placed in between AC vents  Last edited by shridhar.s.i : 27th June 2011 at 19:16. Reason: Spell check |
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27th June 2011, 21:10
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| BHPian | Accesories, Safety, Security Accessories Whats in a Fragrance? This is the question some people asked me when i was hunting for the right perfumes for my car, all i can say is that we spend our time inside the car and i hate it smelling like "Rubber" or "Plastic" I use a brand called "Grandall" in TATA Estate which was very good but getting a refill for it was a real problem So for this car when i was offered a free perfume, i chose a "Cologne" fragrance because a. Men always like strong fragrances b. A strong fragrance is always needed to subside the "Rubber" smell in the car  But there was one more challenge i had to face, my mother needs a mild fragrance and Ambi-Pur Lavender is the most preferred one by women (Based on a survey done by me with my female friends who own cars, it was kind of a no brainer though), So i also bought it and fixed it on A/C vent There is one last thing which was suggested by the Accessory shop, Never fix the Ambi - Pur on a vent above the stereo as there is a chance the perfume fluid may drip accidentally on the stereo, so i fitted it on the driver side vent (I do not know if this is true but did not want to risk it)  Seats Following the Dark theme, i decided to go with Black ART Leather Seat covers from G-Sport To match the same, had to choose Black neck rests As far as the wooden bead goes, did not find them irritating but neither did i find them useful  Window Visors When i used to see this on a car, i used to think that they are mainly for show off, but then when i finally understood their functionality then i felt them to be very practical, they come real handy during those extremely rainy days when you wanna enjoy a lil cool breeze but do not want the rainwater to come in  Philips 100/90 Rally Bulbs I am a true fan of the HID's as nothing beats them but a 100/90 is still better than a 55/55 standard kit and i tested them on highways and with confidence i can say, they get the job done  Paint Protection I have gone for the 3M (1+2) paint protection Mud Flaps The MGA fitted one looks to have good plastic and also fit is clean, no fuss and hence recommended  The Matting This is special because we had the regular matting on offer but the showroom personnel suggested to go for the newer mats with Spikes on it, now what the spikes really do is they hold on to the base carpet and prevent the matting from moving, this comes in very handy as we have heard a lot of complaints on how the MGA matting tends to obstruct the brake / accelerator pedals by moving under them  The Guards With Pune traffic -> India's growing automobile population -> Cramped parkings and a world of people who have bigger cars and shorter brain fuses, it is very important to have some protection for your cars and hence i decided to put the following 1. Bumper Moulding - Prevents scratches caused while parking or turning on tight corners  2. Door Guards - To prevent scratching from cars passing by and while opening he doors as well   Selecting the correct IDOL I have seen many people go for the standard ganesha IDOL offered by the showroom just because it is free, and then they sometimes complain that they had something else in mind and then they end up fitting one more which they like, so here is what i suggest..why dont you let go the free stuff and go shopping and buy the one which you really like and and get it fitted, it would cost you atmost Rs 300 but the satisfaction you get is priceless For me everything in my car has to be the way i like it, and having the correct IDOL of god is very important because of our family's beleif and hence one Sunday i went to the market and after some shopping decided to buy the below one and i like it  The IRVM ornament Some people may hate this, but i like every detail to be highlighted, i needed something which will not hamper the visibility and be authentic and original, hence what i did is used a gift my friend bought me from Turkey and added a pendant of Navratna Ganpati to it, this was done to make it go with the theme of the Ganesha IDOL  Rear parking Sensors With reference to my discussion on Car purchase thread, i got this gadget installed and i must say for now, it works like a charm The Dashboard Display  Sensor  Wheelcaps The Swift wheels caps are cool although they look like a copy of the i20 Alloys, but till i get some more Vitamin M to buy some alloys, i decided to stick to MGA wheelcaps, the quality is good  Safety The base model comes with 1. Rear fog lamps  2. High Mount Stop lamp  3. Rear Seat Belt for 3rd passenger  4. Head Lamp Leveller  5. Dual Horns (Not very powerful but gets the job done by letting the people know that the car is around) Security Immobilizer The car comes with i-CATS and digitally embedded and encrypted key I still remember that ad for Linc Locks "Ye sirf apni hi chaabi se khulte hain", though i can also vouch for an alternate statement which is true these days "Ye Chor ki duplicate chaabi se bhi khulte hain  "Central Locking The base model does not have this feature hence i decided to go for the aftermarket reliable workhorse - Autocop Car security I have had Autocop XS on my TATA Estate for almost 9 years now, so i know it is reliable but i am always embarrassed when the alarm goes off even when we are around trying to open the car using keys So this time when i got the same system fitted on the Dark Angel, The system secures 4 Doors, Boot and the hood and also autolock in 60 seconds The product has come a long way and the keychain looks very upmarket, here is a pic of the Key and the keychain  The 4 button keychain with brushed aluminum and chrome finish  |
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28th June 2011, 00:27
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| Team-BHP Support   | |
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28th June 2011, 11:10
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| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune
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28th June 2011, 12:48
| #9 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Chicago, IL
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| Re: Swift Lxi (Codenamed "Dark Angel") - Detailed Ownership Review Shri, great and heartfelt review there! Congratulations on the purchase. About the tyres- What have you decided? Which ones are you going in for? Also, I like the mats. Pretty sensible. Like Sajo stated, the MGA mats are really bad. Any upgrades that you've planned? Apart from the music system and tyres that is. Wishing you many happy miles. Drive safe. EDIT: You've chosen the color that, I originally had in mind while going in for the Swift  Last edited by Swanand Inamdar : 28th June 2011 at 12:50. |
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28th June 2011, 13:04
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| BANNED Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: .
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28th June 2011, 13:15
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| Senior - BHPian  | |
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28th June 2011, 13:35
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| Senior - BHPian  | Re: Swift Lxi (Codenamed "Dark Angel") - Detailed Ownership Review Heartiest Congrats Shridhar. Finally, the thread comes alive. Very well written report Shri. You have covered all the details and it almost felt like reading a Team BHP official review of Swift. Wishing you all the best with the new ride and wishing you lots of happy miles. Cheers!! P.S. Can you add some night pics with the headlights ON? Want to see how the new Philips bulbs look and how is the throw of light. |
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28th June 2011, 14:02
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| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Zurich
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28th June 2011, 19:04
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| Distinguished - BHPian   | |
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28th June 2011, 19:22
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| BHPian  Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Bangalore
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| Re: Swift Lxi (Codenamed "Dark Angel") - Detailed Ownership Review shridhar.s.i: Congrats on buying a new swift. Its a brilliant car. Your review is fantastic - extremely detailed + fab pics! 5 stars! Quote:
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