[RGK]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Sorry, I inspected the new Swift and the older one yesterday, and found that the new model's boot was around 40% less than the old one. Even the Sales Advisor nodded in affirmative when I asked him.

But owing to the boot, it is unlikely for a family of 4 to pack their luggage for a weekend trip. The compromise would be to take a Figo, though it runs out of breath over 100 kmph.

Good observation. Eventhough I am a Swift Diesel lover, I did not go for it because of small boot. It was not worth spending (this is my view) especially for a highway performer where boot space is necessary.
TDCi even though not at par with DDIS does well around 120k and also solve my purpose.

Originally Posted by opendro

Funny that you say we need a more powerful diesel mill for the Figo. Are we forgetting that Figo has the same diesel engine that powers the Fiesta Classic? Both Fiesta and Logan diesel are nice cruiser on highways, though they run out of steam above 140Kmph. So is Swift diesel though all of them can reach a max speed of 158Kmph.

Compared to Old Swift diesel, Figo is less powered. Not only that, If you brake at high speeds to bring down to 80, Swift does not require a downshift and also blazes out relatively in a shorter time.

[RadiantKarma]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Yeah, it is funny how a couple of issues (lack of boot-space being the main concern) seem to overshadow what is otherwise a brilliant car.

Hey supremeBaleno,

With due respect, bootspace is a big practical issue for most people. But before that, let me express my take on the positives you've highlighted esp. w.r.t old Swift, as one now has to pay some more for the new hatch.

What you’ll like:
• Snazzy styling packs appeal. - Been around for 5-6 years now, nothing new on offer - the changes are not dramatic
• Interiors are well-designed too - continue to be claustrauphobic at the same time - will prefer Jazz, i20, Micra, Polo, Figo, even Liva for functionality!
• Competent engine range. Very refined motors - Retains the strength of Old Swift
• Balanced ride and handling. Superbly tuned suspension- A BIG PLUS
• Terrific fuel efficiency, especially from the diesel - Most modern-day diesels are offering this
• Effortless to drive in the city; lots of fun on the highway - More or less retains the strength of Old Swift

The two B's - brakes for L & V; and more importantly the bigger B of Boot - on the other hand, are the bane of the new Swift, which is now up against some formidable competition. But for most folks, ZXi/ZDi is anyway out of bounds at such a price. And how many people in the country can afford the new Swift as a second car at the price? An average family looking to get all day-to-day things done with a single car, the tiny boot at such a price would be a major negative.

P.S. I would anyday pick the Z-trim as my car, if I did not need bootspace.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Yeah, it is funny how a couple of issues (lack of boot-space being the main concern) seem to overshadow what is otherwise a brilliant car. All you need to to is look at the initial Like/Dislike bullet-points in GTO's review and you can see that this car does almost all things well.

Exactly my thoughts! All the people I talked to, described the new car bettern than the old one as an over-all package. And the booking numbers (1 Lakh + !) prove it. How only in Team-BHP, only a few drawbacks like smaller boot took the centre-stage and comes to the conclusion that the car is an utter disappointment?

Many are coming too hard on new Swift, and too soft on its competitors, IMO.

[the_joker]

Originally Posted by ankurvirmani19

I've driven Figo Tdci, as somebody also mentioned it lacks the punch. Felt somewhat under powered. Once you reach a speed of 100-110kmph, stability of the car is gone. Guess one has to use it purely in city.

I have driven the old Swift, and the Figo Tdci. I agree that Figo feels underpowered when compared to the old swift, and it also lacks the "punch" of Turbo. But Figo is quite stable at highway speeds. It can easily cruise at 110 - 120 Km/H, doesn't feel unstable at all, also it does not feel like the car is at its limit at that speed.

[anandjha]

Aren't we all making a mountain out of a mole hill? Agreed boot space of Swift is small but certainly it's not a deal breaker. The space is sufficient for a small nuclear family. It is definitely much bigger than Alto and 800 (still sold in smaller cities) and perhaps better than i10 and Santro. These are the cars India drives and I am not talking about the cities but smaller towns and kasbas where boot or dicky, as it is commonly called, is made more use of than we do in the cities. 1 lakh+ bookings and the runaway success of the Old Swift, not known for its boot volume either, are a testimony that Swift designer's have not gone wrong.

Yes weak brake in L and V is an issue. Very bad of Maruti to risk lives.

