[TwistOfFate!]

Hello Team!

A new car for parents is on cards and we finally zeroed in on the Swift Zxi variant, which would burn our pockets by 7.6L (on road).

The other option in consideration is the VW Polo 1.2L P Comfort line, which was offered for 7L (on road) and the High line is on offer for 8L (on road) by a Dealership in Visakhapatnam (hometown).

Hyundai (i10, Grand i10, Elite i20), Ford (Figo) and Fiat (Punto) have been ditched as they could not make a mark in my amma's eyes.
[Maa.. How could you even say NO to the Punto???]

Tatas cars are all "cabs" to my mom! Spare none.
Datsuns are not into consideration due to lack of ABS/Dual Airbags.
Chevys are something neither mom nor dad ever paid heed to.

We all liked the Baleno, however the light kerb weight of the car, and the long waiting periods aren't feasible, as we are in need of a sturdy car which can be brought home in the next couple of weeks.

We're preferably looking for a petrol car for dad's daily commute to work which does not exceed 30kms to and fro.

Entry level sedans (Swift Dzire, Ford Figo Aspire, Honda Amaze) might/might not be the pick at the point in time, considering the parking issues in our apartment.

Please advise if choosing Swift (high-end) over Polo (mid/high-variant) is a wise decision? Also, considering our budget to be <=8L and a car with ABS and Airbags is a must for me to sign the papers, please advise me with other options that I might have missed, or a Go-Ahead for the Swift Zxi which would concrete my decision in this purchase.

PS: If I had the levy of waiting for a few more months, my pick would have been the MS Ignis without a pinch of a doubt, as I'm still drooling over the looks of the car.

Thanks in advance!
Vinay.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by TwistOfFate!

Please advise if choosing Swift (high-end) over Polo (mid/high-variant) is a wise decision?

Firstly solid build quality of it is what you are looking at, Swift can be struck off. It is light sheet metal and may not give you a feeling of "Tank-like" but that doesn't mean it flimsy and rattle-king.

The Swift is Screwed together well and I can couch for it as I own one for the past 2.5 years and 82K kms and absolutely happy with my decision to get it.

If I am in your place I'll go ahead with Swift ZXi over the Polo 1.2 MPI as the 1.2L engine in the Polo is useless as compared to the one in the Swift.

If you were looking at diesel then my voice would have been Polo TDi eyes closed.

[Sherlocked]

Originally Posted by TwistOfFate!

Hello Team!

Please advise if choosing Swift (high-end) over Polo (mid/high-variant) is a wise decision?

Please do note that Polo 1.2 comes with a 3 cylinder petrol engine and to me it's the biggest downer for this hatchback. Spending 8 lakhs and getting a 3 cylinder NA petrol engine in this day and age whose performance is just mediocre isn't wise IMO. No matter how solid the car feels inside out.

But before finalising the Swift, check if the ingress and egress suits your parents. Though the front seats are supremely comfortable but still take your mom and dad to the showroom and see how they feel getting in and getting out, since they'll be the one using the car. And if your mom is someone who'll be using the rear seats then please avoid Swift by all means. Ingress egress at rear specially for a senior citizen is pathetic at best.
Other than this and the tiny boot space, Swift will be a good buy.

But also do check out Ritz ZXI, the more practical Swift. The ingress egress is fabulous especially for senior folks.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Sherlocked

But also do check out Ritz ZXI, the more practical Swift. The ingress egress is fabulous especially for senior folks.

That car is at its end of life. It is being now sold as a Taxi segment catering vehicle and available as only Ritz LDi TOUR.

The petrol variant isn't being manufactured IMO. Else I would have suggested it first.

[TwistOfFate!]

@Sherlocked:

Spot-on! Cannot agree more with you. The 3 cylinder NA Petrol engine in this day and age is just not what we expect out of an 8L burner.

And yes, ingress-egress shouldn't be an immediate problem - as mom (in her mid 40s) - is not a big fan of the rear seat anyway. In fact, she enjoys being the Captain rather than being the First officer on board, let alone being a passenger!

However, dad (in his early 50's) is more flattered by the design language of the European tank.
Says he spoke to a couple of his pals who own a Polo 1.2P, they all gave the car a top (5 star) rating in their 2.5-3 years of ownership. Sure, they're not Petrolheads unlike us.

As per the sources from a dealer in Hyderabad (where I live), I was told that Ritz has now been discontinued by MSIL. Unsure of the credibility of this information though.

If it needs to be Mind over heart, the clear winner for me is the Swift Zxi yet.

Regards,
Vinay.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

If I am in your place I'll go ahead with Swift ZXi over the Polo 1.2 MPI as the 1.2L engine in the Polo is useless as compared to the one in the Swift.

