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Booked an i10 NIOS, but bought a Maruti Swift: Observations after 950km

8th June 2022, 14:46 by Rahul Nagaraj

Considered most cars around Rs 8 lakh range, including the i10 NIOS, Tiago, Punch, Baleno and Amaze.

BHPian PrideRed recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Was looking for a compact city beater car and picked up Maruti Swift ZXi AMT last week. Was scouting for cars in the range of Rs 6-8L, this one costed a bit more, thanks to availability.

After shortlisting a few cars, test drove some of them and booked Nios (and a soft one for Baleno, before Nios). Delivery time quoted was about 1 month but started getting delayed. Swift was initially dropped owing to the long waiting period and for being pricier. While waiting for Nios, was glancing through Swift's brochure and a few things stood out - ESP and hill hold. While both had poor safety ratings, the Swift variant I was looking for scored better thanks to ESP, Hill hold, tethering for child seats and adjustable headrests. Nios has a smoother AMT and better features.

After the Kwid, was determined to not pick up a 3-pot again. While Tiago and Punch were nice, the engine left a lot to be desired. Baleno/Glanza were good but the variant I wanted was costing a Lac more(10L+). Amaze appeared good, however, did not like how it drove (Soft suspension) or its price and wanted something that was easy to drive.

Had taken the car to my hometown and ODO now stands at 950 km. Few quick observations:

Engine is easily the best among the competition. Almost EV levels of NVH on idle and has a good note at higher revs. Revv happy and tractable. Has good mid-range and low end and also is quite good. Have not tested high end but appear to have enough juice.
AMT is a headbanger for sure. If AMT is your first automatic, may find it decent, but if you are used to conventional automatic, definitely not smooth. However is quite convenient in the city, decided to let my head bang than knee pain. On the positive side, letting go of the A pedal when gear shifts lead to a much smoother experience. On the highway, M mode was a lot of fun. Once you understand the characteristics of the engine and gearbox, shifting is instant and lets you rev higher. Able to reduce the jerks the more I drive. Despite being automatic, needs to be driven quite differently.
Ride is on the stiffer side just as I prefer. That said it's not unbearable stiff, is quite good for the city. Even though GC is low, stiff suspension ensures the car does not bottom out even with 4 people on board.
Has period-correct features and interior quality is average at best. Nios appeared to have slightly better interiors and more features.
Front seats are very supportive and come with adjustable headrests. The ZXI also gets adjustable ones at the rear which is a welcome move.
Hill hold is a boon, my other two ATs have these and hence could observe the benefit when I drove an AMT without one. While booking Nios, hadn't checked uphill driving in start/stop traffic. Took for another drive and had to juggle between Brake/Accelerator and Hand brake.
At 80-100 km/h, the car is stable on the highway, being new did not drive faster and does not feel confident either. Picks up pace quickly and there is enough heft to steering.
Twisty roads like say Charmadi- Hassan was super fun. The steering has some weight and you can push through corners. Holds the line quite well and there is not much body roll, thanks again to stiff suspension.
Body panels as expected are super light and not confidence-inspiring, especially with a 2-star safety rating. That said was just wondering, do adding kits like ESP, hill hold, passenger SBR, and speed warnings improve safety? Maybe, I don't know. Will continue to remain a 2-star car in my books until tested.
Headlights are poor, barely enough for low-speed drives. Foglamps help a bit but will see to upgrade bulbs. The rear lights are funky and get a nice LED treatment.
Car came with Bridgestone Ecopia, probably better than Apollos, but is still a bit noisy. Offers a good grip on a dry surface.
Expect rattles(None so far), Some of the renowned solid cars have developed rattles during my usage, and I am sure Swift will rattle to glory.
Bad bits are in plenty but a few bits surprised me in a good way. The car came with hood insulation, engine guard/protection underneath, insulated wheel well, 60:40 split seats, decent 6 speaker music system. I was not expecting these in a budget car.
Too early to judge overall efficiency but with Petrol price hitting the roof, is one of the important factors for a better car. On the highway, the drive got an overall 20.5 km/l tank to tank. Drove at speeds of 80-100KM/Hr and included ghat sections. In the city as per MID, I guess will return about 12-13 km/l or lesser in B2B traffic.
Lastly dealer experience was simply superb and among the best. Bought from Suraksha Koramangala and even though I was dealing for the first time, felt like we knew for a long time. Delivered everything as promised and had a memorable experience.

I mentioned this in another thread, there is no perfect car in any budget that meets all your requirement. Under 10L now, you have to pick up a car that is reliable/efficient/refined but Unsafe or pick up something that offers poor driving experience but is safe. And more than all, most dealers don't have cars to offer! I will stick to other cars in the garage for highway duties and Swift for B2B traffic, school drop and weekend shopping. For the intended usage, Swift so far feels perfect.

First-ever Grey car. Not a colour I generally prefer but looks ok now.