[algos&autos]

As some one who considered the new swift and decided against it i would like share my reasons for the same. All of which seems to be captured in GTO's review. Before i go to the negatives, let me state the positives.

good engine, good ride, great A.S.S, good F.E and better interiors than the previous generation

the negatives:
rear seat experience(more claustrophobic than before)
Ingress/egress experience(more than one person said one wouldn't do this without hitting something)
smaller boot
weaker brakes

the negatives are about safety, which are not worth compromising. As a family man, the rear seat experience and the smaller boot are big no-nos.

Also, the number(1 Lakh+) wouldn't justify the product. Lot more people buy whole life insurance without realizing that the term life insurance + investing provides much better returns. I would rather go by the words of few intelligent and knowledgeable souls than lot more less intelligent ones.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

Exactly my thoughts! All the people I talked to, described the new car bettern than the old one as an over-all package. And the booking numbers (1 Lakh + !) prove it. How only in Team-BHP, only a few drawbacks like smaller boot took the centre-stage and comes to the conclusion that the car is an utter disappointment?

Many are coming too hard on new Swift, and too soft on its competitors, IMO.

When it comes to Maruti Suzuki, this phenomenon is rather too common in team-bhp. Trace back to the WagonR and Ritz review, for instance. The threads predicted doom for Maruti, and well - that didnt really happen, did it?

I see a lot of people pointing to the negatives of L/V variants, qouting the prices of Z variant, and saying- at these prices- there are lot many options.

I'm in the market for a diesel fun-to-drive hatchback around 7L - and I dont see many options in the market space - other than Swift ZDi and Punto 90HP - both IMO are quite evenly matched now. And, at the price of Punto 90HP - a swift would be 90HP (courtesy: Pete's ) too!

In case of petrols, its a different story though!

[supremeBaleno]

@RadiantKarma, no denying that boot-space could be a major factor for some people & the new Swift is bad at that. But is a car just about bootspace ? I would worry more about the brakes than carrying an extra bag in the boot.

Also some members pointed out the i10 and Brio as better options. So, does it mean they are good at all factors ? They excel in some and fail at others too.

- Start with looks, which is a major factor for most buyers. The Swift is a clear winner here with its sporty looks, compared to the bland i10. Let's not even talk about the Brio here, which could make the Ritz's rear look bootylicious.

- Interior space - the TBHP review terms the i10 as a "strict 4-seater" - so depends on whether your priority is to stuff in 1 more bag in the boot or have 1 more person in the car.

- Ride - bad/bouncy ride on the i10. Same goes for the Brio.

- Features : While the i10 misses out on goodies like ACC & alloys, the Brio lacks driver-seat height adjustment, rear defogger & CD-player.

- FE : The Brio is new, so details yet to be known. But we all know how the i10 fares on this count (the AT version being a disaster), with the Swift coming trumps here.

[RadiantKarma]

^^^
@supremeBaleno

As I said earlier too, I would buy the new Swift for, apart from retaining its original strengths, its brilliant combination of ride quality and handling, if a minimum bootspace were not my requirement. My view is that all critical parameters should be above acceptable level in a product, even though a product may not excel in any particular department. Here this car appears to fail, to me, in this critical parameter for a single car in the family, esp. with so many options available in the market.

I agree with you that brakes are more important than the boot, for you, an for me too. But what about the market? I'm sure that a very large majority from the 1L+ has booked L/V trims.

Personally, I think Brio & i10 are a subsegment below the new premium & bigger Swift, and any comparison with these cars would be reasonable only for specific buyer needs. Else, the Swift now belongs to the category of bigger hatches. (It's actually the overall poor space management of this Swift that's inviting this otherwise unfair comparison!)

So, on most issues, we're pretty much on the same page. Only difference in perception is regarding the degree of importance being assigned to the low bootspace. And going by the market response, your point of view seems to be on the right side!

[amalji]

Originally Posted by anandjha

Aren't we all making a mountain out of a mole hill? Agreed boot space of Swift is small but certainly it's not a deal breaker. The space is sufficient for a small nuclear family. It is definitely much bigger than Alto and 800 (still sold in smaller cities) and perhaps better than i10 and Santro. These are the cars India drives and I am not talking about the cities but smaller towns and kasbas where boot or dicky, as it is commonly called, is made more use of than we do in the cities. 1 lakh+ bookings and the runaway success of the Old Swift, not known for its boot volume either, are a testimony that Swift designer's have not gone wrong.

Yes weak brake in L and V is an issue. Very bad of Maruti to risk lives.

But, after spending money close to 7Lakhs, you feel bad if your boot cannot accomodate your luggage properly. And the slanting hatch makes it even worse reducing the usable space.