If you were looking at diesel then my voice would have been Polo TDi eyes closed.

Lightening struck! I'm still inclined towards the Swift ZXi yet I so wish we could extend our budget a little further to go with the Polo TDI.

I guess I'm slowly able to take the decision now. Swift ZXi it should be. (80-20 at the moment!)

Regards,
Vinay.

[pranjal1984]

Originally Posted by TwistOfFate!

Hello Team!

A new car for parents is on cards and we finally zeroed in on the Swift Zxi variant, which would burn our pockets by 7.6L (on road).

The other option in consideration is the VW Polo 1.2L P Comfort line, which was offered for 7L (on road) and the High line is on offer for 8L (on road) by a Dealership in Visakhapatnam (hometown).

Hyundai (i10, Grand i10, Elite i20), Ford (Figo) and Fiat (Punto) have been ditched as they could not make a mark in my amma's eyes.
[Maa.. How could you even say NO to the Punto???]

Tatas cars are all "cabs" to my mom! Spare none.
Datsuns are not into consideration due to lack of ABS/Dual Airbags.
Chevys are something neither mom nor dad ever paid heed to.

We all liked the Baleno, however the light kerb weight of the car, and the long waiting periods aren't feasible, as we are in need of a sturdy car which can be brought home in the next couple of weeks.

We're preferably looking for a petrol car for dad's daily commute to work which does not exceed 30kms to and fro.

Entry level sedans (Swift Dzire, Ford Figo Aspire, Honda Amaze) might/might not be the pick at the point in time, considering the parking issues in our apartment.

Please advise if choosing Swift (high-end) over Polo (mid/high-variant) is a wise decision? Also, considering our budget to be <=8L and a car with ABS and Airbags is a must for me to sign the papers, please advise me with other options that I might have missed, or a Go-Ahead for the Swift Zxi which would concrete my decision in this purchase.

PS: If I had the levy of waiting for a few more months, my pick would have been the MS Ignis without a pinch of a doubt, as I'm still drooling over the looks of the car.

Thanks in advance!
Vinay.

I was owner of Polo Highline Petrol 3 cylinder car and owned it for 20 months. The travellers are cocooned inside the vehicle very safely. However the problem with Volkswagen is they are at the mercy of their dealerships whereas the reverse should have been true. You shoot a mail to VW India complaining about the dealership's service woes. And lo and behold the same mail is forwarded to the dealership again
There is no proper escalation of customer grievances and customers in areas having single VW dealerships are made to regret their purchases of such beautiful machines with shoddy service backups. Maybe my sixth sense knew somehow that VW dealership in Guwahati will be closed within a year and I sold off the Highline for 4.75 lakhs last year through OLX in Guwahati. And that too when Maruti and Toyota were giving me only 3 lakhs.

Compare and contrast that with Maruti where dealerships are in the mercy of parent company(the exact opposite). You are not happy with Maruti service and you shoot a mail to Suzuki. And the next day you are bombarded with calls from service centre asking for forgiveness and what not. I purchased my Swift ZXI last year after selling off the Polo and every moment of its use has made me conscious of the genuinely far sighted decision I made.
Last month Bimal Auto Guwahati made a false service of my car. I got service messages saying that my car is being repaired and will be ready within 1 hr. This was when the car was coolly parked in my office parking. I called up their SA number and he told that this is done by Maruti from Gurgaon. I knew he was lying since it is just a bogus service to inflate their monthly service achievements. I promptly sent a mail to Maruti complaining about the same. And you know what. The same service people came to my house in my absence , gave a Maruti Umbrella to my mom , gave a memento to my dad and took a picture. This is called personalised attention which is so much lacking with other companies in our country.

Coming to the vehicle itself, you will love it. The driving , the pickup and short turning radius will put a smile on your face every time. And over and above the strict control of Maruti over its dealers will ensure that you will be having a happy ownership experience. Go for the Swift ZXI. Its worth it.

[TwistOfFate!]

Hello pranjal1984!

One word after going through your write-up - WOW!
You've made it all so easy for me now. Swift ZXi it's going to be. *Decision made*

Day before yesterday, parents were picked up from home by the VW SA in a Polo 1.2 P, as they wanted to visit the showroom located around 30kms from our residence. As I said, dad was so convinced by the looks, the safety and a plethora of other features by VW, that he wanted to see the various colors of Polos on offer, in person to finalize it. This also meant, they have a chance to be chauffeur driven 30+30 kms to and fro. Upon reaching the showroom, mom rushed to get off the rear seat and when asked why, she said that she was utterly baffled by the inconvenient rear bench and the bumpy ride quality. Half an hour in the rear seat meant a mild back ache.

What this also meant was, the European is no longer in discussion.

We've finalized on the Swift ZXi and will proceed with the booking in the next 10 days. Thanks to each one of you who responded to my long queries and to this thread which ensured we take aninformed decision on our purchase.

Kind regards,
Vinay.

[Viju]

Originally Posted by TwistOfFate!

We've finalized on the Swift ZXi and will proceed with the booking in the next 10 days.

Congratulations on your purchase! I am glad you are going for the ZXi variant, and that safety was high up on your priority-list. Swift is basically a good car and should not give you any problems at all.

Only downside is that this is the last production year for the current generation Swift and all new one will be coming in 2017.

If I was in your place, I would have bought a Bolt or Punto, but then, yes, you cannot argue with moms!

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by Viju

Only downside is that this is the last production year for the current generation Swift and all new one will be coming in 2017.

If I was in your place, I would have bought a Bolt or Punto,...

Even if the new Swift will come next year, it will be wise to select it over Bolt and Punto, IMO. Why reject some cars based on the end of production models, when some companies themselves are near its extinction!

Originally Posted by Viju

...I am not one of those who worry about dealer network or A.S.S. either. I service my cars on my own.

Great! So you can choose any car of your choice irrespective of the after sales!

[Viju]

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

Even if the new Swift will come next year, it will be wise to select it over Bolt and Punto, IMO. Why reject some cars based on the end of production models, when the some companies themselves are near its extinction!

You choose the Swift over Bolt and Punto, because that is your opinion. I would have chosen Bolt or Punto because 'IMO', they are better cars for me. I don't buy cars based on sales charts / popularity of a model. I buy them based on the merits that I am able to measure / judge. And no, neither Tata nor Fiat is going extinct anytime soon. And I am not one of those who worry about dealer network or A.S.S. either. I service my cars on my own.

[TwistOfFate!]

Hello Viju,

Cannot agree more on your last line there!

Bolt has never been an option at all, no disrespect to the vehicle, however, no disrespect to mom's decision either. She'd be driving the vehicle as much as my dad would. So, when she says NO, it remains a NO. Punto has always been a hot favourite, but the lack of a reliable service network in hometown is a concern.

I'm kind of aware of Swift's current production status. I actually was and still am waiting for the launch of Maruti Suzuki Ignis since the day it was showcased the first time. It just stole my heart like no other car. Considering the immediate need for a car at home, we're not able to wait till this festive season. If Ignis was launched by now, or at least if the bookings were open yet, wouldn't have had a second thought at it. I still feel pity for myself in not able to wait for its launch.

Regards,
Vinay.

[aaggoswami]

Call it bad luck, but my car Swift had a crash : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post3992284

I would lose the pair of really good Philips Xtreme Vision+ bulbs. If anybody is making a purchase, ensure that its with ABS.
Has anyone renewed insurnace recently ? After my crash, I am sure the premium of my current Maruti insurance will shoot up. Would like to have Insurnace from Bajaj Allianz or ICICI. Any view or experience with either would be helpful for me selecting me one. My car would complete one year next month end.

[bullrun87]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Call it bad luck, but my car Swift had a crash : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post3992284

I would lose the pair of really good Philips Xtreme Vision+ bulbs. If anybody is making a purchase, ensure that its with ABS.
Has anyone renewed insurnace recently ? After my crash, I am sure the premium of my current Maruti insurance will shoot up. Would like to have Insurnace from Bajaj Allianz or ICICI. Any view or experience with either would be helpful for me selecting me one. My car would complete one year next month end.

Looks like a nasty accident. I hope you were not hurt. The bumper , headlights, bonnet and the crossmember will all be changed. Your zero dep policy should cover all of it. You will have to forgo the NCB but I dont think the premium will increase. As a maruti owner I don't think it is worth it to buy insurance outside of maruti insurance as one has to give up on the convenience of cashless claims at MASS. I find having to pay for repairs first and make the claims later to be a rather arduous process. I usually choose from whatever maruti insurance is offering. Insurance should be as hassle free as possible.

[MidnightBlack]

I gave my Swift ZDI for 60K service yesterday. While collecting car back in the evening I noticed that the gear oil was not changed even though it is mentioned in the manual for 60K service. The service adviser said that now Maruti has changed the interval of Gear Oil to 40K and since I have to change only for 80K service.

Are any of you guys aware of such a change? Any of went for 60K service recently ? I want to make sure the SA is not making up the story because Gear Oil was out of stock or something.

[Viju]

Originally Posted by MidnightBlack

I gave my Swift ZDI for 60K service yesterday.

Swift Diesel Owner's Manual available at Maruti Suzuki website says:


Link: http://www.marutisuzuki.com/owners-manual.aspx

Looks like it is neither 40,000 nor 80,000 km, but 160,000 km / 10 years.