And no, the boot space is not better than i10

Swift will sell for sure. But, that doesn't make it a great car necessarily. When the Swift was initially released, it was an innovative design. Doesn't find it attractive now, with several other options available now.

Originally Posted by algos&autos

As some one who considered the new swift and decided against it i would like share my reasons for the same. All of which seems to be captured in GTO's review. Before i go to the negatives, let me state the positives.

good engine, good ride, great A.S.S, good F.E and better interiors than the previous generation

the negatives:
rear seat experience(more claustrophobic than before)
Ingress/egress experience(more than one person said one wouldn't do this without hitting something)
smaller boot
weaker brakes

the negatives are about safety, which are not worth compromising. As a family man, the rear seat experience and the smaller boot are big no-nos.

Also, the number(1 Lakh+) wouldn't justify the product. Lot more people buy whole life insurance without realizing that the term life insurance + investing provides much better returns. I would rather go by the words of few intelligent and knowledgeable souls than lot more less intelligent ones.

Spot on.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

When it comes to Maruti Suzuki, this phenomenon is rather too common in team-bhp. Trace back to the WagonR and Ritz review, for instance. The threads predicted doom for Maruti, and well - that didnt really happen, did it?

I see a lot of people pointing to the negatives of L/V variants, qouting the prices of Z variant, and saying- at these prices- there are lot many options.

I'm in the market for a diesel fun-to-drive hatchback around 7L - and I dont see many options in the market space - other than Swift ZDi and Punto 90HP - both IMO are quite evenly matched now. And, at the price of Punto 90HP - a swift would be 90HP (courtesy: Pete's ) too!

In case of petrols, its a different story though!

Maruti is surviving on 2 factors - Excellent MASS and the engine. Add Swift's unique design to that, and you have a winner. But, that doesn't make the new Swift a practical car though.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by amalji

Maruti is surviving on 2 factors - Excellent MASS and the engine.

No car company can survive with just engine and after sales service. What about Maruti's low cost of maintenance, mileage, parts availability, almost-nil niggling issues and trouble-free ownership, resale value etc?
Compare to that the low mileage, bumpy ride and high maintenance cost of i10 and Santro, steering rattling, lack of engine and AC power of i20, un-availability of parts and low resale value of FIAT cars, various niggling issues in TATA cars even in latest Manza and Vista, low resale value of Chevrolet cars...

[RGK]

As far as Diesel hatches are concerned, Swift is the best to drive. No second opinion on that.

The updated and much awaited version did not fix the earlier prominent bugs of small boot, ride quality, confined rear etc. Poor braking in L & V series adds to the negative list. So it was more of a disappointment to auto enthusiasts.

[HammerHead]

Alright, let me ask you all this.
Apart from 'Balanced ride' what else has significantly improved in new Swift?

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I'm in the market for a diesel fun-to-drive hatchback around 7L - and I dont see many options in the market space - other than Swift ZDi and Punto 90HP - both IMO are quite evenly matched now. And, at the price of Punto 90HP - a swift would be 90HP (courtesy: Pete's ) too!

Evenly matched? Are you sure?
Does Pete's also take care of kind of handling & brakes required to use all that power effectively and still be in control?

[supremeBaleno]

^^^
Brakes are not an issue in the ZDi. And as far as handling goes, it has been clarified earlier on in the review that it is better than the Punto.

Originally Posted by GTO

Make no mistake, the Swift will leave a Punto for dead on the corners. Reason:
- Quicker steering. Much quicker.
- Lesser body roll. Much lesser.
- Noticeably quicker acceleration. And lesser turbo-lag that bogs you down too
- Quicker, smoother gearshift
- Grip levels are on par with the 185 mm rubber that our test car had. Remember, the stock Punto has even thicker tyres. A Swift with 195 tyres will outhandle any Punto out there.

Regarding what has improved, I understand from the review (yet to see the car up close) that interiors have improved, looks too (though subjective - I like the previous look), FE & engine refinement. And the ride, which you mentioned matter-of-fact, but which I as an owner of the previous version think of as a major plus.

[Rigid Rotor]

Regarding the difference in brakes -
I'm not sure whether this has been pointed out earlier.
Check out GTO's engine bay pics of the diesel (L variant) & pertrol (Z variant)
Zoom into the top left area near the brake reservoir.

I am not sure whether the Diesel L variant has a vaccum brake booster whereas the circular Black vaccum booster is clearly visible in the petrol Z variant (lower pic).

Owners of both version could check this out

PS - Great Review GTO that 5* as usual !! Keep up the high standards!